Teaching students the importance of composting

Posted on October 11, 2013 by PlayLSI

The second annual Green Apple Day of Service, a day sponsored by the USGBC’s Center for Green Schools, took place on Friday, Sept. 27. We celebrated a day early by partnering with the MN Green Schools Coalition to help Delano Elementary School (DES) in Delano, Minn., improve their existing composting program. Throughout the week, DES’s media teacher read Compost Stew to each class and they completed a fun, classroom activity. Then on Friday, Sept. 27, we helped students compost their lunch waste, and handed out apples and goodie bags to each student and staff member. By participating in this program, the MN Green Schools Coalition awarded DES dollars to purchase new library books with an environmental theme. Check out the video of the event below, and go here to learn more about our community outreach.

Guest Blog: Securing funds for our inclusive playground

Posted on September 18, 2013 by PlayLSI

In June, we awarded the Iola Kiwanis club in Iola, Kan., $25,000 in playground equipment as part of the Make a Difference Through Play contest. Since winning, they’ve been busy with plans, and we’re happy to have an update to share from Michael Ford, member of the Iola Kiwanis club and community resource officer for the Iola Police Department.

After we were notified that we were the grand prize winners of the Make a Difference Through Play contest, our Kiwanis club met with the city council during open council to tell them about the $25,000 award from Landscape Structures. We took advantage of our time in front of them and also asked if they would consider pledging a matching donation to the inclusive playground. They agreed, which already put us at nearly 30 percent of our fundraising goal.

The Iola Kiwanis club asking for a matching $25,000 donation from the City of Iola.

The award and the matching donation had our Kiwanis club energized, and we took that energy to meet with other local businesses to secure funds. The Iola Wal-Mart and a local bank each pledged $5,000, our Kiwanis club has pledged at least $2,500, and we have many more businesses pledging support with donations of anywhere from $500 to $1,500.

We’re working on a couple of grant applications—one through the Kansas Health Foundation and another with KaBOOM!. We also have fundraisers scheduled—a pancake breakfast, concessions at Farm City Days in Iola—with businesses pledging matching funds. Additionally, local construction companies have offered to donate materials when it comes time for the playground installation.

Iola is a city of 5,600 people. When you’re in a town this size, the community members know what’s happening in town. So while we have reached out to many businesses for donations, many have also approached us. We are trying to broaden our reach with a county-wide mailer to tell businesses and individuals that a fund has been set up through the Allen County Foundation so that they can easily make tax-deductible donations.

One design option for the Iola Kiwanis club’s inclusive playground.

Another aspect that was unexpected in this process was helping educate the community about planning, funding and installing a playground. Lots of the community members figured that we’d get the $25,000 from Landscape Structures and that would be it. But our vision is for a truly inclusive playground, and we realized quickly that we weren’t willing to cut back on the amount of playground equipment we wanted, and set our budget to meet that dream.

Stay tuned for another update from Michael next month when he’ll discuss getting community support.

Meet the professional: Bridget Stesney

Posted on August 23, 2013 by PlayLSI

We are so honored to work with clients around the world, and we’re constantly learning about their fun and unique projects, obstacles they’ve faced and the innovative solutions they’ve created to overcome challenges. That’s why we’ve created this new feature that spotlights professionals. This week, meet Bridget Stesney, chief operating officer at DC Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR).

Q: How long have you been involved in the park and recreation industry?
A: This fall, I will celebrate six years with DPR but I have always had an interest in recreation and the outdoors. I have been a lifeguard, a counselor at summer camps, a program leader at an environmental education center, and a ranger at a Michigan State Park.

Q: What have been some of your favorite initiatives to tackle since moving into parks and recreation?
A: In October 2012, we created an initiative called Play DC. The goal of Play DC is to create places for the entire family to be outside, playing together. We’ve set out to renovate 32 playgrounds this year. Kicking off the initiative was the Rosedale Recreation Center. This playground features an inclusive playground mimicking the monuments around the National Mall.

Rosedale Recreation Center (1701 Gales Street NE)

My favorite project at the moment, and that changes daily, is Palisades Recreation Center. We opened that playground on July 4. It has a Native American-themed play structure that pays tribute to the Potomac River settlement. The playground has been packed every day since the opening!

Palisades Recreation Center (5200 Sherrier Place NW)

We are also incorporating fitness stations in our playgrounds. In one park, we placed fitness stations and play equipment together along a fitness trail in an effort to encourage entire families to be active together.

At eight of our playgrounds, we are also installing new community gardens. This is just another amenity we hope will bring generations together, and it helps encourage healthy living.

Next year, we hope to hire “playground professionals” (the exact job title is still being worked on), who will host play dates at playgrounds around the District and help activate and program our parks and playgrounds.

Q: Being as passionate about parks and recreation as you are, does your career influence some of your personal hobbies?
A: Definitely. I’ve got two little boys—ages 3 and 5—so we’re always looking for new parks and playgrounds to visit. If I hear of a new playground opening nearby, we’ll go visit. And if we’re vacationing somewhere, I try to work in a few visits to playgrounds in the area. It’s fun for the boys, and also helps me in my work to see what other professionals are doing.

Aside from playground visits, we like to go kayaking and hiking, and have started venturing to baseball games. And for a little alone-time recreation, I like to run.

Learn more about DPR and their DC Play initiative here. And be sure to check back to meet more of our amazing clients.

Collaborating to improve playgrounds citywide

Posted on August 9, 2013 by PlayLSI

Work is underway at playgrounds all around Washington, D.C. The more than 30 playground renovations are part of an initiative of the D.C. Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) known as Play DC. Washington D.C. Mayor Vincent Gray has allocated $35 million to the playground improvement project.

Rosedale Recreation Center (1701 Gales Street NE)

The first of the completed playgrounds, located at Rosedale Recreation Center, celebrated its grand opening in late May. The playground offers a fully inclusive play experience for children and families, and it was designed to mimic many of the monuments located near the National Mall. Façades of the White House, U.S. Capitol, Lincoln Memorial and Washington Monument give the playground a truly signature look.

Palisades Recreation Center (5200 Sherrier Place NW)

Another amazing project that’s part of Play DC is at the Palisades Recreation Center. The playground offers a Native American-themed play structure that pays tribute to the Potomac River settlement. And keeping in mind the whole community, planners included the HealthBeat® Outdoor Fitness System for ages 13+. “We opened that playground on July 4,” said Bridget Stesney, chief operating officer at DPR, “and it has been packed every day since!”

Noyes Recreation Center (Franklin Street NE & 10th Street NE)

In July, DPR celebrated playground grand openings at Noyes Recreation Center and Fort Stanton Recreation Center on July 19 and 20, respectively. The Noyes playground was inspired by nature and includes lots of climbing rocks, while two play structures at Fort Stanton offer a fort theme for lots of imaginative play.

Fort Stanton Recreation Center (1812 Erie Street SE)

DPR is hosting grand openings regularly—the next one is happening Monday, Aug. 12, at the Raymond Recreation Center. And when they’re not celebrating grand openings, they’re celebrating ground breakings. The entire DPR team is excited to be able to renovate the playgrounds citywide, and hope that they will become spaces where all generations can come together to be active, have fun and play.

Congratulations Iola Kiwanis!

Posted on June 25, 2013 by PlayLSI

Iola Kiwanis club in Iola, Kan., is the winner of the Make a Difference Through Play contest! They won $25,000 in playground equipment from Landscape Structures for their essay submission describing why their community needs a new playground.

The City of Iola is situated along the Neosho River in Southeast Kansas. With a population of nearly 5,700 residents, Iola is the largest town in a tri-county area. The City’s main recreation space, Riverside Park, is home to many amenities including a pool, athletic fields and a playground. The $25,000 award will allow the opportunity to create a playground that will accommodate children and families with special needs. The Iola Kiwanis club is collaborating with other local organizations—M.O.M., Iola Pride Committee, Iola Wal-Mart volunteers and many more—and plans to install a safe and inclusive play environment that will welcome all abilities.

The Iola Kiwanis club will complete their inclusive playground project on or around Kiwanis One Day, April 5, 2014. One Day is Kiwanis International’s signature day of service during which many clubs participate in service projects benefitting their local communities.

Thornton Creek Elementary School celebrates new inclusive playground

Posted on May 30, 2013 by PlayLSI

The grand prize recipient of the School Grounds. Playgrounds. Common Ground.® contest, Thornton Creek Elementary School in Novi, Mich., celebrated the completion of their new inclusive playground with a grand opening on Thursday, May 23. The school received $50,000 in inclusive playground equipment from the Landscape Structures- and NAESP Foundation-sponsored contest, plus a playground committee spearheaded some major fundraising efforts in order to design a truly inclusive playground for students.

Thornton Creek's playground committee worked tirelessly to raise additional funds.

Thornton Creek Elementary School playground committee

Thornton Creek Elementary School’s new playground features an inclusive design that focuses on bringing children of all abilities together to learn, play and grow. A PlayBooster® playstructure was included in the design along with inclusive and sensory-focused freestanding components like the Cozy Dome®, OmniSpin® spinner, Oodle® Swing and We-saw™. Thornton Creek Elementary School’s new playground will welcome children of all abilities as well as serve as an outdoor classroom to help students develop their social, problem solving and gross motor skills.

The We-saw™ is just one of the inclusive playground components at Thornton Creek's new inclusive playground.

Thornton Creek Elementary School’s new inclusive playground

The grand opening included a ribbon-cutting ceremony with all of the students. Classrooms that raised the top fundraising dollars were honored and allowed the “first play” opportunity on the new playground followed by other classrooms throughout the morning. Congratulations to the entire school community for providing a place where kids of all abilities can play together!

Honored for her business innovation, leadership and legacy

Posted on May 14, 2013 by PlayLSI

Our cofounder, Barb King (1946-2008) was recently inducted into the Minnesota Women Business Owners Hall of Fame. The Hall of Fame was created to honor women entrepreneurial leaders and the first of 25—20 living and 5 posthumous—representing 150 years of Minnesota business history were inducted on April 25. Barb was honored for her business innovation, leadership and the legacy she left for future generations of Minnesota business women.

Barb was the president of Landscape Structures until her passing in 2008, and was committed to children throughout her life. She was passionate about showing them how to lead healthier lives and to appreciate nature. In addition to cofounding Landscape Structures with her husband, Steve King, Barb founded and was the benefactor of the Säjai® Foundation. The Foundation is a national nonprofit organization dedicated to working with local communities to educate children about how to live a healthier life by encouraging them to get outdoors, be active and make smart nutrition decisions.

Landscape Structures employees at Barb King Inspiration Park in Delano

All of us employees are proud to have known Barb. She was our passionate colleague, friend, mentor, confidant and much more, and we constantly strive to celebrate her inspiring life. Learn more about Barb here, where you can read past articles written about her, browse photos of her in professional and personal settings, and watch a video to get a sense of who Barb was and see the positive impact she had on so many people.

Building healthy, sustainable communities on Earth Day

Posted on April 24, 2013 by PlayLSI

On Monday, April 22—Earth Day—teams of Landscape Structures employees handed out potted herbs to students and teachers at Delano Elementary School and community members that visited the local grocery store, Coborn’s. In total, we handed out 1,200 herb gardens to the Delano community.

The herb handout was done in conjunction with the Healthy Delano project, a community program designed to help Delano residents find the best resources for healthy eating and activities. We hope that by involving the students, they will go home, get involved with meal planning and encourage their families to cook healthy meals.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_LwXFWsp2Fk&w=560&h=315]

See more photos of the event here, and watch the video above. Did you celebrate Earth Day? Tell us in the comments below what activities were happening in and around your communities.

Contest helps Kiwanis clubs “Make a Difference Through Play”

Posted on April 22, 2013 by PlayLSI

We are excited to be partnering with Kiwanis International to help a deserving Kiwanis club bring a playground to their community through a contest on Facebook called, Make a Difference Through Play. The winning Kiwanis club will receive $25,000 in playground equipment to be used toward a playground project that can be completed on Kiwanis One Day, April 5, 2014, which is Kiwanis International’s signature day of service.

The contest is open to all Kiwanis clubs that are currently working on a playground project. Qualified contestants can enter the contest at facebook.com/Kiwanis by completing the entry form. Entries will accepted through May 5, 2013. Following the submission period, Facebook users will have the opportunity to vote for their favorite project. Find complete contest rules here.

Landscape Structures became a vision partner of Kiwanis International in January 2013. Kiwanis and its family of clubs partner with Landscape Structures to bring play and playgrounds to communities across the globe. Learn more about the partnership at playlsi.com.

Designing to meet ALL children’s needs

Posted on December 4, 2012 by PlayLSI

This week (Dec. 3-7) marks Inclusive Schools Week, which celebrates the progress that schools have made in providing supportive and quality education to increasingly diverse student populations. This week, educators, students and parents are encouraged to discuss how to continually ensure the inclusion of all children regardless of ability, gender, socio-economic status, cultural heritage, language preference and other factors.

JT’s Grommet Island Beach Park & Playground for Every “Body,” Virginia Beach, Va.

At Landscape Structures, we’re using Inclusive Schools Week to educate playground planners on the importance of creating truly inclusive play spaces. In addition to thinking about accessibility on the playground, planners need to consider children with sensory deficits and other developmental issues to ensure inclusion.

Creating an inclusive playground may sound like a daunting task for your school or community, but by following simple design criteria you can create a play space that welcomes children of all abilities. We use a design philosophy that addresses the environment, the play experience and variability. The combination of these elements allows every child to choose how they want to engage in the playground. Our design philosophy is influenced by the Seven Principles of Universal Design to help us increase the usability, safety, health and social participation of our play environments.

Morgan’s Wonderland, San Antonio, Texas

Browse our Playspace Design brochure to learn more about our design philosophy, and then go here to get more information about our commitment to inclusive play.

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