I know, it’s pretty rare for someone to want to be taken to the principal, although my youngest son wanted to when he was in first grade. He had broken one of the playground rules—the one where you “Do not ever climb up the slide, itself. Use the ladder.” It was the first day of school, he was excited to play on the slide and decided to give climbing up the wrong way a try. It looked fun. He and a few others were having fun trying to see who could make it to the top that way. Either he or the children trying to slide down, maybe both, could end up hurt, so it was important to catch them early on and educate them about safety.
When asked if he would like to visit the principal to discuss the playground rules, he gave an emphatic “Yes!” He had remembered hearing that the principal had candy in his office, so he definitely wanted to discuss the rules with him. After they talked, he was then clear on the rules, got his candy, and everyone was happy. That’s not a new rule by any means. I remember it from when I was a child as well.
Something else that isn’t new here at Today’s Playground is the fact that we want to get you, the reader, involved. One thing we would like to see is what’s going on at your playground. We want to hear from you. If your PTA or PTO leader, principal, or whoever might be in charge of your playground project doesn’t have a copy of this magazine, please share it with them so they can give us a guided tour. If you’re involved with a daycare, park and recreation organization, if you’re a landscaper, or whatever your playground involvement may be, we want to hear about your project.
Here are some things to share with us. Have you installed a new playground lately? What kind of playground is it? Take us to your playground and give us the grand tour. We want to see pictures and hear the story about how it came to be. What made you choose this particular structure? How did your fundraising efforts go? Did you have to do anything specific to the site to ready it for installation? Did you take down an existing playground to build the new one? Do you have before and after pictures? Did you start from scratch? Which manufacturer did you work with? What worked well for you and what didn’t? How long did the project take?
Something else we want to know is how the children are reacting to the playground. What are their favorite components? Do you have specific stories and comments to share about their experiences on the playground?
When you have the details put together, go ahead and email your high-resolution (300 dpi or better) photos and story to me at [email protected] or even snail-mail them to my office: Shannon Amy, Today’s Playground Magazine, 360 B. Street, Idaho Falls, Idaho 83402. Don’t worry about editing it, that’s my job. Just get your ideas down and send them in. I look forward to hearing about and seeing what’s going on in your neighborhood schools, parks, and daycare playgrounds. Who knows? We could end up being one big happy playground family, which is what we want.
Editor’s note:
Photos--Please send 4x6 prints taken with a 35mm camera (disposable camera will work), or use slide film in your 35mm and send the roll to me for developing. These will print better than most digital camera shots. If photographing a playground with children at play, you will need to obtain
written permission to use the photos. Please send this in with photos.
Include the following:
The parent and/or legal guardian’s name, the child’s name, a statement giving consent for photos of their daughter/son to be used by Harris Publishing, Inc. for publication in Today’s Playground Magazine. It also must be signed, dated, and needs to include a telephone number and address for contact of parent/guardian.
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