Do the kids in your community need great places to play?  If your answer is YES, then sign up for one of our FREE Workshops Entirely on Play (WE Play!). 

At select WE Play! events sponsored by Kool-Aid, (Atlanta, Los Angeles, Houston and Cleveland), applications will be available for five $7,500 grants toward building a playground in their community!  Only WE Play! attendees are eligible to apply.

At WE Play!, you’ll learn how to plan, fund, and complete a community-build playground project AND advocate for more play in your community. 

With the generous support of our partners Kool-Aid and The Home Depot, we've got FREE trainings scheduled across the country including Charlotte (May 13), Chicago (May 16) Los Angeles (June 5), Houston (July 10) and New Orleans (July 25) in the coming months. Get started on the path toward building a great playground today!

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!

Our online training sessions, a.k.a. “webinars,” are the latest, greatest way to get information on planning, funding, and building playgrounds.  Even superman would be amazed.  You just need a computer (with Internet) and a phone.  The next three webinars are:

• The KaBOOM! Road Map: An Introduction to Planning a Playground Project, Making the Ask: Getting Business Sponsorship for Your Playground Project, and Grantwriting 101. 

Click here to learn more and register.

Short for web-based seminar, a webinar is an online presentation or seminar with interactive elements -- the ability to give, receive and discuss information. In a webinar, each participant sits at his or her own computer and is connected to other participants via the Internet. The presenter speaks over a standard telephone line, pointing out information being presented on screen, and the audience can respond over their own telephones or over an online chat box.

The last one we had was so much fun for everyone that we just couldn't wait to do another one.

The next KaBOOM! webinar is:

The KaBOOM! Road Map: A Guide to Planning a Great Playground Project
When: Nov. 7, 3p.m. EST
Duration: 60 minutes

For the full list of upcoming webinars, look here.

Playworld Systems, Inc.

Playworld Systems is a leading producer of high-quality commercial playground equipment and park and site amenities.  They are also the official KaBOOM! Partner in Play for playground equipment.  Playworld Systems and their national team of playground consultants are committed to children's safety and community-built efforts.  To learn more about Playworld Systems, stop by their exhibit and visit Ron Derk and Brett Barrick, or visit the web at www.playworldsystems.com.

BCI Burke

Founded in 1920, Burke  is a manufacturer of commercial park, playground, & recreational equipment.  Burke has become a recognized leader in playground safety by offering a wide variety of safety tools.  Burke's equipment carries a very competitive warranty within the industry, and they take pride in shipping 97% of orders complete, correct and on-time.  Visit Burke on the web at www.bciburke.com.

GameTime

Since 1929, GameTime has been committed to Enriching Childhood Through Play - firmly establishing them as a global leader in commercial play.  GameTime produces a robust selection of creative and traditional play systems and takes a research-based approach to play by funding independent research studies to discover children’s skill sets at target stages of development, then designing equipment to encourage those skills.  GameTime products are developed to educate, challenge, stimulate and entertain.  Visit GameTime on the web at www.gametime.com.

Landscape Structures

Landscape Structures Inc. designs and manufactures premier playground and skatepark equipment with a goal to delight and challenge kids of all ages. Landscape Structures’ proprietary packing methods mean everything arrives on time, is clearly marked, and has easy-to-follow instructions. With outstanding service and personalized design, they’ve got everything needed to create the perfect playground or skatepark.  Visit Landscape Structures on the web at www.playlsi.com.

Safety Surfacing Vendor Exhibit:

Garick Corporation