Keep up on the latest play-related news! Here you'll find information about KaBOOM! playspace builds, other community builds, tips and ideas, and general news about play.
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Articles from
May 2006
| Wednesday, May 31, 2006 |
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Playworld Systems Honored
By KaBOOM News @ 12:00 AM :: 775 Views ::
0 Comments :: Features From KaBOOM!
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KaBOOM! Partner in Play Honored for Outstanding Playground
 K aBOOM! congratulates long-time partner in play Playworld Systems on receiving the award for Excellence in Programming from the Pennsylvania Recreation and Parks Society (PRPS) for its partnership with the Lewisburg Area Recreation Authority (LARA) in building the first multi-generational park in the U.S. Earlier this year, Playworld Systems held the annual KaBOOM! Play Academy, our annual staff retreat, at its corporate headquarters in Lewisburg, PA and continues to provide equipment, tools and technical expertise for community playground builds across the country. Read More |
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| Tuesday, May 30, 2006 |
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Playing It Safely
By KaBOOM News @ 11:34 AM :: 958 Views ::
0 Comments :: General News About Play
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BY LINA HASHEM
Special to The News Journal
It's that time of year, when school lets out and many kids go from sitting in a classroom all day to having fun at the local playground for hours. But it's important to remember that an afternoon at the park can turn into an evening in the emergency room.
Each year, more than 200,000 preschool and elementary school-age children go to the ER for playground injuries.
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| Tuesday, May 30, 2006 |
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Best Lessons Often Learned Outside the Classroom
By KaBOOM News @ 11:31 AM :: 904 Views ::
0 Comments :: General News About Play
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CHARITA GOSHAY
CantonRep.com
If it is learning, and not just test-taking, that is the goal of education, it is astonishing that there is even a debate about the value of recess.
Because schools are under the gun to prepare students for proficiency testing, recess is becoming a casualty beyond the third grade, when testing begins in earnest.
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| Tuesday, May 30, 2006 |
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Right Play Set Starts With Site, Structure
By KaBOOM News @ 11:25 AM :: 922 Views ::
0 Comments :: General News About Play
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By Terri Sapienza
Washington Post
Remember the simple swings you had in your backyard when you were a child? Those modest metal sets have been replaced by play structures made of lumber with such accessories as rock-climbing walls, spiral slides and skybox play decks.
For parents, having a child's play set viewable from the kitchen window is convenient but costly. Today's play structures start at $1,000 for a basic model and can reach $10,000, depending on add-ons.
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| Tuesday, May 30, 2006 |
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Portal Spotlight: Spartanburg "Park It" Day
By KaBOOM News @ 12:00 AM :: 1141 Views ::
4 Comments ::  :: Community Projects
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Project Portal Spotlight: Spartanburg "Park It" Day
 Southside Unity in the Community is creating a hangout for successAt the age of 12, Wanda Cheeks vowed never to set foot in Irwin Park again. “I was grabbed by a man in the park. Until that day, it seemed like the safest place in the world.” Cheeks kept her vow, staying away for 25 years. Find out all of the great things that are happening now that she's finally returned. Read More and please log in to leave Wanda a comment!
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| Tuesday, May 30, 2006 |
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Playground Carries the Name of Principal Who Pushed It
By KaBOOM News @ 12:00 AM :: 673 Views ::
0 Comments :: KaBOOM! in the News
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By SAM BAKER
The Kansas City Star
Just days before the anniversary of Marieta West’s death, the former principal received a heartfelt tribute at the Independence school where she worked.
The playground at Mount Washington Elementary School was dedicated as the Marieta West Memorial Playground on Friday in honor of West’s decades of service to the Kansas City School District and her influence on the lives of schoolchildren.
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| Friday, May 26, 2006 |
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Race-Themed Playground Built in a Day
By KaBOOM News @ 6:40 AM :: 781 Views ::
0 Comments :: KaBOOM! in the News
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News 14 Carolina
CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Volunteers came together Wednesday to build a new race-themed playground at the McCrorey YMCA.
The playground is one of 10 being built this year as part of Home Depot's Racing to Play program. In its second year, the program partners Home Depot with Joe Gibbs Racing and Kaboom! to provide a safe place for at-risk children to play.
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| Friday, May 26, 2006 |
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Playworld to Aid Katrina Victims
By KaBOOM News @ 6:35 AM :: 726 Views ::
0 Comments :: KaBOOM! in the News
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The Daily Item
Sunbury, PA
LEWISBURG — Playworld Systems has joined with KaBoom! and Home Depot to build 10 playgrounds in one week in some of the most devastated communities along the Louisiana and Mississippi coasts.
Hurricane Katrina swept through the gulf coasts of Louisiana and Mississippi destroying most of New Orleans and its surrounding towns and communities. Months later, communities are only now beginning to rebuild and thousands of children affected by the hurricanes are still left with no place to play, creating a tragic and troublesome situation for residents of the region.
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| Friday, May 26, 2006 |
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Hundreds Build New Playground at Pecan Park Elementary
By KaBOOM News @ 6:32 AM :: 719 Views ::
0 Comments :: KaBOOM! in the News
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WLBT 3 - Jackson, MS
May 18, 2006
Hundreds of hands took part in an enormous effort Thursday for some Jackson school children.
In just six hours, hundreds of volunteers built a playground at Pecan Park Elementary. A non-profit group called KaBOOM! teamed up with Home Depot and the school to erect a playground which features slides, swings, monkey bars, a rock climbing wall, and more.
The volunteers also built a performance stage, benches, and an outdoor classroom.
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| Wednesday, May 24, 2006 |
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S.J. Green Charter School
By KaBOOM News @ 12:00 AM :: 730 Views ::
0 Comments :: Features From KaBOOM!
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 KaBOOM! and The Home Depot Bring Play Back to New Orleans
Join S.J. Green Charter School for first Operation Playground project in the city On a hot New Orleans day, more than 300 volunteers from The Home Depot, City Year and the community came together at S.J. Green Charter School in Uptown to help build a new state of the art playground, transforming the schoolyard battered by Katrina into a great place to play and a welcoming place for parents and neighbors to gather.
Read more, view the build day photo gallery and please log in to leave a comment! |
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| Wednesday, May 24, 2006 |
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Cunard Memorial Playground
By KaBOOM News @ 12:00 AM :: 1088 Views ::
0 Comments :: Features From KaBOOM!
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 Success Story: Building the Heart of a NeighborhoodCunard Memorial Playground
"It amazes me what people can do when they put their hearts to it," said Cynthia Gentry.  Read how a community came together after a tragic loss to build a memorial playground using the KaBOOM! Online Planner. Read More
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| Monday, May 22, 2006 |
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Sam Oshinsky Celebrates Important Milestone By Giving the Gift of Play!
By Trishb1 @ 12:00 AM :: 1118 Views ::
0 Comments :: Community Projects
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Sam Oshinsky Celebrates Important Milestone By Giving the Gift of Play!
Donation to Operation Playground part of his Bar Mitzvah celebration
To celebrate his Bar Mitzvah, Sam Oshinsky of Bethesda, MD, will give the gift of play to thousands of Gulf Coast children by making a donation to Operation Playground, our two-year initiative to build 100 playgrounds in Gulf Coast communities affected by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Read More
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| Monday, May 22, 2006 |
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S.J. Green Charter School Build
By KaBOOM News @ 12:00 AM :: 784 Views ::
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KaBOOM! and The Home Depot Bring Play Back to New Orleans
Join S.J. Green Charter School for first Operation Playground project in the city On a hot New Orleans day, more than 300 volunteers from The Home Depot, City Year and the community came together at S.J. Green Charter School in Uptown to help build a new state of the art playground, transforming the schoolyard battered by Katrina into a great place to play and a welcoming place for parents and neighbors to gather.
Read more, view the build day photo gallery and please log in to leave a comment!
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| Thursday, May 18, 2006 |
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Home Depot Steps Up for Playground
By KaBOOM News @ 2:46 PM :: 720 Views ::
0 Comments :: KaBOOM! in the News
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By TINA FORDE
Antelope Valley Press
PALMDALE - An army of volunteers constructed a playground on May 11 for the children who live at the Palmdale Desert Club Apartments, 37902 20th St. East.
The effort was the culmination of months of planning that included design requests by the children, funding and volunteer support from Home Depot, organization by InSite Development and the nonprofit Housing Corporation of America and nonprofit grant-finder KaBOOM!
"It was a very successful project," said Corey Heimlich, InSite director of resident services. "It was a phenomenal event. We had 200 to 250 people there throughout the day."
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| Wednesday, May 17, 2006 |
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Some Schools Are Leaving Recess Behind
By KaBOOM News @ 9:24 AM :: 839 Views ::
0 Comments :: General News About Play
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By BEN FELLER, AP Education Writer
SFGate.com
One sure way to get parents exercised is to take away recess, the playful part of the school day when their kids can run wild. In some places, it no longer exists.
The proportion of schools that don't have recess ranges from 7 percent for first and second grades to 13 percent by sixth grade, new government figures show.
Put in perspective, the overwhelming majority of elementary schools still offer recess each day, usually for about 25 minutes. Most children get one recess a day, if not two or three.
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| Wednesday, May 17, 2006 |
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Home Depot Replaces Debris With Playtime
By KaBOOM News @ 12:00 AM :: 1059 Views ::
1 Comments :: :: General News About Play, KaBOOM! in the News
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By Mindy Fetterman
USA TODAY
In what was left of a park built to honor World War II veterans in what was left of a small town in Mississippi, the CEO of Home Depot and 500 volunteers came one recent Saturday morning to build a playground.
"We had a lot of gnats working, too," laughs Leo "Chipper" McDermott, alderman-at-large for the town of Pass Christian, once home to 6,000, now barely 2,000.
More than eight months after Hurricane Katrina swept across the Gulf Coast, Pass Christian is one of the many towns that remains devastated.
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| Tuesday, May 16, 2006 |
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How to Turn Playtime Into a Real Workout
By KaBOOM News @ 7:32 AM :: 836 Views ::
0 Comments :: General News About Play
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By RON DICKER
New York Daily News
With obesity consuming the nation, it's no day at the beach to get your kid to the park or playground. But when you arrive, what should you do?
A recent National Institutes of Health study revealed that having one less soda or candy bar and walking an extra 2,000 steps a day can keep your progeny's pounds off.
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| Monday, May 15, 2006 |
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Home Depot Volunteers Build Playground
By KaBOOM News @ 6:17 AM :: 722 Views ::
0 Comments :: KaBOOM! in the News
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BY CHARLES F. BOSTWICK
Staff Writer LA Daily News
PALMDALE - Disco, salsa and old-fashioned r&b music pumped out of speakers Thursday as more than 150 volunteers labored under a hot sun to create a playground for youngsters living at a Palmdale apartment complex.
Created from start to finish in less than six hours, the playground was built as part of a nationwide campaign to create a playground within walking distance of every American child.
"It's a great thing," said Palmdale Home Depot manager Julius Moore, whose company paid most of the cost. "It's all about the children."
Starting about 8:30 a.m. at the Palmdale Desert Club apartments on 20th Street East, volunteers - mostly Home Depot employees on their day off - tore up grass in about a 50-foot square in the complex's central lawn.
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| Monday, May 15, 2006 |
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Six Flags, Home Depot Hammer Out Deal
By KaBOOM News @ 6:13 AM :: 711 Views ::
0 Comments :: KaBOOM! in the News
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WSBTV.com
ATLANTA -- Six Flags is forming an alliance that will make The Home Deport the sole supplier of materials to build and maintain the Six Flags amusement parks.
Under terms of the deal, Home Depot's Home Depot Supply unit will provide commercial improvement, building supply, construction repair and maintenance products to the second-largest amusement park company in the world.
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| Monday, May 15, 2006 |
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Volunteers Race to Please
By KaBOOM News @ 12:00 AM :: 647 Views ::
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By Lauren Glendenning
Fairfax Connection
A partnership of volunteers building a racing-themed playground Thursday, May 4, dug, mixed and planted so quickly, they were able to reach the finish line ahead of schedule.
“They’re working so quickly,” said Caroline Counihan, spokesperson for The Home Depot. “They’ve just gone through it all so fast."
The playground is one of 10 to be built this year under The Home Depot's Racing to Play program. The program is a partnership between The Home Depot, Joe Gibbs Racing, and KaBOOM!, a non-profit organization whose mission is to "create a great place to play within walking distance of every child in North America."
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| Sunday, May 14, 2006 |
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National Day of Exercise May 17
By KaBOOM News @ 12:00 AM :: 431 Views ::
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KaBOOM! and Teletubbies Encourage Children to Learn Through Play
Sixth Annual Get Up and Go! Teletubbies National Day of Exercise is May 17On May 17, 2006, children will be especially inspired to move, laugh and play while they watch GO! Exercise with the Teletubbies on PBS KIDS (check your local listings) as well as events hosted by local PBS member stations across the country. The Get Up and Go! program encourages children to engage with the Teletubbies and interact with the characters on-screen.
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| Wednesday, May 10, 2006 |
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Is Litigation Taking the 'Play' Out of Kids' Playgrounds?
By KaBOOM News @ 10:14 AM :: 893 Views ::
0 Comments :: General News About Play
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By Susan Harding
katu.com
PORTLAND, Ore - Most adults can remember the carefree days of childhood, climbing trees and jumping from swings, often on schoolyard playgrounds.
Climbing, swinging and sliding was once a rite of passage during recess, a time for adventure, to see how high, how far and how fast we could go as a kid.
Today, kids find themselves grounded, victims of a culture of fear and injury litigation.
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| Tuesday, May 09, 2006 |
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South-Side Group Wants to Redevelop Irwin park
By KaBOOM News @ 12:00 AM :: 662 Views ::
0 Comments :: KaBOOM! in the News
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JASON SPENCER, Staff Writer
GoUpstate.com
Like the neighborhoods around it, Irwin Avenue Park has seen better days.
The large expanse of grass is kept up, but faded paint and weeds pushing through the concrete make tennis courts unusable. Summer baseball and softball teams practice there, but the basketball goals have been taken down recently. And the park has a covered picnic area -- but no picnic tables.
Southside Unity in the Community has targeted the park for a volunteer-fueled Saturday project to build a playground. It's on July 29, and -- tying into the city of Spartanburg's 175th anniversary -- the group is looking for 175 volunteers.
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| Saturday, May 06, 2006 |
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U Play! Chicago 2006
By KaBOOM News @ 12:00 AM :: 1080 Views ::
0 Comments :: Features From KaBOOM!
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 KaBOOM! Brings Its University of Play (U Play!) to Chicago!Thinking about going back to school, but more interested in little league than  ivy league? If so, the KaBOOM! University of Play ( U Play!) might be the right school for you! Click here to learn more and take advantage of early bird registration. Plus, share the excitement with other attendees in the U Play! Chicago Forum. |
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| Friday, May 05, 2006 |
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Make Mom's Day!
By KaBOOM News @ 12:00 AM :: 1071 Views ::
0 Comments :: Features From KaBOOM!
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Buy Mom Flowers  This Mother's Day and Give the Gift of Play KaBOOM! To Receive Proceeds from Flowers for Good Purchases Through May 14
Just in time for Mother's Day, KaBOOM! has teamed with online florist Flowers for Good. When you purchase a bouquet from Flowers for Good between now through May 14, you can designate a portion from your purchase be donated to KaBOOM!. What a great way to thank mom for everything she does and help give children and communities across North America the chance to play. Ordering is easy! Click here for the details.
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