Up on Play: Childcare by Landscape Structures

Up on Play

Childcare Issue 3

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After observing kids at a local childcare facility, we realized that 2- and 3-year-olds are reaching specific developmental milestones at various times. They’re on the move (to say the least), and are stimulated by things that move! That’s why we created Smart Play: Motion, a new playstructure with lots of moving parts that’s scaled just right for developing toddlers and preschoolers. Kids get plenty of developmentally appropriate challenges with 16 interactive play events. From a shape-and-fit table to a sensory station, every bit of Smart Play: Motion has some aspect of interactivity to it. Instead of creating just a handrail, our designers incorporated moveable puzzle pieces to create more engagement. And there’s a race car track that encourages cooperative play and interaction. Even more, this compact playstructure is completely accessible to welcome children of all abilities. Smart Play: Motion not only provides smart design to help create smart kids, but it’s manufactured with a smart use of materials. The manufacturing of Smart Play: Motion— similar to the manufacturing process of all our playground products—is focused on getting as many components as possible out of the smallest amount of material. Learn more about Smart Play: Motion here, see a video of the design here and then contact your Landscape Structures playground consultant to get started on your next playground design.

Tactile play and childhood development Kids learn about their world and develop various abilities such as motor skills by playing. And as they do so, they explore with their five senses. Playgrounds can be designed to support the developmental play that kids need. You may take your ability to zip your jacket or tie your shoes for granted, especially since you’re capable of more subtle hand-eye coordination tasks. But kids have to learn to make their bodies do what they want. Tactile playground activities support that growth by giving children a physical task. Using their hands to move a ball through a maze helps kids’ fine motor development, and climbing hones gross motor skills. Feeling their way around the world helps children make mental connections and store memories. For example, after touching snow many times, kids will know it’s cold. Kids have to process the information they receive from their senses to create those memories and connections, an undertaking that builds cognitive skills. The more children use their senses to explore the world, the more they work their brain and fine tune their abilities. Learn more about how playgrounds aid the development of toddlers and preschoolers in our infographic Five Developmental Needs to Consider When Designing Early Childhood Playgrounds. Then contact your local Landscape Structures playground consultant for ideas on how to incorporate interactive, sensory and challenging activities into your upcoming playground projects.

GET INSPIRED! Have a tablet? Use it to get inspired with our Playground Inspirations digital app! The new app works together with our Playground Inspirations book to bring the designs to life with more than a thousand images and videos in an interactive experience. With our new products, bold signature design ideas and age-appropriate playground environments, you’ll be inspired to create a new play environment that is safe, fun and filled with developmentally appropriate play activities. Order or browse the new Playground Inspirations book, and download the interactive app for your iPad or Android tablets.

Leave it to the professionals Landscape Structures is so honored to work with childcare professionals around the world. We’re constantly learning about fun and unique projects on which you’ve worked, obstacles that you face and innovative solutions that you create to overcome challenges. In this feature, we’ll spotlight a professional, and offer a glimpse into implemented projects. Our featured professional is Stacie Penn, executive director of Carol Matheys Center for Children and Families in Oakdale, Minn. Read below to learn more about Stacie, and her experience in the field of early childhood education. Q: How long have you been a childcare professional? A: I have been in the early childhood education industry for nearly 30 years. I first started working with children in college as a camp counselor, and moved on to working as a program director for the YMCA. That was my first job in the nonprofit world, and I fell in love working in that arena. Following my time at the YMCA, I came to Carol Matheys Center for Children and Families and I’ve been here for 20 years. Q: What have been some of your greatest achievements in your career? A: Looking back, one of the things I’m most proud of is my work at Carol Matheys. I came into this job thinking that it was going to be a three to five year commitment—the Center was having some financial issues and needed program rejuvenation. It was a bit of a challenge when I first started. The board of directors and staff has been amazing here. They’ve helped the Center achieve goals that we’ve set including finding new funding, and we’ve been able to provide great opportunities for as many children as possible. Q: During your time in the industry, what have you seen change? A: The diversity in our population has changed, as have the needs of our families. More families need more financial assistance, and many have less support from extended family so their needs are higher. We have increased our outreach with families to help them connect with schools and social services. An exciting change that I’ve seen is that there is an increase in the focus on education. Our families are more concerned with preparing their children for kindergarten, and therefore, our programs are changing to meet this need. Carol Matheys participates in Parent Aware, which is a rating tool that parents can use to selecting high-quality childcare and early education programs. By participating in this program, the staff in our Center has committed to the following:

• Volunteered for extra, in-depth training • Devoted themselves to strong, caring relationships with each child • Adopted the latest approaches to keeping children’s learning on track • Committed to daily activities and routines that help children learn • Placed a focus on children’s health and safety • Dedicated to assessing children’s progress

Q: From where do you pull your inspiration? A: It’s really a combination of our team of educators, the community, and the kids and families who come to Carol Matheys. I pull ideas from the team, who sees things that we need from their everyday interactions with kids. I’m connected with the community, and am able to learn of new ways we can help our families based on what’s happening in the community. And the kids and families share their needs with us, and we try our best to implement those ideas into our programming. Nutrition has been a big focus for us, and we’ve planted gardens to help the kids learn from where some foods come. We’re able to give them a hands-on experience by working in the garden, harvesting the food and then eating it during snack time. Just recently, we created a rain garden at the Center. The kids were actually able to be outside working side-by-side with the landscaper. Even more than

Rain Garden

watching the whole project come together, they planted all the small plants, will help water them and be able to watch everything grow. One of the coolest projects of which I’ve been a part of at Carol Matheys was planning and installing our new playground. We received a grant from KaBOOM!, which allowed us to replace our 30-year-old playground. We installed the playground as a community build project, which brought together families, community members and even alumni. It was a great experience! Q: What is your favorite part of the day with kids? A: My favorite part of the day is the morning—I visit the classrooms and I get hugs. I’m able to have breakfast with the kids and learn what’s going on with them. I do get to have periodic connections throughout the day—watching them play on the playground or run through the sprinklers—and it’s a joy to see their happy faces. Q: What are some of your personal hobbies? A: My husband and I love to travel. Our children are grown—ages 22 and 23—so we are able to venture off. We love the Caribbean and all its sun in the winter! We also like to ride motorcycle throughout the Midwest. I also enjoy gardening, reading and spending time with my children when I can get it.

Creating an Inclusive Play Movement Earlier this year, Recreation Management kicked off its new Webinar Educational Series, which was designed to provide participants with an in-depth look at some of the top issues and challenges in play. The first webinar in the series, sponsored by Landscape Structures, discussed the best ways to bring inclusive play from imagination to reality.

The importance of outdoor play and physical activity during school hours Both outdoor physical activity and indoor classroom time are important for kids’ growth and development. School provides students with the education they need to have a successful career, and physical activity gives them a chance to stay healthy. Unfortunately, not all kids get their daily 60 minutes outside. Read how schools can supplement the lack of physical activity kids get at home by requesting our new whitepaper.

Experts discussed methods for creating effective public/private partnerships, building funding and support for inclusive play, and ensuring that playground designs are truly inclusive—along with ways to facilitate playing together among children and caregivers of all abilities. Watch the recording here, and learn more about inclusive play by visiting playlsi.com.

Industry News Read about the latest happenings affecting early childhood professionals, and then join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn or Google+. Let us know what you think about the following topics: • Checklists for quality early childhood programs During the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) Week of the Young Child in June, early childhood education professionals offered guidelines for choosing a safe, nurturing and stimulating environment for children. Separate checklists are available for infants, toddlers and preschoolers ages 3 to 5. Read more.

Calendar of Events Looking forward to seeing you at the following events: JULY • National Association of Elementary School Principals, Nashville, Tenn. • Kiwanis International Convention, Tokyo, Japan SEPTEMBER • Green Apple Day of Service NOVEMBER • Sensory Processing Disorder Foundation Symposium, Tempe, Ariz.

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• Study shows early childhood stimulation intervention in Jamaica yields better pay in adulthood Recently, the journal Science published a 20-year study by the University of California, Berkeley, where researchers found that early childhood development programs are important for disadvantaged children in Jamaica, and can greatly impact an individual’s ability to earn more money as an adult. Read more. • Early Learning Coalition hosts training on Purposeful Play Play is the job of early childhood. While it might look like all fun and games on the surface, there’s a lot of work going on behind the scenes — problem solving, skill building and learning to get along with others. The Early Learning Coalition (ELC) recently held a training session, Purposeful Play, on the topic of learning through play. Read more.