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Recently, I was reflecting with a customer about a playground project we constructed for them in the early ‘80s. I remember I came to the daycare to consult with them about the installation of their newly purchased play equipment. The daycare location was …

When a playground installer arrives at a new job site, he immediately looks at the play area to see if it is level. Even before an installer gets out a measuring tape, he has a pretty good idea about whether or not a site has a slope. Because modern …

The ideal recess time on the school playground seems to include children laughing, playing in the jungle gym, or participating in a game of hopscotch. It should be a nice break for students to spend some time outdoors, get some exercise, and have some …

Here is how it all started. A few summers ago, I went out on-site to talk with the local Parks and Recreation director, Dave Christiansen, and shoot some photos of a playground the city was resurfacing. We talked about the state of the playgrounds in the …

We’d all like to think that when our time on this earth comes to an end, we’ll be given a chance to die with our boots on, or at least that’s what the old saying would have us hoping for. When our friend and long-time contributor Dan McKain passed away on …

When the first settlers came to America, they met Native Americans who had mastered the art of growing kids using a combination of play , work, and tutorial, hands-on guidance from extended families and older children. From early childhood, Indian …

The Imagination Playground at Burling Slip , Rockwell Group, and the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation collaborated to create a new play space at Burling Slip in lower Manhattan. A unique child-centric downtown oasis, Imagination Playground …

The history of children’s play warns against both excessive adult interference and no involvement, yet shows that supervision, assistance, play leadership, or play work-- whatever the label--is a necessary element in play, learning, and development. Even …

When you take the National Recreation and Park Association's Certified Playground Safety Inspector course you are asked to agree to the CPSI Code of Professional Conduct. One of the directives of the code is... The CPSI should never conduct a safety audit …

It’s the heat of the summer now, and hopefully, you’ve spent a little time thinking about sun protection as you send children out to play. Even on those overcast days, you should be conscious of the effects of the sun. It may be behind a cloud, but clouds …

During the late twentieth century, children began to lose their historic rights and opportunities for free, outdoor play, and in the span of a few decades, the adverse consequences multiplied. The flood of information from many disciplines makes it …

The original Wildcat Park was built by volunteers in 1989 at Wilson Elementary School, where the elaborate wooden structure did double duty as a playground for the school and the community. The Leathers & Associates playground served the community well in …

What would a modern playground be without the invention of plastic? I would challenge anyone to find a commercial playground that isn’t fabricated, in part, out of plastic. The range of components made with plastic is never-ending: slides, play panels, …

As a playground advocate, I spend a lot of time working with playground owners. On a daily basis, I am in contact with people who purchase and maintain playgrounds, public and private. A large part of our communication is about playground rules. People …

There are some who leave an indelible footprint on your heart, and in doing so, your life. All who knew Barb King, co-founder and president of Landscape Structures, Inc., will miss her dearly. Barb passed away on March 4, 2008, at home with her family, …

Enter the world of KaBOOM! , and you will be introduced to a very unique place. In fact, it might be well termed as one of the most playful places on earth. This organization was created after Darell Hammond heard about the death of two children who had …

In 2001, as the City of Detroit celebrated its 300 th birthday, the Nortown Community Development Corporation (CDC) became a member of the “Detroit 300 Partner Program.” With this program’s funding, as a nonprofit corporation, the CDC was not only able to …

The current erosion of free, spontaneous outdoor play and recess is fueled by a widespread misunderstanding of the differences between free, spontaneous play and structured play including sedentary electronic entertainment. Free play is a play that is …

Concrete footings for playground equipment are one of the most important issues when constructing play equipment. The United States Consumer Safety Commission’s Handbook for Public Playground Safety notes, “When properly installed as directed by the …

How high can you fly? Well if you’re a child with an imagination – and what child doesn’t have one ­­– you can go very high. You can go at least as high as the top of that 12-foot deck on the playground, right?  As an adult concerned about children’s …

If you didn’t have the privilege of meeting Dr. Frances Wallach, it’s safe to say that you missed out on an incredible person. Even if you never met her, she was present in your life and the lives of countless children the world over as she spent much of …