urban hiking
Liz "Snorkel" Thomas, an Appalachian Trail record holder and an urban-hiking advocate, created a 225-mile route through New York City to help bring attention to the city's need for more playgrounds. Read more
plan cities for children
The link between children’s freedom to play and urban design features should result in local green spaces and low traffic levels. Tim Gill shares why it is important to plan cities for children and how car culture threatens their freedom and ability to play. Read more
pre-teens get dropped off
In The Netherlands, pre-teens get dropped off in the middle of the woods in the middle of the night to find their way back to civilization, and their parents are cool with it. Read more
more than a 10-minute walk
One-third of Atlanta’s residents live more than a 10-minute walk from a park, so the city is opening up its schoolyards and improving the health of all community members in the process. Read more
No Child Left Inside grant
Washington State’s No Child Left Inside grant was awarded $1.3 million to give over 14,000 children the chance to explore Washington parks, forest, and outdoor recreational places across the state. Read more
Chalk It Up to Play
Chalk It Up to Play is a free summer contest designed to help this community discover their parks. Each week for 10 weeks a chalk artist creates a colorful image in one of the city’s 21 parks to encourage kids to find them and in turn enjoy the park. Read more
someone designed that
While you’re spending your time at a park with your toes in the grass, watching the kids play on the swings, enjoying the scent of the flowers and plants around you, there’s something you should remember: someone designed that. Read more
the endless why
Little kids are notorious for asking incessant questions, the most common variety being the endless, “Why?” But imagine if, instead of “why?”, they’re actually saying, “Tell me more.” Read more
Seasons of Play
Seasons of Play: Natural Environments of Wonder was written by Rusty Keeler and published by Gryphon House, Inc. in 2016. The book contains over 200 photographs of the natural outdoor environments of three home-based preschools.
camp with your kids
Help your kids get comfortable in the great outdoors from an early age with a few tips that will help you get an idea of how to successfully camp with your kids and spark their love for the outdoors. Read more
