I'm not sure how far Berlin is from Nashua, but there's a playground build taking place in Berlin. I thought that the Outside Connections Club might be interested in volunteering -- it'd be a great way to cap the summer of mapping! You can explore the project and reach out to its leader on Our Dream Playground at http://ourdreamplayground.org/projects/7914-brown-elementary-sch. It's scheduled for August.
Awesome! It looks amazing. Congratulations to everyone involved!
Did you see the occasional live stream at http://propelschools.org/braddockhills/? It's awesome!
I'm so glad you added a picture. The pool is really fantastic but I never have my phone when I go there - and so never get a photo to show everyone how awesome it is!
You are such a rock star, Diane. You're making me want to move to Colorado Springs to help on the build! Thanks for all the hard work.
That's so exciting -- and it's been fun to sort of follow the process online. I can't wait to hear more and see photos of the transformation!
Have you applied for grants for the playspace, or are you interested in grant funding? You can check out kaboom.org/grants for available Let's Play grants -- both $15,000 construction grants and $750 Improvement Grants. The page also lists other grants available for playspace projects -- and if you didn't see the post from bciburke below, it looks like they might have some grants available.
You can also find tons of fundraising resources on the website, including over 100 ideas for special events. Plus, there's a free live online training on soliciting business sponsorships on Thursday, April 19. You can register now!
Hey Portia! Thanks for adding the comments and photos of Garrison to the Map of Play.
They look great -- and thanks for adding the new space to the Map of Play, too!
That's what I'm talking about! Thanks for the support, Diane. Let's hope we can not only get to #1 but also get even more people adding playspaces to the Map of Play. (Glad to see you're going to help out with a build as well! I can't wait to hear about your experience.)
At KaBOOM!, we often have children do individual drawings, but the way you decide to elicit input can differ based on what you think might work best -- children might work in small groups, or do individual drawings, then come together as a group to make a big image. Maybe you could spread butcher paper all over the ground, and have them create a huge model! Some people decide to go three-dimensional, and use different materials (such as modeling clay and pipe cleaners) to sculpt dream playspaces. The way you choose to conduct the Design Day is ultimately up to what you think will work best, given the children involved and their personalities and interests. It's good to start the dreaming with some questions or icebreakers to get kids thinking imaginatively about possibilities -- what they want to do on a playground, how they want to feel, what they want to see and hear. Try engaging all five senses to think expansively about the playspace!
If you haven't yet watched the recording of How to Host a Successful Design Day, that could be a great resource as you plan. And look, too, at Design Day information in the toolkit or in the Project Planner!
I can think of anyone better to act as a mentor to people getting started in their play advocacy. Great tips, Diane.
You raised over $1,000 with the penny drive? That's great to know. I will start pushing for that as a really simple way to get everyone involved and raise serious funds. The competition component is fabulous, too. We'll include that story and idea in some of the upcoming fundraising trainings -- thanks!
Hi Diane! There have actually been three KaBOOM!-led builds in Colorado Springs. The one the city was involved in was at Van Diest Park. We don't have a picture for it on the Map of Play, so if you can get out there to visit, I would love for you to take a photo!
The others are at theBoys & Girls Club of the Pikes Peak Region and Helen Keller Elementary. We don't have photos of Helen Keller either, or do I know if it's currently open to the public through joint use -- so if you visit, I would absolutely LOVE for you to get that info to make the Map of Play better.
Most importantly, your top five goals are amazing! I'll look into the upcoming projects in the Colorado Springs area and let you know about those, too. I'm so excited to see all the things to which you're committing: definitely inspiring. (I have to work harder!)
That slide is CRAZY! (And the view's not so bad either.)
Happy birthday, Diane! I'm guessing/hoping you're spending all of today out playing.
I'm fairly certain this playspace is only open to students and people at St. Coletta. I've only ever been by it after about 6pm, but it's typically locked to the public by then.
You summed it up perfectly, Diane. Congratulations, Wanda. I can't think of anyone more deserving than you!
Congratulations! (And front page, too: not bad!) It's great to see your hard work go recognized, especially after the months you've put into making this project happen. I'm always looking for fundraising success stories to share with other communities. Do you have any tips? Were any of your events particularly successful?
I had a great time last year. The conference brought together a good group of educators, teacher educators, and advocates for children. This year is shaping up to be awesome, with a lot of great partners on board: the Alliance for Childhood, Gesell Institute, Rutgers. Plus I read that over 600 delegates had signed up. I can definitely keep you updated, if you can't go. I'll tweet out as much as I can from @mapofplay -- and I'm sure @njoyplay and @balmeras will be tweeting, too!
As for the next staff playday, it's tomorrow! I have to miss it for the conference, unfortunately.
Hi, Gary! I met you at the Conference on the Value of Play. You taught me all sorts of cool frisbee tricks. I felt like a Harlem Globetrotter. Are you going to the ACEI Global Summit on Childhood this week by any chance?
Just read your story, Peter. I don't live in Annapolis, but I'll definitely share the story with anyone I meet from the area. If you do create a poster to raise awareness about the potential bull-dozing of the space, please do share it here, so I can help spread the word.
Love the photo -- doing the hardest job on the playground!
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