What’s New
What’s a Montessori Playground?
I am searching for Montessori preschool programs for my son. For someone whose favorite household activity is preparing sausage soup in his play kitchen, the focus on using real world tools seems a natural fit. We’ll see how the chips fall, but I’m hoping we can find him a spot….
Top Eight Indoor Playgrounds
For many people, the self-contained indoor soft play areas at McDonalds bring back fond memories. I can remember, myself, at the age of five or six, enjoying a Happy Meal and then spending the next thirty minutes diving into a nest of colored balls. I’m not entirely sure what attracted…
Creating Intergenerational Public Spaces
A Place and Space for All Benefits Everyone Many are well aware that intergenerational interactions create enriching experiences for all involved. With the incorporation of design elements that effectively encourage an active involvement from the many adults in a child’s life, a play area’s overall value and ability to promote strong…
Children Want and Need Movement
To Develop Mind and Body, You Have to Move “Since it is through movement that the will realizes itself, we should assist a child in his attempts to put his will into act.”– Maria Montessori (source) A child’s natural approach to learning about their world involves playful movement. We learn…
The 7 Best Playgrounds of 2016
The days of monkey bars suspended over pea gravel are far behind us. But the evolution of playgrounds is happening so fast, and in such varied ways, the change can seem dizzying. Certainly one of the biggest trends of 2016 is the growing popularity of fitness-focused playgrounds designed for older…
Designer Spotlight: Horst Henke – The Man Who Brought Wood To North American Playgrounds
If you’re a regular reader of this blog, you know the name Rick Henke. Raised in Kiel Germany, Henke immigrated to the US in the 1970s and founded the Goric Marketing Group USA in 1994. With his background in engineering and his involvement in developing playground safety standards in Canada,…
Playgrounds for Aging Adults
Last week, an article in the Wall Street Journal drew attention to a growing trend: playgrounds for aging populations. Emerging two decades ago in China after a national law mandated fitness programs for all ages, adult playgrounds quickly spread to Japan and parts of Europe and Latin America. Now, according…
Giving Thanks To Two Brilliant Landscape Designers in the American Tradition
Perhaps because the United States was a vast unexplored frontier to the Europeans who settled here, fascination with land and its design potential — for agriculture, parks, cities, playgrounds — is integral to our identity. Thomas Jefferson had an ornamental farm on his property at Monticello in Charlottesville, Virginia. He…
The World’s Top Five Outdoor Classrooms
A few months ago, the published results of a four-year demonstration study of 40,000 children across South West England conducted by Plymouth University, found both students and teachers to be happier, more engaged in the learning process, and more enthusiastic about coming to school after spending time in outdoor environments….
8 Must-Visit New Orleans Parks and Playgrounds
With the 2016 ASLA Annual Meeting and Expo still fresh in our minds, it seems fitting to wish farewell to New Orleans with a look at some of its best parks, gardens, and playgrounds. What better judge than the people of New Orleans? In this week’s blog, we scour a…
Dancer Giveaway at ASLA Annual Meeting and Expo
In a culturally rich city that blends French, Creole, African, Irish, and German heritage and lays claim to the best beignets in the country, not to mention some of the best jazz, there will be plenty of opportunity for diversion at this year’s ASLA Annual Meeting & Expo in New…
Wait, This Is Exercise? Playground Equipment for Fitness and Fun
For the last few weeks, we’ve been talking about ways to get kids moving. While good options for fitness are nearly endless, playgrounds are still at the top of the list. Studies have shown that those who exercise outdoors tend to do so more often than those who primarily work…
