Reblogged from PlayGroundology: In the interior courtyard of Ottawa’s City Hall there is a place where the door is always open. The Living Room is a multiple piece static sculpture by the design duo at Urban Keios . This is art as playground, an open invitation for children to make believe and scamper about slightly […]
Reblogged from The Dirt: The nearly mile-long Superkilen park in Denmark is a bold attempt to create a new identity for an “ethnically diverse and socially challenged” neighborhood in Copenhagen, Denmark. An in-depth community outreach process organized by the city has led to a place like no other, with a sequence of plazas that honor different ethnics […]
Recycle, reuse, replay! Plastic bottles, car parts, shipping containers, steel drums, and tires. No, we’re not describing a junkyard — we’re describing a potential playground. Recycled playground structures combine ingenuity, whimsy, and thrift to create spaces that are friendly to our kids and our planet alike.From Brazil to Norway to Uganda, these playgrounds are true […]
A recent article in the online magazine Co.EXIST discussed a study that found children benefit from being in natural environments, even if the environment is designed to appear natural but is actually human-made: Dawn Coe, an assistant professor in the Department of kinesiology, recreation, and sport studies at the University of Tennessee spent time observing […]
As we head back into the academic school year, a lot of people are focused on education and making sure students get the best possible opportunity to learn and thrive. Here’s one easy way to support that: give them space and time for play! Numerous academic studies [sources stored in a weird place, will update […]
Earlier this week I brought up the importance of spaces for play in the city, and then yesterday mentioned a scientific study that used traceurs or people who practice parkour, a sport that basically makes any space into a play space. Unfortunately park playgrounds are often verboten to grown-ups without a kid companion. But often […]
I posted last week about Jason Sweeney and his TED City2.0 plan to map out quiet spaces in cities. After doing some more poking around I found some other great projects all grouped under “Play in the City.” First, I commend TED and the participants of this project for recognizing the need for play in […]
What a great series from Co.Exist and Fast Company: play grounds, and other structures, that harness the energy of people’s movement. This may be the first time employees are actively encouraged to move around all day. Kids have boundless energy. What if that energy could be put to some use besides just running around and […]
Every kid can get overwhelmed playing on the playground. But imagine that for you, or your child, it happens way, way too easily. Play is usually beneficial, not just for exercise and fun but for learning and therapy. So it’s interesting to see how people are using play, and playgrounds, to help kids who can […]
I love the fact that playgrounds are incorporating the stuff that kids love to play with the most – dirt, rocks, and sticks! Children won’t find new monkey bars and bright plastic play structures at the upgraded Donnan Park. Instead, the aging playground at 9105 80th Ave. will become Edmonton’s first “natural playground,” part of […]
