Play Will Always Shape Us

Posted on January 10, 2019 by PlayLSI

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tvBsHikZcRg]

Play is powerful. It instills important values like leadership, perseverance and cooperation in kids. That’s why we design playgrounds that add value to kids’ experiences, and bring individuals of all ages and abilities together for play. Play is everything, and no matter our age, we come back to what we know… Play will always shape us.

We are proud to lead the conversation about the power of play with this video, and want to help you lead the conversation in your communities. Request a download of our Video Discussion Guide here.

Help us spread the important message heard in this video by sharing it with your family, friends and colleagues on social media. And be sure to tell us how play has shaped your life using #shapedbyplay.

The best of 2018

Posted on January 3, 2019 by PlayLSI

2018 has been an amazing year… filled with great products, projects and messages. See the best of 2018 in the form of our most read blog posts.

1. Spreading the message of inclusion
We’re working with Shane’s Inspiration to promote the animated short film, “Ian,” which aims to help children understand disability and spread the message of inclusion.

2. Bringing literacy to the playground
The Loft family has grown to include the Fire Station and Market Cafe with even more developmentally appropriate activities including literacy prompts.

3. How to design nature playground environments
Design a playground or outdoor learning environment that encourages kids (and their families) to be outside and reconnect with nature.

4. Five considerations for your toddler and preschool playground
To help you create a dream playground for your daycare or preschool that focuses on toddlers’ developmental needs in mind, we created a fun infographic.

5. Big fun comes in small packages
Smart Play® playstructures pack a lot of activities into compact structures, taking kids from early crawling exploration on up to active climbing and social play to a challenging course for older children.

Thank you for tuning in to Together We Play in 2018. We’re looking forward to an exciting year of play; tell us below what you’d like to see more of in 2019 and we’ll do our best to share it here.

Happy Holidays

Posted on December 20, 2018 by PlayLSI

At this special time of year, we would like to thank you for partnering with us to shape children’s lives through play. Together, we’re creating amazing play spaces for individuals of all ages and abilities.

And that is something to celebrate!

Happy holidays from all of us at Landscape Structures, Aquatix and SkyWays.

Changing kids’ lives together

Posted on December 13, 2018 by PlayLSI

At this time of year, we all love to hear stories of people doing good for others. And that’s why we wanted to share this story of Rachel, a 9-year-old who built an inclusive playground for her community in Kentucky. Thanks to Rachel’s dad, Jeff, for sharing this amazing story with us.

When Rachel was in third grade she formed The Rachel’s Fun For Everyone project, an organization to raise funds for an all-accessible playground in Vine Grove, Ky. She came up with the idea for the playground after seeing children on a playground who couldn’t play like she could. She didn’t think it was fair that they couldn’t play just because of a disability, and wanted to make a change.

Over five years, Rachel and her family, along with the community, raised more than $500,000 to create a place for everyone–no matter their ability–to play. Rachel’s dream became a reality in August 2017, and Rachel is continuing to fight for the right of play and for inclusion for everyone.

Get more information about Rachel and Rachel’s Fun for Everyone Project on Facebook.

Spreading the message of inclusion

Posted on December 7, 2018 by PlayLSI

We are proud to partner with Shane’s Inspiration on a common goal of promoting play for children of all abilities. Together, we’ve created nearly 50 Universally Accessible Playgrounds including the first in Mexico and Ecuador.

Even more, we’re working with them to promote the animated short film, “Ian.” This powerful, Academy Award eligible film, aims to help children understand disability and spread the message of inclusion to every home. Tools to facilitate Q&A following the film can be found here.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6dLEO8mwYWQ]

Watch the film above, and please share it with the following message: Please watch and share the film “Ian” and help us create a more inclusive world! http://ow.ly/PyFR30mU6Di #InclusionRules_IanFilm @fundacionian @ShanesPlay #shapedbyplay

Landscape Structures selected “Partner in Play” by KaBOOM!

Posted on November 29, 2018 by PlayLSI

We’re excited to share that earlier this month, KaBOOM! announced Landscape Structures as its next Partner in Play. We will begin a three-year partnership on Jan. 1, 2019, which will involve building hundreds of innovative playspaces across North America.

KaBOOM! is the national non-profit dedicated to ensuring all kids have great, safe places to play, and will partner with us to provide playspaces throughout communities–schools, parks, housing and beyond–to enable kids and families, regardless of zip code, to make play the easy choice. As the Partner in Play, we will serve as the primary supplier of playground equipment and partner in building playspaces in communities in need across the United States, Canada and Mexico.

Learn more about our partnership with KaBOOM! here.

Continuous education from Landscape Structures and Aquatix

Posted on November 15, 2018 by PlayLSI

Are you beginning to plan your continuing education for 2019? We can help! We are an authorized provider of continuing education credits from the International Association for Continuous Education and Training (IACET) and the Landscape Architecture Continuing Education System™ (LA CES). That means we can help keep your parks and recreation department and landscape architects up-to-date on their requirements.

Even better, we have a team of expert speakers that are available to present on valuable playground and aquatics information during a local conference, in your office or during a customer visit to our headquarters in Minnesota. From inclusive play and spray play to designing safe splash play and fitness-focused environments to evidence-based landscape and playground design, there are sessions that will meet a wide variety of needs.

Learn more about playground-related CEUs, and check out the new aqua play sessions available from Aquatix.

Create word-of-mouth legendary playgrounds

Posted on November 8, 2018 by PlayLSI

Today, more and more communities are using unique design to create a signature playground. Smart design that combines eye-catching aesthetics with built-in play value. Custom design that can be as simple or as detailed as you like.

Discover how custom can put your playground on the map. Request a copy of our 2019 PLAY Book, or browse the virtual publication.

From fully themed wonderlands to palettes that span oceans and deserts and everything in between, see a few of the signature playground designs from our 2019 PLAY Book in action below.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hpH6mI8YWUI]

Learning, celebrating and connecting in Philadelphia

Posted on October 25, 2018 by PlayLSI

Last weekend, we were in Philadelphia for the American Society of Landscape Architects’ Annual Meeting and Expo. First thing on Saturday morning, President Pat Faust introduced the speakers of the Opening General Session, Susan Stamberg and Laurie Olin. Following, we welcomed visitors to our booth space, which featured the Alpha® Tower and Friendship® Swing.

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On Saturday night, we hosted an event for customers at NOTO. It was great connecting with all of the landscape architects, hearing about their amazing visions and sharing how, together, we can create word-of-mouth legendary play spaces. We’re already looking forward to next year in San Diego.

Shaping play in Indy

Posted on October 5, 2018 by PlayLSI

Late last month, we were excited to be in Indianapolis for the National Recreation & Park Association’s Annual Conference. Our booth space featured the Alpha® Tower and Friendship® Swing, while the nearby Aquatix booth showcased the CanopyCluster, HydroHelix, ground sprays and lots more.

On Tuesday night, we hosted an event for customers at Victory Field, home of the Indianapolis Indians minor league baseball team. With lawn games, a photo booth, and food and drinks, we all had a great time playing and celebrating the work parks and recreation professionals do to shape the lives of kids through play.