Planet Play is a multiple-story, fully immersive play experience for kids that was launched at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex on Jan. 1, 2021.

Designed for space adventurers ages 2 – 12, Planet Play is an indoor experiential play space where children play on the planets. As children explore the extraordinary adventure of space, parents can enjoy a wine, beer and coffee bar while watching their little ones learn about the cosmos.

Playground Equipment That Inspires Space Travel for Kids

With a theme and design from B Morrow Productions, Soft Play® set out to transform an IMAX theater into an interactive space experience for kids. With an in-house team of talented artists and playground designers, we were able to turn a 6,000-square-foot room into an immersive space exploration play experience. Here’s how we did it.

vision

After talking to the chief operating officer at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, Therrin Protze, the teams at B Morrow Productions and Soft Play realized we had an opportunity to educate kids about space exploration technologies in a playful, stimulating environment. The vision for this project was to turn the adventure of space into a playground.

The Kennedy Space Center play area needed to spark a younger generation’s interest in interplanetary travel and space exploration. The goal was to enable young explorers — as well as their parents — to play among the replicas of planets in our solar system and learn fun facts about space. After all, one of the best ways to learn is to immerse yourself in the topic and see how things work firsthand.

the challenge

How can a true-to-life play experience excite young minds about space in a way that is aesthetically pleasing and functional?

There needed to be as many aspects of space travel as possible to give kids the complete experience. From the space-time continuum and blast-off to satellites and moon rovers, B Morrow Productions and our Soft Play team wanted the Kennedy Space Center project to have it all.

Features of the Kennedy Space Center Project

Soft Play thoughtfully crafted many custom components of this play area to provide a truly unique experience for the Kennedy Space Center. Soft Play was able to deliver a play area featuring:

  • A handcrafted solar system: To bring the solar system to life, Soft Play artists handcrafted the planets and the sun to create accurate replicas. The foam solar system was painted with color accuracy and range in size from 90 inches to 17 feet in diameter, with the sun being the largest.
  • Contained play towers: Five of the planets are at the top of one-of-a-kind contained play towers with multiple levels and integrated features. Ranging from 6-10 feet wide, these towers feature unique obstacles, interactive learning panels, slides and bridges linking to other towers.
  • A launch pad: To simulate the launch of a spacecraft, the Soft Play team created a launch pad in which up to four kids simultaneously stomp to initiate the launch of a foam spacecraft. Digital screens and sound effects bring the experience to life.
  • Moon rocks and a rover: Our team wanted to give even the smallest space explorers a unique area to play, so we created foam-sculpted moon rocks and a rover that is perfect for toddler play. Knowing the play space has an antibacterial coating, parents can rest in the adjacent seating area with peace of mind.
  • An asteroid slide: The asteroid slide takes a Soft Play slide to the next level using light features. Kids can ride the asteroid slide to travel through space and dodge asteroids to reach the lower level of the play space.
  • An interactive satellite game: Data Quest is the interactive game located in Saturn’s rings. While working together, multiple players help NASA’s satellites gather and send data to Earth.
  • Space-time netting: Inspired by Albert Einstein’s space-time continuum theory, Soft Play helped create a trampoline-like netting that allows kids to experience how space and time are woven together. Instead of a traditional floor, the second level features this special netting.

result

Our results were sensational, and we were pleased about the project upon completion.

Numerous artistic components and interactive gaming opportunities were designed to create an unforgettable learning experience for kids. This play area allows kids to explore space in a fun, new way. Kids have the opportunity to:

  • Slide through an asteroid field.
  • Walk on Saturn’s rings.
  • Map a constellation.
  • Climb a wormhole.