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Dr. Ron J. Turker a pediatric orthopedic surgeon writing in the NY Times, brought attention to The NATIONAL ASSOC FOR RECREATIONAL EQUALITY’S purpose advocating for self competitive play, that is, participation in sports alongside rather than against …

Phase One of This World-Class Waterpark Attracts Record Daily Attendance Numbers Lotte World has officially opened the first phase of a three phased Polynesian themed waterpark in Seoul, Korea. This long awaited project boasts a 120,000 square meters …

When children have outgrown the pre-school playgrounds, then what? We have games, sports and playfields. These are words used and often interchanged within the vocabulary of the recreational and playground specialist. There appears to be many ways to …

What if any serious injuries have we reduced over the past 30 years? For more than 30 years the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has been gathering and analyzing injury data. During this time, falls to the surface have been the leading cause …

We ( PlaySafe, LLC ) often conduct G Max Testing of sports fields to help owners reduce their potential for injuries. It is always interesting to discover improvements and advancements in our profession to make activities and sports safer. During many …

As part of my Midwestern summer road trip, I stopped at Noah’s Playground for Everyone in Evanston, IL. Evanston is the home of Northwestern University and is just north of Chicago. The origins of this playground are similar to many inclusive playgrounds; …

I have always believed that playgrounds are a very poor substitute for children being allowed free-range play in natural settings. Since the Industrial Revolution that idyllic vision of nature based play is increasingly rare. Understanding this fact, …

Delving into what may be the most intransigent subject in the play industry, I decided to investigate public opinion on what truly makes a great playground. Rather than rely solely on industry or education based opinions, I also took the question to the …

From time to time I receive some powerfully playful inspiration from people on Google +. One such recently came to me from Ron Scruggins in his  provocative post  on Musical Instrument Playgrounds shared on  John Kellden’s Conversation community . He …

Last month I gave my perspective on how playground-related injuries and the different severity of injuries do not necessarily correlate with the notion a currently compliant playground will eliminate or substantially reduce the frequency or severity of …

Last week, I went on a road trip with my daughter through the Midwest visiting college campuses. Along the way we also visited different playgrounds in Wisconsin, Illinois, Ohio, Michigan, Missouri, and Indiana. We were busy. When we got to Michigan, I …

Sugar Land, TX just got a little sweeter! River Park is now home to a very unique play  environment that called for a mix of both traditional and custom play structures. One of its most  unique features is its custom surfacing design. Green turf with a …

It is always nice to get a fresh and different view of the world in which we live; this month I ( PlaySafe, LLC ) thought it would be interesting to interview a company that provides installation and maintenance services for playground equipment and …

“The world is mud-luscious and puddle-wonderful.” - EE Cummings So there we have it: another successful International Mud Day celebrated, enjoyed, laughed at and loved. Did you go for it? Did you give it a try? Do you know about International Mud Day?? I …

As I travel around the US to shows, symposiums, meetings, and grand openings, it simply amazes me the stories I hear about the playground. How it changes lives, how it becomes the center point of a community, how it creates memories that people cherish, …

Well, not my whole vacation, just the first 3 weeks. It all started almost a year ago when I applied for a Community Benefits Grant from the City of Healdsburg with the goal of conducting two “Tech-Play” summer camps. We organized two camps. The advanced …

All of us are extremely busy, pulled in a dozen directions, and sometimes overwhelmed. We often have to limit what we can direct our efforts toward. A key area that it is imperative for us to concentrate on is the safety of the children that visit our …

Open-ended play allows children to express themselves in play freely and creatively, not bound by preset limitations. It promotes imagination and problem solving. In open-ended play there are no expectations and no specific problems to solve. In contrast, …

It doesn’t get much more fun than this: building a playground from salvaged materials with a giant group of creative, excited kids. Nice! This was my third year joining the crew at the Hudson Valley Sudbury School  and it just keeps getting better as we …

When I was a child growing up near Seattle, the best time of the day was when I could go out to play at our local “playground,” aka, the woods behind my house. My friends and I reveled in discovering animal dens, climbing trees to see if there were eggs …

A World Fit For Kids www.worldfitforkids.org (213) 387-7712 Active Living Research activelivingresearch.org University of California, San Diego 3900 Fifth Avenue, Suite 310 San Diego, CA 92103 (619) 260-5534 Active Schools Acceleration Project …