Playground Guide - 2017 - 29

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

How Well Do You Know
Your Playground Math?
Ten children arrive to play at one of your traditional playgrounds.
How many become active and engaged?
A FEW TOPLINE FACTS:
1.
2.

Time in Nature is now a key health indicator on many
Active Healthy Kids report cards
Children's balance and agility scores, and focus/
attention spans in school improve if their playground is
nature-rich - more nature = better outcomes
Aggressive behaviors, such as bullying, are reduced in
direct proportion to the time they spend immersed in a
natural setting

ccording to studies, only four of every 10 kids become
fully engaged in play on the traditional plastic and steel
while six are almost completely sedentary or left out.
The reason?
Traditional playgrounds are almost exclusively
dedicated to large muscle play, which leaves the kids
who are less fit or need more sensory engagement
(more than half of them) sitting on the sidelines.
That's a failing score.
So, how do you get all 10 children engaged and
playing at your playgrounds? According to a growing number of childhood development experts and
obesity researchers, the answer is Nature Play.
Not sure what Nature Play is? You're not alone. That's why
world-renowned Nature Play expert, Adam Bienenstock and
his team are crisscrossing the country delivering Training Intensives to park and recreation professionals.
As one of only a handful of international experts on the subject of Nature Play, Adam has appeared on national radio and
television and in hundreds of talks and lectures internationally
on the topic. He's the founder and CEO of Bienenstock Natural Playgrounds, one of the most respected playground design/
build companies in the world.
The information and expertise gathered over decades by his
team of more than 40 internationally acclaimed playground
designers, ECEs, safety experts and craftsmen form the foundation of the in-demand Training Intensive for Park and Recreation Professionals.

What will participants learn in a
Bienenstock Training intensive?
* What Nature Play is and isn't and
why it's important to your community
* How to implement an ASTM-compliant Nature Play strategy in your city
* The critical difference between risk
and hazard in Nature Play
Participants will create customized:
* Tactics for achieving buy in from stakeholders on Nature Play
* Ideas for altering existing playgrounds to make them more
Nature Rich
* Plans to foster collaboration between planning, forestry,
parks, and recreation departments to leverage local capacity
and resources
To download Nature Play research articles and a Natural
Playground Community Build Guidebook plus more information on Bienenstock Training Intensives near you, visit www.
bienenstockplaygrounds.com/NRPA.

W W W. PA R K S A N D R E C R E AT I O N . O R G | 2 0 1 7 P L AYG R O U N D G U I D E |

Parks & Recreation

http://www.bienenstockplaygrounds.com/NRPA

Playground Guide - 2017

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Playground Guide - 2017