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All over this country, the concerns over playground safety have been growing. It has taken 20 years to fuel the movement, but there is no question that the condition of our play environment has become a major area of concern. The motivation for this …

Since the inception of ASTM standards and CPSC guidelines relating to safety surfacing around play equipment, engineers, designers, manufacturers, and others have developed a multitude of products suited to the playground surfacing industry. One of the …

0S-9 was upgraded to OSX; Windows 98 was upgraded to Windows 2000. Operating Systems are subject to recurring change. ("New, Improved. Faster, More Efficient! Easier to use, ... " well, you get the picture.) For playground safety inspectors, ASTM Fl 487 …

The greatest health risk facing children today is not a terrible disease like leukemia or an unthinkable trauma like abuse. It is obesity. Recent statistics show that the number of obese and overweight children is increasing. The National Center for …

As I sat watching the stern British Host of television's "The Weakest Link," I thought of what might happen if some of the people I had worked with recently were on the show having to answer questions about playground safety. In the last twenty years, …

In some ways, it almost seems to get monotonous. As the construction crew set up the new play equipment at a build I attended with our resident photographer, I noticed shouts of appreciation coming from a group of children that eagerly watch the …

In under five years, the National Playground Contractors Association (NPCA) has grown from a small group of eight members with little influence in the playground industry to a 150-member group that has increased influence throughout the industry. "At …

There is much more to a school playground than the focal play structure. There are basketball hoops and swing sets. There are open areas to play on and there are softball diamonds. But often these open areas are underused. The more popular areas often put …

So, you have decided that you need to bring your play equipment into compliance. But, what does that mean? Everyone is telling you that your play area does not currently comply and you are asking "comply with what?" After all, the equipment that you have …

The eclectic and award-winning City Museum in downtown St. Louis, Mo., isn't just on the cutting edge of the imagination. It is the cutting edge of imagination. The City Museum is a unique, interactive museum-playground, where one can admire, play, feel, …

Engineered wood surfacing has become a popular choice for playground safety surfacing in the last ten or twelve years for a variety of reasons. First, the head injury criteria and impact attenuation of wood fiber rates are among the highest when properly …

Safety surfacing is a necessity for all playgrounds both indoors and out. With specific locations come specific considerations about weather. Climate is often not considered when choosing an appropriate surface for a playground. Let's look at different …

Research into the link between play experiences and brain development shows that play provides important stimulus for the human brain. Play is absolutely vital to children's brain development in all domains. In this article, we focus on the interconnected …

The setting: America's schools- for kids ages seven or eight and older, with a limited recess time to play, the traditional playground may not keep their interest. Forget "slides, rides, and manipulatives." Kids with portable battery-powered GameBoy ® …

If you are reading Today's Playground, you probably have a vested interest in helping or educating children. You may recall a time when you were involved in a plan devised to provide something useful and good for the children in your community, and even …

I'm not sure when it happened. I certainly don 't think it happened overnight, although it almost seems as if it did. Somewhere between the time I left the halls of elementary school and the time I began working for Today's Playground magazine, it …

The premise behind the organization is simple. Children have a right to play. In fact, this idea is so fundamental to this group of concerned people that they included it in their name: the American Association for the Child 's Right to Play (IPN USA ). …

If only a representative from Wrigley's could see this. Like something out of a Doublemint gum commercial, 4-year-old twins Brian and Eric Matthews are shadowing each other around the playground. One minute Brian is sprinting towards the spring rider …

Every year in Butler County, Penn., there is a winner crowned. For a year the town that wins the county championship has the bragging rights. It is the top-dog. And this excitement alI comes from a sport that involves little more than a couple of …

One Florida official summed it up best when he said, they knew they had a problem, they just didn't know how big or serious it was. He was not, of course, referring to the Sunshine State's voting conundrum. He was talking about the discovery of high …

Playground planners working within the United States have a variety of in-depth resources, suggested guidelines and safety performance specifications from which to use when designing or constructing playground equipment. The general aim of these resources …