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Slyde the Playground Hound may not be on the tips of every child’s tongue yet, but the fastest rising star in playground safety education is set to take the world by storm. Slyde, the victim of a nearly fatal playground accident himself, has made it his …

Steve King’s wheels are always turning. No matter where he is or what he’s doing, King sees possibility all around him. The father of continuous play concept never stops looking for new ways to make playgrounds safer, stronger, and more enjoyable for …

As playground equipment ages and weathers, the materials used in its construction increase their potential for deterioration.   Unless carefully monitored and maintained, the physical properties of these materials weaken until the materials become easy to …

Being a kid is one of the greatest gifts we have in life. The joy, frustration, and growth that occur from the ages of two to twelve years old help develop the characteristics that we exercise as adults.  Most people have fond memories of their time spent …

When it comes to watching too much television, my better half gives me a hand-slapping every now and then. And she gave me a big one this past October.  CNN and its partners in crime (er, crime reporting, that is) had decided to open up a buffet of …

When undertaking a new playground project, consider the following four, interconnected steps: funding and project criteria, playground design and equipment selection, playground construction, and playground maintenance. These are vital to the safety, …

Welcome to the premiere edition of the Today’s Playground Buyer’s Guide. We at TP thought that we’d help you make the most of your winter by offering you this useful guide to the playground industry. With Christmas right around the corner, maybe you …

A self-described “whole park” company, GameTime is also a “whole child” company. The “whole park” idea comes from the fact that GameTime prides itself on offering high-quality products and services in every area of the playground. From the play equipment …

Before a spray park is even installed, certain measures can be taken to encourage a long and healthy life for components. Drainage is one consideration that should be evaluated in the early stages of planning. Ample drainage can help prevent the …

The Jonesboro Parks and Recreation Department utilized members from throughout the community to complete its “Hands on Jonesboro” project.  The parks and recreation department for the city of Jonesboro, Ark., had a dilemma not uncommon in other cities …

Bullying, intimidation, and interpersonal conflict have been a part of playground management for generations. Children struggle with being called names, being picked on, being excluded, not knowing how to make friends, or being the ones acting unkindly or …

It’s been an eventful 14 months for Frances Wallach. Her office is located one block away from the site of the World Trade Center attacks in Lower Manhattan. She was out of her office and in a hotel for four months after the attacks—all the while doing …

Loose-fill safety surfacing, such as woodchips, require routine maintenance. It would, however, be a mistake to assume that replacing loose-fill materials with unitary safety surfacing (i.e., poured-in-place surfacing, mats, tile, etc.) will eliminate …

Despite this knowledge, opportunities for free play are decreasing for elementary school children, and have already been eliminated from the curriculum for middle and high school students in the United States. Reasons for this include an emphasis on …

The goal of every playground installation should be to build according to manufacturer’s specifications. These are outlined in an installation manual supplied with each commercial playground sold. The success of a playground installation is directly …

I am in no way what I would consider a playground safety expert. Luckily, there are numerous people that have the experience, training, and desire to be certified playground safety inspectors. The work each of them does for the safety of our children is …

It's one thing to have a set of core values written down on a piece of paper somewhere, and it's a completely different thing to consider those core values every day and on every project. At BCI Burke, based in Fond du Lac, Wis., the core values that were …

The choices of recreational facilities a municipality can select to make part of their recreational plans are almost as numerous as the number of municipalities. Also, there are a number of old-fashioned favorites that seem to be part of every city. …

In a unique mixture of Olympic celebration and athlete memorial, Florence Joyner Olympiad Park in Mission Viejo, Calif., is a constant reminder of the importance of living life to the fullest and of the power of a goal. In 1984 the Summer Olympics came to …