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United States politicians have repeatedly proven that schools are not their top concern when it comes to providing ample funding. So, when a parent group leader sets their mind on the idea that the local elementary school needs a new play structure, you …

Monty Christiansen obtained BSLA and MLA degrees in landscape architecture from Iowa State University. He was a landscape architect for the National Park Service, the St. Louis County Mo. Park and Recreation Department, and Phillip Flores Associates of …

On December 26, 2004, an earthquake measuring 9.0 on the Richter scale generated a series of destructive waves that hit coastal Sri Lanka with devastating impact. The tsunami waves caused the loss of over 30,000 lives, the displacement of over 800,000 …

At one of the play areas we saw, there was a swing made of coconut rope hanging from a rain tree with a seat belt fashioned out of a rag tied to the rope. Many of the playgrounds were constructed with ropes and wood. The metal equipment was made of poor …

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.” …

Playgrounds can bring a community together. Just ask the residents of Charleston Place in Boise, Idaho. They joined together to design and build the playground that now serves not only as a place for the kids to play, but also as a meeting place for the …

Skateboard. The word alone may send chills up your spine if you have been impacted by this trend. The increased popularity of skateboarding has created new challenges and issues for our society to address.   One issue is the need to restrict skateboarding …

One of the joys adults receive from children is watching them have fun as they play. Another delight of adults is to see that their taxes are being used efficiently and for the reason they were allocated. Both of theses factors are evident with the new …

Do you remember getting Weekly Reader (WR) in your classroom as a child? Whether five or ninety years old, it seems most people have been exposed to it at one point or another in their lives. Most of us probably did read it as a child. When accepting an …

The first “playground” was documented in Boston, Mass., at a Children’s mission on Parmeter Street in 1886. With the placement of huge piles of sand as directed by the mission’s director, children were observed doing what they tend to do naturally: play. …

I don’t know about the rest of you, but I have a serious case of spring fever, which can translate into “playground fever.” I have been chauffeuring children around getting them to school, the golf course, the playground and soccer field. It’s getting …

Kids love to be challenged and those at Goric Marketing Group USA, Inc. seem to understand this best. For more than 25 years this manufacturer has been building playgrounds and has become a leader in new designs and concepts. Goric was first established …

Remember when miniature golf was the rage? There’s a new rage in town that is “climbing” steadily in popularity, not only with children but adults as well. Climbing walls and boulders are “in” even if they are outdoors.  The popularity could very well be …

Full-fledged skateparks certainly have their place, but often communities find themselves in a pickle when it comes to deciding between a skatepark OR a playground. One often overlooked alternative is to have your cake and eat it too. There are a number …

A huge rubberized vegetarian pizza makes an exciting new children’s playground at the National Zoological Park in the nation’s capital. It’s far too large for the typical home delivery truck, but the 22-foot diameter structure comes complete with a foam …

What more can we do to reduce playground-related injuries? This should be the most important playground safety question that we are asking today. And to answer this question a battle must be waged on two different battlefields.  First, we must conquer the …

The National Playground Contractors Association (NPCA) has developed the first independent playground installer training course. The debut of the Playground Construction School was this past February in sunny Orlando, Fla. A second course will be held in …

Four-plus years ago, we started this magazine with a tight editorial focus on—you guessed it—playgrounds. From its inception, Today’s Playground has always aimed its collective antenna at specific trends and topics that affect an equally specific …

Last summer I spent a few days photographing playgrounds. I was unfamiliar with this particular city, but despite getting lost on several occasions, I still managed to locate quite a few. It didn’t matter who the manufacturer was, all I was looking for …

There’s no fun in exercise. If you believe that, you haven’t been on a playground lately. They just don’t make them like they used to…and that is one of the great things about them. The trouble is that with all the video games out today, kids have more …

You decide to take your children to the nearby playground for a picnic and a great family outing. After finding everyone’s shoes and packing the extra napkins to catch the spills that are likely to occur, you set out with a picnic basket and excited …