Kids in the Noah's Ark cargo hold (for wild animals -- grrr)

Can fundraising get you arrested?  Sometimes.  One of the more good natured fundraising ideas is Jail and Bail, which was recently used by a playground community.  The playground committee made a list of town officials, well-known business people and civic leaders.  A few volunteers dressed up as Playground Police — and with tongue-in-cheek, they arrested these upstanding citizens.  Jail Birds were required to raise money for their bail, by making phone calls and appealing to friends and neighbors to spring them from the big house (well, actually the school gym, transformed into a jail).  This sting operation raised about $20,000 for the playground, and provided the project with good exposure in the community.

Just the other day, we read an article about the Miller School fundraising $40,000 for their playground project by holding a jump-rope-a-thon.  Kids collected sponsors and donations, and events and activities were planned around the jump roping.

Get creative, and meet your playground fundraising goals.

 These creative thoughts aren’t lost on us.  We collect our communities’ successful fundraising ideas and share them.  The organizational manual for the Playground Fundraising Coordinator is just one of planning manuals we provide playground committees to organize, plan, build support, fundraise, and eventually –  build their unique playgrounds.

Here’s a few playground maintenance tips:

Ground surfacing.  Check the resilient ground surfacing throughout the playground.  Pay special attention to slide exits and the area underneath swings, where surfacing can migrate away from where it is needed most.  If your playground uses wood chips for ground surfacing, you will need to replenish the surfacing periodically due to organic break down (and wood chips leaving the playground in little pockets).  Check around the footings of equipment to make sure there is no exposed concrete.

Play structures.  Check for loose fasteners and any missing screws and bolts.  Make sure that structures with moving parts are lubricated and free from blockages.  Perform a thorough once over of all structures to ensure there is no rust of metal equipment, splintering of wooden equipment, or cracked parts on plastic equipment.  Keep an eye out for any exposed sharp edges or protrusions that can snag clothing.

Check all swings and moving structures

Swings.  Check swing seats, both top and bottom, for any exposed metal.  Ensure that any S hooks are completely closed to no more than a dime’s thickness.  Better yet, replace all S hooks with tamper-proof double clevises.  Check the rubber cover on tire swing swivels to make sure it is secure and covering the moving parts.  Check swing chains for free movement.

For more great information, check out the Consumer Product Safety Commission’s Handbook for Public Playground Safety.  Page 43 provides a handy checklist for maintenance.

Climbing to great heights!

Our philosophy is that we do children a disservice by designing playground equipment that is static and dull.

Today, researchers are agreeing with our design philosophy.  Studies show that kids need risks on the playground for healthy emotional development, and helicopter parents are being urged to quit hovering – and to let their kids play.

Zip lines propell kids 40-feet across the playground

Having recently designed a 25-foot long, two-kid wide slide on the embankment of a hill – and an 8-foot tall climbing wall to a whimsical castle – our designers couldn’t agree more.

Over a foot of snow blankets a New Hampshire playground.

Here in New England, snow and ice is a regular occurrence this time of year.  What’s been surprising is to see the blanket of snow covering the rest of the country.

As cheerless the sight, this is the season of unoccupied playgrounds.  A time of year when snow and ice accumulates on play equipment, and structures and events are blocked by the frosty white stuff.  Oh sure, you will still find the occasional kiddo – braving the frosty conditions to traverse the slush to swing on her favorite swing set, or take a cold ride down a slick slide.  But is the ice and snow encrusted playground a safe place to play?

Lonely swings can hardly wait till spring.

Most playground rules signs will state that playing on snowy and icy conditions is not advised, because the playground is not at its top, safe condition.  Decks and transfer points are slick with ice and snow.  Movable parts are frozen.  Slide exits are blocked with snow.  And most importantly, resilient ground surfacing is frozen solid, reducing the impact attenuation properties.  There is nothing in place to soften a fall.

As gloomy as an unused playground appears to be during the snowy winter months, for safety’s sake — wait a few more weeks to enjoy the fun.

Everyone can agree that creating artwork on the playground is aesthetically beautiful, but whimsical art serves other purposes as well including playground fundraising and community outreach.

Involving children in the creation of playground artwork honors their creativity and makes their play environment more meaningful.  Asking local artists to create a mural or mosaic for the playground brings more community into the fold.  Often, artists will be willing to help lead a volunteer effort to complete a mural that serves as a reminder of the occasion, or celebrates local history or culture.  In all cases, artwork builds ownership into the playground project.

Playground Fundraiser

Artwork on the playground can also serve as a unique playground fundraiser.  Art tiles can be sponsored by an individual, family or business for $25 to $50 with the intention of creating their own little work of art.  These art tiles not only adorn the playground, but they become permanent reminder of families’ generosity towards playground fundraising.

We received a call the other day that is worth sharing with blog readers, because it really illustrates the lasting impression that a community built playground makes.

Matt from Virginia built a playground with Learning Structures in 2002. Matt’s a father of two, and he volunteered as a Dad in the community. He witnessed firsthand the engagement of the community and he was struck by a few major elements of our process, which he agreed to share with our readers:

• The first planning day when Learning Structures came to the community, they collected ideas from the kids through crayon drawings. A few weeks later they came back with a beautiful playground design that incorporated everything the kids had dreamed up! It was amazing – the children were immediately engaged, and seeing their excitement really helped to fuel our fundraising efforts.
• The playground site underwent an amazing transformation. The first day we showed up, the ground was bare, wood was stacked against the school, tools were laid out along tables, and volunteers were eager to get started.  Looking around, it was difficult to imagine local volunteers building an enormous playground in just 3 days. But, hour by hour, we worked together, neighbors working side by side, with a common goal: build a beautiful playground for our children. It was nothing like I ever experienced. We went from nothing to a magnificent playground in just 3 days.
• As a volunteer, you’re just really proud of it. You step back and say, I built this, I built this with friends, neighbors and folks I didn’t know before.  We did it together. It’s something to be proud of, and the experience stays with the community ‘till this day.
• It was a great experience and it has always been in my mind. I’ve just been waiting for an opportunity to bring the experience to another community through my work with non-profits. It truly created a lasting impression.

The power of community is something that does not fade. We invite you to take that next step in bringing the community built playground experience to your neighborhood. The result is a memorable, lasting experience, and a beautiful structure that children will love, and parents will be proud of.

"Rocket Towers" - an 8 year old's idea for the new school playground.

"Rocket Towers" come to life!

Why is this important? Why give kids the opportunity to design their own playground? Consider the following 3 reasons:

#1 It adds meaning to kids’ play environments.
As a child, imagine playing on a playground that bears your fingerprints – a playground that you had an important part in creating. When kids design ideas are transformed into a dynamic playground, kids understand that their ideas are important. All they have to do is look at their playground to know that their creative ideas are validated and affirmed.

#2 Kids know what they like.
Sure, we can drop play events into a playground design, no sweat. But will kids enjoy the components? Will they want to come back for more and more? Will they be eager to hit the playground at recess? If kids help design the play events and activities are on their playground, they are more likely to enjoy imaginative, active, fun play.

#3 Kids take ownership in the playground.
When kids help design the playground and their parents come out to help build the playground, ownership of the playground is transferred to the children. They are less apt to vandalize their playground, and they will work to keep it attractive and maintained.

For more information about involving the children in your community in the playground building process, contact Learning Structures.

"Rainbow Slide" - an original creation of 7 year-old Lucy from Ohio.

"Rainbow Slide" comes to life!

"The residents of the Mustard Seed were thrilled with the final result," says Eagle Scout Will Keeler

Last year, 14 year-old Will Keeler contacted our office to tell us that he was working on his Eagle Scout project.  His vision was to create something special for the residents at the Mustard Seed, a group home that provides a loving environment for people with developmental disabilities.  Residents at the Mustard Seed enjoy making music, and their Bells of Faith Handbell Choir is a testament to their musical talent and abilities.  Will decided it would be special to celebrate their love of music for his Eagle Scout project.

Eagle Scout Will Keeler stands proudly next to his Music Wall at the Mustard Seed.

Having visited a Learning Structures community-built playground in Jackson, MI, Will was especially interested in the Music Wall structure.  He was confident that the residents at the Mustard Seed would enjoy an outdoor element that creates chime-like music using 8 notes.  Despite company policies to not share designs of our play structures (this is purely for safety and liability) the staff was eager to make an exception for Will’s special project.

Bear in mind, our Music Wall structure is not a simple, do-it-yourself project.  Hundreds of details are included in the design for the Music Wall, the tool list includes 20 items, and complex lumber cutting and measuring is needed to complete the project successfully.  Our staff asked each other – can Will do it?  As an aside, during a community-built playground project, 4 volunteers are typically assigned to build a Music Wall structure, and it takes a couple of days to complete!  We knew Will had his work cut out for him.

This week we learned that Will’s Eagle Scout Music Wall project was a complete success.  He worked hard to get his project approved.  He fundraised the money to purchase materials for the project.  And finally, he worked diligently to build a beautiful Music Wall for the residents of the Mustard Seed.  Will did much more than earn his Eagle Scout standing; he left behind a meaningful, lasting resource for the Mustard Seed for years to come.  Way to go, Will!!

It's 10:00 a.m. on the playground!

Thousands of years ago, Sumerians in Mesopotamia used gnomons (a stationary point on the ground) to project shadows from the sun to determine the time of day and year.  Sundials are the oldest time measurement device and an ancient relic of science. Learning Structures, Inc., a pioneer in using community activism to transform public spaces, has created the “Human Gnomon Project” to assist schools and communities in designing and creating their own human sundials.  A human sundial relies on a person as the gnomon, projecting the individual’s shadow on clock numbers to reveal an accurate time of day.

Learning Structures designs human sundials for communities across the country, including schools in Baltimore and Arizona.  “Spring weather means sunshine and longer days.  Human sundials provide kids with insight into math, science  and an ancient  time-telling tool that is exciting and interactive,” states Joe Cicirelli, president of Learning Structures.  Every geographic area requires custom-designed measurements and coordinates to successfully create the human sundial.  Learning Structures designs the precise details for each site and unique templates are created for every client.  Using the details and templates, kids and volunteers paint images on asphalt, create concrete mosaic images for their sundial, or recycled rubber mats and numbers can be installed anywhere on a playground, quiet garden area, or a public park.  Call Learning Structures for more details at 800-533-1553 or visit their website: www.learningstructures.com