Announcing the launch of the 16th Annual State Association Speaker Scholarship Program

Posted on July 2, 2024 by PlayLSI

We are thrilled to announce the launch of the 16th Annual State Association Speaker Scholarship Program, continuing our unwavering support for parks and recreation professionals. This initiative offers parks and recreation associations the opportunity to bring dynamic keynote speakers to their annual or regional conferences.

What is the State Association Speaker Scholarship Program?

The State Association Speaker Scholarship Program, offered by Landscape Structures, helps bring expert speakers on topics such as play, inclusion, equity and urban parks planning to the forefront. This program empowers state associations to inspire and educate their members through engaging presentations and discussions.

As part of the scholarship, we kindly request the following contributions from state associations:

Advertisement: Please provide a complimentary advertisement in the state association magazine or another publication
Introduction: Allow Landscape Structures the opportunity to introduce the keynote speaker
Social Media: Create a social media post highlighting the speaker sponsored by the Landscape Structures scholarship
Article: Publish an article provided by Landscape Structures in the organization’s newsletter or email.

We welcome applications from all state associations who have chosen their speaker for their upcoming conference. The application process is straightforward. Go here to complete the online application form, providing basic conference information–dates, location, name of keynote speaker and a brief description of their proposed presentation. We review each application and will notify the state association of their award within 30 days.

Benefits of the State Association Speaker Scholarship

The Speaker Scholarship from Landscape Structures offers a wealth of benefits. Primarily, it provides financial support, significantly reducing travel and accommodation costs for the speaker. This allows state associations to concentrate their efforts on delivering an outstanding conference experience.

Additionally, the scholarship enhances networking opportunities. Members gain access to industry experts, creating valuable connections and learning opportunities. Best of all, this program positions your association as a premier source of high-quality content. Landscape Structures is dedicated to cultivating a community of knowledge sharing and collaboration through this initiative.

Take Action Now

Now is the time to act. Apply today to bring an inspiring, thought-provoking speaker to your conference. Visit playlsi.com/speaker-scholarship/ to submit your application. This is your chance to get and stay connected through play and recreation.

Join us in making the 16th year of the Speaker Scholarship Program the most impactful yet!

Supporting Parks and Recreation Professionals with the 15th Annual State Speaker Scholarship Program

Posted on June 22, 2023 by PlayLSI

We’re excited to share that we’re standing strong in our support of parks and recreation professionals with the launch of the 15th Annual State Speaker Scholarship program. The 2023-2024 scholarship program is about bringing in amazing keynote speakers—experts in topics like play, inclusion, equity, urban parks planning or any professional development—to state parks and recreation associations’ annual or regional conferences.

So, what’s in it for the lucky recipients of the 2023-2024 scholarship? They will receive $3,000 to support the appearance of these remarkable speakers at the conferences. We’ve increased the parks and recreation speaker scholarship amount to ensure that these conferences are filled with insightful discussions and eye-opening presentations.

The application is open! You can apply for a scholarship until May 31, 2024, to support a brilliant speaker at your conference. Head on over to playlsi.com/speaker-scholarship/ to fill out the application today!

Let’s take a moment to reflect on the impact this scholarship program has made over the years. Since 2009, we’ve awarded 350 scholarships totaling over $867,000 for speakers at national conferences.

It’s time to take action. Apply now to bring an inspiring, challenging speaker to your conference. Head over to playlsi.com/speaker-scholarship/ and fill out that application. This is just one more opportunity to get and stay connected through play and recreation.

Partnering with state associations to advocate for play and recreation

Posted on July 21, 2022 by PlayLSI

Apply today for the 2022-23 State Parks Recreation Scholarship

We are excited to announce the 14th Annual Parks and Recreation State Speaker Scholarship Program has launched! The 2022-2023 program will support the appearances of keynote speakers at state parks and recreation associations’ annual or regional conferences. State associations that are chosen will receive a scholarship of $2,500. Applications are being accepted now through June 30, 2023; submit your application today!

Since the scholarship program’s inception in 2009, Landscape Structures has awarded more than 300 scholarships to state associations and nearly $800,000 to support the appearances of speakers at parks and recreation conferences throughout the nation.

Learn more about the 2022-2023 State Association Speaker Scholarship, or contact your local Landscape Structures playground consultant.

Supporting state parks and recreation associations with 13 years of scholarships

Posted on July 22, 2021 by PlayLSI

We are excited to announce the 13th Annual State Speaker Scholarship Program has launched! The State Speaker Scholarship 2021-22 program will support the appearances of keynote speakers at state parks and recreation associations’ annual or regional conferences. State associations that are chosen will receive a scholarship of $2,500. Applications are being accepted through June 30, 2022; submit your application today!

Recipients of the State Speaker Scholarship 2021-22 will receive $2,500 to support conference speakers whose messages are focused on topics related to play, inclusion, equity, urban parks planning or other professional development. In addition to the $2,500 scholarship, Landscape Structures will provide one complimentary Play Healthy™ Hand Sanitizer Station to each state association awarded a scholarship to raffle off, donate or share with a member.

Since the scholarship program’s inception in 2009, Landscape Structures has awarded nearly 300 scholarships to state associations and more than $720,000 to support the appearances of speakers at park and recreation conferences throughout the nation.

Learn more about the 2021-2022 State Association Speaker Scholarship here, or contact your local Landscape Structures playground consultant.

Return to play

Posted on September 18, 2020 by PlayLSI

During the global pandemic, children and families have been eagerly waiting to get outside and back to the playground. And as many communities reopen their parks and playgrounds, we’re here to support you in your efforts to Play Healthy™. That’s why we’ve pulled together resources from our partners, which provide guidance to ensure the reopening of play spaces is done safely and swiftly. Additionally, city leaders will find product offerings to support their efforts of keeping the community healthy.

There’s a lot of information out there about reopening playgrounds, so we’ve curated some of the key resources released by our partners including KABOOM!, NRPA and NAESP. Here you’ll find actionable guidelines for returning to play equitably, a webinar on safely reopening play spaces, as well as tips, best practices and professional resources for park and school professionals. And if you’re at home for distance learning or other reasons, we’ve pulled together innovative ideas for kids and families to stay active and playing.

In addition to the above resources for reopening playgrounds, we have product offerings to support your community’s health:

Return to play safely with the new Play Healthy Hand Sanitizer Station! With this ADA-compliant Sanitizer Station, all park and playground visitors will have access to hand sanitizer before and after play. In addition to holding up to one gallon of sanitizer to require less frequent reorders from your sanitizer supplier, the graphics on the container can be customized with your logo, tagline or your own pictorial instructions.
Remind users how to play safely with our Play Healthy Labels. These tamper-proof labels can be affixed directly to your Landscape Structures playground. Contact your local Landscape Structures playground consultant to request the labels, and add them to your playground to keep visitors healthy.

Supporting parks and recreation professionals

Posted on August 21, 2020 by PlayLSI

We are excited to announce the 12th Annual State Speaker Scholarship Program has launched! he 2020-2021 program will support the appearances of keynote speakers at state parks and recreation associations’ annual or regional conferences.

Recipients of the 2020-2021 scholarship will receive $2,500. New for this program year, we’re providing one complimentary Play Healthy™ Hand Sanitizer Station to each state association awarded a scholarship to raffle off, donate or share with a member.

“We are proud to continue our support of state parks and recreation associations through this scholarship program,” said Lynn Pinoniemi, vice president of marketing at Landscape Structures. “We are grateful for the work that these associations and their members do, especially during these unprecedented times. By providing spaces for play and recreation, they are truly helping shape the lives of everyone in their communities.”

Since the scholarship program’s inception in 2009, Landscape Structures has awarded nearly 265 scholarships to state associations and more than $660,000 to support the appearances of speakers at park and recreation conferences throughout the nation. To complete an application for Landscape Structures’ 2020-2021 State Association Speaker Scholarship, visit playlsi.com/speaker-scholarship/.

A winning booth design: How it’s made

Posted on October 3, 2019 by PlayLSI

Last week, we were in Baltimore for the 2019 NRPA Annual Conference. We had a great time connecting with everyone in the exhibit hall, and were honored to have our booth space awarded Best in Show. So how does a tradeshow booth get designed? We talked with Scott Roschi, creative director, and Allison Koeckeritz, custom playground designer, about how their vision for the space came together.

The overall design idea for the tradeshow booth was a contemporary coffee shop. “We wanted to take our past idea of hospitality to the next level, and created the feeling of a coffee shop overlooking a park with a great playground,” explained Scott. Plus, they aimed to create cozy spaces where visitors to the booth could come together for semi-private meetings.

The goal was to create a warm and inviting space, and Scott and Allison achieved that with a unique palette of materials and colors. “The trend is moving from rose gold into warmer, earthy colors like the copper we used throughout the space,” said Scott.

“The inspiration for the copper elements came from the lights we used over the coffee bar and in the cozy spaces,” said Allison.

Industrial aspects were integrated into the design including raw wood table tops and accents, pipes and strategically placed copper pieces. “It was truly about creating a sensory-rich experience with great coffee and good conversation,” added Scott. A special thanks to nParallel, our production partner, in helping bring this vision to life.

The pair also incorporated interactive elements, which is where the wall of chalk art popped up. The idea was to create an Instagram-worthy photo opp for visitors. To keep the design authentic, we commissioned chalk artist, Jeff Nelson or @jephemera, to help. Check out the timelapse of his process below.

We know the best people.

Our team partnered with the amazing chalk-artist Jeff Nelson to add a playful masterpiece to the @PlayLSI experience for the #NRPAConference.

— no nails on a blackboard with this guy’s work —#BrandExperience #ExperientialMarketing #TradeShowMarketing pic.twitter.com/DRmAcNlrXN

— NPARALLEL (@_nParallel) October 1, 2019

Hitting the streets of Baltimore

Posted on September 19, 2019 by PlayLSI

The 2019 NRPA Annual Conference is just five days away, and we’re excited to get to Baltimore to connect, learn and discover with all of you. If you’re planning to attend the Conference, mark your calendar to join us throughout the week.

DISCOVER.
On Tuesday and Wednesday, we’ll be in the Exhibit Hall in booths 3003 and 2806. In the Landscape Structures booth, you’ll find lots of playground inspiration, fun products and opportunities to recharge. Our friends at Aquatix will be nearby ready to talk all things splash play, inclusive spray play and more.

CONNECT.
Tuesday evening, we’ll be at Eutaw Street – Oriole Park at Camden Yards celebrating the work our customers are doing to shape the lives of children.

LEARN.
Join us for our education session, Spray Play for All: Designing Inclusive Splash Parks, on Thursday, Sept. 26, at 11 a.m. You’ll hear from our experts, John McConkey and Bill Hachmeister, as well as Ingrid Kanics, president of Kanics Inclusive Design Services, and Rickie Yeager, the development director with the City of Parkersburg, W.V.

Get more details about the NRPA Annual Conference including keynote speakers, workshops and more. And be sure to stop by our booths to connect with us!

Planning an Inclusive Playground

Posted on June 6, 2019 by PlayLSI

Planning a playground requires consideration for children of all abilities. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requires all playgrounds to be brought into compliance. Since the ADA requirements have come out, the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) have provided written guidelines for accessibility compliance. ASTM F1487-05 Standard is a document that provides specific playground/play equipment accessibility guidance.

The Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board has also authored a guideline that is the standard of practice for determining compliance with the ADA.

Legally, the ADA requires that “each service, program, or activity conducted by a public entity when viewed in its entirety, be readily accessible to, and usable by, individuals with disabilities.” This law covers “both indoor and outdoor areas where human constructed improvements, structures, equipment or property have been added to the natural environment.”

Accessibility law only requires that comparable experiences must be provided for all. If there are several slides and two or more swings, it is considered accessible if children with disabilities can use one of the slides and one of the swings. To learn more about the difference between accessibility and inclusivity, click here.

Aside from the regulations put forth that determine how to design an accessible playground for children of varying mobilities, there are many actions a planner should take to ensure their structure is truly inclusive. Inclusivity on a playground can be witnessed when children of all abilities can play together and participate equally- not separately and on their own. A well-designed playground incorporates the aspects of inclusive play to blend seamlessly.

To learn more about inclusive play structures, visit playlsi.com

To find an inclusive playground near you, click here.

The Value of Inclusive Sensory Play

Posted on May 23, 2019 by PlayLSI

A well-rounded playground is not complete without the addition of sensory play elements. Sensory play adds valuable play experiences to a playground through beneficial opportunities for learning and socializing. Proper sensory play can help children develop problem solving skills, express emotion, promote empathy, and instills lasting confidence. Not all sensory play is created equally- playground planners should ensure that their sensory play equipment is inclusive to children of all abilities, both physical and mental.

Many children living with sensory processing disorders or autism may find socializing, communication, and imaginative play challenging without the proper support. Through sensory play, these children can feel included to explore and discover new experiences without fear or exclusion.