NÜDEL CREATES AN INSTANT CHILD FRIENDLY SPACE

LOOSE PARTS PLAY CARTS FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

✓ Psychosocial support & wellbeing for International Development
✓ Adaptable and portable, easy to use in complex environments
✓ Built for mass rollout (1-100+)
✓ Delivered quickly in a crisis
✓ Encourages resilience, confidence and success, creating a strong sense of wellbeing – tackles development delay
✓ Supports social and psychosocial needs
✓ Works for all abilities including children with a disability
✓ Perfect for International Development, Education, Trauma, Disaster recovery, Conflict & Post war programs, Refugees & people on the move
✓ Supports many of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals​

ALL CHILDREN DESERVE THE CHANCE TO THRIVE
NüdelS haVE been tested successfully in some of the most remote and challenging environments around the world

Children exposed to conflict, disaster or trauma face severe emotional stress that can result in lifelong mental health & psychosocial issues.
Nüdel resources instantly create child friendly spaces that support children's mental health by providing high-quality play to children.

HELPING CHILDREN REACH THEIR POTENTIAL

250 million children will not get the stimulation they need reach their full developmental potential.

Nüdel resources are the worlds first loose parts play solution truly designed for scale to impact the lives of millions.

​​Our vision is for a world where children get the stimulating play they need to build their brains and teach the critical skills required to thrive in the 21st century, regardless of where they were born.

Nüdel resources are mobile carts that can be reconfigured in endless ways to encourage self-directed learning. It contains researched backed specially selected materials to stimulate children’s development.

​Nüdels weren't developed just for fun – Nüdel resources were designed with some big goals in mind. We wanted all children, everywhere, to grow and thrive.
Prototype shown - Lebanon trial​
​Here’s what we set out to do:​
  1. Increase the executive function of children through play.
  2. Support the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals to address poverty, inequality and climate and environmental degradation, and promote peace and justice (UN, 2018).
  3. Create flexible education opportunities designed to empower students through voice, agency and leadership.
  4. Nüdel resources are non compromise products. Natural, non-toxic, almost all biodegradable, high quality and extremely robust for all environments.
​Across the globe, government curricula focus on the social, emotional and physical development of children. Nüdel resources support educational approaches that aim to develop skills increasingly in demand in our rapidly changing world in disciplines such as science, technology, engineering, the arts and mathematics (STEaM).
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​Nüdels have been designed, prototyped and trailed in some of the most extreme contexts for children on earth, from crowded, inner urban refugee camps, to remote, all terrain outposts.
​Nüdel resources are advised by Child Occupational Therapists from Bond University, and the University of Colorado and Sydney currently running a 17 year trial, observing how children interact and develop using different materials.

NÜDEL ADVANTAGES
​​Safety Accredited. Educator Approved. Loved by Children

​INCLUSIVE PLAY
​All abilities, children adapt carts to develop their skills.
DEEP ENGAGEMENT
​Hours of play and learning with infinite possibilities.
ALL YEAR LEVELS
​​Ideal for ages 1-12*
​Small group and large group options available.
CHILD SAFE
​Designed & independently tested to strict global standards. 
​Natural and non-toxic materials.
ONE TEACHER
​Up to 30 children supervised easily with one facilitator.
FULLY SUPPORTED
​Training can be tailored to the needs of both the location and organisation.
VERSATILE
​Mobile and compact for spaces big and small, indoor and outdoor.
SIMPLE TO USE
​Easily packed up by children within minutes.

LEBANON
Our team trialed the Nüdel Kart in Refugee Camps in Beirut

Thanks to OPEN-IDEO and our funding partners DFAT and Moose Toys and in country partner Right to Play, the Nüdel Kart team embarked on their first international trial in Lebanon, December 2018.

​This project was led by Marcus Veerman, founder and CEO of Playground Ideas, and Matt Green, designer and implementer at Playground Ideas. Matt was joined in Lebanon by, co Nüdel Kart designer Emma Ribbens and Play Specialist, Cat Sewell.

Despite plenty of planning, the group were faced with numerous challenges while constructing and trialling the Nüdel Kart prototype with the city’s refugee children.

​The trial not only highlighted and re emphasised the importance of play, it also shined a light on the immense challenges facing those who have been forcibly displaced, combining politics with uplifting moments of strength and resilience in the face of adversity.

​The trial in Lebanon paved the way for hundreds of tweaks and changes which has made the Nüdel Kart what it is today.

A mobile play cart that is all inclusive (non gendered and non themed), for all abilities and all environments. The Nüdel Kart (and Rover), are excellent for psycho-social support for children from traumatised and disadvantaged backgrounds allowing them to express themselves in a safe, open ended and creative environment. It's designed to promote 21st Century skills to help all children thrive.​
The Wheels Of Wonder Documentary

As seen on TV and at Film Festivals, "The Wheels of Wonder" follows this incredible journey of non-profit Playground Ideas, creating and developing their Social Enterprise, the Nüdel Kart, to impact children across the globe. 
​
UPDATE: Since filming, this area was obliterated by the devastating explosion on August 4th 2020 that killed at least 207 people and left 300,000 homeless.
The video above features the Nüdel Kart prototype.

LESOTHO
The World Tour: Trial 3

Thanks to a local partner, Chris Mcevoy at Maliba Lodge, in August 2019 we sent a Nüdel Kart and a Playworker to the Kingdom of Lesotho. A tiny country, landlocked by South Africa, Cat our play worker, spent a week at a local primary School.
​
Matsepo is an amazing local teacher who created and runs her own ‘Creativity’ subject, geared to non rote learning which is extremely rare. Together, she and Cat ran sessions with both students and teachers.
At the end of the week 22 teachers from 2 valleys, representing 15 different schools were armed with tools and information about the importance of play for learning and development.

We get regular updates from Matsepo about the ripple effect of play through the Valleys, and she continues to use the Nüdel Kart regularly with curriculum across the entire school from prep to grade 6.
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Matsepo and Cat
The video above features the Nüdel Kart prototype.

AUSTRALIA

In December 2019 and through Christmas and the 2020 New Year, regional Victoria was ravaged by bushfire. Our sponsors Moose Toys, donated 6 Karts and helped get our team on the road in December 2020 to finally deliver these Karts.

We spent 10 days and 18 hours on the road travelling from Melbourne to Corryong, Mallacoota, Orbost, Bruthen and Buchan. At each location we held training session with local schools and kindergartens and offered a free screening of the documentary “The Wheels of Wonder”.
​We were able to capture many of these moments on film and would like to thank the communities and many individuals that gave s their time and shared their stories. The intangible impact of the bushfires will stay with them long after the landscape has recovered. 
Mallacoota, December 2020
Funding Partner: Save the Children
In Country Partner: ​Save the Children
Timing: ​December 2020 - Ongoing

Project details: Nüdel Kart's have been delivered to programs in Victoria, NSW and QLD. Training will be delivered to 15+ staff. Program include Cubbies in Melbourne, Play 2 Learn and other Child Friendly spaces.

ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE WITH NÜDEL

​UGANDA
Scaling for impact
Funding Partner: Real City Play Challenge
In Country Partner: ​Play Action International
Timing: ​March 2021- ongoing

Project details: Playground Ideas have delivered 2 karts to Uganda that are currently being used in a pilot program with children aged 3-12 years. As the program expands we will be working in primary schools in Jinja, ECDs in refugee settlements and OOSC in Namuwongo slum in Kampala. Due to COVID the program has been delayed so our initial findings have been delayed a few months but we are still hoping to scale this program before the end of 2021.​

TIMOR
Funding Partner: Alola
In Country Partner: Alola
​Timing: TBC (Delayed due to COVID-19)

Project details: Deliver a Nüdel Kart for trials in an Alola Foundation pre school, with the intention to deliver more after the initial project is delivered. 

The video above features the Nüdel Kart prototype.

WE ARE A SOCIAL ENTERPRISE

Nüdel Kart is a social enterprise created by Playground Ideas, a non-profit organisation with 10 years of global experience designing and building playgrounds. 100% of the profits go towards creating stimulating play spaces for children around the world. As of 2021 we have supported more than 4700 projects, across 143 countries, impacting an estimated 2.3 million children. Nüdel Kart was designed by Playground Ideas founder, Marcus Veerman and children's product designer, Emma Ribbens. Read more >

Enquire about Nüdel FOR YOUR COMMUNITY OR ORGANISATION

GET CREATIVE, GET COLLABORATIVE, GET FUN



*The Nüdel Rover is suitable for children 1-12 years but requires active professional supervision and risk assessment. The Nüdel Rover can be configured in millions of different ways and so might present different risks and hazards to different ages of children, with varying levels of competency and development. 
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©2021 Nüdel Kart™ by Playground Ideas - An International NGO in AU. Reg. Des. 201911229 & 202112822