Why portable playground toys will really keep kids moving
By Laura Sullivan, Parenting Magazine

Elaborate jungle gyms and twisty slides sure are fun, but they may not give your child the most well-rounded "workout." A recent study of daycare-center playgrounds found that when kids had access to items like balls, hula hoops, and jump ropes, they were more active than when they had only stationary structures to play on. [More]

More on the study

Looking for a great place to stop on your next family vacation or field trip? Check out the Strong National Museum of Play in Rochester, N.Y.!

Strong National Museum of Play is the only museum in the world dedicated solely to the study of play as it illuminates American culture. The museum offers engaging exhibit experiences, educational programs, guest amenities, annual memberships, standards-based school lessons, teacher development opportunities, an innovative preschool, a circulating library, a research library and archives, scholarly publications, and more. Recognized as one of the nation’s top museums for families and children, Strong National Museum of Play is home to the National Toy Hall of Fame and the world’s largest collection of toys, dolls, games and other items that celebrate play.

Learn more about the museum.

If the video does not appear above, view it here.

By John Doherty
Syracuse (N.Y.) Post Standard
Aug. 23, 2008

Ed. note: Samantha is a fixture in the KaBOOM! community, where she's known as Sammy12.

People are finally starting to take Samantha Furco seriously.

For nearly two years Furco, a Phoenix high school senior, has been trying to get support for a playground designed for disabled children.

A volunteer with the Phoenix Special Olympics program, Furco got the idea for the playground for disabled children after seeing a child sitting in a wheelchair watching other children playing in a playground.

"I would talk to people about it and they'd say, 'Yeah, yeah, it's a good idea,' " Furco said.

Days after a story detailing Furco's plans appeared in The Post-Standard the offers began. [More]

View Sammy12's profile and read her posts in the Forums.

By Brent Mazerolle
Moncton (New Brunswick) Times & Transcript Staff
Aug. 23, 2008

A just society doesn't pave a playground and put up a parking lot. Period.

The kids of Ackman Court knew it, and now the grown-ups know it too.

New Brunswick's Social Development Minister Mary Schryer said yesterday her department is now prepared to replace a playground slated for demolition at one of her department's NB Housing communities in east Moncton.

The park had been the site of a four-day long protest completely organized by neighbourhood children after contractors arrived Tuesday to tear it out.

Facing opposition from a group of pint-sized children with 10-gallon hearts, the workers agreed to give them a week to appeal the decision to remove the play area, known as Winnie Reiker Playground.

Adult residents of the community were told the outdated, potentially unsafe playground was being removed so work could be carried out on the sewer system, but that it would not be replaced and the space would be turned into a parking lot. [More]

See earlier article

Bathurst (Canada) Northern Light
Aug. 22, 2008

MONCTON - The children of Ackman Court could teach adults a thing or two about perseverance and social consciousness.

For the past several days at least two dozen of them have circled their playground in the Lewisville area waving placards and chanting "Save our park!"

"This was their idea," says parent Rachelle Williams. "I had 10 kids come asking for money to buy bristolboard and markers and this and that. I couldn't say no."

On Tuesday, contractors came to tear out the park, known as the Winnie Reiker Playground, but the kids put up such a fuss the workers agreed to give them a week to appeal the decision to remove the play area. [More]

Become a Playmaker and take action for play today!

Bruno Taylor, who just completed a masters degree in industrial design, has been hijacking public spaces to make them more playful, adding swings to London bus stops and creating a bouncing bench. He says:

“71% of adults used to play on the streets when they were young. 21% of children do so now. Are we designing children and play out of the public realm?

"This project is a study into different ways of bringing play back into public space. It focuses on ways of incorporating incidental play in the public realm by not so much as having separate play equipment that dictates the users but by using existing furniture and architectural elements that indicate playful behaviour for all.

"It asks us to question the current framework for public space and whether it is sufficient while also giving permission for young people to play in public.

"Play as you go...” Bruno Taylor."

Watch a video of his work.

Discuss play in your community in the Forums!

By PHILIP K. HOWARD
Wall Street Journal
Aug. 13, 2008

Excerpt:

The harmful effects of our national safety obsession ripple outward into society. One in six children in America is obese, and many of them will face a lifetime of chronic illness. According to the Center for Disease Control, this problem would basically cure itself if children engaged in the informal outdoor activities that used to be normal. But how do we lure children off the sofa? One key attraction is risk.

Risk is fun, at least the moderate risks that were common in prior generations. An informal survey of children by the University of Toronto's Institute of Child Studies found that "merry-go-rounds . . . anecdotally the most hated piece of playground equipment in hospital emergency rooms -- topped the list of most desired bits of playground equipment." Those of us of a certain age can remember sprinting to get the contraption really moving. That was fun. And a lot of exercise.

America unfortunately is going in the opposite direction. There is nothing left in playgrounds that would attract the interest of a child over the age of four. Exercise in schools is carefully programmed, when it exists at all. Some schools have banned tag. Broward County, Fla., banned running at recess. (How else can we guard against a child falling down?) Little Leagues forbid sliding into base. Some towns ban sledding. High diving boards are history, and it's only a matter of time before all diving boards disappear. [More]

Discuss this article in the Forums.

New playground 'excites' kids, parents
More equipment is planned later

By Rick Rojas
Louisville Courier-Journal
Aug. 13, 2008

Byck Elementary School has playground equipment for the first time in its history, and it's already drawing children's interest in school.

Darlene King said her daughter Kelaiah, a kindergartner, told her she could not wait to come to school for the PTA's dedication of the playground on Aug. 5.

"It's a safe and fun place for our children," King said. "It says a lot about this community and the importance that they place on their children."

The equipment, which cost $15,000 and was installed over the summer, includes two tire swings, a standing seesaw, a climber and a four-swing set.

PTA president Myrdin Thompson it's only the first phase of a project to build what will be a $65,000 playground at the school, 2328 Cedar St. The next phases will include some more expensive equipment and a small play set for preschoolers, she said. [More]

Check out Myrdin's Playmaker of the Month interview.

Peaceful Playgrounds, Inc. has announced their new "Learn to Play" U.S. Map Stencil Giveaway Program. Enter today to win the geographically and proportionally accurate educational stencil which is Peaceful Playground's best selling playground stencil.

A winner will be selected each quarter and no purchase is necessary to win. Enroll your school today by signing up for the U.S. Playground Map Stencil Giveaway on the Peaceful Playgrounds Website.

LEWISBURG, Pa.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Playworld Systems, Inc., a leading international manufacturer of playgrounds and playground equipment, has announced that it will become the first major playground manufacturer to abandon the use of polyvinyl chloride plastic (PVC) in its products. PVC, commonly knows as “vinyl” has been a significant component in playground equipment for decades. However, recent private and public studies have indicated it is environmentally unsound and a potential health risk.

“We have a responsibility to the environment and the children who use our playgrounds to do everything in our power to use the most environmentally friendly substances” said Matt Miller, president of Playworld Systems. “We are proud to be the first major playground manufacturer to do something about the actual problem of PVC and not just ‘offset’ its effects by other means.” [More]

High school senior and KaBOOM! Forum power user Sammy12 (AKA Samantha Furco) was just featured in her local newspaper discussing her work to try and build an accessible playground in Phoenix, N.Y.

Exerpt:

Furco has contacted manufacturers of playground units specifically designed for children in wheelchairs and other disabled children. A suitable unit will cost about $50,000, she said.

To raise the money, Furco is planing a series of events, including raffles, donation drives and community fundraising dinners.

"The fundraising is not a problem. I can take care of that," she said. "But I need land, some place to put it. That's my biggest obstacle. Without that place to build, we can't do it."

So far, she said, her proposal has received polite responses but no promises of support. She also has tried several times, without success, to enlist the help of local officials.

"I've called and called, but they haven't returned my calls," Furco said. "I think it's because I'm 17 and they're not taking me seriously. That is one of the biggest obstacles my mother told me I would face. But she said, 'Stick to it and don't let it get you down.' " [More]

Since the article was published, someone has offered her the land! Learn more, offer your advice, and congratulate Sammy12 in the Forums.

Your local playground is not just for child's play; it is a workout waiting to happen, and a fun one at that. If you happen to have kids and they drag you to the park. Don't sit idly by, try some of these moves. If you don't have a kid, just go and have fun and remember to share the monkey bars with the wee ones. [More]

Discuss how you work out on the playground in the Forums.

By Keith Ferguson
Sharon (Mass.) Advocate
Aug 07, 2008
 
SHARON - Thanks to the efforts of about 100 volunteers last weekend, children will be playing on the new Heights Community Playground as early as tomorrow, according to Project Manager Karen Wald.

About 60 community members worked seven hours on Friday and 40 or so labored all day Saturday to install the new playground equipment, which includes giant slides, a rock wall and a PlayWeb, said Wald. All that’s left, she added, is to lay down mulch and install a walking track and a shade structure.

“I can’t wait until it’s over,” Wald said, laughing.

The playground has been two years in the making. [More]

Learn how to build a playground with our Roadmap!

By JOHN MARSHALL
Associated Press
Aug. 3, 2008

If you've been swimming, you probably tried it at least once: dive into the water and see how far you can get without taking a stroke. Coast past 62 feet, and you could have earned a gold medal at the 1904 Olympics.

The tug-of-war you played with friends at school? That could have been worth a podium spot at six Games. A gym class favorite like the rope climb and a game that looked like hopscotch -- the standing hop, step, jump -- were also once medal events. [More]

Find other great outdoor games to play!

Joe Olenick
Lockport Union-Sun & Journal, N.Y.
Aug. 4, 2008

QUESTION: What happened to the playground?

ANSWER: Well the problem was it's 18 years old, and weather has taken its toll. The safety report said the decks, the horizontal surfaces, basically, had to be replaced. The slides needed to be replaced, and there was some rust that needed to be fixed. Basically, age issues.

Q: How did this group come together? It seemed to come about pretty quickly.

A: Yeah it did. It's a small community, and pretty much everybody that does stuff knows each other. The school board received a safety report from the BOCES (Board of Cooperative Educational Services) wanted it closed until it was fixed. I happened to be at that meeting, and they asked me if the PTA had any input. It basically grew out of there. We put out a call for anyone interested. At the first meeting, we had a good group, a lot of parents. We also had the original chairman of the committee that built it in the first place. She had her original binder with copies of every fundraiser. It had a layout of the gym and who was at each station. [More]

Learn how to form a play committee.

Aug. 2, 2008
Midlothian (Va.) Exchange

A new kind of business is opening in the Midlothian area for those who never grew up in spirit. Wiwalk, located at the Shooters Indoor Sportsplex at 6140 Brad McNeer Pkwy. in Midlothian, is offering a trial period to folks ages 55 and up through the month of August. Richard Kent, owner of Shooters, developed the concept two years ago to introduce activities for seniors involving activities such as Big Wheel races, look up beach ball, hoola hoops, badminton and more in the comfort of a 28,000 square-foot facility. "This is the first senior playground in the country of this type," Kent said. [More]

Get all generations out to play - host a Play Day with our tools and resources!

Play time is over for children, with up to half of youngsters banned from climbing trees, playing conkers or riding their bikes by over-protective parents who are terrified that they might get hurt.

ICM research for Play England shows that half of seven to 12-year-olds are banned from climbing trees. Four in 10 were banned from playing in their local park or recreational area without an adult present and one in three cannot ride a bike without parental supervision.

One in five had been banned from playing conkers and one in six were not allowed to play chase because over-protective parents had ruled that it was too dangerous.

Yet parents were much less vigilant when it came to internet safety, the study found. Three-quarters of children aged seven to 12 were allowed to surf the internet without adult guidance.

Professionals in child welfare warned that children's development was being damaged by parents' obsession with safety, which was depriving youngsters of adventurous play. [More]

Are parental fears keeping kids from the playground? Discuss it in our Forums.

Aug. 4, 2008
Center for Justice & Democracy via PR Newswire

The national consumer group Center for Justice & Democracy released today a new report entitled, Kids 'N Safe Play: Regulation, Litigation And Playground Safety. The report, by CJ&D Attorney/Policy Analyst Amy Widman, herself a mom with young toddlers at home, comes on the heels of passage of major consumer project legislation, much of it aimed at child safety. [More]

Discuss play and play safety in our Forums!

Stand up

Head over to a city council meeting the next time they offer an open forum for people to ask questions or make comments, then stand up to talk about why play is important, and how the state of play in your community could be improved.

Be sure to do a little research first. Check out a few studies and learn about why play is a necessary part of kids' development.

Learn how.

See more actions.

Get recognized!
If you took action, tell us about it so we can recognize you as the star you are!
Post in the Forums or email KaBOOM! to let us know about the great stuff you're doing.

By Kyle Wind
Kingston Daily Freeman
August 1, 2008

KINGSTON - After one year of planning, it only took just one day to build a playground at Metropolitan Park on the corner of Greenkill and South Clinton avenues.

Volunteers numbering 252 began constructing the playground at 8 a.m. Thursday, and by 4 p.m., a ribbon-cutting ceremony opened the colorful play area designed for children ages 2 through 12. The site features slides, climbing apparatus, monkey bars, swings, a preschool area and an accessible climber for children with disabilities.

The playground also includes benches, picnic tables, shade structures and horseshoe pits, as well as volleyball and basketball courts. [More]

Learn how to build benches, picnic tables, shade structures and more!

By Kim Lawrence
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
July 31, 2008

A gift from a soon-to-be second-grader and the complaints of a group of parents have prompted Moon Area School District to send a maintenance crew to J.A. Allard Elementary School to draw up a "to-do" list of repairs. In addition, the superintendent has e-mailed parents to schedule a meeting to address more long-term concerns.

Leah Baker, a pupil at Allard, turned 7 years old June 21. She chose to celebrate her birthday by giving rather than receiving.

The youngster donated $200 of her birthday money to the school district to fix her favorite slide in the school playground. [More]

Learn lots of great fundraising ideas in our Fundraising Ideas wiki!

Playground Builders offers hope, opportunity to children in Middle East conflict zones
By Jesse Ferreras
Pique Magazine (British Columbia)
July 30, 2008

The world’s most dangerous places present nothing but opportunity for Keith Reynolds, a Whistler resident who has just established a playground in Kabul, Afghanistan.

Reynolds, a former forestry worker, is the founder of Playground Builders, a Whistler-based organization established in 2006 that has built play areas and gathering places in countries such as Iraq and areas under control of the Palestinian Authority. [More]

Discuss your community's playspaces in our Forums.

Parents and Kids Want Goods to Sell That Do Some Good
By SIMONA COVEL
Wall Street Journal

For decades, children have hawked candy and cookie dough to friends and family to help fund extracurricular activities and school playgrounds.

Now a handful of entrepreneurs have set out to change that paradigm, offering ecologically friendly products for kids and parents to sell for school fund-raisers. From recycled wrapping paper to fair-trade coffee, the business owners are pitching the products as viable fund-raising alternatives for schools. [More]

Learn more about fundraising ideas and opportunities.

Loss of recess in schools hurts children’s growth, ability to learn
Buffalo News
June 4, 2008

If there were a way to scientifically measure which child had the most fun on the playground, then recess would be a federal mandate. But because the need for elementary-age students to get out of the building and blow off some youthful steam is better known to common sense than to scientific inquiry, the old-fashioned practice has sadly fallen out of favor in far too many American schools.

The national Parent Teacher Association has noticed, with appropriate alarm, that a nefarious combination of factors has knocked recess out of as many as 40 percent of elementary schools nationwide. Those factors include budget cuts, worries about injuries or bullying on the playground and the growing emphasis on core academic subjects and frequent high-stress tests. [More]

Learn how to write an op/ed!

By MEGHAN DURBAK
Kokomo Tribune
July 23, 2008

When Jeremy Jones arrived at the Maple Lawn Trailer Court in Miami County, he noted the pathetic state of the playground.

The dirt and empty frames acted as testimony to the diminishing quality of life in the neighborhood over the years.

There was a swing set with no swings, except the infant carrier loosely attached to the metal frame by a rope. The rest had disappeared long ago.

Jones realized the neighborhood had nearly 100 young children, and nowhere for them to play.

That’s why Jones, the youth pastor for First Baptist Church of Galveston, and the youth group DV8, decided to sponsor a mission trip to the trailer court. [More]

Learn how to revitalize a playground near you with side projects!

Altus Times
July 22, 2008

ALTUS — Given the jungle rules of some playgrounds, where the biggest and toughest tend to dominate, consider the scene recently at Washington Elementary School.

A recess came and went, with children running loose during a sublime afternoon, and nobody cried, got punched, got hurt, or got left out of a game.

Nobody got into a fight, got bullied or dragged back inside the classroom where the teacher had to settle a playground dispute.

Sound impossible? It’s not. With the implementation of the Peaceful Playgrounds Program such peace is no accident. The anti-violence and playground organization program is called Peaceful Playgrounds and its aim is to topple the centuries-old Darwinian pecking order of the schoolyard. [More]

Learn more about Peaceful Playgrounds.

By Sewell Chan
New York Times
July 21, 2008

Rubber safety mats have become a fixture of children’s playgrounds in New York City, buffering heads, hands and other body parts when children slip and fall. But two news accounts today — in The Daily News and in Metro New York — question whether the mats themselves pose a hazard: They can get so hot under the summer sun that they can burn bare feet.

The Daily News found that some of the mats could get as hot as 160 degrees.

...

In a phone interview, Adrian Benepe, the commissioner of the city’s Department of Parks and Recreation, said the criticism was understandable but unwarranted. [More]

Learn more about safety surfacing.

Discuss this article in the Forums.

Write a letter

Are your kids restless because recess time keeps getting shorter and shorter, or because your school board doesn’t budget for playground repairs? Say something!

Write a letter to the editor. Explain why play is important to kids’ social, cognitive, and physical development. For some kids, recess is the only time they get to engage in unstructured play each day. Demand the return of recess and great places for your kids to play at school!

Learn how.