Recess is meant to be a break from the classroom, a time for making friends and make-believe. But in reality, recess often involves intense competition, playground bullying, and conflicts that carry over into the classroom. As enrollments have risen at elementary schools across the country, playgrounds have become crowded, increasing the risk of accidents and hot tempers sending children to the principal’s office.

Former teacher and elementary school principal Melinda Bossenmeyer launched Peaceful Playgrounds 15 years ago to address discipline problems and advance social and motor skills development. The Peaceful Playgrounds concept takes a resource most playgrounds already have—open space—and transforms blacktops and fields into play areas for different age groups with activities such as tetherball, wall ball, and Frisbee golf.

Fairytale Brownies, a proud partner of KaBOOM! since 2001 and the maker of some of the world’s tastiest brownies, has generously donated brownies and funds to help make play a reality for kids nationwide.  Fairytale Brownies got its start on a playground—that’s where childhood friends and co-founders Eileen Spitalny and David Kravetz met.   So it’s no wonder Fairytale Brownies and KaBOOM! are a perfect match!

When you purchase a Special Occasion Assortment (Thank You, Congratulations, Happy Birthday, and Thinking of You) at brownies.com, Fairytale Brownies will donate a portion of the proceeds to KaBOOM! to further its mission to create a great place to play within walking distance of every child in America.  

When you make a purchase at brownies.com be sure to click on the ‘Give the Gift of Play’ check box during check-out and $1 will be added to your total and donated to KaBOOM!.  Your $1 donation will help KaBOOM! ensure that all kids get to experience the joys of childhood and the important physical and social benefits of play. 

Parks and playgrounds aren't difficult to find around here for your child, unless you're the parent of a child with disabilities.

Nationwide, only about 100 playgrounds go beyond the bare minimums of federal requirements to be fully accessible to children with disabilities, says Mason resident Rachel Kopfler.

So this mother of five - including triplets who are just turning 4 - is spearheading an effort to build a regional, "barrier-free" playground in Mason to be called Common Ground Playground.

The week marks the second anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, and KaBOOM! is proud to say that our Operation Playground is still going strong in the Gulf Coast area. Operation Playground, an initiative to build 100 playgrounds in the areas affected by both Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, has passed the halfway mark, with 59 playgrounds built so far.

KaBOOM! has also introduced the Leave a Legacy of Play Fund to include donors who want to help but can’t afford to fund an entire build.

There's an interesting new contest where a nonprofit organization called HopeLab is looking for great product ideas that will increase physical activity among middle-school-aged kids (aged 11-14). Anyone can compete, but there are four prize categories.

Product ideas from:

• Middle School/Junior High School
• High School
• College/University
• All others

Eventually, one great product idea will win more than $75,000, but we’ll be recognizing other top-notch entries with prizes along the way.

Not only will there be prizes up front, but HopeLab will help with the actual development of the products. That's the really interesting part. You might actually be able to see your product come to life.

For Immediate Release
Contact: Mike Vietti, KaBOOM!
202-464-6076

Children's drawings to create blueprint for new community playgrounds as part of innovative "Leave a Legacy of Play Fund" and Operation Playground Efforts

KaBOOM!, a nonprofit organization that envisions a great place to play within walking distance of every child in America, brings together 19 separate donors to host a Design Day for children in Long Beach, Miss. (Aug. 28, 4:30 p.m.) and New Orleans (Aug. 29, 4:30 p.m.) in conjunction with the two-year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. Children will put crayon to paper and draw their dream playgrounds, which will ultimately become a reality. Elements from the children’s drawings will be incorporated into the final design for the new community playgrounds to be built on “Make a Difference Day” on Oct. 27 in both Long Beach and New Orleans.

The Home Depot came through in more ways than one for a Florida playground build this summer. First, they let a longtime nonprofit customer know about KaBOOM! Challenge Grants. Then, they donated playground equipment, and several THD employees even turned out for the build itself.

Thanks to The Home Depot’s help, Immokalee Non-Profit Housing and I HOPE (Immokalee Helping Our People in Emergencies) joined together to build a much-needed playground for the residents and children of two Immokalee low-income housing developments.

Enthusiasts in the Chicago area will have a chance to come out and see KaBOOM! recognized on Aug. 24 as part of the “Sing Me Back Home” concert featuring the New Orleans Social Club, which includes acts such as Ivan Neville, The Meters, Raymond Weber & Henry Butler, Irma Thomas, Troy Andrews, John Boutte and Willie Tee. 

KaBOOM! will be featured as one of three non-profits at the concert, which will be held at Jay Pritzker Pavilion in Millennium Park. The organizers of the event wanted to seize the opportunity to acknowledge organizations that are constantly working to improve conditions in the New Orleans/Gulf Region. With more than half of 100 Operation Playground builds in the books, KaBOOM! certainly fit the bill! Learn more here.

Recovery School District Superintendent Paul Vallas announced Friday that several state-of-the-art playgrounds that had been closed will reopen daily through mid-October.

In October, Vallas said he also plans to open school recreational facilities, including gymnasiums and playgrounds, during the district's extended day program, which will run into the late afternoon.

"Children in the community need access to safe areas," said Vallas, who made the announcement at a playground built by KaBOOM!, a national nonprofit, on the campus of John Dibert Elementary. "This is really a no-brainer."

With all of the structured activities today’s children take part in, a little unscripted fun can be exactly what they need to relax, create, and explore the world around them. Luckily for the children near Des Moines, Iowa, they are about to receive a new playground made of all-natural materials in which they are free to play in any way they wish. Shallow pools, waterfalls, fallen logs, and grassy hills replace traditional playground equipment, allowing kids to connect with nature while creating their own games and imaginary worlds. To read more about the Jester Park Natural Playscape, click here.

A national study of early childhood school success has recently been released, with input from parents and teachers of children under age 8. One of the major findings is that social skills are a better predictor of school success than academic skills, as social skills are necessary to attend to lessons as well as to interact with classmates. While teachers and parents agree on the importance of these skills, their opinions vary on the school readiness of today's children, with many parents rating their children as extrememly prepared for school. To read more about the survey results and to link to the report, click here.

For residents and visitors to Grant County, Indiana, work and play is about to get a little more inclusive. Friendship Corner, a playground designed for children of all abilities to enjoy, opened on July 2, and now officials are looking at other local facilities with a critical eye. Plans for widened sidewalks, a new accessible library, and other improvements are taking shape. Click here to read more about this increased accessibility and what positive changes can be expected.

HANCOCK - The Hancock Elementary School PTA's goal to raise $50,000 to replace 30-year-old playground equipment has been reached.

The new equipment will be installed and ready for use by early September, according to Kristen Robison, who spearheaded the project.

The playground equipment has been ordered and is expected to arrive by the middle of this month, Robison said. A ribbon-cutting ceremony will be scheduled when all is in place, she said.

Get your local businesses involved with your playspace fundraising! Business owners and employees are community members too, and our experience shows that they'll be more than happy to help with building a playspace. Here are three ideas to use local businesses in your fundraising:  bag for a playspace, car dealer deal, and  fast food fundraiser.

Want more inspiration? Visit our wiki list of 101 Tried and True Fundraising Ideas for more! You can even add in your own ideas and thoughts.

Recycled rubber, hailed as an eco-friendly answer to toxic tire dumps and a revolutionary surface for safer playgrounds, has been a hot item.

Apparently, a little too hot.

Recycled rubber strips, mulch and mats have become the industry standard for spreading over the grounds of outdoor swing sets and jungle gyms. The superiority of recycled rubber to turf and grass in reducing children's injuries was cited a decade ago by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.

But officials and parents are questioning the flammability of the rubber and whether some rubberized landscapes, especially in the summer sun, are simply too hot to handle for young children.

Brenda Biondo hunts for increasingly elusive quarry.She drives through older neighborhoods keeping an eye out for gentle metal curves or worn wood covered over with 20 coats of paint. She is stalking old playground equipment.

It’s easy to bring back the old school games, to teach jacks and marbles to a new generation, but the old-fashioned playground equipment is disappearing. Biondo is determined to photograph some of these objects before they’re gone for good. Her exhibit of photos of old playground equipment, “Once Upon a Playground,” is on display at the Business of Art Center beginning Aug. 15.