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In the world of play, accidents happen. Children riding bikes run into parked cars, they jam their toes while playing kickball and, occasionally, kids can break a limb or two during rough play on the playground. Accidents resulting in injury can occur …

As kids get back into the summer swing of things, rising temperatures on playgrounds may raise some questions on how best to beat the summer heat and keep kids safe from sunburns. One of the primary elements to consider in this equation is what is under …

Every edition of Today’s Playground contains a “Value of Play” section. Within this section, an article addressing (obviously) the value of play is printed. But what exactly is play? The editors, authors, advertisers and especially the readers of Today’s …

Most of the research available today underlines how important play is for a child’s development. But there are some experts who believe that modern research has missed the point by overemphasizing the formative function of play and underestimating its …

We all know how active and creative children are, and how easily these qualities can lead to injury. aquatic playgrounds are designed to be unsupervised play environments. hile a supervised environment can stop children from playing too aggressively,  …

Tightropes taut between telephone poles; belay and repel lines; 30-foot platforms: it looks more like a military obstacle course than physical education equipment. But these obstacle courses are part of physical education at schools nationwide.  …

People may picture life on a military base as a structured, sterile environment. Or, perhaps the shenanigans of Hawkeye Pierce or Gomer Pyle come to mind. More than likely, life on base consists of both rigid structure and hilarious antics, providing …

Over the past few decades, organizations such as the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), the National Playground Safety Institute, the Consumer Federation of America and the National Program for Playground Safety have helped bring playground …

As William descends from the very top of the play structure to the bike path for the first time, he grins from ear to ear and exclaims, “I did it all by myself!”    This might sound like a typical experience for a 6-year-old child, but it was a very …

The growing healthcare crisis of obesity has been a common topic recently in the media.  One area receiving increased attention is the impact this crisis is having on working-class children and adults in urban areas. When compared to their white …

The headline read: Come one, come all, grab them while they last! It’s the world’s Super Duper, Triple-Quad-ripple, Tons of Fun, Maintenance free playground.  “Maintenance free?” It was too good to be true—a playground owner’s dream. I bought four of …

I was driving home from a weekend trip when my wife asked me a bizarre question, “You do playgrounds right?” I responded with a, “Yeah babe, I do playgrounds, why?” She began to tell me about an article that she was reading in Family Circle magazine …

One of the major advantages offered by a unitary surfacing product is its ability to incorporate aesthetically pleasing colors and designs into your overall playground concept.  Progressive playground designers have long realized that a creatively …

Water is often seen as being abundant and renewable. But as demand for freshwater continues to rise, with water quality issues adding to the concern, municipalities across the country are looking for innovative ways to help manage and conserve this …

he cheerful cries of children at play can be heard at yet another location across the globe. Children in Trinidad and Tobago were thrilled with the new playgrounds that were installed in three local neighborhoods, thanks to the efforts of Kids Around the …

In 1997, the National Program for Playground Safety (NPPS) began sponsoring the National Playground Safety Day every April. Its purpose was to raise awareness of playground safety across the nation. After two years, the event became so successful, that it …

Most Americans know the little town of Bethlehem as the birthplace of Jesus. But for the children who live there, it is a high stakes battleground. Most of these children have spent the last two years under constant curfew. They’ve seen their schools and …

My brother called me the other day with the most interesting of predicaments. “John, I installed my new operating system and now my printer won’t work.” I told him to get a new printer. Three day’s later he called to tell me that my 10-year-old niece had …

Fall Guy n. (slang) – 1. One who takes ‘the rap’ for others; one who is easy to take advantage of. 2. A scapegoat.  [synonyms: chump, fool, gull, mark, patsy, sucker, schlemiel, soft touch] here are we after over a decade of playground safety standards in …

Extreme sports among teens and even young adults are growing in popularity. High-risk activities such as bicycling, skating, skateboarding and scooter riding are part of a trend that is moving away from traditional sports and toward those that are more …

Depending on your relationship to the children in your life, an outdoor playground can mean different things. For adults without children, playgrounds may just be big pieces of plastic and metal set in the park they drive by on their way to work each day. …