Monty Christiansen has been concerned about children's safety as a designer of playgrounds, a Certified Playground Safety Inspector, professor, author, and active member in numerous professional associations.
Author Susan G. Solomon wrote American Playgrounds, Revitalizing Community Space as a history of American playgrounds and a call for change. It has been called “a compelling history, a manifesto, and a manual for change.”
Parent Cooperative Preschools International provides on-going support to families, educators, and social agencies who recognize the value of parents as teachers of their children and the necessity of educating parents to meet the developmental needs of their children.
Usually played outdoors, Capture the Flag is played with two teams of children with the object of capturing the opponent’s flag. The Capture the Flag game has its origins on the battlefield where armies would fly their flags while engaged in battle.
Defined as locomotion accomplished by swinging by the arms from one hold to another, brachiation is the action used to maneuver overhead playground equipment. Skills developed from brachiation include building strength, endurance, and flexibility as well as eye-hand coordination, visual distance perception, and balanced locomotor patterns.
Games with rules is a level of play that imposes rules that must be followed by the players. It requires self-regulation by the children who play, so they can successfully follow the rules and curb their own personal ego needs.
John Dewey was one of the most significant educational theorists of the early twentieth century. He was a philosopher, social reformer, and educator who explored the ideas of experience and reflection, democracy and community, and environments for learning.
Encyclopedia of Play in Today’s Society is a two-volume book that offers over 450 entries about play. This set contains a wide variety of topics including the leisure and recreational activities of children and adults throughout history as well as specific games, toys, and amateur sports they enjoy.
When children manipulate their environment to create things, they are engaged in constructive play. Experimenting with materials, they can build towers with blocks, construct objects with miscellaneous loose parts, play in the sand, and draw sidewalk murals with chalk.
Sledding is a popular winter activity for the whole family. Since sleds are relatively inexpensive and snow-covered sledding hills are free, sledding provides a great opportunity for children to enjoy the outdoors and nature while offering good physical exercise and fun.
