Reconnecting kids with nature

Posted on September 5, 2013 by PlayLSI

In the past few years, we’ve noticed an increase in childcare facilities focused on nature-inspired activities and nature-themed playground equipment. And the Early Childhood Family Center (ECFC) in Stillwater, Minn., is just one example of a childcare facility providing opportunities for kids to reconnect with nature.

“Our ECFC chose a nature-inspired playground, which accents the surrounding landscape,” explained Betty Soine, early childhood supervisor. “Also, research supports the value of using natural environments to encourage children’s overall growth and development. Our parent education program encourages parents to get outside with children during all seasons to experience the variety of outdoor environments, breathe the fresh air and explore the wonders of nature through the eyes of their child. An outdoor play environment that mimics nature supports a health and wellness focus for all our families and staff.”

The Early Childhood Family Center added a nature-inspired playground designed for kids ages 6 to 23 months. The Infant Single Poly Slide, Infant Balance Bar and Chimes Panel provide the right amount of sensory stimulation, balance, coordination and strength challenges. Even more, a play space for kids ages 2 to 5 has realistic bark, wood and rock textures, natural colors and discovery items like chipmunks, worms and insects built into the Log Stack Climber, Log Steppers and Recycled Tree House Roofs.

“Equipment was chosen with children of all abilities in mind,” said Betty. “Our team of staff professionals studied and selected types of equipment that could support building strength, mobility and cognitive skills through interactive outdoor play. The children are engaged in all types of movement and activities everyday that encourage and support physical, social and emotional, language and cognitive development. Our nature-inspired playground does exactly what we envisioned and more!”

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.

Bringing new, rolling shapes to the playground

Posted on June 20, 2013 by PlayLSI

We are excited to showcase one of our newest playground designs—the Hillscape Adventure! The treaded boardwalk-like climber mimics a hillside landscape and fits naturally into surrounding environments. This design can be ordered as is, customized to fit your site or budget needs, or use it as a starting point and create a design that’s completely unique.

The Hillscape Adventure offers a never-before-seen shape in playground design. Its wavy form and wood-grain textured boards are eye-catching to park visitors, and delivers a truly innovative play experience for kids ages 5 to 12. In addition to providing a unique climbing challenge, kids’ tactile, visual, proprioceptive and vestibular senses are engaged as they play. Even more, the Hillscape Adventure encourages imaginative, unscripted play. This flowing climber is available as a component within a playground structure or can be installed as a freestanding playground climber to accommodate a variety of space and budget requirements.

Learn more about the Hillscape Adventure and all of our design capabilities, then contact your local playground consultant to get started on your next playground design.

Sharing the history of Landscape Structures

Posted on April 12, 2013 by PlayLSI

Steve King, our cofounder and chairman, released a book titled, A Legacy of Play, in January. In A Legacy of Play, readers take a journey through the unusual history of Landscape Structures, and learn how the company helped the playground industry evolve while keeping in mind the most important aspect of play—child development across all ages and abilities.

When Steve was a landscape architectural student at Iowa State University in the mid-1960s, he was eager to learn more about play and went to the Child Development Department to observe kids. Their behaviors—kids didn’t like standing in line to use the swings or slides; they wanted group activities—got him thinking. For Steve’s final project he designed a playstructure using the continuous play concept, which combines traditional playground equipment into an endless stream of activities.

Landscape Structures’ first sold playstructure.

In 1971, Steve and his late wife, Barb, cofounded Landscape Structures. We are headquartered in Delano, Minn., and proud to be a 100-percent employee-owned company. Since opening, Steve and Barb were committed to enhancing children’s lives by creating inspiring play experiences, a mission that all of us employees connect with and work towards.

Landscape Structures corporate headquarters in Delano, Minn.

Steve continues to serve as chairman of Landscape Structures and is a Fellow of the American Society of Landscape Architects (FASLA). He served as chairman for the task group of the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) that worked to develop accessibility standards to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), is a Certified Playground Safety Inspector, and a founding member and past president of IPEMA (International Play Equipment Manufacturers Association).

A Legacy of Play is available for order on amazon.com. The cost of the book is $14.95, and proceeds will go to the SEBA Foundation, the King family charitable foundation dedicated to environmental and children’s causes.

Topiaries, flowers and playgrounds… OH MY!

Posted on March 14, 2013 by PlayLSI

We are excited to have our playground equipment featured at the 20th Annual EPCOT® International Flower & Garden Festival, which kicked off March 6, and runs through May 19. We are truly honored to be a part of this special event, and proud to say that 2013 marks our 11th year of participation.

New to the Festival this year is the garden and children’s play area called, “Land of Oz.” A themed Evos® playsystem is linked to the PlayBooster® Vibe™ to create a truly unique play experience. A rainbow-colored O-Zone® climber, cityscape and flower post toppers, and custom Vibe roofs will stretch kids’ imaginations and muscles. Additionally flower pod steppers lead to three Cozy Domes®, fun playground components that act as a hide-away on the inside while providing climbing fun on the outside.

In addition to the all-new “Land of Oz” garden, we have a nature-inspired playground that was designed especially for 2- to 5-year-olds. A PlayBooster playstructure complete with The Pinnacle™ and The Pointe™ rock climbers fits perfectly into the garden, which has a southwestern-themed landscape. And EPCOT didn’t forget about the teenagers, parents and grandparents visiting the park. In yet another garden, three of our HealthBeat® outdoor fitness stations are available for a quick workout.

If you’re in the neighborhood or planning a vacation nearby Lake Buena Vista, Fla., make plans to visit the EPCOT International Flower & Garden Festival. Colorful flowers and more than 75 Disney character topiaries accompany the play areas, along with a concert series and presentations by HGTV and DIY Network personalities. Read more about the annual Festival here.

Drawing children outdoors for nature-inspired play

Posted on February 28, 2013 by PlayLSI

Nearly 12.5 million children and adolescents ages 2 to 19 are obese, a number that has nearly tripled since 1980. One factor contributing to this rate of obesity is nature deficit disorder, a term coined by Richard Louv in his 2005 book, Last Child in the Woods. That’s why we’ve introduced more nature-inspired playground equipment—hoping that it will draw children outdoors to engage in play and lead to greater physical, emotional and social well-being.

Log Stack Climber for PlayShaper®

The new Log Stack Climber adds more climbing challenge for kids ages 2 to 12 while also providing fun, tactile discovery experiences to PlayBooster® and PlayShaper® playstructures. Constructed of hand-painted concrete, the nature-inspired playground climber gets its texture from molds taken from a variety of log species including basswood, mesquite, white pine and cotton wood. Even more, the Log Stack Climber includes realistic, natural details like knot holes, insect trails, woodpecker holes and a variety of animals.

Log Stack Climber for PlayBooster®

The great outdoors is the number one spot where kids can play naturally, and we’re committed to helping you create outdoor play spaces where children and families gather. With the Log Stack Climber and other nature-inspired playground innovations like the Tree House and AdventureScapes® Climbers, these products combine the adventure and wonder of nature with the durability, safety and low maintenance of high-quality playground equipment.

Create a true environment with matching site furnishings

Posted on February 13, 2013 by PlayLSI

When we collaborate with you to create a playground design, our goal is to help you create a complete play environment. One way we’re focusing on this is by offering three site furnishings collections that match our playground equipment as well as the surrounding landscape. Whether you’re focused on creating a modern, traditional or nature-inspired project, our site furnishings collections will help put the finishing touches on the play environment.

The Designer Collection’s modern style and architectural details are the ideal complement to our Evos® and Weevos® playsystems. The Arches Bench, Bike Racks, and Recycling and Litter Receptacles will accentuate your contemporary playground design.

You can plan on pairing our classic PlayBooster®, PlayShaper® and PlaySense® playsystems with the Vivid Collection. The colorful Kaleidoscope Bench, and Recycling and Litter Receptacles, along with the Loop Rack and TenderTuff Picnic Tables and Benches will coordinate perfectly with traditional playgrounds.

Extend your nature-inspired playground environment with the distinctive Nature-Inspired Collection. The Log Bench, Acorn Seat, Leaf Bike Rack, Wood-Grain Bench and much more will help complete your play space and blend in harmoniously with the natural environment.

The three new collections add to Landscape Structures’ already extensive site furnishings offerings. Learn more about the new Designer, Vivid and Nature-Inspired Collections at playlsi.com. While there, check out our other site furnishings like CoolToppers® shade systems and Welcome signs.

Announcing our NEW 2013 Park & Playground Equipment Catalog

Posted on January 28, 2013 by PlayLSI

We are very excited to introduce our 2013 Park & Playground Equipment Catalog. With more than 200 pages, our new catalog features many new products and offerings that are designed to inspire your upcoming playground projects.

2013 Park & Play Equipment Catalog

The catalog opens to a letter from Cofounder and Chairman Steve King on behalf of all 300 employee owners at Landscape Structures. We are all honored to be a part of children’s lives, and are constantly inspired by their imaginations and drive to have fun. Every employee here puts his or her heart and soul into creating innovative playgrounds that kids flock to and become community gathering spaces.

Pulse™ Tempo

Next, you’ll see our new product offerings for 2013 like Pulse™, which offers a multisensory way to add light, sound, touch and more movement to the playground. We’re excited to show off our new site furnishings collections—Designer, Vivid and Nature-Inspired—which will match your new or existing playground. We’ve also introduced new freestanding play components like the We-saw™, our multi-person seesaw that welcomes children and families of all abilities; the Flywheel™ Spinner that encourages social interaction; and the Log Stack Climber, which will expand your nature-inspired playground design and offer various levels of challenge.

Mobius® Boat

In addition to our new products, we have a section of signature playground designs that highlight our custom design and manufacturing capabilities. Our artists, designers and engineers look forward to collaborating with customers to help bring their ideas to life, and our focus on the details makes each playground an exciting destination for children who visit it.

These are just a few of the highlights in the new 2013 Park & Playground Equipment Catalog, so take some time to page through the entire thing. You can browse our Virtual Catalog or request a copy be mailed to you at playlsi.com.

Create inspiring play spaces together

Posted on November 9, 2012 by PlayLSI

If you’re working on an upcoming playground project, be sure to check out our 2013 Design Book for inspiration. The book features seven playgrounds from across the country that incorporate a theme, learning opportunities for visitors and truly innovative design.

Sunset Park, Las Vegas, Nev.
Clark County Nevada, Parks & Recreation Department

We have decades of custom design experience, and can help you create a playground design that best fits your community’s personality. Our team of custom designers and artists has created everything from boats and ships to aliens and UFOs, as well as unique designs without themes that become playable art.

Indian Creek Playground, Berwyn Heights, Md.
The Maryland National Capital Park and Planning Commission, Prince George’s County Department of Parks and Recreation

Whatever your idea, we’ll help you bring it to life on the playground. Kids’ imaginations with soar with a custom and theme playground design. Get your creative juices flowing… browse our 2013 Design Book, or request that a copy be mailed to you here.

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