Exploring a New Age for Playgrounds

Anyone who has given a child a gift and has experienced the box being more interesting than the toy knows what fertile ground a child’s mind can be with the blank slate of a very plain object. A box can be a house, a bed, a hat, a parking garage… the possibilities are endless! This [...]

Social Skills Bloom in the Natural Playground

A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to observe a group of toddlers using the professionally installed natural playground. Normally, watching a group of toddlers playing outdoors is like watching TV at a big box electronic store. Each TV is set to its own channel, doing its own thing. There may be three toddlers [...]

Discover the Rewards of Embracing Risk

Think back to your childhood…the tree climbing, the bike riding, the neighborhood exploring. Would you let your child do that today? Chances are some of your fondest, or most exhilarating, or most transformative memories are rooted in an activity that many parents today might think of as dangerous or risky. But is there a risk [...]

Playdough Recipe and Ideas

It seems all children can get lost in playdough play, no matter what their age or ability. Here’s a quick and easy recipe to make your own playdough. This home made version works great and you don’t have to worry about toxic chemicals. 1 cup flour 1/2 cup salt 1 tsp cream of tartar (keeps [...]

Watching 2 Natural Playgrounds Part III

The snow is melting fast as winter comes to an end and this seemingly endless and trickling water supply has caused a flurry of activity on the teacher-and-kid-engineered playground. A large puddle made much of the playground inaccessible, so the kids did some problem-solving and, on their own initiative, created a canal system to drain [...]