Play's the thing
Swingsets and slides? So yesterday. Creative new structures set young imaginations free.

By Kathleen Burge
Boston Globe Staff / March 30, 2008

On other city blocks, children play in towering villages of plastic, networks of tunnels and cubes that glow red and yellow and green. At other playgrounds, even the youngest visitors know what is expected of them. They climb up, they walk across, they slide down. And again. And again.

But on this pile of dirt along barren streets where the South End disappears into the Expressway, silver arms of galvanized steel arch and dip and twist. Here, there are no slides or swings. If you glanced over as you drove by, you might think you were gazing at a modern sculpture, something concocted by a tortured artist and his blowtorch.

This is the Dorado, a plaything for school-age children that its manufacturer argues will create a "physically, socially and emotionally valuable experience." Children must learn how to spin around on the asymmetrical bars. City officials hope they will climb and experiment and pretend.

Boston's newest playground, at the corner of Union Park and Albany streets, is not quite finished, so no one yet knows what the children will think. City park officials departed from their standard playground equipment and bought the Dorado - as well as the equally futuristic Asterope and the Spica - from a European company because South End neighbors wanted something more sculptured, less bright than the plastic and painted-metal contraptions at Peters Park, a few blocks away.

Contemporary playgrounds sprouting up in the urban core often bear little resemblance to their ancestors. Brookline's Monmouth Park playground, remodeled a few years ago, also has no swings or seesaws or monkey bars. Instead, its triangular steel frame supports a weaving web, a web nest, and a clatterbridge. The playground, designed by Joanne J. Hiromura of Acton, pays homage to the old firehouse, now serving as an arts center, next door. Hiromura rescued a fire hydrant, hoses, instrument panels and steering wheels from the town's salvage yard. She designed bi-level tables, one side geared for toddlers, the other for adults.

"I think playgrounds should be places that everybody likes to go, not just kids," said Hiromura. "They should be places that bring communities together. I would like to see them beautiful places, sculptural places that have something to say about the place, the community, the people."

...

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Karen Lowell
Linscott Charter School Parent and PR Committee Chairperson

I started to write about the structures we built and the details of the day. But the soul of the day wasn’t in the building details; it was in the people. The scurrying masses flew to work as a jovial mob, moving tools, setting out the playground components, arranging food and water, and otherwise setting up the material proof that we were really going to build a playground by 2:30 p.m.  

All day long people I knew and people I didn’t know were slapping high fives and hugging me in giddy delight. Mothers embarrassed children as they salsa-danced their way from work site to work site. People stopped me to tell me they had goose bumps.  There was JOY in the air, and proud amazement that we were really going to pull it off.  

The best moment was at the very end when all but the KaBOOM! team and a handful of us from Linscott were left. A woman from the neighborhood walked by and asked, “What happened here today!?” She said a young man had walked past her house as he left the build site, and simply stepped into her yard to help her garden. “That NEVER happens in this neighborhood.”

Well, after our magical day it just may. We mixed concrete to hold up our playground; we mixed friendship, joy and pride to cement the bonds that hold us together as a community. Long after the children who play on this playground are grown, we will all remember the spirit of joy with which it was built. I feel immensely privileged to have been part of it all.

Learn more about the Cesar Chavez Day of Service.

For Youngsters, Leaps and Boundaries
New York Times
March 16, 2008
BYLINE: By KATHRYN SHATTUCK

SUBTLE and earthy, in hues of green, brown and gray, the West 110th Street Playground at the north end of Central Park has little of the overt cheer associated with children's spaces. Four adjoining circular areas, echoing the curve of the boulders jutting up beyond its south side and the airiness of the ferns dotting the terrain, offer sparse, space-agey climbing and spinning equipment with movable parts that wobble and sway, threatening to send a child tumbling. Beneath it all, springy rubber matting undulates like a grassy knoll.

"The intention is to fall," said Marta Gutman, an associate professor of architectural history at City College, surveying the playground on a recent morning. "You don't want to make the environment so safe that it's not challenging."

What? Get out the lawyer's number.

The ever-shifting perspective on what constitutes the ideal environment for children is at the heart of "Designing Modern Childhoods: History, Space, and the Material Culture of Children," a new book from Rutgers University Press edited by Ms. Gutman and Ning de Coninck-Smith, an associate professor in the department of educational sociology at the School of Education-Aarhus University.

A compilation of essays, the book traces the history of a veritable toy box of specialized architecture (schools, hospitals, playgrounds, houses) and objects (cellphones, snowboards, the McDonald's Happy Meal) that have molded the landscape of children's private lives.

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ANKENY, Iowa -- On March 25, neighbors of Somersby Park were invited to cast a vote for their favorite park playground design. With three designs to choose from, over 50 votes were cast, including votes from a number of kids that had the opportunity to select what amenities will be in their new playground.

The three designs, provided by Boland Recreation, Inc., varied by the types of swings, slides, climbing walls and teeter totters, as well as the shape of the playground area. A company representative was also on hand during the voting to answer questions and explain how each piece of equipment worked.

The winning design features a large tower structure, a set of swings and unique equipment from the Xccent playground company called the Gyro and the X-Wave 2.

One young man, participating in the democratic process for the first time, cast his vote and then excitedly asked, “Can we go play there now?”

Playground voting is one way Ankeny engages its citizens in projects and activities and advances the city council’s goal to promote active lifestyles and community involvement. The process begins with a series of neighborhood meetings in which city staff work with residents to determine the types of amenities that will be included in the park and what the playground will look like. Staff then begins work with a design team in developing three different playground designs. Neighborhood residents are invited back a month or so later to vote on which one of the three designs they like best. The design with the most votes is the one that is installed in the park. All are eligible to vote – especially the kids, as they will be the primary users of the playground!

The winning playground will be installed in June as part of the initial development phase of the park. Other improvements include landscaping, a trail loop and the Fallen Soldier Memorial Plaza, in honor of an Ankeny soldier and resident of the Somersby neighborhood, recently killed in the war. The seven acre park will eventually grow to nearly 14 acres, through future land acquisition.

Ankeny was selected as one of 31 Playful City USA communities in the inaugural year of the national recognition program administered by the KaBOOM! National Campaign for Play. KaBOOM! is a national non-profit that envisions a great place to play within walking distance of every child in America. Applications for 2008 Playful City USA status can be downloaded at www.playfulcityusa.org and are due by May 15, 2008.

By Joe Muratore
Resident of Modesto, Calif.

Great things are happening in Modesto, California! Our neighborhood has come together in a really uncommon way to reclaim one of our most dilapidated parks.

The Moran Estates Park had fallen into serious disrepair. It had become so bad that two years ago the city actually condemned the play equipment at the park and had it removed. Then drug dealers and other undesirables started hanging out at the park, which brought down the whole area.

About a year ago, a few families in the neighborhood decided that something simply had to be done. After rallying neighborhood support, petitioning the city, and approaching KaBOOM!, our initiative began to gain traction. To our delight, we were able to participate as one of ten communities in a joint effort between KaBOOM! and a statewide organization called CaliforniaVolunteers. 

On Mar. 29, we expect 300 very excited volunteers to come together to get this play equipment built! Nearly 30 businesses and community organizations are offering food, supplies, and volunteers. People from other parts of the city are coming to help. We expect the mayor, the police chief, and members of the city council to be there. In fulfilling part of the vision of KaBOOM! and CaliforniaVolunteers for the project, the day will be dedicated to the life, vision, and core values of Cesar Chavez. Throughout the day of the build, volunteers will be able to sit in on information sessions where they can learn about Cesar Chavez's life, work and mission. It will be a great family- and community-oriented event as we work to reclaim our neighborhood! 

With initiative, creativity and determination, normal people can come together and accomplish extraordinary things. Through the process of learning and living these core values, our neighborhood has been transformed and become a dynamic place to live. I think that Mr. Chavez would be proud that we are honoring his legacy in this way. 

Thanks for your help, KaBOOM!

Learn more about the Cesar Chavez Day of Service

A recent article in Education World features a nonprofit called Sports4Kids, which values the importance of play and recess.

Excerpt:

"We know that play is essential to the emotional, social, and physical development of kids," explains Jill Vialet, founder and president of Sports4Kids. "We know that what happens in the classroom is important, but what happens on the playground is also vital to the health of kids and schools."

At a time when some schools are eliminating recess in favor of additional instructional time, Vialet believes that encouraging healthy play at recess is vital and can contribute to the classroom learning environment. Sports4Kids helps schools make the most of recess times, providing skilled coordinators who create a safe and structured environment and organize games and sports during recess periods. A nonprofit organization, it works side-by-side with physical education teachers to promote opportunities for physical activity.

"Last fall, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation concluded that recess was the single best way to boost physical activity in kids. Because of cuts [in programs that engage kids in physical activity], there are actually more opportunities to teach and encourage kids to be more physically active in recess than there are in physical education or after-school programs," Vialet reported.

"Other studies have found that kids are more likely to engage in an activity over the course of their lives if they experience that activity as fun at a young age. So playing games -- especially games like kickball and four square games that anyone can learn quickly and enjoy -- is the best way to create that positive association with physical fitness."

Sports4Kids began in two Berkeley, California, elementary schools and today serves more than 50,000 students in 131 low-income public schools. The organization currently has branches in San Francisco, Boston, and Washington, D.C., and future expansion is planned.

Read the full article
More about Sports4Kids
Discuss recess in our Forums

Over the last three years, KaBOOM! and The Home Depot have made amazing strides toward our goal of creating 1,000 playgrounds in 1,000 days. This partnership has produced great playspaces for over 600,000 children all across North America.

Join us as we celebrate this amazing accomplishment of building and refurbishing 1,000 playgrounds and we look forward to continuing on the road of this incredible journey—a journey that is making a difference in the lives of children, one playground at a time!

Where we’ve been:
Feb. 13 - Belleview, Fla.
Feb. 14 - Jackson, Miss.
Feb. 14 - Costa Mesa, Calif.

Where we’re going:
Mar. 20 - Mobile, Ala.
Mar. 20 - Memphis, Tenn.
April 10 - Marietta, Ga. (1,000th Build!)
April 10 - West Palm Beach, Fla.
April 19 - Wilmington, N.C.
April 24 - Little Rock, Ark.
April 24 - Kansas City, Mo.

See how Team Depot Associates have made a difference in their communities by visiting kaboom.org/homedepot.

1,000th Playground Goes High-Tech!
The Home Depot, KaBOOM! and the Kiwanis Club met with kids from the Magnet Academy at the Marietta Center for Advanced Academics who put crayon to paper and drew their dream playground for the upcoming 1,000th Build Day at Victory Park in Marietta, Ga. on April 10. The children’s playground designs were based on an outer space theme and included a series of high-tech swings, slides and crawl tubes. 

The 1,000th playground structure will be a state-of-the-art spherically designed EVOS™ playground which allows kids to use their imaginations to plan climbing routes, and create games and build new skills. 

“This (playground) is going to be the first of its type in the metro Atlanta area,” said Erica Liberman, KaBOOM! Associate Director of Project Management, “It's going to be a brand new type of equipment, it's wild and exciting and you’ll just have to come and check it out!”

The Grain Project is honored to have been asked by the city of Santa Ana Parks, Recreation and Community Services Agency and KaBOOM! to design, plan, and help build a community garden at Jerome Park in conjunction with the Cesar Chavez Day of Service. This garden will be the first of its kind established in a Santa Ana city park. The decision to create the Jerome Park garden project recognizes the need for ready access to fresh, flavorful and nutritious, locally-produced fruits and vegetables. This comes at a time when our food comes from increasingly distant locations; when "factory farming" has turned much of what we eat into a commodity to be bought and sold, rather than savored and enjoyed; and where the systematic over-processing of basic food items has resulted in health threats for young and old alike.

Local community gardens offer an opportunity for neighborhoods and residents to once again connect with the essential human experience of producing one's own food in a context of comfort and familiarity where neighbors, friends, and family can work together in a common pursuit. One especially exciting aspect of the Jerome Park "edible garden" is the cross-section of potential gardeners: young, old, faith-based, recent immigrants, and natives. The immediate proximity to two schools, a church with one of the city's largest memberships, a senior center, and a community center present tremendous opportunities for bridging gaps, mentoring, and community building.

The community garden will enhance the existing park and surrounding community by bringing together food, nutrition, open space and community partnership. KaBOOM! and the city of Santa Ana, through this joint effort, will help contribute towards a new era of sustainable urban living: bonding people, land, and communities together in a way where we all have a personal investment in the food we eat and the place where it comes from.

Learn more about the Cesar Chavez Day of Service

By Mayor Shirley Franklin
Appearing in the March 24th edition of Nation Cities Weekly
Published by the National League of Cities

In 2007, Atlanta was named an inaugural Playful City USA community by KaBOOM!, a national non-profit that empowers communities to build playgrounds. It wasn’t just because we worked hard on trails that link our parks and communities; it wasn’t just because we had thousands of great places for kids to play — it was also because of the efforts of the many Atlantans devoted to making our city the best city in which to raise children.

Our great city will always step up when it comes to creating a better life for our children. The tangible evidence of this spurred Cynthia Gentry, founder and chairperson of the Atlanta Taskforce on Play (ATOP). This public/private partnership applied to KaBOOM! for Playful City USA recognition and went on to receive a $25,000 grant to help train community leaders on how to build playgrounds so that there will be a playground near every child in Atlanta by the end of 2010. With hundreds of community leaders like Cynthia out there, all of Atlanta’s children will be healthier, happier and smarter because they have great places to play.

When the people of Atlanta elected me to be their mayor in 2001, I knew I had my work cut out for me. Atlanta was facing a multitude of problems. With a neglected infrastructure, struggling schools, and communities failing to address basic quality of life issues, I knew I needed to unite Atlantans to work together for big positive changes in order to establish the city as a beacon of progress, hope and opportunity. Experience has taught me that a government can’t do this on its own. I knew we needed to find people and empower them to make a difference.

Every community has a next-door neighbor like Cynthia who is willing to step up. Find yours. Everyone has the power to give back and make their community better. Get started! Every community has people who can organize projects and volunteer their time. Get yours moving. Create your own task force on play to work with your City and your Parks Department and do what you can to become a Playful City USA.

Details: Atlanta was selected as one of 31 Playful City USA communities in the inaugural year of the national recognition program administered by the KaBOOM! National Campaign for Play. KaBOOM! is a national non-profit that envisions a great place to play within walking distance of every child in America. Applications for 2008 Playful City USA status can be downloaded at www.playfulcityusa.org and are due by May 15, 2008.

Shirley Franklin is mayor of Atlanta.

By Adam Arata and Caleb Marshall
KaBOOM!

How amazing is this? On March 19 and 29, over 3,000 volunteers will donate their time to build nine playgrounds and one skatepark in 10 communities across California in honor of labor leader and civil rights activist Cesar Chavez! All this is being made possible through the participation and leadership of each community, and through the generous contribution of CaliforniaVolunteers.
 
Planning for the playspaces began in January, when children and teens from each community met with organizers from KaBOOM! and CaliforniaVolunteers to draw their “dream” playgrounds or skatepark. The drawings were used to create the final designs.

At the Rainbow Recreation Center in Oakland, Calif., for example, youth ranging in age from eight to 18 and representing BMX bikers, skateboarders, and in-line skaters collaborated on a skatepark design to convert an unused tennis court into a much-needed free-skate zone. Already well-accustomed to street skating, the youth opted for a halfpipe as the central feature to their new park.

Often viewed as a rebel himself, Chavez would have definitely identified with the skating community today — who are still denigrated in society despite the movement of their sports into the mainstream. As Anthony Chavez, grandson of Cesar Chavez, told one of the KaBOOM! project managers last year, Chavez would’ve said, “Skate on!”

Learn more about Cesar Chavez Day

FOR RELEASE MARCH 13, 2008 6:00 A.M. PDST

Media Contacts:

First project kicks off today as children in San Antonio community gather to design their dream playground

March 13, 2008 – SEATTLE  –  This year, thousands of children across the country will get great new, safe places to play thanks to a new partnership announced today between WaMu, the nation’s leading consumer and small business bank, and KaBOOM!, a national non-profit organization that empowers communities to build playgrounds.  This year-long partnership will bring together almost 2,000 corporate and community volunteers to build child-designed playgrounds in Atlanta, Chatsworth, Calif., Chicago, Jacksonville, Fla., Los Angeles, New York City, San Antonio, San Francisco, Seattle and one more city to be announced at a later date.

Grayhawk residents help build 7 playgrounds
Amy Brooks
The Arizona Republic
Mar. 18, 2008

SCOTTSDALE - Scottsdale's upscale Grayhawk community isn't lying down in the face of a slumping housing market.

Instead, homeowners are putting money back into their neighborhoods with $300,000 worth of state-of-the-art equipment for seven playgrounds. Two are done, the rest should be finished by mid-April.

Grayhawk resident Leslie Mouer said she's noticed a change in people of all ages in her neighborhood, Pinnacle.
 
"Everybody who drives by looks and has a big smile on their face," Mouer said. "It has made such a difference."

The 2,300-acre community is bringing decade-old play equipment up to Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) standards and, said Clif Tait, president of the Grayhawk Community Association, telling Valley homebuyers that Grayhawk is on the cutting edge of Scottsdale's premier family communities.

"This association is solvent, it's got money, and it's investing that money back into the community," Tait said.

An Arizona Republic analysis, Valley Home Values, shows median home values in the 85255 zip code, where Grayhawk is located, rose 3.9 percent from 2006 to 2007 while many other Valley neighborhoods saw prices drop.

The median home price at Grayhawk is about $750,00, with housing ranging from $200,000 into the millions. Tait said Grayhawk isn't suffering as much as other Scottsdale communities, though home sales are down.

...

Read the whole article

Discuss play in your community in the Forums

By Julio Salcedo
Site Director, Lytle Creek Park, San Bernadino, Calif.

Hello and a good day to everyone from Lytle Creek Community Center in the city of San Bernardino, Calif. It has been a pleasure and an honor to expose our youth to the KaBOOM! service learning curriculum focusing on the values of Cesar Chavez. Our center decided that pairing up our teens with our younger kids would make the experience much more interactive and fun for both age groups, and the experiment has worked!

In our first session, we asked the group what they thought service learning means. The children learned that service learning involves caring about the needs of the community and changing our behavior to better the places where we live.

The following sessions included:

• Public relations, where they developed Build Day invitations for VIPs and started thinking about thank-you cards for volunteers
• Playground safety, where children developed playground rules, talked about the importance of sharing the playground with others and discussed the consequences of not following the rules
• Cesar Chavez, where the whole session was dedicated to learning more about his life. Participants wrote short essays on the core values and read them to the rest of the group.
• History of our city, where the children learned about the city’s first female mayor, the first Latino mayor, the founding community of our city, the gold rush within our own city, and the many presidents and vice presidents who have visited.

We always knew, and it becomes more obvious by the day, that the KaBOOM! playground is more than a playground. It has sparked excitement, community pride and a desire to serve. Thank you, and we are anxiously waiting for our Build Day on Saturday, Mar. 29.

Learn more about Cesar Chavez Day

On March 8, New Orleans resident Linda Prout participated in her 16th Operation Playground project in the city! Linda's first build was in September, 2006, at the International School and she has been a dedicated volunteer ever since. A teacher for 25 years, Linda says she appreciates the value of play and loves seeing the playgrounds where she worked filled with joyful playing children.

KaBOOM! salutes Linda Prout for her incredible dedication to our cause. Our work would not be possible without amazing volunteers like her!

What initially drew you to the cause of playgrounds in general, and to Operation Playground in particular?
Linda: Hurricane Katrina and the flooding afterward destroyed our homes, schools, libraries, and playgrounds. For months I did not see any children in my neighborhood. But along with the devastation came the opportunity to rebuild things better than they were before. Operation Playground has been a vital component of the rebirth of New Orleans and our sense of community.

What inspired you to participate in 16 builds?
Linda: At every build I have worked with unforgettable people from KaBOOM!, the local community, and volunteers from all over the country -- like the woman from Washington, D.C. who was celebrating her birthday by returning to New Orleans to build another playground with 12 of her best friends. They inspire me to keep coming back, together with the hope of improving the lives of children in New Orleans.

What's your favorite part of a Build Day, and why?
Linda: Do I have to pick just one?

I love working with children on projects that become part of the playground, such as the mosaic stepping stones, individual paintings, or murals, because they are so proud of their work.

I love lunch! Because here that means red beans and rice, gumbo, fried chicken, jambalaya...

I love the looks on children's faces at the ribbon-cutting ceremony when they first see the transformation from grass and dirt to a beautiful finished playground, because that's like a $1 million paycheck.

Why do you believe the cause of play is important?
Linda: I was a teacher for 25 years, and I always believed that the most important teaching and best learning happened on the playground. Share. Take turns. Use your words instead of your fists. Work together to get it done faster. Stretch your muscles and your imagination.  Include everyone who wants to play. Problem solve. Pick up when you're finished. Have fun.

Do you have plans to participate in future builds? If so, which ones?
You bet! I'll be at Fannie Williams Elementary on May 17, and I can't wait to hear about the 100th build for Operation Playground. Hopefully, I will continue to help with playgrounds until every child has a great place to play within walking distance.

Learn more about Operation Playground

Weakness in Economy Isn’t Hurting Charities
New York Times, March 14, 2008

Despite the economic downturn and fears of recession, major charities say their fund-raising has not fallen off.

“We’re doing fine,” said Christina Walker, director of development at the Cleveland Orchestra. “We haven’t seen any effect yet.”

In fact, some 64 percent of the organizations that have responded so far to the Association of Fundraising Professionals’ annual survey on fund-raising have reported bringing in more money in 2007 than the year before.

“Our surveys tell us fund-raising has been holding steady,” said Paulette V. Maehara, the association’s president and chief executive, who emphasized that the findings for 2007 were preliminary and that in any case the environment could change over the course of 2008.

...

Darell Hammond, chief executive of KaBOOM!, a nonprofit group that builds and maintains playgrounds, said he and his senior management team were keeping a close eye on revenue to see what effect, if any, the organization would feel from economic weakness. The 12-year-old group has long been a favorite of corporate donors, and declines in corporate donations tend to be steeper during hard times than do reductions in gifts from other sources.

But Mr. Hammond said corporate support had so far remained strong, fortunately. Last year the organization embarked on an effort to diversify its financing sources, reaching out to foundations and individuals. Many foundations, he said, have since told the organization that they are not making any new commitments, and the first foray by KaBOOM! into direct mail, last fall, attracted just $50,000, a quarter of what it had expected.

“Whether that was due to the economy or just a measure of how tired people are of direct mail,” Mr. Hammond said, “I don’t know.”

Read the full article

Talk about fundraising and more in our online Forums!

Haven't visited our awesome Forums lately? Here are some of the great conversations you're missing. Check them out and post your comments!

Advocate for Play
Lots of ideas for how to host a "Play Day" in your community

Founder's Forum: The place for the founding 31 Playful City USA communities, recognized in 2007, to share best practices, updates, next steps, and questions.

Playground vs. Dog Park?

Play advocacy editorial: "Kids need safe places to meet, play and grow"

Playspace Builders Support Network
What Playworld Systems or Landscape Structures equipment do kids LOVE?

Rubber Mulch: What is the general consensus?

Weirdest. Fundraiser. Ever. Mustache-a-thon

Don't lose hope! (Fundraising)

Fundraising Idea: Wacky Olympics

Fundraising ideas: Top 5 Non-profit strategies for severe recession

Graffiti & Vandalism Issues...

Training
Planning on attending a WE Play! training? Introduce yourself here!

Orlando Sentinel
March 7, 2008

Dwight Howard just couldn't resist.

He may have been a little late -- there was this issue about attending practice first -- for the building of the new playground at the Santa Barbara Apartments on Aloma Avenue, but he still was the first to try out the shiny green slide after wedging his larger-than-normal frame into the chute.

No one told him it wasn't quite finished yet.

"If the playground brings a smile to the faces of all the kids here, that's better than any dunk, winning any slam-dunk contest, could be," he said. "It's good for everyone."

The Orlando Magic organization shut down its offices Friday -- except for the team practice -- and sent an estimated 200 employees to spend the day building the entire 40-x-100 foot playground, turning a muddy plot in the midst of the apartment complex into a children's paradise by the end of the day.

It was done in conjunction with KaBOOM!, the Washington D.C.-based non-profit organization that provided the supervision. The Magic, though, paid the tab and provided all of the labor...

Read more

Learn more about KaBOOM!'s Team Play program

Learn how to fundraise, build and advocate for great places to play in your community! Led by KaBOOM! presenters, KaBOOM! Workshops Entirely on Play are one-day, FREE regional trainings packed with interactive sessions, networking opportunities and first-hand success stories. From planning a playground project to involving your local government in the cause of play, WE Play! sessions give all participants the tools to take action.

This year, two workshop tracks will be available: one for playground builders and one for play advocates. The playground builders workshop sessions will focus on the nuts and bolts of the community-build process, from volunteer recruitment to fundraising. Play advocacy sessions will focus on specific ways you can advocate for play in your community, from auditing the safety and maintenance of playspaces in your area to making your city a Playful City USA.

Designed for parents, PTA leaders, teachers, community leaders, business professionals, parks and recreation departments, school districts, and individuals who want to make play a priority for their community, WE Play! will be coming to Washington, D.C.; Boston, Mass.; Los Angeles, Calif.; Chicago, Ill.; Houston, Texas; Cleveland, Ohio; New Orleans, La.; Denver, Colo.; Atlanta, Ga.; New York, N.Y.; Phoenix, Ariz.; and San Francisco, Calif. in 2008.

Most WE Play!s also allow participants to take part in a KaBOOM! playground Build Day the day following, where they can witness how 150 volunteers can transform an empty lot into a dream playground in six hours!

Learn more about WE Play!

From National Public Radio

It's playtime at the Geraldyn O. Foster Early Childhood Center in Bridgeton, N.J., and in one corner of a busy classroom, 4-year-olds Zee Logan and Emmy Hernandez want to play bookstore.

In a normal preschool, playing bookstore would be a pretty casual affair. They would just pick up some books, set the shiny toy cash register on the table by the blackboard, and get down to business.

But this isn't a normal school. It's based on the Tools of the Mind program. In other words, it's a school where almost every moment of the day is devoted in some way to teaching the kids — mostly low-income children who live in the poor surrounding community — how to regulate their behavior and emotions.

So before Emmy and Zee even think about picking up a toy, they sit down with their teacher at a small classroom table and fill out some paperwork.

That's right. Paperwork.

On a small blank form, they spell out their intentions. "I want to play bookstore," each girl writes with assistance from her teacher.

Then she draws a picture of herself playing bookstore.

Then, together with her teacher, she reads back her intention so that everyone is clear about what is going to happen.

Finally, each girl grabs an armful of props and makes her way to the corner, where (as in most preschool classrooms) strong disagreements about the appropriate way to play bookstore ensue...

Read the full article.

Share your thoughts about play, your memories of play, and more in the KaBOOM! Forums.

Nashua Telegraph

Excerpts:

HUDSON – In the cafeteria at Alvirne High School on Saturday night, Bill "Tank" Emmons was putting on his game face.

"The cops are taking no prisoners tonight," said Emmons – an officer with the Hudson Police Department – brimming with confidence.

"You're going down!" yelled one of the members of the Hudson Fire Department's team. But Emmons was already in the zone, and the comment didn't faze him.

Emmons and his teammates from the police department were preparing for a grueling set of seven events that would put the mind, body and spirit to the ultimate test.

OK, not exactly.

...

All of the schools in Hudson were represented, as was the police department, fire department and recreation department.

Jeremy Griffus, who works in the student support program at Hills Garrison, emceed the event.

Wearing a long, red topcoat, Griffus announced the teams as they made their entrance into the gym. The police department team came out to the tune of "Bad Boys," the theme song from COPS.

Before the games began, local Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts troops from Hudson presented the American flag, and 10-year-old Victoria Whalen, a fifth-grade student at Hills Garrison, sang the national anthem.

...

Sunday, Griffus said they were able to raise a little more than $3,500 for the playground fund.

Griffus said the playground is in need of expansion to meet the needs of students of all ages at the school.

Read the full article

Talk about other fundraising ideas in our Forums!

One of our frequent posters in the Forums is getting ready to do a media interview in the hopes of raising awareness about the universally-accessible playspace she wants to build. Got any advice on how to give a great interview? Post it in this thread.

Also, check out the PR basics in our online Toolkit for more information!

Think you know your stuff?

A member of the KaBOOM! community is asking how many audits are needed per playspace to apply to become a Playful City USA.

If you know the answer, Ben Duda is promising to send six KaBOOM! kickballs to the first KaBOOM! community member who posts it in this thread.

Did you know there are 30 videos on the KaBOOM! website?

Now you can watch them all on our spiffy new featured videos page.

Watch videos from builds, Operation Playground, and 2007 Playful City USA grant videos. You can even see a playground built in one minute in the time lapse build video we have posted.

Featured videos will be changed regularly, so check the video page often!