Dear Playspace Planners,

Here at Center for Creative Play, we’re always on the lookout for innovation in the world of play.  What can make playspaces as fun, accessible, and creative as possible?  Recently, we traveled to Atlanta to see what play professionals were sharing at the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (IAAPA) Expo 2006. IAAPA is an amazing experience with over 5,000 exhibitors selling everything from insurance, to video games, to food products to roller coasters.  We attend IAPPA to keep up on the trends in play and entertainment.  It is clear that one of things that we will be seeing more and more of is waterparks—indoors, outdoors, everywhere.  The nice thing about this for playspace planners is that there are and will be more products available that can be used in a playground setting to bring water to children.  We expect we will also see prices go down on some of the most used products sometime in future.

We also go to IAPPA to see what new products have been developed that would help both indoor and outdoor playspaces.  This year we saw so many exciting new products there, here are just a few that we wanted to share highlights with you. 

A Pillow for the Playground
Kids of all ages love to bounce their bodies high into the air, but trampolines and ball pools are hard to keep safe and clean. If you are planning a destination playground then you might want to consider the new Jumping Pillow instead!  This simple, fun playground installation provides room for dozens of kids, little and big, to jump together.  The pillow is colorful inflated canvas, surrounded and sealed by a perimeter of sand. 

Pillows cost between $14,500 and $22,000, not including installation charges.  Read more about the Jumping Pillow.

eibe Comes to America
We’ve long admired European playground manufacturer eibe for their creative playspace designs.  eibe builds slides and climbing structures around fantasy themes, cultivating pretend play while providing ample opportunity for big muscle movement.  Children of all abilities are challenged by the varied heights and access points incorporated into eibe’s designs. 

Until recently, we could only admire eibe playgrounds from afar.  In Atlanta, however, we bumped into representatives from eibe who let us know they are soon expanding into the United States.  See pictures and read about eibe’s unique playspaces.

Is It Easier to Be Green?
Creative structures are important, but the foundation of a good playspace is safe, accessible surfacing.  At IAAPA, we were excited to learn about a new surface that meets all our criteria: safe, accessible, low-maintenance, and affordable.  Forever Lawn has launched “Playground Grass,” a grass-like surface made from soft polyethylene fibers.  Playground Grass is ASTM fall-rated to 12 feet, lasts for 8 years, and costs approximately $7-10 per square foot.  Current customers are excited not just by its look and feel, and safety and accessibility, but also the promise of less maintenance over time.

Read more about Playground Grass.

Read more about surfaces, pretend play, and the importance of bouncing around, go to www.kaboom.org/accessibility.