KaBOOM! News

by Paula Jenkins

I’ve been a teacher for 21 years. And through my work, I’ve seen the Play Deficit first hand.

Since I began teaching, the number of hours kids spend outside playing has plummeted. Kids are spending more and more time behind TV and computer screens. And equipment like swings are being pulled from school playgrounds because they are considered "too dangerous."

We can’t let the Play Deficit hurt our children. We must let them play.

Play is crucial to healthy social, emotional, and cognitive development. Every day, I see kids learning important lessons on the playground. And I’m sure you can understand how grateful I am when they return to class calm and focused after running around with their friends.

Please join me and other educators and help KaBOOM! fight the Play Deficit.  Be a part of their Spring Donor Drive and your gift will be matched dollar for dollar by the A. L. Mailman Foundation.

Right now, their goal is 365 donors to help KaBOOM! support a 50-state attack on the Play Deficit by helping:

Read more...

by Danielle Marshall, Director of Community Engagement

Our enemy isn’t a person. It doesn’t have a voice. It doesn’t jump out of the shadows.
But it’s an enemy nonetheless. It’s the Play Deficit. And it’s a real threat to our children.

Right now, an overwhelming majority of kids don’t have a safe place to play within walking distance of their home. Recess at school is on the chopping block across the country. And the public playspaces that do exist are often in disrepair.

We can’t let the Play Deficit hurt our children. We must let them play.

Children need play to grow into healthy adults, much as they need food, shelter, and love. Without play, kids fail to develop necessary skills like problem–solving, creativity, and perseverance.

Will you help KaBOOM! fight the Play Deficit? Be a part of our Spring Donor Drive and your gift will be matched dollar for dollar by the A. L. Mailman Foundation.

Our goal is 365 donors to help support our 50-state assault on the Play Deficit. You can help KaBOOM!:

Read more...

You may remember our Scary Playgrounds: Let’s Find ‘Em and Fix ‘Em contest last Halloween, when we asked for photos of playgrounds that were in desperate need of repair. Our grand prize winner, Dan Watson of Fredonia, Ariz. recently wrote to let us know what they’re doing with the $1,000 VISA Gift Card they received:
 

"We are still adding equipment to the park as we remodel our larger park. 

The timing turned out really well, our local LDS ward was looking for a service project, so they helped paint the jungle gym, remove weeds from the basketball court, paint the court’s stripes and the basketball standards. We purchased curbing and engineered wood chips from local sources to make the playground safer. We replaced the backboards and rims. We moved a climber from our other park and are in the process of bringing over a slide and a 4-seat bouncer. We are rehabilitating the pieces now before we reinstall them. That will double the amount of equipment in the park.

We are also planning to add benches and tables and there is a movement to add a sand volleyball court. We are looking into the design and costs now. The only thing left that we really want to do is replace the jungle gym with a new small play structure.

We are still raising funds for our large park community build so it’s going have to wait for a while. But we are excited about breathing new life into this park and we again want to say thank you for your assistance. 

We are proud to say it’s not the scariest park anymore."

Dan Watson
Town of Fredonia

Read more...

George Mohacsi is the President and CEO of Foresters, a life insurance provider committed to the well-being of families. Foresters and KaBOOM! began their partnership in 2006 when the organizations built four playgrounds across the U.S.

Since then, the partnership has grown tremendously - Foresters has committed more than $7 million to KaBOOM!, with nearly 100 playgrounds being built across the U.S. and Canada by 2013. Foresters has also become a KaBOOM! National Partner and a founding member of the KaBOOM! Leadership Circle—a group of organizations providing long-term guidance and support to KaBOOM!.

Mohacsi and KaBOOM! Founder and CEO Darell Hammond sat down to talk about Foresters commitment to KaBOOM! and why Foresters believes in creating opportunities for families to spend quality time together. Below is a snippet from the interview. The full version can be read here.

Read more...