New Stollery play areas offers fresh air and new experiences for kids undergoing care

The Enchanted Forest, a new outdoor play space at the Stollery Children's Hospital, opened on Sept. 12, 2024. (Matt Marshall/CTV News Edmonton)

Children getting medical care in Edmonton now have twice the space to just be kids.

The Stollery Children's Hospital opened its newly renovated play area on Thursday, including the hospital's first outdoor space.

Christine Westerland, a senior operating officer at the Stollery, said play is a tool and the new spaces are designed to be part of the healing journey for kids at the hospital.

"Kids learn through play," she said. "They learn how to interact, socialization, integration with peers, and as well as dealing with that serious illness and injury that they are going through."

The Beach, as the play area is known, was last renovated in 2007.

It is now more than twice the size and includes the Enchanted Forest outdoor area, featuring an accessible play structure, a teepee, musical instruments and a screen for movies.

"We can actually have kids be able to experience the outdoors," saud Alison Naylor, a child life specialist at the Stollery. "Be outside, get fresh air, have snowball fights, enjoy the sun – all of those things that they would get to do at home."

The indoor Beach expansion includes a submarine, a teen and tween social area, as well as an accessible kitchen and medical play area to help kids understand upcoming procedures.

"(It) is going to help empower children and also give them a sense over their care," Westerland said. "They can re-enact their experiences with role play, (giving) our child life specialists a chance to help them understand their treatments and what is to come."

Andrew Palmer said the play area has been "instrumental" in helping his 10-year-old son Braeden recover from 10 surgeries and 300 nights spent at the Stollery.

"Allowing him to come here, allowing his siblings to now come and play with him at the playground while he's here for weeks or months at a time. There are no words for it," he said.

He said the family is looking forward to having the new outdoor space when Braeden can't leave the hospital grounds.

"Now people can come out and get fresh air if they need to, instead of being cooped up inside of a hospital room," Braeden said.

The renovations were paid for using $5 million fundraised over three years.

Around 300,000 children a year visit the Stollery.