It is easy to understand that fun is one of the key ingredients to any playground activity. But what one may not realize is that play systems--including slides, tunnels, activity panels, and more--encourage a lot more than just fun: there is learning at work in playground play, as well as the opportunity to include children of all abilities in…

The city of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, doesn't need national accolades to prove that it is a great place to live, work, and raise families, but it has them. In 2010, "Parents Magazine" ranked Pittsburgh fourth among the top 100 cities for raising babies and Forbes.com ranked the Pittsburgh metropolitan area the number one most livable…

The environment at indoor inflatable playgrounds, featuring giant bounce houses and slides, can become an ideal place for children with autism to receive helpful sensations. This is the reasoning behind Sensory Nights hosted by the Autism Society of America and Pump It Up, a national franchise of giant, indoor inflatable playgrounds. The private…

The International Playground Equipment Manufacturers Association (IPEMA) is a non-profit membership association of playground equipment and surfacing companies. IPEMA's primary mission is to provide playground equipment and surfacing with independently tested safety certification to meet American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) standards…

Several membership companies of the International Playground Equipment Manufacturers Association (IPEMA) are helping differently-abled children to have access to play equipment and opportunities. These IPEMA membership companies, and others, are driven by the principles of Universal Design (UD), a new concept in playground design that helps ensure…

Over the past several decades, a substantial library of research has been collected on the exceptional educational value that kids receive from outdoor, free play. What was once thought of as a way for children to wind down before bedtime or blow off steam while at school, is now known to be a key factor in a child's intellectual, social,…

In this article, the author describes how she created a universally accessible playground where children of all disabilities can play together. She created this project as a way to channel her grief after her son, Jonathan, died of spinal muscular atrophy. This playground, built in the author's hometown of West Hartford, Connecticut, led to the…

Imagine playgrounds where children with and without special needs can play and learn together--playgrounds where their common experiences and shared joy make a more lasting impression than their different abilities. The heartbreaking reality, however, is that exceptional children--nearly six million children in America--are actually restricted…

This article briefly describes CVS All Kids Can, a program launched by CVS/Pharmacy Charitable Trust and CVS/Pharmacy designed to make life easier for children with special needs. CVS is America's largest retail pharmacy, operating more than 5,400 retail and specialty pharmacy stores in 36 states and the District of Columbia. Through this…