Now welcoming preschoolers to join the band

Posted on June 22, 2017 by PlayLSI

The joy of making music on the playground can now be enjoyed at any age. We’ve expanded the collection of Rhapsody® Outdoor Musical Instruments with six instruments that are a bit smaller and lower to the ground—sized just right for kids ages 2 to 5.

Rhapsody was originally introduced in January 2016, and has been a hit at playgrounds, community centers, schools, senior centers and more. That’s why we’ve added the junior Rhapsody instruments to the mix. This music playground activity is now ideal for
childcare centers, preschools and other early childhood facilities.

See below to learn more about the new junior-sized chimes, metallophones and drums:

Warble™ Chimes Kids can bing and bong their way along one full octave on this richly toned instrument.
Jingle™ Metallophone Eight brilliant notes ring out on this fully inclusive instrument.
Ditty™ Metallophone Little ones will enjoy making up tunes with the eight major notes these flat bars make.
Drums High-quality drum skins are made from polycarbonate, textured on the underside for a professional finish to stand up to the rigors of play and temperature extremes; choose from the Kundu Junior Drum, Kettle Junior Drum or Goblet Junior Drum.

Don’t forget… musical playgrounds welcome all ages and abilities! The original Rhapsody Outdoor Musical Instruments are perfect for kids and adults ages 5 and up. Add all 12 instruments to your play space to encourage multigenerational play.

Summertime safety

Posted on June 8, 2017 by PlayLSI

Summer is synonymous with outdoor fun. As the weather warms up and trips to the park and playground become more frequent, take steps to keep your children safe from the sun and heat.

Sunscreen in addition to lightweight clothing and a sun hat help protect against UVA and UVB rays. However, the best line of defense is by staying in the shade. When planning trips to the park, choose commercial playgrounds that integrate shade into the design. Our shade systems–SkyWays® and CoolToppers®–are designed to block up to 97 percent of the sun’s harmful UV rays.

During physical play at the playground, kids should have water available and should take a break regularly to stay hydrated. Our playground shade systems will also combat summer heat by keeping temperatures up to 30-degrees cooler. We even offer a shade option with a cool misting feature to help keep kids cool during the steamiest of play days.

In addition to providing protection from the summer sun and heat, the SkyWays and CoolToppers shade systems deliver a beautiful aesthetic to park, playground and recreation areas. Whether your goal is to shade a playground, dog park, pickleball courts or something entirely unique to your community, we have shade solutions to meet your needs. Contact us to learn more.

For a better tomorrow, we play today

Posted on January 12, 2017 by PlayLSI

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3878sEXPuVE]We don’t just manufacture playgrounds at Landscape Structures. What we do here is shape kids’ lives… their futures. It has been more than 45 years since we’ve opened our doors and we continue to invest our hearts and souls into our work. Sometimes it’s hard to find the right words to explain why we do what we do. But this video captures exactly what gets us out of bed every day… why we create the best playgrounds in the world: for a better tomorrow, we play today.

Share our video and use #shapedbyplay to tell us how play has shaped your life or how you’re helping to shape lives through play. Then go to shapedbyplay.com to learn more.

Case Study: Teaching kids as they play

Posted on April 14, 2016 by PlayLSI

Client: Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (MNCPPC), Upper Marlboro, Md.

Designers: Brenda Iraola, landscape architect supervisor; Chris Colvin, landscape architect; and Rene Albacete, landscape architect

Goal: Create a storybook playground design for Watkins Regional Park based on the original Oz storybook to encourage learning through play

Solution: Kids and families can experience Auntie Em and Uncle Henry’s Kansas farm, Dorothy’s house, Munchkin Land, the poppy field, the Emerald City and Dorothy’s attempt to get home via hot air balloon. Even more, Dorothy’s ruby slippers were adapted to be playground slides! The design also includes a unique experience for the children to become the characters of the storybook. Brenda and her team used play panels containing graphics of the drawn storybook characters—Dorothy and Toto, the Cowardly Lion, Tin Woodsman and the Scarecrow—with cut-outs for children’s faces to allow them to become a part of the story.

Read more about how the Wizard of Oz-themed playground at Watkins Regional Park has become the main attraction for visitors all over Maryland, Virginia and Washington, D.C.

Guest Blog: Project-based learning leads to new playground design

Posted on March 31, 2016 by PlayLSI

In 2015, we collaborated with Lausanne Collegiate School in Memphis, Tenn., to design a world-themed playground. Today, we’re happy to have Kara Barbour, head of lower school, as our guest blogger discussing how the school brought students into the playground planning process through their project-based curriculum.

At Lausanne Collegiate School, the Lower School (PK-4) engages in a daily block of project work. Each Lower School classroom is in charge of three projects throughout the year, dedicating six to eight weeks to each project. Our goal with this project-based learning was to get students asking questions and researching a particular topic.

The third grade classrooms are focused on inventions projects, during which they start to investigate how things are made, hear from entrepreneurs, etc. The students work in groups of three to four to come up with an invention, and then they go to the idea labs to start sketching things out and building prototypes to determine if their idea will work.

When we decided that we were going to install a new playground, we really wanted to get the students involved and decided the third graders and their inventions unit would be a perfect fit. Each of the small groups put together a proposal, and so many of their ideas were actually things that Landscape Structures had already started working on.

We first revealed the playground drawings to the third graders. They squealed with delight to see their ideas turned into reality. We then gave them the opportunity to share the drawings with the rest of the school during a student assembly, and even had a few students share the plans with the parent group. The third graders feel that the playground came to be because of the work that they did.

The playground opened in August 2015, just before school began, and the third graders took part in the official ribbon cutting. All of the students at Lausanne love the new playground—even fifth graders are attracted by it. It’s been quite the magnet for the entire community.

Explore the power of outdoor musical instruments

Posted on February 26, 2016 by PlayLSI

We’re so excited about the new Rhapsody™ Outdoor Musical Instruments! Not only because the chimes, metallophones and playground drums bring people of all ages and abilities together for jam sessions, but because our musical instruments are the perfect addition to any space.

Rhapsody Outdoor Musical Instruments are a great addition to any new or existing school playgrounds. The instruments can be placed together to encourage musical ensembles or spread about individually for solo performances. Best of all, these outdoor musical instruments for schools will deliver a unique way for students to express themselves.

Adding outdoor musical instruments to your park playground is another great option. Kids and their families will come together to create their own music or sound out familiar tunes together. And with the highest quality materials used to make the Rhapsody Outdoor Musical Instruments, your playground instruments will be great sounding, beautiful looking and long lasting.

Because outdoor music play is a multigenerational activity, the Rhapsody Outdoor Musical Instruments fit more environments than just parks and school playgrounds. The outdoor music instruments can be installed at community and senior centers, museums and many other public spaces. These inclusive play activities are sure to encourage individuals of all ages and abilities to explore the power of music.

Join the band

Posted on February 11, 2016 by PlayLSI

Music is joy. A joy that can be heard and felt. And that’s why we’re so excited to introduce our newest playground innovation—Rhapsody™ Outdoor Musical Instruments! Rhapsody was developed with a highly skilled music advisor to ensure every instrument produces a best-in-class musical quality.

Our outdoor musical instruments invite kids and adults of all abilities to join the band, be creative and express themselves. There are six different instruments available within the Rhapsody collection:

Grandioso™ Chimes Accommodating both solo and ensemble performances, these chimes soar two full octaves in a major key.
Vivo™ Metallophone Tubes make up the lush notes on this captivating instrument.
Animato™ Metallophone Flat bars make up 15 major notes on this instrument.
Drums High-quality drum skins stand up to the rigors of play and temperature extremes; choose from the Kundu Drum, Kettle Drum or Goblet Drum.

Our playful and elegant music collection can be installed anywhere—playgrounds, community centers, schools, museums and other public spaces—to encourage individuals of all ages and abilities to explore the power of music. Learn more at playlsi.com.

Celebrate Kids to Parks Day on May 16

Posted on May 7, 2015 by PlayLSI

In just over a week, children and families will descend upon local, state and national parks to celebrate Kids to Parks Day. The event, being held on May 16, 2015, marks the fifth year that the National Park Trust has encouraged children and families to get outside for play, exploration and adventure.

Visit kidstoparks.org to make the pledge to plan a trip to the park on Saturday, May 16. Just by making the pledge, you’ll be entered into a drawing for a Nikon COOLPIX L830 camera. And while your there, you can browse a listing of park events by state and city to find one near you. Or find a nearby playground on playlsi.com that you can go explore.

According to the National Park Trust, Kids to Parks Day is becoming America’s unofficial kick off to summer. So mark your calendar and plan to get out and play on May 16!

Supporting the children and nature movement

Posted on March 26, 2015 by PlayLSI

We know that improved concentration and school achievement, reduced stress levels and a foundation of environmental stewardship are just a few of the benefits that kids receive from playing outdoors. That’s why we’re committed to designing nature-inspired commercial playground equipment that gets kids outside for play and reconnecting with the natural world around them.

Our commitment to outdoor play is also why we’re proud to support the Children & Nature Network’s 2015 Conference April 7-9, in Austin, Texas. We’re looking forward to connecting with leaders from around the world to hear what others are doing to create nature-rich communities that are so critical to the health and wellbeing of children and families.

Learn more about how we help communities create natural play environments, and check out the Children & Nature Network for the latest in research and policies.

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Category Archives: Outdoor Play