Discusses the current state of New Jersey schoolyards and the importance of quality schoolyards for play, teaching, and community use. Five recommended strategies for creating more effective schoolyards are included, as is advice on the planning and design process, area and functional requirements, accessibility, parking, costs, and equipment. 25p.

This video describes how to select the proper safety surfacing for playgrounds. It outlines criteria to ensure that surfaces under and around equipment are appropriate. It discusses the Consumer Product Safety Commission guidelines and American Society for Testing and Materials standards.

Presents an international collection of recently built school facilities selected for their successful learning environments, promotion of togetherness and the exchange of ideas, and community use. The buildings all attempt to maximize energy savings, natural light, and ventilation. Each example is richly illustrated with plans and photographs. 255p.

Focuses on the four components of supervision, age-appropriate design, fall surfacing, and equipment maintenance for playgrounds. For each component, the authors first examine the research to show why it is a critical part of safety. They explain how to put that knowledge to practical use. The book also explores the history of playground safety and debunks 10 common myths about what makes a good or safe play area. Also included is a CD-ROM that offers a presentation package of slides for use as a short course in playground supervision, design, surfacing, and equipment maintenance. 240p.

Advises on how to recognize, remove, replace, and seal arsenic-treated wood found at school playgrounds. 2p.

Offers a sample specification for the furnishing and installing manufactured playground equipment in children's outdoor play areas. 26p.

Offers a sample specification for furnishing and installing protective surfacing in children's outdoor play areas. 27p.

Presents a scoring system to help determine playground safety in terms of supervision, age-appropriate design, fall surfacing, and equipment maintenance. 1p.

Reviews the work of the Boston Schoolyard Initiative, which has worked to transform the city's typically paved and uninviting schoolyards into centers for learning and life. It accomplishes this through a public/private partnership that promotes sustainable development, experiential education, open space stewardship, and enlightened public policy. The Initiative creates recreational centers for the community and sets an example for schoolyard development that can be replicated elsewhere. 20p.

Assists designers and operators in using federal accessibility guidelines for play areas by establishing minimum accessibility requirements for newly constructed and altered play areas. It provides specifications for elements within a play area to create a general level of usability for children with disabilities. Emphasis is placed on ensuring that children with disabilities are generally able to access the diversity of components provided in a play area, with consideration to layout, circulation paths, and the selection of play components. The guidelines also address the balance of costs, safety, and accessibility. 40p.

Assists with planning an early childhood centers outdoor space to achieve a successful environment for young children. It begins by considering the types of activities that children enjoy outdoors, matching these with milestones in childhood motor development. Equipment and materials that support each of the activities are suggested, along their pros, cons, and advice on purchasing. 19p.

America’s school playgrounds received a C+ for safety in the latest survey by NPPS. 2p.

Provides guidance for developing playgrounds, including site and user evaluation. Types of playgrounds are defined, followed by recommendations for play apparatus safety, materials, finishes, surfacing, and landscaping. Guidance for playground construction site safety, evaluation, and inspection is included. 13p.

Provides examples of typical problems encountered when school playgrounds and athletic fields are planned after the buildings, rather than as part of the educational specifications process. This oversight can lead to poor service to the educational program, depreciated safety of students, and lost opportunities for community use. Examples and recommondations are organized by high school, middle school, and elementary school considerations. 3p.

Appraises successful innovative playgrounds designed by notable landscape architects and proposes ideas that blend excellent design principles, innovative planning, and affordability to create a vision for the future of the playground in America. A discussion of the history of the last 100 years of playground design is followed by case studies illustrating enlightened patronage, successful design strategies, variations on the traditional playground model, and the authors propose remedies for legal, site, affordability, and cultural issues surrounding playground design. 251p.

Advises in the planning and design of unsupervised outdoor play areas at military installations to meet child safety and child development requirements. It recommends site layouts, design, and equipment for play lots for age groups 6 weeks to 5 years or 5 to 9 years, neighborhood parks serving ages 9 to 15 years, and community parks serving all age groups. 95p.

Offers a checklist to determine if a school playgrounds wood components are arsenic treated, and if so, what the remediation plan is, and what to do if the school administration is unresponsive. 2p.

This describes the steps to take to create a learning playground, including laying the necessary groundwork for the project; financing; publicity; construction; and dealing with the school board. 2p.

Presents practical solutions to creating accessible playgrounds, often with ease and at low cost. Examples are based on existing good practice and consultation with disabled children, their parents and caregivers, equipment manufacturers, and government officials. Chapters are arranged according to the way the process typically proceeds: Understanding the Issues, Getting Started, Consulting and Engaging with Disabled Children and their Families, Inclusion by Design, and Moving Forward. 71p.

This guide offers some facts about Chromated Copper Arsenate (CCA) treated lumber used in playgrounds, the New York State Law, and resources for further information. 2 p.

The construction of new school facilities throughout New Jersey creates an enormous opportunity to address the need for outdoor facilities in New Jersey's poorest districts. This document summarizes some of the most relevant research on the need for outdoor educational facilities. It provides design guidelines for outdoor spaces for both preschool and elementary schools, and basic principles for design of outdoor facilities for athletics and environmental education for middle and high school students. 74p.

The sixth nationwide investigation of public playgrounds by the Consumer Federation of America (CFA) and the State Public Interest Research Groups (PIRGs) found that a majority of U.S. playgrounds pose hidden threats to youngsters. From March-May 2002, the State PIRGs and other CFA member organizations investigated 1,037 playgrounds in 36 states (Alabama, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Vermont, Washington, and Wisconsin) and Washington, DC, to determine the current safety conditions of public playgrounds. The survey gathered data on falls, fall zones, equipment height, swings, head entrapment hazards, entanglement hazards, hazardous equipment, chipping or peeling paint, and pressure-treated wood, as well as on local and state activity in the area of playground regulations and community advocacy. Overall, this year's survey shows improvements, in particular a continued decline in the number of playgrounds with hard surfaces under and around all play equipment. (Appendices contain the survey, a parent checklist for playground safety, and state survey results.) 33p.

Discusses safety issues concerning the use of CCA, chromated copper arsenate, a chemical preservative that is used to protect wood from being destroyed by microbes and insects, on outdoor playground equipment. Children's risk from exposure to arsenic is discussed, as well as CCA manufacturers' voluntary withdrawal of this preservative from the market in February 2002. 4p.

This consumer safety performance specification provides safety and performance standards for various types of public playground equipment. Its purpose is to reduce life-threatening and debilitating injuries. The age range covered by this specification is from two to twelve years old. Home playground equipment, amusement park equipment, sports equipment, fitness equipment intended for user over the age of twelve are not included in this specification. 56p.

Guides community organizers as they plan, prepare and construct community-built playgrounds. It advises on how to overcome organizational obstacles such as time management, how to run meetings, and problem solving. Workbooks for recruitment, construction, fundraising, children's, and public relations teams are included. 416p.

This study of 180 pressure-treated wood samples shows that treated wood is a much greater source of arsenic exposure for children than arsenic-contaminated drinking water. The report determines that an average five-year-old, playing less than two weeks on a chromated- copper-arsenate-treated (CCA) wood play set would exceed the lifetime cancer risk considered acceptable under federal pesticide law. The report’s final chapter presents study conclusions and recommendations. An appendix presents a summary of data for surface arsenic levels of CCA wood and soil beneath treated wood structures. 19p.

This publication is designed to assist park and recreation professionals, designers, and consumers in creating inclusive play environments for children with and without disabilities. Includes frequently asked questions and answers.

A key to many playground injuries is the fact that numerous children are playing on equipment not designed for their age. Thus, the steps or railings may be too far apart or require additional strength and coordination causing children to fall or trip. Describes factors to consider when selecting age-appropriate equipment in order to help make America's playgrounds safer.

This book presents 22 preschool buildings from all over the world, selected on the basis of how well they approximate an ideal preschool where children and educators live harmoniously in exceptional settings. The projects also include technological innovations (experimental materials, specific construction details) and visible ecological installations, such as energy savings through the use of solar panels, tanks for rainwater collection, or recycling of materials. Each building description contains several color photographs. (An appendix discusses children's playgrounds.) 192p.

Reviews existing literature on the importance of nature experiences in child development. Also described is an exploratory study performed with two Connecticut third grade classes to assess the way children utilize the playgrounds, whether or not there is a difference in the behaviors of pupils with differing "popularity," the types of playground spaces and amenities different groups of children desire, and to lay a foundation for studies of the efficacy of playground designs in promoting social integration. Includes 45 references. 44p.

The Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board has issued guidelines to serve as the basis for enforceable standards to be adopted by the Department of Justice for new construction and alterations of play areas covered by the Americans with Disabilities Act. The guidelines include scoping and technical provisions for ground level and elevated play components, accessible routes, ramps and transfer systems, ground surfaces, and soft contained play structures. Included is an amendment, dated November 20, 2000, which clarifies a potential "double-counting" problem involving the minimum number of ground and elevated level play components that must be located on an accessible route. Also included are tables of equipment and ground surface costs, typical maintenance frequencies and costs, and the number of small entities affected by the guidelines. 33p.

Discusses and quantifies costs and benefits of the final accessibility guidelines for play areas issued by the Access Board. The guidelines are intended to provide minimum accessibility requirements for play areas designed for children ages two and over. The guidelines will affect children with disabilities, their parents, and owners and operators of play areas. The guidelines apply only to newly designed and newly constructed play areas and existing play areas that are altered. All newly designed, constructed and altered play areas must comply with the guidelines. 54p.

This paper presents data concerning public playgrounds that shows a majority of American playgrounds pose hidden threats to children. It reveals that 1) 80 percent of the 1,024 playgrounds surveyed lacked adequate protective surfacing; 2) 31 percent of slides and climbing equipment surveyed did not have an adequate fall zone; 4) 48 percent of playgrounds had climbers and 36 percent had slides where height of the play equipment is greater than 6 feet; 5) 13 percent of playgrounds with swings had swing seats that are made of wood, metal, or other rigid material that increases injury severity; 6) 27 percent of playgrounds with swings had some swings that were either too close together or too close to swing supports; 7) 34 percent of playgrounds improperly sized openings in the play equipment posing a head entrapment threat; 8) 38 percent of playgrounds had small gaps, open S-hooks and other protrusions posing clothing entanglement threats; 9) 38 percent of playgrounds had unacceptable dangerous equipment, such as chain or cable walks and animal swings; and 10) 47 percent of all playgrounds had peeling, chipped, or cracking paints on equipment surfaces. Recommended corrective actions are offered. 20p.

This publication covers the planning and design of school grounds for outdoor learning in new and existing K-12 facilities. It discusses the different types of outdoor learning environments that can be considered, the value of flexible spaces for outdoor learning, and resources for those interested in outdoor learning environments. Also explored are environmental education's physical impact on school grounds, considerations during school site development when outdoor education is to be included, and existing school site redesign for outdoor education. 7p.

The surface under and around playground equipment can be a major factor in determining the injury-causing potential of a fall. This discusses the determination of the shock absorbency of a surfacing material; critical height; highest accessible part of equipment; accessibility to the disabled; acceptability of various surfacing materials; and other characteristics of surfacing materials.

Each year, about 200,000 children are treated in U.S. hospital emergency rooms for playground equipment-related injuries - an estimated 148,000 of these injuries involve public playground equipment. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) offers consumers this simple checklist to make sure the public playground is a safe place to play.

Photographs of a musical play area at a school in Sweden that is accessable to the whole community in Mariestad.

This 3-part book addresses the design or maintenance of spaces where children are the primary users covering both commercial and residential designs and products. Part I chapters provide anthropometric data of children from birth to age 18, offers dimensions for typical objects within the child's built environment; synthesizes the Consumer Product Safety Commission's safety guidelines for play areas; and provides dimensions of typical, and sometimes untypical, products that are often found in children's environments. Part II features a source list developed for designers that lists products appropriate for use in children's environments. Part III chapters outline the development of children's abilities and perceptions in the first stages of life from birth to age 10, and offers a bibliography of the most effective and highly regarded resources in the area of children's design. 306p.

Advocates natural play gardens for children, stressing their benefits to learning and development. Design features which encourage exploration and discovery are described. 5p.

The aim of this paper is to set down some of the theoretical dimensions of the physical environment to encourage playworkers to consider space and its content as a versatile, valuable support in playwork practice. An inviting sense of place allows children to express themselves, to interact and unfold their curiosity for the external world, including relations with the people around them. Place-enhancing processes, activated through play, help elaborate the place beyond the confines of everyday life, providing children with a sense of belonging, identity, and ownership–the culture of the place. The body (our personal, most private space) has a very dynamic relationship to external space that is so commonplace we often gloss over it. As we discover the body-in-space, the body-in-time appears as the companion, helping to complete the totality of body skills. The richer and more diverse the world is, the greater likelihood that places acquire anima locii. Regarding the potential play value of a diverse, changeable physical environment, one could say that a play program can only be as good as its physical environment and the playworkers’ skill in managing it to maximize the programming potential with the children. [Authors' abstract]

This document presents requirements related to staff and facilities providing early childhood special education services in North Dakota. Teacher qualifications are stated and staffing patterns involving teachers, related services personnel, paraeducators, and volunteers are described. A section on administrative considerations provides additional standards and guidelines for classroom facilities (especially accessibility options), safety standards, playground facilities, emergency precautions, interagency collaboration, transportation, funding, evaluation, and technology-based options. 14p.

A CD-ROM provides a tour of some of the world's greatest play environments, presenting 94 photographic images that illustrate the key concepts and recommendations from Play For All guidelines. It is organized into 10 categories covering a range of play area settings, including play equipment, sand settings, water settings, play props, and animal habitats.

Outdoor play is commonly believed to be an important form of play for young children. This shows how to design, equip, and maintain safe yet challenging playgrounds. The chapters are: (1) "Why Playgrounds?" exploring the elements and value of outdoor play and safety versus challenge; (2) "Developmental Characteristics of Young Children," including physical, emotional, social, and cognitive development, and sensory experiences outdoors; (3) "Playground Design," including analyzing children's outdoor play patterns and needs, and assessing the outdoor environment and planning the layout; (4) "Furnishing the Outdoor Classroom," including stationary structures and loose, manipulative materials; (5) "Safety," including standards and guidelines; (6) "Supporting Children's Outdoor Play: The Adult's Role," outlining specific strategies; and (7) "Playground Assessment Case Study," including the surrounding community and recommendations. Seven appendices include observation records, inspection and incident report forms, and a list of toxic and nontoxic vegetation. (Contains 40 references.) 144p.

A nationwide survey investigated public playgrounds and found that a majority of America's playgrounds pose hidden threats to children. Focusing on playground hazards, the survey reports that 87 percent of the 760 surveyed lacked adequate protective surfacing; 40 percent of slides and climbing equipment did not have adequate fall zones; 62 percent of playgrounds had climbers and 37 percent had slides where the height of the play equipment is greater than 6 feet high; 12 percent of playgrounds with swings had swing seats that are made of wood, metal, or other rigid material; 58 percent of playgrounds contained swings either too close together or to swing supports; 42 percent of playgrounds had play equipment that posed threats for head entrapment; 40 percent of playgrounds had clothing entanglement hazards; and 43 percent of playgrounds had other unacceptably dangerous equipment. The survey also reports playground improvements made over the past few years to better safeguard kids such as less use of hard surfaces under playground equipment.

Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board is responsible for developing accessibility guidelines under the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, including play facilities. This report provides a section-by-section analysis of the proposed guidelines, and exceptions, for play areas. Guidelines include ground and elevated level play components; accessible routes; clear width and height; ramps, handrails, and transfer systems; maneuvering space; reach ranges; accessible surfaces; and soft-contained play structures. Definitions of play area terms conclude the report. 20p.

This handbook includes technical safety guidelines for designing, constructing, operating, and maintaining public playgrounds. It also includes a "Public Playground Safety Checklist" to highlight some of the most important safety issues for parents and community groups. The handbook covers such topics as surfacing, use zones for equipment; installation and maintenance of equipment; materials of manufacture and construction; platforms, guardrails, and protective barriers. Additionally, it addresses safety issues concerning major types of playground equipment such as climbing equipment, merry-go-rounds, seesaws, slides, swings, and trampolines. Appendices include entrapment recommendations and test methods, characteristics of surfacing materials, and a description of loose-fill surfacing materials. 42p.

The author is Chief Landscape Architect with the Forestry Commission, Edinburgh, UK. He writes design guidelines for outdoor recreation facilities and provides numerous examples. Chapter 8, Children's Play, provides playground information pertinent to school facilities and those planning for children with disabilities. 218

This includes a complete set of checklist forms to inspect the site, play equipment, and safety surfacing of children's play areas. Includes ASTM guidelines and CPSC guidelines; audits and annual, periodic, and daily inspections forms; and expanded definitions and inspection procedures. This addresses both preschool and school-age play areas. 128p.

Research on playground design in Japan and England offers challenges to the logic behind how playgrounds in the United States are designed. This paper presents observations of outdoor environments for children and youth in Japan and England where the space is not only useful and safe but also contributes to learning and play that reflects the regional and cultural elements of the surrounding community. It describes the educational, aesthetic, and environmental values embodied in these playgrounds and discusses the implications for school-ground design in the United States. Observations from both countries reveal a close connection between the inside and outside areas in playground design, but also show a very different attitude towards child privacy and socialization needs. 7p.

This piece provides guidance to those who will be working with design professionals to create outdoor learning environments. The components of a design proposal are listed and explained and recommendations for the composition of a design team are provided. Information is intended to help site owners become better clients. 3p.

Why typical playgrounds are designed the way they are by adults is discussed, including what the ideal outdoor play/learning environment for children is and how the outdoor space should be considered as an extension of the classroom. The paper emphasizes the importance of nature to children, discusses the criteria playground designers should possess, and explains why it is essential for the design process to include input from children, teachers, parents, and maintenance staff. 7p.

Outdoor playgrounds can be exciting places where children explore their environment while developing motor and social skills; however, they also can pose serious safety hazards. This brochure discusses common playground hazards and recommends actions that parents and others can take to increase playground safety. 17p

This is a collection of eighteen monographs providing a comprehensive study of children's play and playgrounds. Themes covered are planning playgrounds; playgrounds and liability; and history of playgrounds. 310p.

Landscape architects, playground manufacturers, and the federal government have all developed guidelines for accessible, safe play landscapes. This paper examines the difficulties in meeting these guidelines due to two main obstacles: ignorance of access needs and the perception that accessibility is expensive. It suggests that landscape architects have the skills to design access at a reasonable cost because they can evaluate sites for their potential advantages and drawbacks. The paper argues for playground layouts that allow handicapped and able-bodied children to play together. Concluding comments briefly address the needs for other playground components that include water, shade, and areas for supervising adults. Line drawings of two playground design concepts are included. (Contains 16 references and 7 notes.) p.136-140

This guidebook provides information on improving urban school grounds to enhance children's lives. Chapters provide the experiences from other schools on the topics of greening the urban school grounds; the multi-cultural aspects of developing urban school grounds; organization of limited space; issues involving seating, shelter, and raised structures; and playground art. The unique difficulties involved in secondary school ground development are addressed in the areas of curriculum linkage, social needs, and the management and organization of change. Additionally discussed are areas of special consideration in urban school grounds development, such as vandalism prevention, school security, tarmac removal, and new surface installation. Resource information is provided along with a list of schools and their locations which have created winning grounds development schemes. 110p.

This has information, resources, and recommended techniques needed to inspect and evaluate old as well as new public playgrounds. It includes a fully indexed edition of the Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC) public playground guidelines. Special emphasis is placed on recommendations for pre-school playground development when they differ from those for school-age children. Points About Playgrounds compares the 1981 CPSC guidelines to the 1991 guidelines in easy chart form for quick reference. It provides step-by-step techniques to inspect and evaluate any playground, regardless of type and age of equipment now installed. 238p.

The planning and design of child care centers has been undertaken without sufficient knowledge of children's spatial behavior, resulting in centers not providing appropriate physical conditions for young children's developmental needs. This workbook contains exercises and other learning materials for young students that follow principles of good design in the following units: (1) "Goal Setting"; (2) "What Is a Learning Environment," including components of a learning center, along with how to create and rate learning centers; (3) "Playroom Design Principles," focusing on light and color, planning, and modeling the playroom; (4) "Building Image"; (5) "Planning the Facility"; and (6) "Planning Outdoor Play," including play zones, planning outdoor play (POP), playground safety, playground document scale, and mapping children's behavior. 124p.

The research project, Special Places; Special People, is designed to provide insight and advice in the management of schools and their grounds for the benefit of children. This document describes the project's research methodology and findings, explores some of the wider implications arising from the study, and suggests ways in which schools might embark upon effecting change. Research findings are discussed on how children read the external environment and school grounds. Issues arising from these findings examine the importance of school grounds to children in a modern society, the messages school grounds convey about the ethos of schools, and children's attitudes and behavior that are determined by the school grounds and the way they are managed. 140p.

This book examines the history and purpose of outdoor play areas. Chapter 1 of the book discusses the importance of play in children's lives and the role of playgrounds in the play process. The historical development and evolution of playgrounds is recounted in chapter 2, while chapter 3 reviews research on playgrounds, including research concerning gender differences, playground equipment, preschoolers' motor activities, exceptional children's playground behaviors, aggression, and parents' and teachers' attitudes about play. Chapter 4 is an international survey of innovative playgrounds. Chapter 5 considers issues relevant to playground use by exceptional children, including mentally retarded children, emotionally disturbed children, and visually and hearing impaired children. Chapter 6 reviews research on and offers suggestions concerning playground construction and safety, while ways in which playgrounds can be used as part of nonformal and formal education are outlined in chapter 7. Chapter 8 explores the potential of playgrounds to improve the impact of education on the development of children and to extend the experience of inner-city children. 192p.

This publication presents principles of universal playgrounds, designed to maximize accessibility for all children. First, the rationale for the universal playground is given. Next, current guidelines for playground design are discussed including safety, accessibility, developmental issues, social/emotional development, intellectual development, sensory development, perceptual-motor development, physical development, and age factors. Playground adaptations to improve accessibility are considered for site development, parking and curbs, walkways, and surface treatments. Playground layout is then considered in some detail including standards for equipment clearance, traffic patterns, practical aesthetics, maintenance, and possible equipment. Sample layouts, a planning survey form, a universal playground action plan checklist, and a list of 10 additional resources complete the publication.

Although the value of play in child development has been questioned in the past, it is now widely accepted that high-quality play environments and time for play are essential in the educational and developmental program for young children. Each school needs a master plan for developing school playgrounds: a plan that pays special attention to site features, the age groups to be served, the number of children, and the children's special needs. Selecting playground equipment is also an important task. The school system administration should assume all responsibility for approving playground site plans and purchasing and installing playground equipment. Once playgrounds are open, the equipment should have constant, systematic inspection and maintenance. All teachers, custodial personnel, and maintenance personnel should receive annual training on playground maintenance.

These guidelines assist professional designers, park and recreation managers, and community groups when making decisions about the planning, design, and ongoing management of childrens public play environments. The guidelines are updated to meet or exceed the requirements of the Americans With Disabilities Act Guidelines (July 26, 1991) and the revised Consumer Product Safety Commission guidelines (1991). The first two of four parts cover site planning and design, and setting design and management. Part 3 examines the Play For All guidelines being used to help rebuild a public playground with emphasis on improving accessibility and providing amenities for all people. Finally, Part 4 provides an overview of play programming and management for integration of all children. 300p.

This paper identifies issues confronting early childhood educators who want to integrate children with special needs with others, and the implications of such integration for the design of outdoor play settings. The paper focuses on the ambiguity involved when developmentally appropriate practice in early childhood education meets trends in playground design. It is emphasized that playground equipment needs to provide opportunities and challenges appropriate to the age and development of children. It is important to create an outdoor play setting abundant in: (1) aspects of nature; (2) furniture and shade that allow for creative and social experiences; (3) a variety of surface textures, materials, and loose parts for children to touch and manipulate; and (4) space that allows children to move around, interact with nature, socialize, and challenge their physical dexterity. 6p.

The primary elements of playground safety are (1) removing equipment that is too tall; (2) installing resilient surfacing under all equipment; (3) removing hazards such as debris or broken equipment; and, (4) supervising children's play. It is up to parents, teachers, and individuals in the community to demand safer play areas and to provide proper supervision for children's play.

All schools need a variety of size, shape, type, and texture in their grounds to provide an opportunity for play, study, and shelter. This booklet provides 13 case studies of English sites illustrating some of the most imaginative work taking place in school grounds, and outlines action plans for changing grounds. Photographs and design drawings of grounds accompany each entry. Also provided are a pull-out chart outlining the grounds design action plan and information about the Learning Through Landscape Trust. 22p.

A guide presents information for identifying helpful resources related to facility design for early childhood programs and materials exploring some of the critical issues involved in design decisions, particularly as they pertain to young children's learning and play environments. Included are tips for planning safe educational environments and for providing an indoor and outdoor physical environment that fosters optimal growth and development through opportunities for exploration and learning. The document concludes with an article on how to improve school playgrounds and a playground improvement rating scale to determine how well a playground meets certain goals. 27p.

The articles in this book provide a broad scope of information needed for adequately providing for the needs of children who play on school playgrounds. Articles are: (1) "Child Development and Playgrounds" (J. Frost); (2) "Playground Design: A Scientific Approach" (L. Bowers); (3) "Playground Equipment: A Designer's Perspective" (J. Beckwith); (4) "Developing Responsibility of Children for Playground Safety" (P. Lowe); (5) "Teacher Commitment to Playground Safety" (L. Bruya); (6) "A System To Establish Playground Safety in the School" (E. Warrell); (7) "Project OLE': Outdoor Learning Environment for Children" (D. Sommerfeld and C. Dunn); (8) "Legeplads of Arhus: A 'Playspace' Concept from Denmark" (S. Green); (9) "New Concepts in Playstructures from the Commercial Sector" (J. Beckwith); and (10) "A System To Manage the Risk of Lawsuit" (L. Bruya and J. Beckwith). 248p.

The articles in this monograph reflect the findings of a national survey on elementary school playground equipment. Articles are: (1) "The Committee on Play and Its Mission" (D. Thompson); (2) "The National Survey of Elementary School Playground Equipment" (L. Bowers); (3) "Results of the Survey" (L. Bowers and L. Bruya); (4) "Location, Accessibility, and Equipment on Playgrounds" (S. Wortham); (5) "Slides, Swings and Climbing Equipment" (D. Thompson); (6) "Rotating, Spring Rocking, and See Saw Equipment" (S. Langendorfer); (7) "Sand Area, Wading Area, Signs, Trees & Pathways" (L. Bruya); (8) "Twenty-one Conclusions: Seventeen Safety Problems" (L. Bowers and L. Bruya); (9) "Our Nation's Playgrounds: In Need of Help" (D. Thompson); (10) "Teacher Preparation: Guidelines for Safe Play" (P. Lowe); (11) "Development Neglected on Hand-Me-Down Playgrounds" (S. Wortham); (12) "Negligence: Safety from Falls Overlooked" (J. Beckwith); and (13) "The New Challenge: Playground Upgrades" (L. Bruya). The following appendices are included: (1) Mission Statement for the Committee on Play; (2) National Elementary School Playground Equipment Survey; (3) Trained Volunteer Survey Administrators; (4) Playground selection process; and (5) The Playground Assessment (PEA) revised instrument. 258p.

Four major issues are explored in this study of child development research and its implications for children's playgrounds: (1) theories and philosophies of play; (2) the historical evolution of playgrounds; (3) research on child development, play, and playgrounds; and (4) creating playgrounds that meet children's developmental needs. Research suggests that developmentally appropriate play environments should include materials, equipment, space, and activities to enhance all forms of play, and contain complex superstructures and simple moveable materials to be used in combination. Additionally, to counter conditions of modern, urban, technological society, play environments should include nature areas and provide tools children can use to care for the total play environment. 23p.

This manual, based on the collective experience of various community groups, explores the steps for planning community playgrounds from the original inspiration to the final workday. It covers the planning approach, including community meeting management, committee development, safety issues, equipment options, funding, site selection, and communication topics. Also addressed is publicity and putting the entire plan into action. Appendices present a playground design game, handmade equipment layout planning, and a case study of the design process. 97p.

An interim criteria document provides descriptive information and planning, evaluation, and design guidelines for children's play areas located on military bases. The recommendations are presented in two major sections: planning and architecture design. Subcategories within the planning, criteria, and recommendations section address program master planning, physical master planning, physical planning decisions, and architectural program development process. Design recommendations subcategories address site organizing principles, patterns of activity spaces, general design of play spaces, and site details. The recommendations are presented as a series of "patterns," each suggesting a different design idea in response to children's needs and the research information collected, and each further specifying detailed design criteria. A summary of important planning and design issues and recommendations and an introduction to new ways of thinking about children, their play, and the role of the physical environment in child development and play precedes the actual recommendations. 350p.

Reports on turning discarded, overlooked, and inexpensive spaces or objects into useful places and things for child-oriented learning in preschools or day care centers. The document is organized into five sections: 1) Types of Places which demonstrates the wide variety of unlikely structures that have been converted into viable educational spaces; 2) Furniture and Equipment which features imaginative use of manufacturers’ “throwaways”; 3) Outdoor Spaces which points up the use of rooftops and vacant lots for solutions to urban play space problems; 4) Outdoor Things; and 5) How to Go About It which provides sources for help, licensing requirements and codes, and a checklist of found items. A bibliography and a directory of the centers described in the report are included. 72p.

Details Denver's extensive program to renovate its school playgrounds and make them available for community use. The partnerships, financing, prioritizing, community involvement, landscaping elements, and professional volunteering surrounding the projects are narrated in detail.

Describes the Imagination Playground, a portable playground in boxes that can be assembled, broken down, and re-assembled according to the creativity of the children using it.

Describes how the non-profit Kaboom organization is involved in the distribution of the Imagination Playground, a portable playground in boxes that can be assembled, broken down, and re-assembled according to the creativity of the children using it.

Promotes the benefits of recess, which is increasingly crowded out of the school day due to academic demands and removal of playground equipment deemed unsafe. Recent activism that has restored recess to the school schedule is also covered.

Reviews the necessity of playgrounds to the physical, social, and mental development of children, while lamenting their disappearance due to liability concerns. Aspects of newer, safer playgrounds are covered, including age-appropriate design and equipment, proper maintenance, and accommodation of the adults who accompany the children.

Reviews the current state and potential future negative impact of childhood obesity, and describes new playground installations that raise activity level and encourage children to stay and exercise longer. Shade structures are detailed, being considered particularly important for extending playground use.

Reviews the latest innovations in playground design, including features that physically challenge children, engage them in educational activities, and accommodate the disabled. The Clemyjontri Park in McLean, Virginia is detailed as an example. Advice on choosing age-appropriate equipment, sun protection, and designing recreational areas for college students is also included.

Discusses safe playgrounds, including age-appropriate equipment and heights, surfacing materials, supervision, routine maintenance, and organizations that work to help improve playground safety.

Discusses the features of accessible playgrounds, citing the experience of Framingham's Hemenway Elementary School in siting and creating such a facility.

Laments limitations placed on children's schoolyard activity due to liability concerns. Safe playground equipment, proper supervision, schoolyard behavior indoctrination, and tolerance for occasional accidents is recommended.

Describes how the outdoor social and physical environment that a child has access to is very strongly associated with how active children and their families are, reviewing the state of the American playground and the public debate on the quality of playgrounds.

Profiles this renovated urban playground that now provides safe, observable, and handicapped-accessible recreation to the neighborhood, and is used by the adjacent elementary school as well. Exterior architectural motifs from an adjacent church were incorporated into the design.

Discusses trends in playground design that emphasize site-specific design, interaction with nature, accessibility, and dramatic play. Fanciful and realistic-looking climbing features, combinations of open and intimate spaces, ways to alleviate the sameness among playgrounds, and features that encourage extended stays are described with examples of esteemed installations from around the country.