WHITESBORO, NY - The families who use the large wooden playground at Hart's Hill Elementary School might help decide the fate of the aging structure.

Leather & Associates, the Ithaca-based company that helped the community design and construct the Kid's Country playground in the early 1990s, has offered to help the Parent Teacher Organization repair or rebuild the structure.

But District Superintendent Arnold Kaye said he wants parents, teachers, the PTO and the community to weigh in on what should be done with the playground.

“I think this is going to work as a combination of district expertise and community involvement,” he said.

The structure remains open to the public, but students are not allowed to play on it during school hours because the splintered wood and missing features pose dangers, district and PTO officials have said.

WASILLA, AK -- A new playground going up in Talkeetna this summer will feature the usual playground fare -- swings and slides and monkey bars.

It will also feature items symbolic of the town itself: a grizzly bear tunnel, a bush plane, a climbing wall, even a Volkswagen bus.

"It's just part of Talkeetna's hippie culture, I guess -- a lot of granola crunchers around here," said playground project volunteer Karey Larson.

The children of those granola crunchers and their fellow Talkeetna townsfolk led the design of the playground, under the direction of John Dean, a designer with Leathers and Associates, a company out of Ithaca, N.Y., that specializes in community-built playgrounds.

The America's Promise Alliance has released it's list of the 2008 100 Best Communities for Young People. This list includes cities and small towns located across the United States that are wonderful places for youth to live and grow up. Included on this impressive list are 44 communities that have been recognized as 100 Best Communities three times in a row.

These 44 communities are featured here, in alphabetical order by state.

For a complete list of all 2008 winners, click here.

MONTCLAIR, NJ - On the Spinal Tap scale of 1 to 10, Alma Schneider’s commitment to get a special playground built is “11.”

Schneider is the founder of Parents Who Rock, a wide-ranging organization inspiring Montclair dads and moms to excavate their closeted electric guitars and shoebox-entombed microphones and again take the stage.

She’s leading many PWR members to participate in fundraising efforts to construct a universal playground in Edgemont Memorial Park that will enable children and adults who have physical limitations to have fun alongside non-disabled kids and grownups.

As envisioned, the playground will cost approximately $350,000, of which $200,000 in public funding is available. Parents Who Rock is in the forefront of a Montclair-and-beyond effort to raise $150,000 in donations to get the outdoor facility built.

MACON, GA - I'm not sure every cloud has a silver lining. But those nasty nimbus clouds that dumped 20 inches of rain on us in July 1994 certainly did.

Of course, we had no way of realizing it at the time. A tropical storm named Alberto misbehaved on his jaunt through Georgia, unleashing the worst natural disaster in state history. Flooding from the storm killed 34 people and caused an estimated $1 billion in property damage.

History refers to it as the Great Flood of 1994, although there was absolutely nothing great about it - unless you're describing the magnitude of the mess left in its wake.

Inspired...

pajessup writes:

Growing up in a town seven miles from downtown Atlanta, the playgrounds were becoming dingy and unkempt with parents unwilling to repair and taxpayers unwilling to allocate funds to do the job. This was 35 years ago. That little city still struggles and hasn't grown to match other inner city communities nearby. Now, I'm watching as Atlanta's grown-ups and kids rallied to win a grant recently to build a new playspace; our local parent network helped build one, and an adjacent neighborhood turned out to build theirs with business sponsors. I wonder if this will be reflected in the growth of these communities in 35 years. Somehow, I suspect it will be a strong community, not without struggles, but able to overcome, and ready to work hard and play harder.

What's your inspiration for getting involved in your community? Tell us here!

Looking for help...

deedee1963 wrote:

Our organization is trying to build new playspaces in our neighborhood.  The neighborhood is in an "affordable housing complex" where 194 families with over 200 children, call home  One of the obstacles we are having is trying to engage the outside town community to join with us.  We have been pedaling our ideas to townsfolk however, they do not seem interested in our plans and point out the fact that the town recently spent a lot of money to improve the local town park and want to know why they can't play there?  I explain that our neighborhood has over 200 children who need a place to play within walking distance and the town park is too far away.  Any ideas on how to engage others who do see that they have a "benefit to gain" from the build?

See what the responses were here.

Make a difference...

Fearing potential predators on the playground: This conversation pops up every few months. Can you help bklynaries come up with ways to address her concern?

Hello Everyone,

I am a mother of a 9 year old who is about to be 10 in a few months. Even as he gets older I am scared myself of letting him go anywhere by himself. I think he will probably be a teenager when I feel comfortable with letting him go by himself. The fact of the matter is, there are predators everywhere. I'd rather be safe than sorry.

Offer your support and suggestions here.

You can be a part of all of the forums at www.kaboom.org/forums.

GREENSBURG, PA - Mike Olbeter said he believes an improved Coulter Playground in Greensburg will attract more children and discourage vandalism and other unwanted activity there.

"It's a good neighborhood, and a lot of kids are growing up there," Olbeter said.

A meeting is scheduled for 9 a.m. Jan. 26 at the Westmoreland Museum of American Art for residents who live near the playground. They will discuss what to do with a $10,000 KaBOOM grant that was awarded to make improvements at the playground in the city's 1st Ward, said organizer Steve Gifford, executive director of Greensburg Community Development Corp.

Gifford said the playground was discussed with neighbors during August meetings of My Neighborhood Program. That state program, known as the Elm Street Program, aims at enhancing areas near city downtown areas.

"One of the things they said they really wanted was improvements to the playground," Gifford said.

GLENPOOL, OK -- Glenpool Elementary School has created a comprehensive fitness trail on its playground.

"It's specialized equipment like you'd see in a health club, but it's purposely made for outdoors," said Diana Davis, a physical education and nutrition teacher at the school and organizer of the project.

The new quarter-mile paved path, called the Glenpool Warrior Walk 'N Talk Trail, winds around the school's playground and will offer nine fitness stations with machines such as the seated chest press, double sit-up board and a rowing machine.

The equipment is expected to be installed in two weeks, Davis said.

FARMINGTON, ME - A trust fund set up by the late Farmington attorney Peter Mills, to be used for improvements and repairs at the Hippach Athletic Field, will donate $4,500 toward a new playground at the park, it was announced Friday.

The donation from the Hippach Field Trust Fund brings the amount raised by Parents for the Playground to $28,735.

Another $4,300 is still needed to purchase and install the playground structure. If swings are included, the total needed rises to $6,300.

Spokeswoman Amy Graham said Friday she is optimistic that the remaining amount will be raised with the help of area businesses and individuals.

"We will definitely build something, probably in June, even if we have to scale back," she said.

TAKOMA, WA - Jennifer Flint-Nelson refused to let her dream of building a playground designed for her son and other children with special needs slip away.

A year ago, the Gig Harbor mother was one of 20 finalists in a national essay contest that would have given such a play area to her community. The competition started with almost 1,000 entries.

Flint-Nelson, 39, came close to winning the grand prize, placing in the top five. A girl from Claridge, Penn., ended up winning the playground for her school.

Parents who lack Flint-Nelson’s determination might have given up. Not her.

She wouldn’t quit as long as Ian – her 6-year-old son who has cerebral palsy and autism – didn’t have a play area that met his needs. He’s a kindergartner at Purdy Elementary.

“I couldn’t let it go,” she said. “I knew we had to make it happen.”

We've been doing a little web "surfing" recently and we ran across two sites that are doing some interesting sites with great general resources about play and playspaces. One of them is the Strong Museum of Play in Rochester, NY. In addition to having a great facility in Rochester, they put some effort into their web site and have included some good research about play and fun ideas for talking about the importance of play.

Peaceful Playgrounds has an informative blog by Dr. Melinda Bossenmeyer about play and playspaces. There is also a page of research about the benefits of play and a page on grants for playspaces. Have you run across any web sites that you've found useful (other than the KaBOOM! site, of course)? Log in and share the knowledge!

In November 2006, I wrote a short piece, conveying a request from the U.S. National Park Service for input from the American public about “how to tidy up the vast and grassy park in the center of the nation’s capital”.  That “vast and grassy area” is known to us who live around this area as simply “the mall” – the Smithsonian one, not the shopping one.

Well, the Park Service did its work, collecting comments, and as a result has recently published a nice online brochure that describes three alternatives for what to do with the Mall, each with a different emphasis.

Read more....

Atlanta, East Cleveland, Longview (Wash.) are awarded $25,000 grants to fund play-related projects
 
WASHINGTON, D.C. – KaBOOM!, the leading national non-profit promoting play as essential to the healthy development of all children, announced the grant recipients from the nation’s founding class of Playful City USA communities on Tuesday.

Via a fun-filled online awards show that aired at 1 p.m. (EST) – the Playful City USA Grant Awards – KaBOOM! announced the communities receiving a total of $100,000 in grants. Atlanta, East Cleveland and Longview (Wash.) each received “Golden Kazoos” and a $25,000 grant that will be used to fund a play-related project in their communities.

In addition, Ankeny (Iowa), Norfolk (Va.), San Francisco, Shirley (Mass.) and Yuma (Ariz.) claimed “Honorary Mention Golden Kazoos” and $5,000 grants that will be used toward each of the communities’ 2008 Play Day. 

Twenty-one of the nation’s founding Playful City USA communities were vying for $100,000 in grants (three $25,000, five $5,000) and each enthusiastically rallied its citizens to support the cause for play as part of the KaBOOM! Playful City USA national recognition program.  Every community created fun-filled videos as part of the application process and the videos were collectively viewed more than 150,000 times.

“We’re extremely excited to announce the communities that are receiving grants,” KaBOOM! CEO and co-founder Darell Hammond said. “I can’t begin to describe the amount of hard work that all of our founding Playful City USA communities have shown us – not only to be named a Playful City USA, but also to apply for the grants.  It was a challenging process, but it’s quite encouraging because we know there are communities across the country that are willing to take action on behalf of play.”

The awards were named “The Golden Kazoos” as the kazoo is the official musical instrument at KaBOOM! because children play it better than adults.

On Oct. 30, KaBOOM! announced the 31 founding Playful City USA communities in America after each fulfilled five commitments laid out in the program: creating a local play board, task force, or commission; designing an annual action plan for play; conducting a playspace audit; outlining the financial investment in play for the current fiscal year; and proclaiming and celebrating an annual “play day.”

The cities were officially recognized as the nation’s founding Playful City USA communities in front of representatives from across the country during the National League of Cities conference in New Orleans, La., Nov. 17-19.

Following the announcement, the communities were given the option of applying for grants by submitting a play-themed, fun-filled video and a detailed plan for how the grant award would be used.

The videos were viewed more than 150,000 times by individuals across the country who voted for their favorite videos from Nov. 30-Dec. 21. A judging panel then determined the eventual winners with strong consideration given to communities that successfully rallied their citizens to vote.

The KaBOOM! Playful City USA Grant Awards Show and the videos submitted by the communities can still be viewed at www.playfulcityusa.org/grant.

2007 Playful City USA Grant Awards Show List of Awards

Golden Kazoos ($25,000 grant)
Atlanta, Ga.
East Cleveland, Ohio
Longview, Wash.

Honorary Mention Golden Kazoos ($5,000 grant)
Ankeny, Iowa
Norfolk, Va.
San Francisco, Calif.
Shirley, Mass.
Yuma, Ariz.

Special Mention Golden Kazoos
Best Dramatic Performance By a Child: Canton, Ga.
Best Music: Cedar City, Utah
Best Orchestra: Dothan, Ala.
Best Belly Dancing: El Paso, Texas
Best Movie Reel: Lake Charles, La.
Best Collective Footwork: Lake Worth, Fla.
Best Swinging: New Lenox, Ill.
Best Performance By a Mayor: New Roads, La.
Best Comedic Performance: Phoenix, Ariz.
Best Stunt: Portsmouth, Ohio
Best Chorus: Spartanburg, S.C.
Best Hook: Tucson, Ariz.
Best Tumbling: Wapello, Iowa

2007 KaBOOM! Playful City USA communities
*Ankeny, Iowa
*Atlanta, Ga.
*Canton, Ga.
*Cedar City, Utah
Chandler, Ariz.
Creedmoor, N.C.
*Dothan, Ala.
*East Cleveland, Ohio
*El Paso, Texas
Gilbert, Ariz.
Greenbelt Md.
Jamestown, N.Y.
Kenner, La.
Kerman, Calif.
Kingsburg, Calif.
*Lake Charles, La.
*Lake Worth, Fla.
*Longview, Wash.
Mountain Grove, Mo.
*New Lenox, Ill.
*New Roads, La.
*Norfolk, Va.
*Phoenix, Ariz.
*Portsmouth, Ohio
*San Francisco, Calif.
San Jose, Calif.
*Shirley, Mass.
*Spartanburg, S.C.
*Tucson, Ariz.
*Wapello, Iowa
*Yuma, Ariz.

* Applied for grant

KaBOOM!
KaBOOM! is a national non-profit organization that envisions a great place to play within walking distance of every child in America.  Since 1995, KaBOOM! has used its innovative community-build model to bring together business and community interests to construct more than 1,300 new playgrounds, skateparks, sports fields and ice rinks across North America.  KaBOOM! also offers a variety of resources, including an online community, regional and national trainings, grants, publications and the KaBOOM! National Campaign for Play, which includes Playful City USA and the Playmaker Network – a national network of individual advocates for play.  Headquartered in Washington, D.C., KaBOOM! also has offices in Chicago, Atlanta and San Mateo, CA.   For more information, visit www.kaboom.org.

BULLARD — This town’s only park has undergone a gradual, major transformation into an attractive recreation area featuring colorful, modern and safe playground equipment, new picnic tables, resurfaced tennis courts, an improved pavilion and decorative fencing, with more improvements on tap.

The upgrade of O.L. Ferrell Park, carried out over the last couple of years, has slowly turned the park into a focal point of the town.

Read more about the project here . It's actually a great, rather in-depth story about how the project came together and how a few people were able to make it happen.

The first time I took my toddler son to the playground, I wiggled my toes in the sand and looked around, feeling amused and delighted to be revisiting a place that, twenty-five years earlier, had been a near-daily part of my life. The sun was shining, my baby boy was beautiful, and all seemed right with the world. I handed my son the shiny new bucket and shovel I'd purchased just for the occasion, and as I did, two older boys threw a baseball across the sandbox and beaned my son squarely in the head.

On another occasion, a four-year-old spontaneously decided that my precious infant was his archrival, and proceeded to terrorize him in front of indifferent parents. When I suggested to the boy that his roughness was inappropriate, he looked me in the eye and shouted, "Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!"

Fortune Magazine has a section on CNN's Money web site and has published a great article about what KaBOOM! is trying to do. Reporter Jennifer Reingold attended a playground build in North Philadelphia and really did a nice description of the day

Click here to read more.

You can see more photos from the day here.