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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2012-12-10 PACKET 10.A.Finding the Way to Play -- Trends on the Playground - Recreation Management Feature S... Page 1 of 2 M+ r ♦ IDEAS AND SOLUTION$ FOR �f, r�. "� � � RFGREAFIOtI. aPDRTS AND � FIINES3 FACILITY �tANACERS Subscribe Advertising Info Contact Us Home I Current Issue V News & Events V Buyers Guide V Archives V Idea Sourcecards V I RecBlog Page 123456 http:// www. recmanagement .com/features.php ?fid= 201211 fe01 &ch =6 ccu -Tab' . 11/20/2012 Sponsored by • ' ' - I A SUPERIOR ENVIRONMENT TRAINING, COMPETING & SPORTS. Finding the Way to Play ci�s4rec.com Trends on the Playground e PI ° MciMerion CMI By Dawn Klingensmith ! AGM Manufacturers Embrace 'Back -to- Nature' Trend Playground equipment manufacturers would not stay in business if they didn't address the concerns of educators and programmers, and the needs and desires of children. With [11�TI childhood obesity at epidemic levels, a primary concern today is that children aren't moving ' c?� enough —a problem compounded by the amount of time spent indoors. Many manufacturers are highly active in naturalized playground initiatives. Some offer curriculum suggestions to help educators and programmers maximize playgrounds to promote physical activity, develop wellness habits and meet national standards for physical fitness. One program, developed in partnership with the American Association for Physical Activity and Recreation and the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance, encourages six essential types of physical activities dependent upon traditional playground equipment like bars, swings and slides: • Brachiating or overhead climbing: to improve upper -body muscular strength and endurance, and promote hand -eye coordination, kinesthetic awareness and rhythmic LINCOLN body movement. an Climbing: to enhance spatial awareness and arm and leg coordination; to develop body management skills on stable and unstable apparatuses; and to foster whole -body muscular strength, endurance and flexibility. • Swinging: to integrate a smooth, synchronized movement pattern; emphasize the importance of timely energy transfer during movement; and promote aerobic fitness, muscular force and whole -body awareness. • Sliding: to enhance core stability, dynamic balance, and leg and hip flexibility, and to ` promote body and spatial awareness. • Spinning: to develop kinesthetic awareness and postural control and to improve comprehension of speed, force and directional movement. • Balancing: to increase understanding of body positioning and control when stationary or moving; to promote muscular strength and endurance throughout the entire body; and to introduce mechanical principles such as center of gravity, equilibrium, base of support, PP.A11111TIC and counterbalances that are essential in most sports. RICYCLING f Other programs aim to provide help when creating or retrofitting play environments that aim .� to integrate manufactured equipment with the natural landscape. This type of program offers many benefits: www.plasgeraeyeling.us Health: exposure to nature has been shown to reduce symptoms of attention deficit disorder and feelings of stress. • Socialization: naturalized playgrounds provide broader inclusion of people of all abilities and increases social interaction. • Learning and cognitive abilities: natural elements provide hands -on experiences and opportunities to bring classroom learning outdoors, while stimulating different forms of play. • Environmental stewardship: increasing children's awareness of the environment at a young age helps them develop into environmentally responsible adults. • Physical activity: naturalized playgrounds motivate children to move more and engage in play for longer periods of time. Page 123456 http:// www. recmanagement .com/features.php ?fid= 201211 fe01 &ch =6 ccu -Tab' . 11/20/2012 Finding the Way to Play -- Trends on the Playground - Recreation Management Feature S... Page 1 of 2 ADVERTISEMENT NeXT Concrete Buildings it � IDEAS ANO SO JUJ IONS FQR i 1 ■ v ' R €CR€ATION. SPORTS At {0 i ft FITN €S5 fACIIITY tr1AHACERS Subscribe Advertising Info Contact Us Home I Current Issue V News & Events V Buyers Guide V Archives V Idea Sourcecards V I RecBlog Pool Y�me 1 � LINCOLN avxtr F t. UN IVER$ALLYACCE5516LE 1- 888. 752 -9349 'i � 1 3 Wat,�r PLAIIII I ICYCLIM41 OfI— rwaame. www.plastleroeyeling.us Sponsored by: , RQCYCIIp�4 @nT!iBn ent�lp ' _ 8Y Friendly plasiicracycltng:u , GREEN PRODUCTS Finding the Way to Play Trends on the Playground By Dawn Klingensmith Find the Way to Imagination While vigorous play has its place on the playground, some worry that the current emphasis on gross motor play is edging out imaginative play. In addition to physical activities like running, jumping, climbing and swinging, playgrounds should promote fantasy and dramatic play, as research suggests that the latter types of play improve children's cognitive development, peer relationships and emotional well- being. A playground should engage children's sense of inquiry, stimulate their imaginations, invite exploration and support their developing competencies over time, Stoecklin said. Defined areas can support specific activities, such as construction, art or music, with adjacent storage for loose parts or props. A music area, for example, might feature pie and muffin tins attached to a fence so kids can bang them with sticks. A construction area could have lumber and tools like wheelbarrows, as well as smaller items like pinecones and seedpods. Besides wide -open spaces that promote physical games, such as tag, playgrounds should have intimate spaces such as cubbies, foxholes and tunnels to promote imaginative play, enabling solitary or small groups of kids to transport themselves anywhere from a bank to a bunker. "Children engaging in solitary play does not necessarily mean they feel left out or insecure," said Stoecklin, adding that classroom sizes are bigger and some kids need more alone time than others. Interestingly, the national nonprofit KaBOOM!, dedicated to "saving play for America's children," maintains that kids can play just about anywhere and offers up loose parts as a way to transform even a forlorn expanse of asphalt into a play space. Responding to a Chicago Tribune article detailing the challenges faced by city schools following a mandatory return of recess, the KaBOOM! web site states that kids "don't necessarily need http:// www. recmanagement .com/features.php ?fid= 201211 fe01 &ch =5 11/20/2012 PHOTO COURTESY OF WHITE HUTCHINSON LEISURE & LEARNING GROUP PHOTO COURTESY OF PLAYIAART Lacking on many playgrounds are the spaces and materials needed for make - believe, including loose parts, said Vicki L. Stoecklin, director of education and child development, White Hutchinson Leisure & Learning Group, Kansas City, Mo. "For years we have tended to separate the indoor environment from outdoor environment: When kids are inside they work on cognitive and emotional skills, but we have this paradigm that when they go outside all they do is gross motor," she said. "Inside, they have all these tools for rich imaginative play — plastic fruits, puzzle pieces, Barbie accessories —but not outside. We need to look at children more holistically." Finding the Way to Play -- Trends on the Playground - Recreation Management Feature S... Page 2 of 2 massive playgrounds or wide -open space." The organization recommends that schools paint games like hopscotch onto pavement to promote physical play and make available a wide array of moveable objects that allow each play session to become a new experience. Indeed, kids dream up endless uses for a cardboard box or Printable �I Version Question or comments? Email the webmaster © Copyright 2012 Recreation Management. All rights reserved. Web Development by The Wow Factory, Inc. http:// www .reemanagement.com/features.php ? fid= 201211 fe01 &ch =5 11/20/2012 PHOTO COURTESY OF PLAYWORLD SYSTEMS Page 123456 Current Issue Issue Archives Buyers Guide Search Buyers Guide by Product Search Buyers Guide by Comoanv Subscribe Advertise Contact Us Finding the Way to Play -- Trends on the Playground - Recreation Management Feature S... Page 1 of 2 ADVERTISEMENT Boost Involvement Use aFhoneTree` Click or Call with Communication! PoiceWaae � to raurmunicnte m.Treel TODAY AutomatedPiessagitig ,,mo roith customers , j/holuQ teat &email— quickly &-accurately. — � }. REGHEATIOH, SPORTS At ;U Q FITNESS FAGiEITY 69RNaGERS Subscribe Advertising Info Contact Us Home I Current Issue V News & Events V Buyers Guide tij Archives V Idea Sourcecards V I RecBlog Poolfiirr►e: ". Nevertheless, due in part to safety and liability concerns, naturalized playgrounds typically are an easier sell than natural playgrounds. "In certain climates in the U.S., you can't have a fallen log because in a few months you'll have chiggers and ticks in it," Christensen said. "And insurability issues come into play. If kids are playing on this log and the bark sloughs off and they fall and break their arm, the parents will be looking to sue someone." Manufactured rocks and logs can meet engineering criteria for strength, longevity and safety, while complying with CPSC standards. Christensen said one manufacturer combines the best of both worlds, using real boulders as PHOTO COURTESYOF LITTLE TIKES bases for climbing structures with added polyurethane handles to make up for Whenever adults question the wisdom or value of natural playgrounds, King has them do a simple exercise: Think back to a Saturday morning in your childhood and write down your favorite outdoor play activities. List makers usually come up with things like rolling down hills, snowball fights, building forts in the woods, playing games like "statue," or just leaning against a tree, daydreaming. "Very, very few adults in all our meetings and workshops have said 'my favorite outdoor play activity was sliding on the playground slide,' or'playing on the monkey rings,' or'going up and down on the see - saw. "' King reports on his web site. "The funny thing is that when we work in schools, we ask children the same question, and even though they have all this safe, expensive, manufactured equipment on their playground, their favorite play activities still have nothing to do with it. They like flying kites, or damming water, or bouncing the tennis ball against the wall, or playing tag or king of the hill using the big boulder in the middle of the playground, or throwing snowballs at a tree, or watching butterflies and ants, or rolling down the hill, or sitting on the stone wall with a friend, or making fairy houses." insufficient natural handholds and footholds. Despite concerns, natural playgrounds continue to pick up despite the economy, and last year King's business grew by 400 percent, he said, adding that natural playgrounds are laid out to encourage running and movement. http:// www. recmanagement .com/features.php ?fid= 201211 fe01 &ch =4 11/20/2012 PHOTO COURTESY OF BERLINER SEILFABRIK The sand play areas King designs are not the same as sandboxes. They may be 3 or 4 feet cePtaygmunct Mp(menunce �ostsi deep "so kids can dig to China," he said. He :ice AGER may install a hand-operated water um p pump nearby, which he says is "great upper body exercise for kids" and allows them to moisten the sand to build sandcastles, make mud pies or construct channels and dams. PLDTIC R�i�lf�e lam® He has also built brick labyrinths, dinosaurs ottolwF+PuanM. made of braches, fossil digs, forts, caves, butterfly gardens and low -cost "spray grounds" consisting of grass and sprinklers. www.plasticrocycling.us Certain plants and shrubs, such as lilac bushes, form natural canopies for kids to play beneath while providing shade and a sense of privacy. "Kids love to be in small, confined spaces. They like the sense of security, the sense of enclosure," King said. Poolfiirr►e: ". Nevertheless, due in part to safety and liability concerns, naturalized playgrounds typically are an easier sell than natural playgrounds. "In certain climates in the U.S., you can't have a fallen log because in a few months you'll have chiggers and ticks in it," Christensen said. "And insurability issues come into play. If kids are playing on this log and the bark sloughs off and they fall and break their arm, the parents will be looking to sue someone." Manufactured rocks and logs can meet engineering criteria for strength, longevity and safety, while complying with CPSC standards. Christensen said one manufacturer combines the best of both worlds, using real boulders as PHOTO COURTESYOF LITTLE TIKES bases for climbing structures with added polyurethane handles to make up for Whenever adults question the wisdom or value of natural playgrounds, King has them do a simple exercise: Think back to a Saturday morning in your childhood and write down your favorite outdoor play activities. List makers usually come up with things like rolling down hills, snowball fights, building forts in the woods, playing games like "statue," or just leaning against a tree, daydreaming. "Very, very few adults in all our meetings and workshops have said 'my favorite outdoor play activity was sliding on the playground slide,' or'playing on the monkey rings,' or'going up and down on the see - saw. "' King reports on his web site. "The funny thing is that when we work in schools, we ask children the same question, and even though they have all this safe, expensive, manufactured equipment on their playground, their favorite play activities still have nothing to do with it. They like flying kites, or damming water, or bouncing the tennis ball against the wall, or playing tag or king of the hill using the big boulder in the middle of the playground, or throwing snowballs at a tree, or watching butterflies and ants, or rolling down the hill, or sitting on the stone wall with a friend, or making fairy houses." insufficient natural handholds and footholds. Despite concerns, natural playgrounds continue to pick up despite the economy, and last year King's business grew by 400 percent, he said, adding that natural playgrounds are laid out to encourage running and movement. http:// www. recmanagement .com/features.php ?fid= 201211 fe01 &ch =4 11/20/2012 PHOTO COURTESY OF BERLINER SEILFABRIK Finding the Way to Play -- Trends on the Playground - Recreation Management Feature S... Page 2 of 2 Playgrounds for Adults New York City is testing its first "playground for adults" in Macombs Dam Park in the Bronx, with plans to roll out more. The playgrounds feature specially designed playground equipment in subdued colors "that recall the joy of childhood play while tightening up flabby abs, thighs and triceps," according to the June 29, 2012, issue of The New York Times. These are essentially outdoor gyms —there are no adult -size swirly slides and such —but some of the workout stations were built by the same manufacturers that make playground equipment. The hope is that the outdoor equipment will succeed where treadmills and elliptical machines have failed in keeping adults engaged and likely to make "play dates," as New York Times writer Winnie Hu reported. Adult playgrounds aren't limited to New York. Miami -Dade County in Florida has fitness zones with strength- training equipment in neighborhoods where cardiovascular disease rates are high. In Los Angeles, folks form lines to use outdoor fitness stations. And two mothers in Washington State started a campaign last year to build two "Momentum" sites, with more to follow, that face a children's play area and feature workout equipment for adults. Cost varies depending on size and location, but adult playgrounds are typically much cheaper than children's. Page 123456 Printablei version' Question or comments? Email the webmaster © Copyright 2012 Recreation Management. All rights reserved. Web Development by The Wow Factory, Inc. http:// www. recmanagement .com/features.php ?fid= 201211 fe01 &ch =4 11/20/2012 Current Issue Issue Archives Buyers Guide Search Buyers Guide by Product Search Buyers Guide by Comoanv Subscribe Advertise Contact Us Finding the Way to Play -- Trends on the Playground - Recreation Management Feature S... Page 1 of 2 t IDEAS AND SOLUTIONS FOR . RECREATION, SPORTS Aw G ME FITNESS FACILITY &1ANAGERS Subscribe Advertising Info Contact Us Home I Current Issue V News & Events V Buyers Guide V Archives V Idea Sourcecards V I RecBlog B E L By and large, though, the major manufacturers seem less interested today in bringing indoor pastimes to playgrounds than they do in creating "life -like products" for a "natural play experience," as one equipment maker explains on its web site. "From the rough texture of bark to the smooth feel of a boulder, (we) can re- create natural elements to look like the real thing." The major manufacturers' catalogs "all have sections having to do with nature or nature - inspired play features made out of plastic or concrete," King said. Myriad problems attributed to "nature deficit disorder" have re sparked a back -to- nature d _ ...,�' movement in childhood development, King added, and "the industry has started to respond by manufacturing these nature - inspired things, so now instead of looking like Humpty Dumpty, you'll have what looks like a tree." One manufacturer went so far as to create the Molrde an etostsl" program "NatureGrounds: Putting Nature Into ji'2pEAGF ; Play" (www.naturegrounds.org) to provide best Pool. 'true PLADTIC ILR ICYCLI NG Oflww F.1h,I . www.plastleraeyeling.us �x w � � SS - practice guidelines for designing and PHOTO COURTESY OF MIRACLE RECREATION retrofitting play environments for parks and school grounds that integrate manufactured play equipment and the living landscape. The program seeks to "create a dramatic shift in the standard playground development process by deliberately designing nature back into children's lives, not only to benefit children's play but also to engage communities in working together to create richer play experience for all users," according to the web site. Already, "The industrial playground model based solely on manufactured equipment is being reconsidered," the site claims. "A greater diversity of play opportunities is desired to extend curricular activity in schools and to meet the needs of a broader range of children and their families in parks. The integration of natural components helps fulfill these needs as well as creating richer play experiences for all users." The program points out that "mixed" play environments are more attractive and comfortable for adults and caregivers, and that "naturalization" adds visual interest, shade, a wider range of play opportunities for users of all abilities, and nature -based outdoor education opportunities. On board with the "back -to- nature" movement is Dan Christensen, design manager for a Redding, Calif. -based manufacturer. He takes pictures of kids engaging in "nature play" and uses it as product design inspiration. For example, the company's Rocks & Ropes line is based on observations of children playing among "giant sequoia root systems," Christensen explained. "We're not trying to replace nature play," he clarified, "but rather to give kids the same type of play experience — elevation changes, hopping from rock to rock, swinging from tree branches, climbing. We purposely make logs with little knots on them. In some ways, it's like training for the real thing." http:// www. reemanagement .com/features.php ?fid= 201211 fe01 &ch =3 11/20/2012 PHOTO COURTESY OF PLAYCORE Finding the Way to Play -- Trends on the Playground - Recreation Management Feature S... Page 2 of 2 Most manufacturers don't go far enough to emulate nature play, Christensen said. They may offer a "cut -off tree truck," for example, but even in the woods an isolated log might not attract much attention unless it fell across a boulder or creek bed, creating a tantalizing test of balance. Other freestanding nature - inspired elements offered by competing manufacturers include honeycombs, hatched eggs and anthills. By contrast, Christensen's company has produced a "library of parts" that work together to simulate the sort of obstacles, challenges and play opportunities found in nature. So- called "naturalized playgrounds" differ from "natural playgrounds" in that the former encourages a mix of manufactured and natural elements. Natural playground designers don't necessarily eschew manufactured playground equipment altogether, but play components typically consist of sculpted earth, vegetation, boulders, sand, hay bales, water features and the like. Page 123456 Question or comments? Email the webmaster © Copyright 2012 Recreation Management. All rights reserved. Web Development by The Wow Factory, Inc. http:// www. recmanagement .com/features.php ?fid= 201211 fe01 &ch =3 11/20/2012 Boost Involvement Use a PhorueTYee' click 01 C aH ti ith Comm to earmilla icate PhnTre81� TODAY AatoutafediiiessagiltgT with customers � - phone, tevt d email - guic &iy accurately. Current Issue Issue Archives Buyers Guide Search Buyers Guide by Product Search Buyers Guide by Company Subscribe Advertise Contact Us Question or comments? Email the webmaster © Copyright 2012 Recreation Management. All rights reserved. Web Development by The Wow Factory, Inc. http:// www. recmanagement .com/features.php ?fid= 201211 fe01 &ch =3 11/20/2012 Finding the Way to Play -- Trends on the Playground - Recreation Management Feature S... Page 1 of 2 IDEAS AND SOlOTIOHS_FOR IT i � �•;' �� �`�� � v���' RECREATfON, "SPORTS ANQ Q M 6 l I N I US FACILITY h1AHACERS Subscribe Advertising Info Contact Us Home I Current Issue yf News & Events V Buyers Guide V Archives V Idea Sourcecards V I RecBlog P+QOI Ti�rTie �-s RECYCLING 011_ h ft h_ IIZtlN F..._ www.plastleracyclIng.us LINCOLN" ma 1 Sponsored by: f vt. Swim or Byrn... the daylight solution, �eacspans over 100 reef i _ I�'WC'J.. _ �'r LEED° and Sustainable :# °§ t -I skylightinro.com • 800- 225 -3095 Finding the Way to Play Trends on the Playground By Dawn Klingensmith Y ou can lead kids to a playground, but you can't make them play. Sure, some will make a mad dash for the monkey bars and work up a sweat in five minutes. Others will start a spontaneous game of tag, darting in and out of play structures to avoid the pursuer. But there will always be kids who avoid playground equipment altogether because it either bores or intimidates them. To be sure, there are valuable playground activities that don't involve physical exertion, including socializing and watching cloud formations morph and move across the sky. But with concerns growing about childhood obesity, many parks and organizations look to playgrounds to get kids moving. Indeed, purchasers of playground equipment often expect it will "trick" kids into exercising and getting fit. Find the Way to Get Fit Manufacturers are adding fitness- oriented apparatus to their product lines, including parallel bars, balance beams, stepping stones, pole and rope climbs, rope bridges, climbing walls, horizontal bars and obstacle course elements. PHOTO COURTESY OF PLAYIAART Trina Helfrich, a contributor to PBS' "Sid the Science Kid" web site, last year observed that playgrounds have changed since she was a kid, presumably for the better: There are lots of toys that I don't even recognize and the boys have to figure out how to play on them. We've played recently at some really cool playgrounds where the equipment is designed to get the kids moving and to challenge them. One playground has a cool skateboard simulator where the boys stand on a metal plate with a handle that slides up and down a curved bar. It's very exciting and I have to hold my breath hoping they don't fall. I can't help but notice that the equipment often relies on the force and energy the kids create in order to create and keep the momentum. Helfrich noted that even climbing structures these days "provide challenging ways to get up and down." There are still stairs and slides, she added, but these aren't the only means of entry or egress. She said that certain play elements require "balance, strength and bravery" and that her boys are "working hard and having fun at the same time." But even traditional playgrounds with slides, swings and bars give kids ample opportunities "to test their physical limits in various ways," said Jane Watkinson, dean of kinesiology and recreation management at the University of Manitoba in Canada. Over the past 15 years, she has documented a broad range of skills kids can acquire on playgrounds —more than 300, in fact. Though we don't refer to playground structures ? as exercise equipment, that's essentially what they are, Watkinson said, but they allow for Nature - Inspired Many manufacturers are incorporating nature into their designs, featuring more muted colors and nature - inspired elements such as: • Hollowed -out acorn enclosures • Hatched dinosaur eggs • Tunnel slides resembling hollow logs • Panels with "fossilized" critters • Stalagmites for climbing • Toadstool or palm tree shade structures • Spider webs • Boulders and stepping stones • Honeycomb climbing systems • Tree root systems CCtI http:// www. recmanagement .com/features.php ?fid= 201211 fe01 &ch =1 11/20/2012 Finding the Way to Play -- Trends on the Playground - Recreation Management Feature S... Page 2 of 2 The first question has to do with children's perception of their own competence. When they feel inadequate or unskilled, the risk of being teased or excluded may prevent them from using the equipment. By the same token, if children don't value the activities because they are boring, they won't make use of the playground equipment, Watkinson's research found. That's why it's important that playgrounds accommodate a range of skill levels; otherwise, children who might benefit most — active kids who require an outlet for their pent -up energy and inactive or overweight kids —won't take part. Page 123456 Question or comments? Email the webmaster © Copyright 2012 Recreation Management. All rights reserved. Web Development by The Wow Factory, Inc. http: / /www.recmanagement .com/features.php ?fid = 201211 fe01 &ch =1 11/20/2012 Current Issue Issue Archives Buyers Guide Search Buyers Guide by Product Search Buyers Guide by Company Subscribe Advertise Contact Us