Events

Ahren's Playground Safety Advocate of the Year Award

The National Program for Playground Safety gives the Ahren's Playground Safety Advocate of the Year Award to an individual who exemplifies the care and concern for children by helping keep our nation's playgrounds safe. The Ahren's Playground Safety Advocate of the Year Award was first given in 2002.

toy motorcycles at American International Toy Fair

The Toy Industry Association hosts the American International Toy Fair each year to showcase the newest toys and games on the market. It is the largest toy tradeshow in the Western Hemisphere.

The National Program for Playground Safety (NPPS) declares National Playground Safety Week each April as a time to focus on children's outdoor play environments. Appreciation for an organization or agency who exemplifies the care and concern for children by creating safe play environments is given in the annual presentation of the John Preston Playground Safety Award. The award is named after John Preston, an engineer for the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and a tireless worker for the safety of children. The award was first given in 2005.

On April 5, 2013 the University of the Incarnate Word (UIW) of San Antonio hosted the Lifelong Health, Fitness, and Learning through Play Conference. Presented by the Joe L. Frost Play Research Collection of the J.E. and L.E. Mabee Library of UIW, approximately 260 people attended the conference. Dr. Joe Frost addressed the theme of the conference, play across the lifespan, focusing on outdoor play for all.

In 1997, the National Program for Playground Safety (NPPS) founded the National Playground Safety Week to occur each April, giving the nation a time to yearly assess playground safety and express gratitude to those who are making playgrounds safer. State governors are encouraged to proclaim National Playground Safety Week each year.

Penn State Playground Safety Conferences

The 1995 International Playground Safety Conference, held at Penn State University, was the first worldwide conference on this subject. The Conference Convener and Chair was Penn State University Professor Monty Christiansen, an international advocate for children's play.

Playable10 International Design Competition

Inspired by the 1954 Playable Sculpture Competition sponsored by the Museum of Modern Art in New York City, Georgia Tech College of Architecture and Atlanta Taskforce on Play (ATOP) organized a four-category international competition in 2009 to design playground structures and playspaces called Playable10 International Design Competition.

Sandbox Summit is a series of conferences that undertake the mission to discover how technology affects the ways children play, learn, and connect with others. As technology becomes more pervasive in the lives of children, the goal of Sandbox Summit is "to ensure that the next generation of players becomes active innovators rather than passive consumers of technology."

New York City hosted the first Ultimate Block Party event on October 3, 2010. Described as a giant play date, 50,000 children and parents enjoyed a day at Central Park filled with fun activities designed to encourage learning through play.

The 2011 Conference on the Value of Play was held February 6-9, 2011, at Clemson University's Madren Conference Center. The US Play Coalition is a partnership to promote the value of play throughout one's life. It consists of individuals and organizations that recognize play as a valuable and necessary part of a healthy and productive life.

The US Play Coalition 2012 Conference on the Value of Play: Multi-Generational Actions and Strategies was held February 26-29, 2012, at Clemson University's Madren Conference Center. The US Play Coalition is a partnership to promote the value of play throughout life.

The theme of the US Play Coalition 2013 Conference on the Value of Play was "Taking Action!" Held February 17-20, 2013, at the Madren Conference Center at Clemson University, over 300 attendees from around the world.

The White House Conference on Bullying Prevention was held on March 10, 2011. The conference brought together approximately 150 students, parents, teachers, non-profit leaders, advocates and policymakers to discuss how they could work together to make the nation’s schools and communities safe for all students.

The World Play Day, sponsored by the International Toy Library Association (ITLA), is held on the 28th of May to commemorate the day the ITLA was proposed in 1987.

The Worldwide Day of Play (WWDOP), an initiative of the entertainment brand, Nickelodeon, is designed to encourage active outdoor play. Every year since 2004, Nickelodeon has designated the Worldwide Day of Play signaling children and families to move away from their television and computer screens by having the Nickelodeon networks and websites go dark for three hours.

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