Sensory Playground Equipment enables your pupils to explore all five of their senses in a safe learning environment. It provides them with the opportunity to learn and take in their surroundings whilst using their senses to fully appreciate and be present in the moment. During development, younger children use multiple senses at a time, whereas an adult may only use one or two. That is why it is so important to ensure that we provide an enriching and stimulating environment that allows children to be curious and process the experience in its entirety.
In this buyer’s guide, we are going to help you create the ideal sensory play area for your students by introducing you to our top Red Monkey Sensory Play Equipment.
Why Outdoor Sensory Play Equipment
The best way for a child to learn and develop is through actively participating in any way that they can. The more senses that are stimulated and used during these experiences, the easier it is to process what is happening around them. Sensory play encourages the exploration of different materials, colours, smells, tastes, and so much more, all promoting a love of learning.
Our Red Monkey Play sensory equipment helps with the processing, organising, and filtering of sensory input which is essential in your pupils’ development. This will help to facilitate their emotional responses to situations and get to grips with their own bodily functions as a result.
A few other benefits of sensory play in early years include:
- The development of motor skills and social skills
- Stimulation of both imagination and physical development
For more information on the importance and benefits of sensory play, please find a couple of our guides below to further explore the topic:
- A School Guide: What Is Sensory Play?
- How To Improve Child Development With Sensory Playground Equipment
Our Outdoor Sensory Play Equipment
At Red Monkey Play, all our sensory equipment ensures all ages and abilities can investigate and discover, from exploring how fast sand or water passes through chutes of different sizes to examine movement and composition, to the exploration of sound with our Rustic Music Centre. Even more, the little ones love the feeling of mud and clay, the reason why our Messy Kitchen Area is perfect for curious hands to explore exciting new textures.
- Complete Water Wall
- Nature Sensory Path
- Sand Pit & Wall
- Small World Play
- Rustic Music Center
- Sensory Box
- Wet Pour Sensory Path
Complete Water Wall
Our Complete Water Wall is a fantastic piece of sensory outdoor play equipment that brings excitement and fun to any primary school playground. It encourages children to get stuck in and hands-on with water play in a safe space. Pumping the crank to generate the flow of water is an exciting way to introduce strength-based exercise and to provide a sense of achievement!
Watch your student’s faces beam with enthusiasm as they work together to make the water flow down the wall. Stimulate their curiosity and nurture problem-solving skills!
Adaptable & Unique Design
Getting tired of your play layout? Why not switch up the direction of the water? Our unique design features numerous moving parts that are detachable, creating new water flow circuits with every use for hours of fun whilst keeping things fresh! Each Wall comes fitted with exciting and interactive components such as chains, pulleys, spinners, clear pipes, and much more!
Impressive Design Features
Our Water Wall comes equipped with a tank and a hand-operated pump that creates a continuous flow of water to play with, ensuring your pupils are gaining valuable exercise in a fun way! Even more, our wall doesn’t require a connection to a water supply or mains power, and it features removable castors for ease of positioning (these must be removed before use), making the installation process much simpler.
Flexible Installation
Depending on the needs of your school, our Water Wall can be set up in a freestanding position, installed on the ground, or attached to a fence or wall within your playground area. Whatever your preferences are, we will accommodate them to suit your requirements.
The Sensory Water Wall is priced at around £1950 plus VAT, and the cost of onsite installation is dependent on the locality.
Nature Sensory Path
Lead your pupils down this wondrous path through the twists and turns of the outdoors, and let their imaginations run free!
Our tactile Nature Sensory Path features an array of different surfaces and natural elements, giving a magical feeling to your playground by injecting colour and texture into an otherwise dull floor space. A fantastic addition to any play space that inspires interaction with children of all ages. Furthermore, this top piece of sensory play equipment encourages tactile play and connection through the hands and feet, helping to strengthen balance and coordination.
Bespoke Design
Choose from a variety of playground surfaces, including natural, earthy tones, and textures. Design your path however you like with any of the following materials:
- Artificial Grass Flooring
- Resin Bound Gravel
- Natural Coloured Wet Pour
- Bonded Rubber Mulch
- Bark
- Sand
- Stone Paving
- Pebble Resin
- Bumpy Wooden Logs
Even more, you can even customise the length of your sensory path sections by designing your product as long and wide as you require. Each section of your path will be boxed in with block paving to create a sleek and uniform border to finish off your space in perfect conditions.
Fixed Installation
Your Nature Sensory Path will be installed directly into your current playground surfacing, ensuring that it is fixed adequately, whilst eliminating the risk of choking or tripping over the surface.
The Sensory Path is priced at around £950 per linear meter plus VAT, and the cost of onsite installation is dependent on the locality.
Sand Pit & Wall
Our Sand Pit & Wall is a fantastic piece of sensory equipment for your primary school pupils. Using their strength to lift the sand to the top of the wall and manoeuvring it through the different chutes and funnels is a great way to get your children using their muscles whilst working together.
The sand pit is a brilliant way to improve their coordination, core, and upper body strength through digging. Why not add a sense of adventure by digging for dinosaur bones or buried treasure? You could even take a ‘trip to the beach’ and build impressive sand castles and moats!
Versatile Design
Fitted with exciting features including chains, funnels, pulleys, channels, spinners, and buckets, this sand wall really has everything to keep the little ones entertained for hours! Additionally, it can also be installed with a canvas gazebo to ensure the kids can have fun all year round, no matter the season. The canvas gazebo can include canvas sides that can be rolled upwards and secured to sit at the top of the structure, enabling you to take full advantage of the glorious sunshine in the summer months, whilst also allowing you to benefit from warmth and shelter when it gets cooler. Also, we can provide a lid to cover the unit, which slides over via the braked castors to protect it during all weather conditions. This can be purchased for an additional cost, and it can also double as a stage when the brakes on the castors are locked into place – endless possibilities!
Flexible Installation
Depending on the needs of your school, our sand pit can be set up in a freestanding position, enabling it to be manoeuvred if needed to be moved or installed into the ground for a sturdier, more secure situation. Whatever your preferences are, we will accommodate to suit your requirements.
The Sand Pit & Wall is priced at around £2998.80 without the canvas gazebo, and £59998.80 with the canvas gazebo instalment plus VAT, and the cost of onsite installation is dependent on the locality.
Small World Play
It really is a small world after all…
Our Small World Play is the ultimate piece of sensory equipment for escapism and imagination as it’s so easy to get lost in the fun of it all! With so many different panels, platforms, and sensory features, its versatile nature creates a paradise of possibility. This world can be filled with toy dolls, cars, animals, and so much more! Perfect for story-telling, and role-play sessions, whilst acting as a great break-out space, what’s not to love! Escape from the Wicked Witch Of The West and save the Princess from The Tower Of Doom, or simply run away with the Fairies, the choice is up to the little ones!
Multi-Textured Design
Our Small World Play is brimming with bright colours and fascinating features. From hidey-holes and secret doors to shelves, shoots, windows, and everything else in between! Explore different textures including grass, wood, perspex, and mirrors for a sea of sensory delight! This piece of sensory equipment is highly adaptable and can be moulded to suit the needs of your children and your school.
Flexible Installation
Our Small World can be installed into the ground for a sturdy position, or attached to a fence within your playground area. Whatever your preferences are, we will accommodate them to suit your requirements.
The Small World Play is priced at around £2250 plus VAT, and the cost of onsite installation is dependent on the locality.
Rustic Music Centre
Create a symphony of sounds with this fantastic, fanciful orchestra of pots and pans to create a musical show like no other!
Making a ruckus is always fun, especially when banging on kitchen utensils! What better way to express yourself, thrash out your frustrations or march to the beat of your own ‘pan’ than through music play? Our Rustic Music Centre is a great choice for inspiring a passion for expression and music from a young age – we may just have the next generation of musicians on our hands!
Unique Design
Unlike any other music play station you’ve ever seen, our Rustic Music Centre is fitted with a number of different-sized pans that each generates a uniquely pitched sound. It is even built with a xylophone right in the centre, at the ‘musical’ heart of the piece which is subject to the design requirements of your school.
Flexible Installation
This sensory play unit can be installed as a freestanding piece, installed into the ground or attached to a fence to allow a versatile placement within your playground area. Whatever your preferences are, we will accommodate them to suit your requirements.
Our Rustic Music Centre is priced at around £1170 plus VAT, and the cost of onsite installation is dependent on the locality.
Discovery Tables
Our Discovery Tables are great for nurturing inquisitive and creative minds.
The versatility of this sensory equipment enables their use in both play and learning environments. You can fill our tables with sand, soil, leaves, stones, water, and so much more! You can even place hidden items to be found with the feel of hands and the strength of digging, or simply get hands-on to feel the differences in textures between natural materials and sediment (especially when adding water). Make mud pies or see how different objects sink or float, as the opportunities are endless!
Design
Choose between a singular unit or the full set of three, as the more hands, the merrier here! Each unit is fitted with a lid, chutes, and a clear bowl so that the inner contents of each table can be seen from every angle! Furthermore, to enable the incorporation of water play into the mix, the bowls are also fitted with a tap in the centre for ease of emptying.
Our Discovery Tables can be made at bespoke heights to suit the needs of your children, whether you’re integrating these into the curriculum and playtime of your nursery children or at your primary school.
Hassle-Free Installation
This sensory play unit is installed as free-standing pieces, and it can be used straight away after delivery!
The Discovery Tables are priced at around £415 for a singular unit and £1130 for the set of 3, plus VAT, and the cost of onsite installation is dependent on the locality.
Sensory Box
Our Sensory Box is a brilliant piece of equipment that offers a versatile and exciting sensory experience for your students.
Let their imaginations run wild as they dig for hidden treasures or excavate for dinosaur bones! By simply adding water, you can even create a sandcastle fit for kings and queens! Incorporating our discovery box into your school’s curriculum is a great way to encourage your pupils to better understand their senses and bodily responses to different textures and materials in fun and unique ways.
Unique Design
With four compartments that can be filled with whatever you like (we prefer sand, soil, leaves, and loose parts), you’ll inspire your kids for hours of fun! This sensory play equipment unit comes assembled with a lid to cover the box and preserve your play materials, keeping them sheltered in harsh weather conditions.
Hassle-Free Installation
Our boxes are installed as free-standing pieces, so they can be used straight away after delivery!
Our Sensory Boxes are priced at around £355 per unit, plus VAT, and the cost of onsite installation is dependent on the locality.
Wet Pour Sensory Path
If you are in the market for a fantastic-looking playground surface that also doubles as safety surfacing, our Wet Pour Sensory Path ticks every box and more!
By adding colour and a sense of fun to any lifeless play space, our surfaces can really elicit excitement and magic into any school playground. Find the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, or learn every brilliant, beautiful colour of the rainbow (just like in the song) with a multicoloured path that will brighten up your playground space and encourage hours of imaginative play sessions!
This is a brilliant addition to any play space to encourage interaction with children of every age. Our sensory surfacing inspires tactile play and connection through the hands and feet, helping to strengthen your pupil’s balance and coordination, and it is fantastic for wheelchair users as well, making it accessible for everyone!
Bespoke Design
This playground surface is built from two layers: the base layer is made from large granules of recycled rubber tyres, and the upper layer is made of finer rubber granules, in a colour of your choice.
You can choose from a number of shades, starting from more natural tones to bright, eye-catching colours:
- Grey – Black, Medium, Light, and Mixed Grey
- Green – Dark Mix, Light Mix, Medium, and Light Green
- Blue – Dark, Light, and Mixed Blue
- Natural – Light Brown, Dark Brown, Beige, Eggshell, and Natural Mix
- Yellow – Bright and Earth Yellow
- Red – Dark and Bright Red
- Orange
- Pink
- Purple
We install the surface to suit the requirements of your space, no matter the width or length. What’s more, we can even combine a number of different colours together, to create a stunning and visually stimulating space that is truly bespoke to your school. Why not incorporate the colours of your school’s crest?
Fixed Installation
Your sensory path will be installed directly into your current playground surfacing, ensuring that it’s fixed appropriately to eliminate the risk of choking or any hazards that could encourage trips and falls.
The Wet Pour Sensory Path is priced at around £650 per linear meter plus VAT, and the cost of onsite installation is dependent on the locality.
View The Wet Pour Sensory Path
Product Comparison
| Product | Benefits & USPs | Audience | Price Point |
| Complete Water Wall |
| Early years to Key stage 2, SEN | £1950 |
| Nature Sensory Path |
| SEN and All years | From £950; £500 per linear meter |
| Sand Pit & Wall |
| Early years to Key stage 1, SEN | £2998.80 without canvas gazebo, and £5998.80 with canvas gazebo |
| Small World Play |
| Early years to Key stage 1, SEN | £2250 |
| Rustic Music Centre |
| Early years to Key stage 2 | £1170 |
| Discovery Tables |
| Early years to Key stage 1 | £415 for a singular table, and £1130 for a set of 3 |
| Sensory Box |
| All years | £355 for a singular unit |
| Wet Pour Sensory Path |
| SEN and All years | From £750 per linear meter |
The Installation Process
Our pieces of sensory equipment are made out of the finest quality and sustainably sourced materials and are installed in adherence with current building and safety regulations. Throughout the installation of your sensory equipment, we carry out numerous quality assurance checks to ensure that our pieces are installed in line with best practices to ensure the safety of your staff and pupils. After your equipment has been safely installed, we would advise scheduling playground safety checks at least once a year by a certified professional. For more information on this, read our blog on Playground Safety and Annual Inspections.
Create Your Perfect Playground Today
At Red Monkey Play, we provide nurseries and schools across the UK with bespoke sensory play equipment that suits the exact requirements of their school. We believe that every playground should be equipped for sensory play, which is why we pride ourselves on creating numerous unique products that offer just that. We also take great pleasure in being able to offer a bespoke and specialist service to each of our clients, to allow them to get the most out of our products whilst finding solutions that suit their needs and requirements.
We have a number of sensory playground equipment units available, each with its own unique benefits. If you’re looking for advice and support in choosing the perfect product for your school, we are happy to discuss the options available to you, so please don’t hesitate to contact us. You can either email us at hello@redmonkeyplay.co.uk or call our Leicester office on 0116 366 9922 to book a FREE consultation.
