![]() OUT OF THE (SAND) BOX: Just straight-up cool. Elevated sand tables replace sandboxes, back-supported swings replace traditional swing sets, and a sensory garden dedicated to the five senses invites all kids to engage with sight, sound, taste, smell, and touch. While some playgrounds simply add a ramp and call themselves “accessible,” the City of Auburn incorporated design elements for a variety of needs and levels of development. Photo by Year of Seattle Parksĭiscovery Playground was designed to be a truly “barrier-free” environment for everyone. The accessible design of Discovery Playground goes beyond ramps to affect all ways of play. The project is so successful that Cody shared his findings on a TEDx Talk and the foundation has two new Portland locations in the works for 2016. By eschewing conventional (and, let’s face it, kinda boring) “prescribed play” structures, they focused on progressive designs that are creative, inspiring, and open to all. When April and Cody Goldberg found that their local playground couldn’t accommodate their daughter’s wheelchair, they founded Harper’s Playground to build accessible and inspiring playspaces. Harper’s Playground takes a swing at innovative play spaces for all. PLAY FOR ALL: Accommodating all levels of physical and mental abilities. Kids build their own playground by mixing, matching, constructing, and dismantling, exercising body and mind. At Imagination Playground, simple elements like sand, water, foam blocks, and fabric make the blank slate a perfectly customizable opportunity. Photo by NYC ParksĪll right, this one is cool not because of the amazing features, but because of the amazing lack of features. Life-sized building blocks create infinite possibilities at Imagination Playground. While the idea is to promote independence and self-confidence for the players, the park encourages parents to join-but to keep their cell phones in their pockets. In 1979, the city established Adventure Playground, a half-acre of modifiable structures where youngsters are encouraged to build, hammer, and paint away their innovative ideas. It’s no surprise that you’d find something unconventional in California’s hippie capital of Berkeley. Photo by Berkeley Parks Recreation & Waterfront Adventure Playground, Berkeley, CAīerkeley’s experimental Adventure Playground gives kids the (literal) tools they need to grow and foster creativity. BUILD YOUR OWN ADVENTURE: Providing tools to DIY. Additionally, a quiet corner provides unique solace for children who might be overwhelmed by typical play environments. The pretend environment at Tatum’s Garden gives kids a fun way to learn about their surroundings (and, in some cases, their family’s livelihood). This parking-lot-turned-playground incorporates the agricultural industry of the area (literally nicknamed “The Salad Bowl of the World”) with a virtual vegetable garden for the aspiring green thumbs. The unconventional structures and pretend tractors at Tatum’s Garden are fun for all little sprouts. Plus, bio-retention landscaping, rain gardens, and community plots add all the educational tools you’ll need for a budding gardener. The twists and turns of slides, swings, and stairs reflect the increasing pattern where each new number (or size of the spiral) is the sum of the previous two: 0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, and so on. Playground transforms math (not everyone’s favorite subject) into playful spirals (something pretty much all kids can get behind). Inspired by the Fibonacci sequence, the Harry Thomas Sr. Learning spirals into play at the whimsical Harry Thomas Sr. ![]() EDUCATION RECREATION: Inspiring kids to learn through play. These eight playgrounds represent the best of the best in U.S. You won’t see a boring seesaw on a bed of wood chips here. What used to be the standard-metal ramps and slides, connected by monkey bars-is giving way to imaginative new designs, in addition to much-needed accommodations for children of all mental and physical abilities. While kids these days are already light years ahead of that, what with their iPhones and Xboxes, cities are compensating by building some pretty awesome playgrounds. All it took was a swing set and a sandbox. In the good ol’ days of childhood, having fun didn’t require making plans, buying tickets, or splitting the check seven ways.
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