The Walt Disney Magnet School Tot Lot, part of the school and park complex in Chicago, is designed for younger children. (Author/MLF)

A description is given of design plans for a park to be used by handicapped as well as nonhandicapped children. (JD)

Supervision is the weak link in safety upgrading programs for playgrounds. A strong educational thrust on safe playing is needed for parents of pre-school children. Adults must understand how children behave at play and what playground equipment means to a child user. (JD0)

Examines the use of fabric mesh knitting as canopies for children's playgrounds. Its benefits and drawbacks are addressed as are how innovative design and choice of materials can help eliminate function difficulties. (GR)

The principal, teachers, custodial staff, parents, and students must cooperatively create a play environment that meets four critical safety requirements: supervised children, age-appropriate design, falls to cushioned surfaces, and equipment and surface maintenance. The National Program for Playground Safety has developed a model incorporating…

Discusses the design of playgrounds to maximize play value and minimize risk. Considers four major risk factors--lack of supervision, inappropriate design for children's ages, falls to hard surfaces, and poor equipment maintenance--and discusses ways to design the playground to minimize these risks. (JPB)

Increasingly sedentary lifestyles are contributing to overweight and other health concerns as children spend less and less time outside engaged in active play. Outdoor play provides important opportunities to explore the natural world, interact with peers, engage in vigorous physical activity, and learn about our environment. However, outdoor…

Early movement successes for young children are related to performing activities of daily living without assistance or with minimum assistance, recreational opportunities, and overall health wellness, growth, and development. As children are provided with frequent opportunities to participate in everyday fun and engaging physical activities, they…

Behavioral observation systems allow for a relatively objective way to record important academic, behavioral, and/or interactional processes. Not surprisingly, the majority of school-based observational methods have been designed for and evaluated within the classroom setting. Although this is understandable, the playground context during recess…

The inservice program described here provides workshop participants with background theory on young children's outdoor gross motor play, outdoor program design, playground apparatus, and alternative methods for providing gross motor experiences for young children. A brief description of the study's purpose and hypotheses is provided in Chapter I.…

This study assessed recreational facilities for European children 5 to 15 years of age, and discussed the best means of meeting needs. The first chapter reviews the educational aspects of children's play--including physical, social, and creative development--as they pertain to various age groups. The second chapter considers the types of…

This article focuses on the involvement of boys and girls in playground football. It is based on research conducted with 10- to 11-year-old pupils at two state primary schools in London. Boys and girls were found to draw on gender constructs that impacted variously on their involvement in playground football. The performance of masculinity through…

THIS STUDY REPRESENTS A SEARCH FOR A SYSTEM OF DETERMINING THE AMOUNT OF LAND REQUIRED TO CONDUCT THE EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS OFFERED BY THE CALIFORNIA PUBLIC SCHOOLS. DATA IS CONTAINED IN TABLES THAT PROVIDE A BASIS OF DETERMINING THE SITE SIZE FOR A SCHOOL THAT IS BEING DESIGNED TO SERVE A SPECIFIC ENROLLMENT SIZE AND GRADE LEVEL RANGE. THE SITE…

This learning approach emphasizes children's unique role in producing a safer playground environment. The emphasis is on awareness of safe play practices and an understanding of the safety hazards posed by poorly designed, poorly constructed, improperly maintained or misused equipment. The playground activities described are designed to help…

A discussion of the reasons for communities to work together in planning and building a playground opens this resource guide. Following are practical considerations involving dealing with bureaucracies, acquiring playground space, raising funds, locating materials, and beginning construction. In the nuts-and-bolts sections of the book the options…