Provides tips on how to avoid accidents and injuries on school playgrounds. Tips include removing of old, dangerous equipment; relocating play areas to safer ground; choosing the right surface; factoring in long-term costs for replenishing and redistributing loose materials; and considering Americans with Disabilities Act issues. (GR)

"From Good to Great--Stevenson Grows Wild" was an art and ecology project created by the teachers, students, and staff at Robert Louis Stevenson Elementary School in Grandview Heights, Ohio, in Spring 2002. This schoolyard habitat redevelopment was organized by the school librarian, three fourth-grade teachers, a graduate student, and…

These booklets, parts I and II of a three-part series, describe in detail issues related to the future development of an innovative outdoor public playground especially designed for integrated play between handicapped and able-bodied children. The first booklet describes potential user groups--the types of children who are expected to use the…

Examines the role of playgrounds that use discarded items or "junk" as an integral part of kindergarten classes in an Israeli kibbutz. Suggests that play in the junkyard, by including the whole person--muscles and senses, emotion and intellect, individual growth and social interaction--can offer the experiential foundations on which…

Presents seven articles on outdoor play environments: "Are We Losing Ground?" (Greenman); "Designing and Creating Natural Play Environments for Young Children" (Keeler); "Adventure Playgrounds and Outdoor Safety Issues" (McGinnis); "Trust, the Earth and Children: Birth to Three" (Young); "Outdoor Magic…

Provides a sequential set of instructions for creating a large playground map. Discusses the educational benefits of such a map, and suggests activities for using the map effectively. Stresses the usefulness of maps in teaching place identification, spatial patterns, and directional orientation. (RW)

Schoolyard wildlife habitats aren't just for beauty and fun--they are outdoor classrooms where real science learning takes place. Schoolyard habitat projects involve conservation and restoration of wildlife habitat; however, the learning doesn't have to stop there--outdoor classrooms can foster many kinds of active learning across the curriculum…

This guide addresses the planning and architectural design of play/learning environments for special needs children. The exceptional children discussed include those with most types of mild to severe handicaps and developmental disabilities. Specifically excluded from consideration are health impairments, severe psycho-emotional difficulties such…

A CHILD'S POSTURE PATTERNS MAY LEAD TO AN ADULT'S PHYSICAL HANDICAP. THE MAIN THEME OF THIS BOOK IS TO SERVE AS A GUIDE FOR THE ELEMENTARY TEACHER OR PARENT IN THE DETECTION AND UNDERSTANDING OF DEVIATIONS FROM THE NORMAL POSTURE PATTERNS WHILE THE CHILD IS SITTING, STANDING, OR MOVING ABOUT SO AS TO PREVENT FUTURE HANDICAPPING CONDITIONS.…

The playgrounds pictured and discussed in this book are called Workyards. They are places where children play--in any way they elect. Limitations are set only by the space that is available and by the always changing and abundant supply of materials: lumber, nails, tools, old machinery, rope, sinks, stoves, pickets from an old fence, barrels, and…

This paper presents suggestions and guidelines for planning creative outdoor learning environments and experiences for young children. The discussion focuses on the fact that children learn more readily and develop better physically, intellectually, emotionally, and socially when their play is allowed to be creative and innovative in nature. The…

Discussed are limits and constraints associated with the design of small urban parks located in such a way as to optimize use. Factors affecting design strategies and solutions are listed, and four major design strategies are examined. Specifically, strategies involve space, time, innovative designs, and municipal laws and by-laws. (RH)

This article discusses which structures on a playground are best. (PD)

Observation and interview forms for a study of the design of child care facilities and outdoor play areas are offered in this document. Researchers were interested in obtaining a general overview of facilities and conducting both informal observations of children's use of space and informal, semi-directed interviews with parents, staff and two…

REVIEWS THE VALUE OF PLAYGROUND APPARATUS, FACTORS IN SELECTION OF EQUIPMENT, AND CONSIDERATIONS IN PLANNING PLAYGROUNDS. ALSO INCLUDED ARE SECTIONS ON TYPES OF PLAY DEVICES, CONSTRUCTION OF PLAYGROUND APPARATUS, UNUSUAL PLAYGROUND APPARATUS, CARE OF EQUIPMENT, SOURCES OF ACCIDENTS OR DANGERS ON PLAYGROUNDS, AND EQUIPMENT SPACE REQUIREMENTS.…