2018 Top Toy Trends
The top toy trends of 2018 were announced at this year's New York Toy Fair. Can you guess what they are? Read more
The Friendship Swing is fun for the whole family
The FriendshipTM Swing is fun for the whole family. Kids, parents, grandparents – one size fits all. Learn about this new product. Read more
Softline Solutions
Softline Solutions is a provider of rubber surfaces and rubber products. Using recycled materials, Softline Solutions offers products for playgrounds, daycares, running tracks, schools, and other facilities.
Todd Lehman
Todd Lehman is the founder and executive creative director of Cre8Play, a custom design playground manufacturer. The goal of his company is to design and build playgrounds to "play in" rather than "play on."
Free Play LLC
Free Play LLC is a design studio that creates abstract sensory play equipment for interactive learning and unstructured playing. Through these abstract structures they seek to "give kids not just a physical workout, but a cognitive one, too, as they decide what to do with each structure."
Protective Barrier
A Protective Barrier on a playground structure is defined as "An enclosing device around an elevated surface that prevents both inadvertent and deliberate attempts to pass through the device." Protective barriers are required to protect children from jumping or falling from elevated surfaces.
Shock Absorbing
In the context of playgrounds, "shock absorbing" refers to the properties of the protective surface that assist in preventing or minimizing injuries. Shock absorbing is also referred to as "impact attenuating" as it relates to playground surfacing.
Arch R Flannery
Known as the "father of baseball" in Battle Creek, Michigan, itself the home of amateur baseball, Arch Flannery promoted physical education, amateur sports, and civic recreation for over 40 years. For his achievements the Flannery Softball Complex in Battle Creek was named in his honor and he was posthumously inducted into the Michigan Recreation and Parks Association Hall of Fame in 2005.
Danny Byrd
Danny Byrd is a playground equipment designer for Cre8Play, a custom play designer and manufacturer. His work in the playground industry included serving on several ASTM International committees.
Kathleen Burriss
An authority on early childhood development and play, Dr. Kathleen Burriss is professor at Middle Tennessee State University. Dr. Burriss is a prolific writer and speaker on the subjects of early childhood learning, outdoor learning, and play.
