FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE     
CONTACT: Alison Risso, KaBOOM!
202-464-6186
Sarah Pinsky, KaBOOM!
312-822-5871

Fund to Build Playgrounds for Gulf Coast Kids on Make A Difference Day

Washington, DC – KaBOOM!, a national nonprofit organization that envisions a great place to play within walking distance of every child in America, announced today a new fund to allow individuals and organizations to contribute as little as $1000 to help sponsor a playground in the Gulf Coast.  The organization’s new Leave a Legacy of Play Fund will combine smaller donations in order to build two new playgrounds in the Gulf Coast this October.  The Fund received a major boost when Fannie Mae, as part of its ongoing commitment to help rebuild Gulf Coast communities, announced it will be a KaBOOM! Legacy Partner with an $85,000 contribution.  

BORING, safety-first measures have killed off the fun in children's playgrounds, according to a new study that found bringing back old-fashioned equipment improves children's activity levels.

Resurrecting play materials could ease the country's childhood obesity crisis, said the university study titled "Popping the Bubble Wrap", which found creative equipment boosted activity and developed social skills.

Sydney University Health Sciences professor of occupational therapy Anita Bundy said unimaginative and play-safe public and school playgrounds were driving children indoors.

"There are not enough things that make kids want to get active," Professor Bundy said.

(CBS) Kids today are lucky. Playgrounds have evolved from the jerky seesaws and galvanized jungle gyms many adults grew up on. They are light years away from the very first playgrounds in this country, which were put up in the late 1800s.

"Playgrounds aren't just toys," Darrell Hammond, founder of Kaboom, a nonprofit organization that builds playgrounds, told CBS News correspondent Joie Chen. "They're where imaginations soar, and they're where dreams become reality."

Because we are so fond of the people who visit and post on the KaBOOM! Forums, we've started a new contest to add some more fun and play to the conversation.

From now until the end of 2007, KaBOOM! will post a new question or challenge each week on the forums.  Nothing too difficult, we promise.  To participate, all you have to do is login and post a response!  KaBOOM! will choose a winner from the entries and promptly send that person a great piece of KaBOOM! gear.

The first contest is Caption This Photo!

Happy Posting!

Enter the Super Spectacular Weekly Forum Giveaway

Because we are so fond of the people who visit and post on the KaBOOM! Forums, we've started a new contest to add some more fun and play to the conversation.

From now until the end of 2007, KaBOOM! will post a new question or challenge each week on the forums.  Nothing too difficult, we promise.  To participate, all you have to do is login and post a response!  KaBOOM! will choose a winner from the entries and promptly send that person a great piece of KaBOOM! gear.

The first contest is Caption This Photo!

Happy Posting!

Enter the Super Spectacular Weekly Forum Giveaway

Linda Pelzman appreciates the beauty of the outdoor world, sometimes pulling her children into the yard to gaze at a full moon or peer into a dense fog. An educator and founder of a summer camp, she only wishes her enthusiasm was fully shared.

On a recent nature walk near her home in Gaithersburg, her younger son, 6, was unimpressed, pleading, "I just want to go back to civilization." Her older son, at 13, has made it clear he prefers PlayStation.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE    
CONTACT: Alison Risso, KaBOOM!
Office: 202-464-6186
ARisso@kaboom.org

WHAT MAKES A GREAT PLAYGROUND?

Washington, DC, June 12, 2007 –Summer is here and with it comes trips to the local playground for a little frolic and fun.  Sure, we all know that kids love to swing and slide and if you're lucky, your local playspace will accommodate these basic needs.  But, what makes a great playground?  What types of activities and equipment are going to stimulate your children so that they are getting most out of their playground experience?

Taking your children to the playground is a good way to fool them into getting exercise. But all playgrounds were not created equal. Newsweek's TIP SHEET found five that go well beyond the obligatory slide, seesaw and swing set. Learn more about Berkeley Marina Adventure Playground (CA), Clemyjontri Park (VA), pictured at right, River Play Discovery Village (OR), Guadalupe River Park (CA), and Rockefeller Park Playground (NY).

Know of a great playground yourself? Find and rate them in the Playspace Finder!