5000: Orion Spacenets
Play Value Analysis
Orion Spacenets
The most appealing aspect of Orion Spacenets is that they combine various possibilities for climbing and jumping. There
are five versions available in different shapes and sizes. Each Spacenet consists of two net levels, one on top of the other,
connected by vertical ropes. The nets are constructed concentrically and stretched between steel masts. The net structure is composed of hexagonal or octagonal meshes and contains one or more jumping surfaces made out of Corocord
membranes. Rope net bridges or slides can be connected to the Spacenets as additional ways up or down.
Orion Spacenets are especially suitable for kindergartens and schools, since they provide a large play area for many kids.
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Promotion of stamina and joy of play
Children can climb, balance and swing on Orion
Spacenets and jump on the built-in trampoline membranes.
There is a distance of up to two metres between the
two horizontal net levels, allowing kids to move quickly in an upright position through the Spacenets in a
game of tag, for example. Running and jumping over
the net meshes is good training for young people, getting them physically fit and building up their endurance, strength and speed.
Kids get fit through jumping, hanging and climbing
because they need to use body tension and strength
in order to take off with their bodies from the jumping area, propel their own body weight forward, or pull
themselves up onto higher nets.
Orion Spacenets are a joy to play on because you can
try out all kinds of movements on them. For example,
it is exciting and challenging to swing on the ropes
and to jump on the membranes or across the space
between the nets. There is a palpable excitement that
emenates the momentum when kids fly through the
air and feel butterflies in their stomachs right before
landing.
Social inclusion
A special feature of Orion Spacenets is that they are fit
to be adapted with additional parts such as handrails,
extra membrane areas or bridge connections to create
an easy way up so that wheelchair users as well as
persons with sight or hearing impairments, difficulty
with gripping or walking or with impaired powers of
reaction or coordination can also explore the nets. This
allows people with physical impairments to explore
and play on Orion Spacenets, too.
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Development of skills
Development of physical skills
Orion Spacenets support the development of physical skills. They contribute significantly to the training
of one’s sense of balance: Even the slightest movements on a rope cause the entire play equipment to
move, which must be compensated for while walking
across the ropes. The sense of balance is also trained
by balancing on the horizontal rope sections. And the
long, horizontal rope sections additionally encourage
users to try out a variety of movements such as daring
forward and backward mid-air somersaults. The large
mesh size of the nets allows fast, upright movements
through the space structure, and thus proves ideal for
playing tag and improving physical agility and mobility.
Kids can practice slipping faster and faster through
the ropes that are stretched increasingly flatter towards the middle of the net, or wriggling past the vertical ropes. These obstacle courses through the rope
structure help improve body awareness and control,
since deliberate and precise movements are necessary to gain footing on the ropes and stay balanced.
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Development of cognitive skills
There is a space of up to one metre between the ropes
of Orion Spacenets. Climbers therefore have to concentrate on their steps to avoid falling. Orion space
structures thus build concentration skills, a sense of
responsibility and the ability to assess one’s surroundings. Since the nets start to swing at any movement,
one needs to feel around for a handhold while focusing on one’s steps at the same time. This trains the
powers of coordination: engaging in two tasks at once
whereby the focus goes back and forth from one task
to the other. The various parts of Orion Spacenets such
as membranes, net areas and horizontal and vertical
rope sections allow a range of movement sequences,
thereby training the faculties of perception. The user
learns how to move by observing others, imitating their
movements and transforming them into his own way
of moving.
Development of mental and emotional skills
The pathways through Orion Spacenets and the
movement patterns can be freely chosen from a wide
range of options, since the individual rope sections can
be combined to form a variety of different pathways
through the net, and the ropes call for a large variety
of movements. This encourages the development of
self-perception and one’s own will. At the same time,
challenging areas such as rope sections without
handholds promote realistic self-assessment through
the practice of evaluating whether one’s sense of
fear indicates a challenge to be too great, or whether
one is able to take on the challenge after mustering
up the necessary courage. Through trial and the
gratifying feeling that comes with success, be it in
balancing hands-free or jumping from rope to rope,
self-confidence is developed and reinforced to take on
further challenges.
Development of social skills
Orion Spacenets boost contact and communication
skills: The transparent space structure allows climbers
see each other and take up contact with one another.
The large size of the net areas and the various elements such as membranes or vertical rope sections
enable simultaneous and mutual play while sharing
the experience through communication. The trampoline membranes in the middle of the Spacenets and
the upper net areas are comfortable meeting points
and rest areas that also encourage communication.
The external guyed ropes encourage collaboration by
providing a mutual jumping game: If a child jumps on
one side of a steel mast on a rope, the child on the opposite side of the rope is automatically launched into
the air – an immediate benefit from a mutual action.
Development of creative skills
The free form of Orion Spacenets and the versatile
rope sections for play encourage imagination and association skills. The abstract space structure provides
a stage for various role-playing games and stories.
At the same time it encourages free play as well as
the formulation of sequences of movements and new
rules for games in the group.
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