Park Service Seeks to Reach Changing Population
from The Associated Press via Forbes
 From Florida to California, the National Park Service has brought minority children from cities to places they've never seen, hoping they will return with their parents. Surveys have found Hispanics and blacks are far less likely to visit the parks and far more likely to describe them as uncomfortable places. It's a problem of relevancy that, if left uncorrected, may lead to a day when taxpayers will decide they no longer value and are unwilling to fund preservation of the nation's historical and natural treasures. More
Experts Debate Validity of Swim Classes for Tots
from the Knox News Sentinel
Water safety for young children is a hotly debated topic each summer among early childhood experts. Drowning was the leading cause of accidental death among children 1 to 4 years old in 2005, the latest statistics available, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Nearly 30 percent of 1,664 accidental deaths of young children were from drowning. And yet experts disagree about whether swim lessons are appropriate for infants and toddlers. More
Camp Helps Autistic Kids Learn to Surf
from the Miami Herald
Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders learned to surf and learned about the sea during a surf camp in Miami Beach designed for them. The Miami Beach Parks and Recreation Department partnered with the University of Miami-Nova Southeastern University Center for Autism and Related Disabilities to offer the weeklong camp. More
Michigan Park Provides Venue for Fun Hunt
from the South Bend Tribune
Five-year-old Buster Ward, who's nickname is Bug, picked up a sweep net with both hands. Buster was looking for one of his favorite things, bugs. Buster was participating in a program for readers who joined the 2008 Summer Reading Program: Catch the Reading Bug! sponsored by the Cass District Library. About 25 children with parents followed Evie Kirkwood, parks and Recreation director of St. Joseph County Parks (Ind.) on the trail leading to the field. More
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Families with Disabled Kids Welcome Adapted Playgrounds
from The Press-Enterprise
Anel Gonzalez stopped taking her son David to the playground. It was too depressing. While other children hung from monkey bars, traversed bridges and glided down slides, David sat under a tree in his wheelchair watching his peers at play. But a recent trip to San Bernardino County's Prado Regional Park in Chino proved to be much different. David, 9, a quadriplegic with cerebral palsy, grinned as he launched down the slide. More
Young Player Gets a Taste of the Big Leagues
from the Bloomingdale Press
Five-year-old Daniel Alarcon of Bloomingdale got the opportunity of a lifetime when he walked onto Wrigley Field, before a crowd of more than 40,000, to throw the first pitch of a Chicago Cubs game. The opportunity was made possible by the Illinois Parks and Recreation Association, which has been hosting group outings with the Chicago Cubs since the mid-1980s. The Illinois Parks and Recreation Association began the outing to promote parks and recreation in Illinois and let children experience playing on a Major League ball field. More
'Gooey Games' Become an East Providence Tradition
from the East Providence Post
Getting messy was the name of the game as the East Providence, R.I., Parks and Recreation Department held the Gooey Games, part of its annual summer program. More than 200 playgrounders were bused to Pierce Field for the games, which have been occurring every summer for almost 20 years. More
‘Playground Idol’ a Hit for Iowa City
from the St. Petersburg Times
Months of dedication and hard work culminated in June when more than 350 community members volunteered to construct a playground in the Lake Belleview community of Clearwater, Fla. "This truly represented a community grassroots effort, and the project was only successful because of team members' diverse skills and dedication. This committee is certainly a model for other neighborhoods," said Clearwater Vice Mayor George Cretekos. More
Reaching Out to the Disabled
from the Denver Post
The Census Bureau recently reported that more than 51 million Americans have some kind of disability, and that two-thirds of those disabilities are classified as "severe." The town of Parker, Colo., is taking steps on its own to improve recreational access for people with disabilities. The town took the upper hand and commissioned a study of the recreational needs of disabled seniors and of families who have a member with a cognitive or physical disability. More
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10,000 Beat 'Extreme' Heat at 'Mighty Mud Mania'
from The Arizona Republic
More than 10,000 people flocked to Scottsdale, Ariz.'s Chaparral Park for the 33rd annual Mighty Mud Mania. They darted through the gritty obstacle courses, lounged in the mud pits, and just plain got dirty. "It's the only time you can get muddy and not have to get yelled at," volunteer Randy Hallas said. The 37-year-old Scottsdale resident ran the course when he was 10 years old and now helps children through it. More
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