DIY Playground Toolkit
Community-build Roadmap Video Lessons
The community-build process is broken down across eight major milestones, noted by mile markers.
Mile Marker 1
Topics: Reasons why play matters, the “community-build model,” benefits of a community build model, play equipment appropriate for specific ages, abilities, and types of play, playground safety hazards in old equipment, make the case for a new, community-built playground.
Mile Marker 2
Topics: Create a project vision and mission statement, form a planning committee, choose a playground site, choose a surfacing and equipment vendor, estimate the project budget, establish a project timeline, create a fundraising strategy.
Mile Marker 3
Topics: Organize and hold the first playspace meeting, start fundraising, finalize planning committee teams, determine the necessary site preparation, create a project website.
Mile Marker 4
Topics: Holding a Design Day, working with an equipment vendor to select a design, press materials and media involvement, accelerating youth involvement through the Design Day and service learning projects.
Mile Marker 5
Topics: Recruiting Build Day volunteers and captains, creating a contingency plan for bad weather and emergencies, mapping the build site and the Build Day “matrix,” creating a maintenance plan with the landowner and staff, leveling the site and removing old equipment.
Mile Marker 6
Topics: Planning final fundraisers, writing and sending out a media advisory to notify local newspapers, radio, and TV stations, ordering side project materials, confirming delivery schedule for equipment and surfacing, training build day captains.
Mile Marker 7
Topics: Equipment and surfacing delivery, organizing materials one to two days before the Build Day, motivating volunteers, rehearsing the ribbon cutting ceremony, taking pictures of the site and securing the area.
Mile Marker 8
Topics: Sending official thanks you’s, starting your maintenance program, hosting a final planning meeting, supervising, playing and enjoying, RALLY!-ing for play.
Sample Documents
Research and Initial Planning
- Great icebreakers
- First meeting flyer
- Site preparation questionnaire
- Equipment vendor questions
- Loose Fill vs Unitary fill surfacing
- Playground surfacing cost comparison
- Sample fundraising strategy
- Sample playspace budget
- Sample playspace needs survey
Committee Resources
- Playground committee roles and responsibilities
- Youth one-pager
- Food one-pager
- Green one-pager
- Logistics one-pager
- Public relations one-pager
- Recruitment one-pager
- Safety one-pager
- Side Projects one-pager
Public Relations
- Guide to Media terms
- Sample media advisory ribbon cutting
- Sample press release build day
- Sample press release design day
- Sample public service announcement
Side Projects and Service Learning
Safety
Construction
- Sample playground installation certificate
- Sample soil test form
- Sample utility check form
- Build captain responsibilities
- Build captain: Assembling components one-pager
- Build captain: cement
- Build captain: Mulch