Playgrounds That Move Us

The Guild for Human Services - Concord, MA

Play brings people together and provides a space where everyone can thrive. Play shows us our unique talents and provides a comfortable, equitable space to help us grow, develop, learn and discover what moves us. Bringing the best in play, playgrounds, fitness and recreation to people of all abilities is at the heart of our mission. And we invite you to be part of it.

Friendship Learning Center - North Fond du Lac, WI

Bringing a play environment that helps everyone find the best of themselves through play was an important pillar of the North Fond du Lac School District’s playground project and, through intentional design and community, it was achieved! The goals included having a space that was large enough to accommodate a growing population, creating a space that was inclusive and bringing color in to enhance the experience.

With an 18,000 square foot area, there is plenty of room to spread out and offer a variety of play areas and activities that accommodate differing abilities, ages and interests. Providing equitable access points is important in an inclusive space. The North Fond du Lac playground has an entire side that is flush to the surfacing making a seamless transition into the playspace. Play equipment ranges from the ZipVenture^® that allows children to fly across the playground to the universally-designed Volta^® Inclusive Spinner with three different seating options to adapt to a variety of abilities. There are spaces for musical exploration, swinging, spinning, sliding, climbing and developing upper body strength. If you can dream it, this play environment can provide it.

Embrace Park - Norfolk, NE

No matter who you are or what your ability, you will be embraced here. This is the concept of the aptly named Embrace Park in Norfolk, Nebraska. In partnership with Creative Sites, the exclusive Burke Representative in Nebraska, the Nortolk Family YMCA, the Nortfolk Area Community Foundation Fund and the City of Norfolk, Emily Afrank completed a project close to her heart. Two years in the making, this fully inclusive park is everything Afrank hoped for and more.

As a pediatric physical therapist at a local hospital, Afrank began bringing her young clients to the city’s parks to assess their needs. After realizing that the existing parks weren’t meeting the needs of the children she was working with, she began doing some research. Out of the research an idea was born - a FULLY inclusive park that all children could play together on. After fundraising and working with the Norfolk Area Community Foundation Fund, they raised the needed funds to create a playspace worthy of such a great, supportive community. From the Cruiser to the fully ramped Nucleus^® structure to the Volito swing, all children can find the best of themselves through play and learn to embrace everyone’s uniqueness.

Owen’s Playground at Hillcrest Elementary – Downers Grove, IL

Through hard work and perseverance, dreams can become a reality. On the first day of first grade at Hillcrest Elementary, Margaret Chaidez watched her son Owen ride off in his wheelchair to play with friends on the playground. After the children went inside, Chaidez didn’t see Owen and found him stuck behind one of the structures. That day she promised him she would find a way to create a playspace he could fully utilize, one that was safe and fun for all children. Enter Owen’s Playground for Children of All Abilities. This universally designed play environment has double-wide ramps, a Cruiser™ Wheelchair Accessible Rocker, sensory panels, overhead events and more - all with safety surfacing that accommodates wheelchairs and other mobility devices. Although at a school, Owen’s Playground is open to the community and is the perfect place to bring everyone, of all abilities, together.

Staring Lake Park - Eden Prairie, MN

Taking advantage of the natural features of the setting and incorporating all types of play from imaginative to cognitive to physical, the city of Eden Prairie began the redesign of Staring Lake Park’s playground to give it a fresh look, make it more interesting to kids and families and create a multi-generational gathering space for the community to enjoy.

With a robust area for imaginative play that includes a “stage”, Sound Garden and a PlayHouse, kids can let their imaginations guide them in hours of fun and cooperative play. The areas for children 2-5 and 5-12 engage kids physically and help them get much-needed exercise. Verto Climbers and embankment slides take advantage of the unique topography to make the transition up or down between play areas. The result of all of the efforts is an incredible, diverse play environment that offers an amazing experience for kids and families in the Eden Prairie area.

Friendship Park – Avondale, AZ

Imagine a beautiful park with basketball and tennis courts, soccer and baseball fields, a dog park and three playgrounds located less than 20 miles from Phoenix. Imagine that this was a destination for families from miles around. No need to imagine this incredible space – this is Friendship Park in Avondale, AZ. Public input is of highest priority in a community-focused city like Avondale and Play it Safe ideated multiple ways to gain that input from attending local festivals to working with the city to get residents and non-residents to vote for their favorite design. The most popular design – a beautiful, colorful inclusive play environment – won the vote! Now the playground at Friendship Park is a main attraction and helps keep kids and families moving and active! Kids love the exciting variety of sliding, spinning, rocking, musical exploration and swinging! With play environments designed for both ages 2-5 and 5-12, children can come to play, meet friends and get the needed exercise and time outdoors!

Parker's Park - West, TX

Sometimes tragedy brings out the best in people and communities. This was the case in West, TX, where six year old Parker Pustejovsky helped rally a community to rebuild a park close to his heart. After losing his father and other First Responders in a 2013 fertilizer plant explosion, Parker wanted to rebuild the park his dad used to take him to. That’s when the Parker’s Park Project started, and since then, organizers have raised money and people from around the country have rallied to help. Parker’s Park thematically recreates a fire station and truck with everything from Custom Panels to First Responder Rock ‘N’ Rides and a large fire hat that tops off the space. The details made the difference in creating this space that kids ages 2-12 can play in while gaining important skills such as cooperative play, communication and social play.

Muckleshoot Child Development Center - Auburn, WA

Outdoor classrooms combine learning and play providing an amazing opportunity for physical, cognitive and social development. The Muckleshoot Child Development Center features an outdoor classroom with three play areas for children ages 6 months to 12 years spread across five acres of natural space. With everything from Social Rest Areas to Active and Motion Play Events to Tactile and Auditory Play Spaces, this incredible outdoor learning environment offers the chance to develop a variety of important skills that will take children into adulthood.