jcooper

I'm originally from Detroit, Michigan and I've been living in Washington D.C. for over 5 years now. I was lucky enough to grow up in a house with a huge backyard and on a block with a large field, creatively named "The Field."

Even though I had some great indoor toys (comic books, video games, action figures, board games, etc.), my favorite way to play were the games my friends and I made up and played in The Field. When I wasn't playing hide and seek, I was climbing trees, falling out of trees, playing flag football, dodgeball, bike polo, or making obstacle courses with garbage cans, milk crates, and swing sets. My favorite variation of tag is one our neighborhood created called "Deadly Discs," which was basically dodgeball with frisbees.

I'm a big fan of technology and all the different ways it can entertain us, however, I think it's very important for kids, all people really, to get outside into the world and play. Meet your neighbors. Get dirt on your knees. Get sand in your shoes.

As the Quality Assurance Coordinator for KaBOOM!, my job is to help over 100,000 members of the KaBOOM! community use our website, meet other people, participate in conversations, map playgrounds, advocate for play, and build new places to play. I also curate the KaBOOM! Tumblr blog.

Email me anytime at jcooper@kaboom.org or give me a call at (202) 464-6189.