We are several days into February and Black History Month, and less than three weeks ago we celebrated Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. Although Peter Guttman’s Children Around the World: A Photographic Treasury of the Next Generation does not deal with African American history, it is a worthwhile book to share with a child […]
Children Around the World by Peter Guttman Read Post »
This Thanksgiving was unique for several reasons. I celebrated a big birthday. We didn’t host Thanksgiving dinner. And I made my first visit to Mount Vernon. I have a family connection to George Washington’s estate through my spouse’s family. His grandmother was a regent of the Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association. We were a large group […]
Visiting Mount Vernon with Family Read Post »
Image: London planetrees tower over the jungle gym at the Playground of the Americas My most recent collaboration with ioby was the successful fundraising campaign for a mobile map of the trees and other wild things in Washington Square Park also known as Washington Square Park Ecology. A couple of years ago, I was invited […]
Tree guides to five Manhattan playgrounds Read Post »
Playground water features use a lot of water! According to a press release from NYC DEP and Parks, “[w]ithout timers and reactivation buttons, playground showers use approximately 7,000 gallons of water per day. Timers will reduce that consumption by 80%, or approximately 5,600 gallons per day.” The two agencies announced that the city would install […]
Co-benefits of playground water timers Read Post »
Steve King’s strategies for designing “more natural” play environments is one of the articles I enjoyed in the Landscape Structures “Play Naturally” brochure. See yesterday’s post about Louise Chawla’s literature review of benefits of natural experiences for children. King’s four recommendations for natural playgrounds are: 1. Incorporate the existing natural elements on the site; Image: […]
Four strategies for a more natural playground Read Post »
Image: Picking Juniper berries I picked up a copy of Landscape Structures “Play Naturally” brochure at the Greater and Greener urban parks conference held in NYC July 14-17, 2012. Two of the articles resonated with me: “Benefits of nature for children” by Louise Chawla and “Planning ideas for a more natural play environment” by Steve […]
Four classes of benefits of nature for children Read Post »