KaBOOM! News

Playgrounds, children and joy: three things that go together about as well as anything.

Promoting the happiness and well-being of kids and families is at the heart of what Disney does each and every day, which is why KaBOOM! and Disney have partnered together to build dozens of playgrounds and community gardens across the U.S.

Disney is a KaBOOM! National Partner and supports the efforts of KaBOOM! to help achieve our vision of a great play to play within walking distance of every child in America. As part of their 2013 efforts with KaBOOM!, Disney will build14 new playgrounds in 10 states and Mexico. By the end of 2013, Disney’s support will bring the magic of play to more than 50,000 children and families. Disney also supports KaBOOM! mapping efforts by encouraging everyone to map playspaces and to help identify areas most in need.

In May, Disney is celebrating 30 years of VoluntEARS – Disney’s companywide volunteer efforts.  KaBOOM! and Disney will celebrate the anniversary by bringing smiles and laughter to thousands of children and families with playground builds in Clermont, Fla., Los Angeles, Chicago, St. Cloud, Fla., and Kailua, Hawaii.

Check out the video link here to Disney’s latest project in Chicago:

We know what they say about all work and no play. That's why at KaBOOM!, we make an effort to take some time out to recharge. After all, adults need recess too. 

We recently took a field trip to The National Building Museum to experience three of its current exhibits: The Building Zone, PLAY WORK BUILD, and Detroit Disassembled. The first two exhibits helped us see the KaBOOM! ideals of play in action. Detroit Disassembled provided a stark counterpoint -- a reminder of the many places in our country where children lack access to a safe place to play.

In The Building Zone (top left), we noted that once you opened the gate, you crossed into a "land of play," moving from observing to doing. "You couldn’t fit one more child in the sandbox," one Boomer noted. "It was so full of play!" Another noted: "My group was amazed by the number of families playing together. In one case we even saw a grandmother, mother and child! I think this really speaks to the level of engagement the exhibits lend themselves to."

Moving upstairs to PLAY WORK BUILD, we noticed how the Imagination Playground blocks gave children free reign over how they played. The exhibit provided all the tools necessary to stimulate creative play for children -- and adults. Boomers noticed how the blue blocks, both small and large, "really got parents building too!"

An image from Detroit Disassembled. Photo by Andrew Moore, from the collection of Fred and Laura Ruth Bidwell, courtesy of The National Building Musuem.

After so much play, it was time for reflection. The Detroit Disassembled exhibit served as a poignant reminder that play is not everywhere. We all agreed that we must continue to "come together in places where situations are difficult and let resilience and team champions shine through." We need to shift the mindset to see potential, not destruction.
            
During several of our interactions, Boomers noted how parents brought their kids to National Building Musuem consciously because they recognize that their kids "need time to play." Grateful to work at an organization that understands this need also extends to adults, we returned to the office reinvigorated to carry on our mission to give children everywhere the childhood they deserve.

Playgrounds give kids a chance to move their bodies, but the opportunities afforded by a single playground extend beyond physical activity. Kids also get more chances to challenge themselves, exercise their imaginations, and interact with other children and families. A new study conducted by Deborah Puntenney, Ph.D. at Northwestern University, in conjunction with KaBOOM! and Health Care Service Corporation, confirms our motto: “It starts with a playground.”

By the end of 2013, Health Care Service Corporation (HCSC) and its Blue Cross and Blue Shield plans in Illinois, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas will have built 39 playgrounds through a partnership with KaBOOM!. The company's support for KaBOOM! is part of its Healthy Kids, Healthy Families program, a three-year initiative designed to improve the health and wellness of at least one million children through community investments.

The study, conducted in 9 cities in 2011, used a learning community model to examine how being part of the KaBOOM! playground building process affects attitudes about the health promotion impact of physical activity and play, and the potential ripple effects associated with the community building aspects of the projects.

Key Findings: Health Promotion

• Parents and other adults involved in children’s well-being almost universally agree that play is strongly associated with better health for kids. They were aware of this before they started, and this knowledge contributed to their desire to build a playground.
• 90% of adults believe kids in their community want to play more following the playground build.
• 96% of adults believe kids in their community are getting more exercise following the playground build.
• Between 83% and 94% of adults believe that the playground has increased opportunities for higher quality play, including more fun (94%), more creative and challenging play (88% each), and more prospects for skill mastery (83%).
• The percentage of adults saying kids are “bored” when they are outdoors dropped from 71% to 25% following the playground build.
• There was an 11% increase the number of adults who said they played outside with kids at least three times a week between the pre- and post-build surveys; among parents the increase was even higher, with a 16% increase in the number indicating they went out to play with their kids this much.

Key Findings: Community Building

• Adult confidence in their own ability to change the community increased 29% after the playground build.
• Neighborhood pride increased by 23%, and neighborhood trust increased by 48%.

  Photos from KaBOOM! and Blue Cross and Blue Shield playground builds in Tulsa, OK (upper left), Chicago, IL (upper right), Rio Rancho, NM (bottom left), and Marshall, TX (bottom right).

Here, KaBOOM! says thank you to HCSC for its commitment to bringing play to children in need: