Laura Guscott
Candy Land – Design Tips for a Candy Landscape
Every year I build a gingerbread creation. For the past few years I have made my own patterns which is fun and allows me to be very flexible in my design but much attention has to be paid to detail. This year I created my version of Candy Land and…
Rock Climbing & Other Challenges
Inverted climbing wall As a child I spent many hours on the swing in my backyard, talking to my friends, the trees. Of course I also loved to slide on slides (my favorite slide must have been at least 80’ long, located at High Park in Toronto –It’s no longer there and I…
Sand Play – The Silo & Seive at the Cambridge Common Playground
A couple of weeks ago I took my 2 nephews and niece on a play date to the Cambridge Common playground. The youngest, 2, went straight for the loose blocks, the middle (girl), 4, quickly found a pale to fill with sand and the oldest, 7, climbed up the mound….
Playground Equipment: What to look for
My favorite type of play equipment: Where the adult (such as myself) can climb and play alongside their child; Not just in a supervisory role but having fun themselves as well. Many years ago I went to a park where there was a huge play structure; I think it looked…
Beach Series (part 3): To Cell Phone or Not to Cell Phone?
To take the phone or to not take the phone, that is the question. As I write that sentence, I think that this question is not a question at all to many. It is a clear “of course!” or “of course not!” I took my phone for an “in case…
Beach Series (part 2): Experience and Discover Life Through Nature Playgrounds
This is time where the caregiver can share their knowledge and experience of the natural world with their little ones in a relevant way.
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Beach Series: Need Things to Do With Kids? Try Playing!
It never ceases to amaze me how intensely the adults are playing along side their children: filling up buckets of water to pour into the pits that have been tirelessly dug out, carefully arranging turned over pails of sand to create the walls of a castle, patting sand and making proper use of the dry sand verses wet sand. I can’t help but smile because the adults are really having just as much fun as the children.
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A Sculptural Playground to Stretch Your Imagination
So often I hear that a community would like a playground but they don’t want it to “look like a playground”. They want it to “blend with the environment” or “disappear in the landscape” or “look like art or sculptural”. The playground at Playa Vista in Los Angeles depicts this exactly.
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Focus on Guilt-Free Play
…this way of thinking is natural for a child! In the “terrible two’s” stage children learn that they don’t have to do anything; they can say no! This stage is well known for being an important part of a child’s development of his or her autonomy. The same natural attitude goes for work and play: children can play for hours in the sand, digging, piling, toy trucking sand from here to there; baking cookies next to their aunt; and they take delight in sweeping the floor just like Dad. They have chosen the task and it’s easy for them to focus on the task at hand and even enjoy it!
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Learning by Playing: Cause & Effect Has Never Been So Fun!
I have seen children play on many different playgrounds. They are always attracted to anything that moves: swings, merry-go-rounds, spinners, see saws and spring riders. There is something about the action and reaction created that is fascinating and exciting for the child. Not only is the movement stimulating, but they get a kick from making…
