Hot Park Equipment No Child's Play
from ABC News
 Every summer, dozens of children across the country end up in the emergency room with serious burns because of overheated playground equipment. Kids and parents who have spent any time on a playground during the hottest months know how hot it can feel, but the actual temperature of the equipment is startling. More
NRPA’s Dirty Dozen: A Checklist for Safe Playgrounds
from NRPA
NRPA’s National Playground Safety Institute (NPSI) has identified twelve of the leading causes of injuries on playgrounds, and published The Dirty Dozen - A Checklist for Safe Playgrounds. The Dirty Dozen Online Guide is now available for FREE and is an excellent service to share with employees and park advocates, parents, educators and the general public. To access the Dirty Dozen Online Guide, click here.
Neighborhood May Affect High Blood Pressure Risk
from Reuters
Researchers found that people who lived in neighborhoods with more opportunities for exercise, less crime, better grocery stores and a closer sense of community had a lower risk having high blood pressure -- independent of factors such as income and education level. The findings, published in the journal Epidemiology, suggest that building better neighborhoods might also improve residents' cardiovascular health. More
Downtown L.A. Welcomes First New Public Park in More Than a Century
from the Los Angeles Times
In downtown Los Angeles recently there were sights and smells and sounds of a milestone event the concrete urban core had not hosted in more than a century. Fresh bark. Tinkling water cascading down a rocky slope. California sycamores and coast live oaks, an expansive meadow of velvety green grass and squealing children everywhere -- in soccer fields and on slides, clambering atop playground snakes and turtles. More
Boy Scout Says Park is 'Bigger Than You Think'
from the South Bend Tribune
Seventeen-year-old Sean Bridges gets a lot from Fredrickson Park in South Bend, Ind. Bridges, a senior at Penn High School and member of Boy Scout Troop 562, was the mastermind in the construction of an observation deck at the park. With the help of about 20 other volunteers, he said, the project was finished in about six weeks, with a total of about 480 man-hours of work. More
 |
Product Showcase: ParkPro
 ParkPro was designed with a unique perspective on how Park Districts service their communities. The Park District business model is completely unique in its utilization of full-time, part-time and seasonal part-time employees delivering a multitude of services. This structure, combined with the ever-changing needs of your community, requires a flexible registration and community communication tool. ParkPro delivers on all accounts, designed from the community needs to your backoffice administrative needs. More info
|
Kids Fest Honors Whatcom County, Wash., Youths
from The Bellingham Herald
The 19th annual Bellingham Kids Festival honored Whatcom County, Wash., youths with a fun-filled day of free food and entertainment.Thousands of kids enjoyed sack races, bean-bag tosses, a petting zoo and a performance by a nationally renowned magician. More
Teen Center Program Gets Kids Outdoors
from SignOn San Diego
Ryan Flickinger, program coordinator at the Lakeside, Calif., Teen Center, said the purpose of the county's adventure program is to show teenagers the joy of participating in outdoor activities. The county Department of Parks and Recreation has run the outdoor adventure program for five years with a $100,000 grant from the state parks department. The state recently awarded a $150,000 grant to the county to continue the program another five years. The program has served more than 1,000 youths at the two county-operated teen centers in Lakeside and Spring Valley and students at San Pasqual Academy, a residential campus for foster teens in Escondido, Calif. More
Video: Operation Playground
from ABC News
Kaboom! is a non-profit group dedicated to providing every child with a great place to play. In 2005, they made a commitment with their creative initiative to build 100 playgrounds in the bruised and battered region where Hurricanes Katrina and Rita hit. So for 2-1/2 years, the group has built playground after playground. More
Playing Outside is Good for Kids
from the Larchmont Chronicle
When you look back on your childhood, do you have memories of playing outside until the sun went down? Memories of leaving the house after breakfast and not seeing your front door until dinner was on the table? Many of today’s kids no longer have that luxury. The great outdoors suddenly isn’t so great anymore. But the good news is—parents are trying to take the outdoors back. More
Camp Has Youths Fit to Be Triathletes
from the Washington Post
For six weeks, D.C. kids are meeting for 3 1/2 hours Mondays through Fridays to run, swim, bike and learn about a living a healthy life. The camp is certified by USA Triathlon as an official training program. At the end of the six weeks, the athletes (no campers here) participate in a USA Triathlon-sanctioned triathlon. "We're teaching them lifetime fitness," said Molly Quinn, a triathlete and executive director of Achieve!, a Washington-based nonprofit group that runs a triathlon camp for inner-city kids in the District. More
 A long-term, ongoing testing program has proven that FieldTurf is safer than any other turf system and equal to, if not better than, natural grass in most critical areas of player safety. Independent safety tests and in-house performance testing has been an integral part of our business philosophy since the very first field we installed. More info
|
Get Outdoors, Get in Shape
from the Kalamazoo Gazette
Walkers and hikers in southwestern Michigan do not have to go far to find a scenic setting for their favorite form of exercise. Kalamazoo County, Mich., and surrounding areas have a wealth of trails for hikers and walkers of all skill levels and interests. And especially in summertime, getting outdoors can be a great way of getting in shape. More
|
The Original Pooch Post
 Secure dog tethering system for parks and open spaces.Great amenity for busy playgrounds, picnic areas, near benches and outside public park restrooms. More |
|
|
|
|
|
