Random Topics
Is Ping Pong Becoming the Coolest Sport in The Country?
Hipsters have had their hands in dozens of comeback business trends: vinyl records, food trucks, boxing clubs, boutique cupcakes, arcade bars. The latest, it seems, is table tennis. Given a major lift when actress Susan Sarandon opened the ping pong bar and venue SPiN in New York, the Olympic sport…
Jane Addams Hull-House Museum: Inside the Home of a Legendary Social Reformer and Play Advocate
Just off Halsted Avenue, on the campus of the University of Illinois Chicago, sits the Hull House, an unassuming, low-gabled brick building that was once the private home of Jane Addams and the heart of the Hull House settlement. The residence first built for Charles Hull in 1856 has been…
How Indoor Play Areas are Helping to Bring American Malls Back to Life
To trace the origins of the iconic American shopping mall, one must travel all the way back to the mid-twentieth century. It was in 1956 that Southdale, the first enclosed shopping space in the United States, opened outside of Minneapolis. Over the next fifty years, roughly 1,500 similar structures were…
Six Ways Parents Can Support Their Children on the Playground
Any parent who has ever witnessed a child’s first steps knows what the glow of fresh independence looks like. It is a messy, non-linear process, as the new toddler begins teetering around, falling, and getting up again. As parents, it can be simultaneously splendid and terrifying to watch, and it…
5 Great Winter Playgrounds for Cold Weather Fun
Bundle Up and Head Outside for Some of the Best Playgrounds to Visit During Winter Fuzzy socks, hot cocoa, oversized hoodies, a good book or two – the cold winter months seem almost custom-built to encourage all of us to stay indoors. However, it also never seems to…
Our Top 5 Playground Related Blogs
Image via Goric A Small Collection of Resources on the Importance of Quality Playground Equipment and Design One of the more wonderful aspects of play is how it can foster a sense of community. It is no accident that many of our first friendships were formed while using playground equipment. And just on…
Jackson Square Lorber Family Playground now open!
Featuring the Wallholla designed by Carve, Integration Carousel, swaying “Grass”, swings and a zip line….
The first Wallholla in North America installed in Boston last week
Jackson Square Playground: Wallholla, designed by Carve and distributed by Goric…
Honoring Play Enthusiasts: Friedrich Froebel, Gift Play
Friedrich Froebel is the “father” of the kindergarten concept. Froebel studied the natural sciences as well as architecture and had a profound understanding of the interconnectedness between the two disciplines. Under the direction of Anton Gruener, headmaster of the Pestalozzian Frankfurt Model School and in reflection of the teachings of Johann…
Happy Holidays and a Joyous New Year!
Our Candy Park and Playground by Laura Every year I create a gingerbread village and this year I was inspired by the Conlastic playground equipment and decided to recreate some pieces with candy. The Conlastic PlayPoints are made from gum paste, marzipan, gum balls and edible metallic glitter dust. You will see…
Honoring Play Enthusiasts: The Fantastic Art Play of Isamu Noguchi
Recently I stumbled upon an article in the LA Landscape blog reviewing the Playa Vista Central Park. I noticed that they commented on the playground area designed by the Office of James Burnett as: “Contemporary play area recalls a Noguchi playground”. I admit that I wasn’t familiar with Noguchi so…
