A program by Lowe’s and a community effort helps build a new playground in time for the first day back to school. The playground will have a track, pavilion and picnic tables.
Thanks to Lowes and the community, back to school this week was not back to the same old playground. Bear Creek Elementary got a brand new playground set. The first phase of the playground was completed in time for the first day of school, which was Aug. 12.
The school in this story used to be a middle school so it didn’t have a playground. A committee was formed and they decided that they playground would also be like a park for residents to enjoy.
Volunteers from Lowe’s put in a pavilion with picnic tables with wood donated through the Lowe’s Heroes program. They started a fitness trail and hope to add an amphitheater. Fundraisers were held to pay for the playground and businesses donated product. Volunteers donated time and their sweat equity.
Every year local Lowe’s stores put together a team that identifies a local school or community project which they can donate time and materials to help make a difference in the community.
Lowe’s Heroes is part of the Lowe’s Charitable and Educational Foundation which was started in 1957. Since 2009 the foundation has contributed over $30 million to schools and the community.
Plans to start the second phase of the playground will begin next summer.
A vacant lot in New York that was once a BMX park could turn into a playground for dogs. Pet owners are hoping to turn Cheri Lindsey Park into a fenced-in arena for their dogs to run around in.
The City of Binghamton is involving people in the effort – by launching a Design Your Own Park Competition. We think plans should include a safe surface (like rubber mulch bond) for the dogs to run and play on. It would help control the temperature, look nice and be sanitary. It would also last.
City planners say Community Block Development Grants would cover at least $10,000 for winning ideas. Results will be announced in December. The competition is a joint effort by the City of Binghamton, Binghamton University and United Way.
We don’t know how big the proposed park will be, but we think this is a great idea. We’ve written about design contests for parks for kids, but this is the first one that is for dogs. We hope it starts a new trend! The best part is – dog owners will get moving as well as their pets.
James A. Peterson is professor emeritus in the Department of Recreation and Park Administration at Indiana University. He’s also an advocate of playgrounds, despite the risks and the cost of maintaining them. He wrote in 2002: “There is a serious playground accident happening every two-and-a-half minutes.”
So what is the benefit of playgrounds — for kids?
some neuroscientists believe that playgrounds are a valuable benefit for developing children.
Scientists at The Children’s Institute for Research and Development emphasize how play experiences benefit the cognitive, social and emotional development in children.
Children’s games actually program the brain for language, art, math and science, as well as build interpersonal abilities and intelligence.
A Baylor University College of Medicine study reported that children who do not play develop brains that are 20% to 30% smaller than normal for their age.
Sounds great doesn’t it? But what about the “broken bones, skinned arms and legs, concussions, and even, on occasion, death?”
Children get hurt mostly by falls — almost 80% of accidents on playgrounds can be attributed to falls. The majority of falls are harmful because of the playground surface. The most common age for injuries is ages 5 to 9.
A lot of injuries can be prevented and that’s why we take pride in providing a playground surface that is safe. A surface that cushions falls and helps prevent broken bones. Another part of prevention falls onto parents. Supervise and go to the playground with your kids. We hope you’ll not only spend a lot of time at playgrounds, but that you’ll be safe this summer.
Three playgrounds in South Dakota are getting an overhaul to make them more wheelchair accessible. It’s part of a 20-year effort from Sioux Falls to make parks and playgrounds more accessible and safe.
This summer, more playgrounds are being upgraded. The playgrounds at Laurel Oaks, Dunham and Spencer parks will be rebuilt and get new equipment to comply with the ADA.
The playgrounds will have ramps and platforms and rubber mats. The rubber surface will replace wood chips and sand under equipment “so that young people in wheelchairs can move around.”
“I think the biggest barrier is the surface, so by upgrading it with a rubberized material, it’ll just make it easier for all kids to play with each other,” said Heather Stett-nichs, a member of the Miracle Field board of directors. The Miracle Field baseball complex is specially designed for youths with disabilities.
The city has been a finalist the past three years for National Organization on Disability awards for the most accessible cities.
Just when our country needs more playgrounds and activity for kids (obesity rates are growing for children) Texas may need to cut back. A tight state budget means But potential budget cuts within the Parks and Recreation Department might have to scale back the number of playgrounds. 11 of its 26 playgrounds are in question.
That’s tough for Stevie Johnson, a playground leader in Austin for 17 years. It’s also filling a need for parents who rely on the system when school is out. It gives kids something to do and keeps them active. But it also requires staff to keep it running.
“The program is one of the oldest in the city — in its 83rd year — and every summer allows parents to drop off their children at the park free of charge to take part in supervised activities and games.”
The cuts to staff could save Austin $110,000 (cutting 44 temporary staff positions). They’ll start with parks that are not as utilized and ones that have other parks close by.
The Louisville city council in Ohio is holding a meeting to discuss what to do about a playground that needs an upgrade. The Magical Rainbow Playground is getting older and the city manager says it’s time to start planning for the future. They want to set aside money to make needed changes.
The playground was constructed in 1998, the playground complex was donated to the city by a group of citizens. It hasn’t been maintained as well as some hoped. Who’s responsible? That’s also up for debate.
This brings up an issue that is critical right now. States are already stretched thin on budgets. However, existing playgrounds and parks need to be safe – and that costs money. We’ve seen a lot of citizen involvement but it’s also an issue for cities – because the cost usually runs in the hundreds of thousands of dollars.
We propose, along with this city, that whenever you build a new playground you consider the long-term implications. Will you have to replace the ground cover every year or so? Who will do the labor and who will buy the materials? Is it better to spend up front on something like rubber playground surface that costs more initially but has lasts for years? These are questions to consider.
A popular children’s playground in New Jersey has been demolished for safety reasons. It happened last week – a private contractor from Moorestown did the work for free and who has asked to remain anonymous. The name of the park is Fullerton Park.
They do plan to replace the park – which should cost about $175,000. Why was the park demolished? The wooden equipment was 18 years old and had exposed nails, deteriorated wood and other issues.
“Park users say they want the wooden equipment replaced with something similar that is attractive and has a more natural look or rustic character.”
The group has posted a survey on its website to get input about the new park. The survey lasts through July 6. There is also a Facebook page that has updates. Way to look out for our kids New Jersey! Thanks to the man who stepped in to pay for this at a time when the state budgets are stretched. This shows someone who is dedicated to our community!
It’s a startling fact but more than half of New York City elementary schools don’t have a playground access. Out2Play is a a non-profit organization dedicated to building and refurbishing playgrounds throughout the New York City public school system. They worked with citizens to get a safe playground that would improve the school and neighborhood.
The organization just celebrated a new playground at P.S. 229 in Woodside. Students at the school helped design the playground which is quite large. It has space for baseball, basketball and it has a track. The playground also features a large mural that the students painted.
The new playground space was made possible through funding from City Councilmember Elizabeth Crowley and Borough President Helen Marshall.
We’re glad the playground provides children with a safe, fun and developmentally beneficial play space. About 1,000 people came to the grand opening of the playground.
You could win a $25,000 Playground Upgrade called “Imagination Playground in a Box.” What is it? It’s a bunch of thing to help kids play in different ways. They have foam blocks, sand and water in large kits that kids can play with.
How do you do it? You earn points for your playground by taking simple actions like uploading photos. The more points, the better your playground’s chance to win. See http://parents.kaboom.org/
First, you become a fan of KaBoom! then log into or register at kaboom.org
Once you’re a fan, go to the playground’s page and take one of the following actions. Make sure you’re logged in or you won’t get points!
Rate your playground (10 points)
Upload a photo of your playground (10 points)
Improve the information section for your playground (10 points)
Add a comment about your playground (10 points)
Reply to a comment about your playground (5 points)
You’ll earn bonus points if you’re the first fan of a playground (bonus 25 points) or if you upload the first photo of a playground (bonus 5 points).
They’ll add new ways to earn points. The contest began on June 4, 2010 and will end at 11:59:59 PM ET on August 20, 2010.
If kids designed their own playground what would it look like? Well, some kids in Nebraska are asking that question. They know they want lots of slides. Also moneky bars, merry-go-rounds and bridges. The ideas were broken into categories: a fort or castle theme, hide and seek theme and day and night theme.
15 kids met at the Hastings Library to start making plans. The Lake Hastings Park is being donated to Hastings through a partnership between KaBOOM!, a national nonprofit dedicated to building playgrounds, and Kraft Foods and its support of Kool-Aid Days.
The themes will go to designers next and the kids can vote. The park will be built on the south side of Lake Hastings between the picnic pavilion and the boat dock. The park will be built by volunteers in just 6 hours on Aug. 6.
If you could design your own playground, what would it look like?
