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Playgrounds are sanctuaries for young children, where little feet and imaginations should find no boundaries. However, “should” is the keyword. For Zachary Blakemore, playgrounds meant tears, boundaries, and exclusion. Blakemore is among the 49.7 million …

In 2008, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) released its 2008 draft of the Handbook for Public Playground Safety . If that wasn’t enough for the entire playground industry to come to grips with, then along came the Consumer Product Safety …

Gleaming steel and glass skyscrapers that soar into the sky, casting shadows on most everything below as the sun moves east to west. Decades-old neighborhoods of brick and mortar homes and businesses. Gang-related and other violence that continually …

Steve Lampone pointed toward the well-maintained homes, immaculate lawns, and flower gardens across Kenwood Avenue from Gillham Park. “Parks can shape what surrounding areas look like,” Lampone, deputy director for Kansas City, MO, parks and recreation …

Chances are you’ve seen spray/splash parks in all sorts of places, like your local park next to a playground or inside a hotel or next to a body of water like a lake or in a housing subdivision. How about inside a zoo? Yes, a zoo. Not only does the …

While families are keeping budgets in mind and traveling less, they are also looking for places to enjoy the outdoors closer to home. Throughout these economic challenges, park and recreation departments are now thinking of innovative and sustainable ways …

Unfortunately, it’s a scene all too familiar to parks and rec managers in cities and towns across North America: Parks and recreation budgets have been slashed, money is tight, employee furloughs are more common than ever, and yet the demand for city …

Playground installation instructions and technical drawings are the result of many hours of building, testing and re-checking to support the creation of a written document that can be used in the field by installers. Playground manufacturers only …

The commercial playground industry is in the midst of a paradigm shift that involves returning play to its roots in order to create the play spaces of the future. The playgrounds of the future are outdoor play spaces where children can play freely with …

When I am upgrading a play area because the play equipment is non-compliant, I usually require that the existing equipment be demolished and disposed of. I will allow the client to salvage some usable parts like the swings and some barrier panels that can …

Playgrounds are a place where children can grow physically, intellectually, socially, and emotionally. Unfortunately, they are also a place where germs can grow—abundantly—if left unchecked. Most agencies do a good job keeping their playgrounds …

Texas and hot. They just go together, like peanut butter and jelly or Donny and Marie or Tom and Jerry or milk and cookies or cat and mouse or burger and fries or, well you get the idea. It’s hot in Texas. And humid. So doesn’t it seem natural, just to …

Head entrapment on play equipment has the potential to be a life-threatening hazard so  Certified Playground Safety Inspectors  are instructed to test all completely bound openings for head entrapment. The phrase “potentially life-threatening hazard” …

Deciding what “brand” of play equipment to purchase for your project can be a daunting task. The International Playground Equipment Manufacturers Association (IPEMA) has more than 100 manufacturer members of playground or playground surfacing products. …

When you talk about Texas, everything is big. Opened in the summer of 2009, the Katy Play Station covers 15,000 square feet and can be found in the city of Katy at Avenue D and Franz Road in Katy City Park. The playground uses as a theme one of the unique …

As a culture, we are dedicated to rearing our children to be the best, boldest, and most educated kids on the block. However, this upswing in public achievement-based childhood development is driving an academic culture of “results above all else.”  While …

Today’s children with their wifi-saturated brains may not know the subtle calm that descends after relaxing near a stream in the shade of a hundred-year-old tree. Their collective experiences in our techno-frenzied society seem to have provided them with …

Unless your play area uses poured-in-place or tile surfacing that is at the same grade as the surrounding paved surface, you’re going to need an access ramp. ASTM and CPSC do not address accessibility except as it applies to safety inside the play area. …

Aquatic recreation is a very large part of our American society. We swim, we boat, we fish and we are captivated and energized by water in many ways. One way we enjoy our connection with water is through warm weather swimming  pools , and recently,  …