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Our Crazy Maze Winners Had Fun
Crazy Maze – Fun for all ages! Pat Stout went to the 2021 ASLA conference to earn CE credits and discover new and innovative products he might include in a project someday. He didn’t expect to also be going home with a Goric Crazy Maze. Not, he joked, with his time playing our virtual maze game. It…
Our ASLA Contest Is Virtual This Year
Crazy Maze – Fun for all ages! Have you seen the crazy route Tom Mroz is taking to this year’s ASLA Conference on Landscape Architecture? By the time he arrives in Nashville for the start of the conference on November 19, Tom, president of ASLA, will have run more than 1,000 miles. He’s zigzagged from his home…
Rediscovering What Matters Most
Dear friends, With the end of 2020 here, it’s tempting to just want to put it behind us and look ahead to 2021. No one will blame us for saying “Good bye” to a year of divisive turmoil, social separation, distancing and, for all too many of us, a year…
Goric’s Guide to Virtual Playground Fundraising
Playground fundraising is never easy. In the best of times, it can mean an endless round of bake sales, car washes, 5ks and benefit dinners. In the midst of our COVID pandemic, when these types of gatherings are risky or prohibited, fundraising may seem almost impossible. The good news is…
A Plan for Your Elder Playground
Note: This is the third in a series of articles about play and playgrounds for seniors. Links to the previous posts are at the end of this article. ∼∼∼∼∼ Happily, we in the elder demographic are not likely to be admonished for eating sand or walking backwards up the actual…
Find a Hippo, Create a Yarn Monster and Other Creative Ideas For Kids and Parents
With schools closed, parks and playgrounds off limits and group activities banned, parents everywhere are struggling to find new and creative ways to keep their children active. They’re turning to Facebook groups with names like Activities for Children During Isolation, Virtual Activities for Children and Youth and Best Ideas for…
Recess is Making a Comeback: Now Required by Law in Five States
The unique swing options add a level of fun for every child! Twenty minutes is the amount of time it takes to eat breakfast or do a short exercise routine. It’s also the amount of time elementary school children in Florida, Rhode Island, Missouri, and New Jersey have for recess, at a minimum, as mandated by recent changes to state laws. The promise…
‘Tis the Season for Play: A Holiday Wish List for Playgrounds
With the holiday season in full swing, we’d like to showcase some recently released play options we’re really excited about. We like these designs for distinct reasons. Some uncover the enriching possibilities of the playground for children with atypical physical or cognitive needs. Others are especially innovative and daring in…
Ping Pong Moves Into Parks and Playgrounds
Placing a ping pong table in a public park is a social act; it creates a venue for interaction, a place where strangers can rub elbows, chat, and engage in friendly competition. In an urban setting, in particular, a ping pong table can spark conversation and friendships among people, who…
Playgrounds of Culture and Place
Several weeks ago, we caught up with Angelica Rockquemore for a designer profile. Our conversation was illuminating and brought to light an emerging area of interest in the field: how parks and playspaces can serve to deepen cultural and environmental understanding and lay the foundation for the development of broader…
2018 ASLA Diversity Summit Recruits New Voices
Landscape architecture is in need of more diversity. While professionals of color are designing outdoor spaces and green infrastructure responsive to their communities – from parks and playgrounds to campuses and residential properties – the demographics of the profession fail to reflect those of the wider population. As reported in…
Skating Rinks Are Breathing New Life into Parks
Which events you watch in the winter Olympics has a lot to do with where you live. A story published just last week in the New York Times chronicles these national preferences along with the possible cultural and social reasons behind them. In many parts of the world, including the…
