Play can be therapeutic. That’s the idea behind the new pediatric therapy space at Sky Lakes Rehabilitation Services, a forest-themed clinic designed to help kids build skills through play instead of worksheets and drills.
Where the Idea Started
The Treehouse began more than a year ago, after Sky Lakes opened a new clinic space with extra room for a dedicated kids’ area. Kyra Cauble, OTD, OTRL, an occupational therapist at Sky Lakes, started sketching ideas at her desk, pulling inspiration from other clinics she had worked in and from her own love of the outdoors. “I feel like I get more credit than I deserve for it,” she says.
What came out of those sketches is not like a typical therapy room. The space includes a tunnel, a rock-climbing wall, a zip line, a rope net bridge, and an elevated lookout called the Observation Nest, among other features.
“Everything is really dual purpose,” Cauble says. The tunnel, for example, helps kids build motor coordination as they crawl through on a scooter board. It also changes lighting and texture along the way, which helps kids practice processing what they see and feel.
Climbing walls and a monkey bar system build gross motor skills and upper body strength, while a distortion mirror and tactile wall panels sharpen visual and sensory processing. Together, the features give kids a wide range of sensory experiences they need for healthy nervous system development.
Digital rendering of the pediatric rehab treehouse space.
Why Play Works as Therapy
Play might look like just fun and games, but it is actually one of the best tools for teaching kids new skills. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, play supports children’s thinking, physical, social, and emotional development all at once.
Cauble sees this firsthand every day. “Play keeps therapy really fun and engaging while teaching them skills without the child realizing it,” she says. A child stacking Legos or buttoning a doll’s dress is building the same fine motor skills needed for writing and getting dressed. Climbing, running, and balancing on a playground build the coordination kids need for everyday life.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention notes that how a child plays, learns, and moves offers important clues about their overall development. That is why therapists like Cauble use play, rather than clinical drills, to help kids catch up on skills they might be missing.
A Forest Theme With a Purpose
Sky Lakes is surrounded by forest, so the treehouse theme is a suitable fit. “The forest is naturally a place for healing and adventuring,” Cauble says. The space is designed to welcome kids of all abilities and give them a safe place to explore.
Many of the kids Cauble works with have never learned how to play the way other children do. Some are afraid to crawl through a tunnel or have never used a swing. “I have kids that are scared to go up three steps,” she says. Her goal is to help them feel brave enough to try, in an environment that feels more like a real playground than a clinic.
What Families Can Expect
Cauble hopes families notice the care that went into designing the space the moment they walk in. She believes kids will want to come back and explore each time, without realizing how much they are learning and growing along the way.
“It’s such a privilege to get to serve our special needs kids population and their families,” Cauble says, “and work with them and see them progress and celebrate the little victories.”
For families in Klamath Falls, the Treehouse offers something rare: a therapy space that feels less like work and more like an adventure.
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