Congratulations Iola Kiwanis!

Posted on June 25, 2013 by PlayLSI

Iola Kiwanis club in Iola, Kan., is the winner of the Make a Difference Through Play contest! They won $25,000 in playground equipment from Landscape Structures for their essay submission describing why their community needs a new playground.

The City of Iola is situated along the Neosho River in Southeast Kansas. With a population of nearly 5,700 residents, Iola is the largest town in a tri-county area. The City’s main recreation space, Riverside Park, is home to many amenities including a pool, athletic fields and a playground. The $25,000 award will allow the opportunity to create a playground that will accommodate children and families with special needs. The Iola Kiwanis club is collaborating with other local organizations—M.O.M., Iola Pride Committee, Iola Wal-Mart volunteers and many more—and plans to install a safe and inclusive play environment that will welcome all abilities.

The Iola Kiwanis club will complete their inclusive playground project on or around Kiwanis One Day, April 5, 2014. One Day is Kiwanis International’s signature day of service during which many clubs participate in service projects benefitting their local communities.

Bringing new, rolling shapes to the playground

Posted on June 20, 2013 by PlayLSI

We are excited to showcase one of our newest playground designs—the Hillscape Adventure! The treaded boardwalk-like climber mimics a hillside landscape and fits naturally into surrounding environments. This design can be ordered as is, customized to fit your site or budget needs, or use it as a starting point and create a design that’s completely unique.

The Hillscape Adventure offers a never-before-seen shape in playground design. Its wavy form and wood-grain textured boards are eye-catching to park visitors, and delivers a truly innovative play experience for kids ages 5 to 12. In addition to providing a unique climbing challenge, kids’ tactile, visual, proprioceptive and vestibular senses are engaged as they play. Even more, the Hillscape Adventure encourages imaginative, unscripted play. This flowing climber is available as a component within a playground structure or can be installed as a freestanding playground climber to accommodate a variety of space and budget requirements.

Learn more about the Hillscape Adventure and all of our design capabilities, then contact your local playground consultant to get started on your next playground design.

New playground welcomes all, supports recovery

Posted on June 12, 2013 by PlayLSI

Last week, we celebrated the grand opening of Sullivan Playground at University of Minnesota Amplatz Children’s Hospital. The playground is named for Minnesota Vikings Center John Sullivan, who pledged $150,000 to create the play space. Vikings teammate Chad Greenway, through his Lead the Way Foundation, and the Minnesota Vikings football organization also committed $25,000 each to bring the project to fruition.

Sullivan Playground is a safe and accessible playground for patients and their siblings to play while they’re visiting the hospital. The playground features a large concrete elephant, a concrete manta ray bench, a Permalene® giraffe panel, nature-inspired roofs and PebbleFlex® safety surfacing with custom graphics including John’s signature. Even more than the unique visual aspects, the playground’s design features take into account the patients who will use the equipment.

Children with IVs can use the Rollerslide without worrying about getting tangled in the posts.

The Rollerslide was customized to accommodate children with IVs.

Following are just a few of the inclusive components incorporated into Sullivan Playground:

Because some children at Amplatz must be hooked up to IVs constantly, the playground features a custom Rollerslide that allows kids to climb up and slide down without getting tangled in the equipment. This is the first commercial outdoor slide ever made to accommodate children with IVs.
Swaying benches provide a place for parents and children to relax and take in the fresh air.
A climbing net gives patients’ siblings a place to blow off steam while they develop their large motor skills.
A Talk Tube located in the elephant’s trunk allows kids on the ground to communicate with friends on the structure’s upper deck.
A shade structure provides protection for kids whose treatments make them sensitive to the sun.
Children using walkers or wheelchairs can navigate the playground with ease on this cushioned, porous surface.

The grand opening celebration included a ribbon-cutting ceremony featuring a special patient and his family. Immediately following the ceremony patients and families were able to test out the new playground.

Thornton Creek Elementary School celebrates new inclusive playground

Posted on May 30, 2013 by PlayLSI

The grand prize recipient of the School Grounds. Playgrounds. Common Ground.® contest, Thornton Creek Elementary School in Novi, Mich., celebrated the completion of their new inclusive playground with a grand opening on Thursday, May 23. The school received $50,000 in inclusive playground equipment from the Landscape Structures- and NAESP Foundation-sponsored contest, plus a playground committee spearheaded some major fundraising efforts in order to design a truly inclusive playground for students.

Thornton Creek's playground committee worked tirelessly to raise additional funds.

Thornton Creek Elementary School playground committee

Thornton Creek Elementary School’s new playground features an inclusive design that focuses on bringing children of all abilities together to learn, play and grow. A PlayBooster® playstructure was included in the design along with inclusive and sensory-focused freestanding components like the Cozy Dome®, OmniSpin® spinner, Oodle® Swing and We-saw™. Thornton Creek Elementary School’s new playground will welcome children of all abilities as well as serve as an outdoor classroom to help students develop their social, problem solving and gross motor skills.

The We-saw™ is just one of the inclusive playground components at Thornton Creek's new inclusive playground.

Thornton Creek Elementary School’s new inclusive playground

The grand opening included a ribbon-cutting ceremony with all of the students. Classrooms that raised the top fundraising dollars were honored and allowed the “first play” opportunity on the new playground followed by other classrooms throughout the morning. Congratulations to the entire school community for providing a place where kids of all abilities can play together!

Honored for her business innovation, leadership and legacy

Posted on May 14, 2013 by PlayLSI

Our cofounder, Barb King (1946-2008) was recently inducted into the Minnesota Women Business Owners Hall of Fame. The Hall of Fame was created to honor women entrepreneurial leaders and the first of 25—20 living and 5 posthumous—representing 150 years of Minnesota business history were inducted on April 25. Barb was honored for her business innovation, leadership and the legacy she left for future generations of Minnesota business women.

Barb was the president of Landscape Structures until her passing in 2008, and was committed to children throughout her life. She was passionate about showing them how to lead healthier lives and to appreciate nature. In addition to cofounding Landscape Structures with her husband, Steve King, Barb founded and was the benefactor of the Säjai® Foundation. The Foundation is a national nonprofit organization dedicated to working with local communities to educate children about how to live a healthier life by encouraging them to get outdoors, be active and make smart nutrition decisions.

Landscape Structures employees at Barb King Inspiration Park in Delano

All of us employees are proud to have known Barb. She was our passionate colleague, friend, mentor, confidant and much more, and we constantly strive to celebrate her inspiring life. Learn more about Barb here, where you can read past articles written about her, browse photos of her in professional and personal settings, and watch a video to get a sense of who Barb was and see the positive impact she had on so many people.

Building healthy, sustainable communities on Earth Day

Posted on April 24, 2013 by PlayLSI

On Monday, April 22—Earth Day—teams of Landscape Structures employees handed out potted herbs to students and teachers at Delano Elementary School and community members that visited the local grocery store, Coborn’s. In total, we handed out 1,200 herb gardens to the Delano community.

The herb handout was done in conjunction with the Healthy Delano project, a community program designed to help Delano residents find the best resources for healthy eating and activities. We hope that by involving the students, they will go home, get involved with meal planning and encourage their families to cook healthy meals.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_LwXFWsp2Fk&w=560&h=315]

See more photos of the event here, and watch the video above. Did you celebrate Earth Day? Tell us in the comments below what activities were happening in and around your communities.

Contest helps Kiwanis clubs “Make a Difference Through Play”

Posted on April 22, 2013 by PlayLSI

We are excited to be partnering with Kiwanis International to help a deserving Kiwanis club bring a playground to their community through a contest on Facebook called, Make a Difference Through Play. The winning Kiwanis club will receive $25,000 in playground equipment to be used toward a playground project that can be completed on Kiwanis One Day, April 5, 2014, which is Kiwanis International’s signature day of service.

The contest is open to all Kiwanis clubs that are currently working on a playground project. Qualified contestants can enter the contest at facebook.com/Kiwanis by completing the entry form. Entries will accepted through May 5, 2013. Following the submission period, Facebook users will have the opportunity to vote for their favorite project. Find complete contest rules here.

Landscape Structures became a vision partner of Kiwanis International in January 2013. Kiwanis and its family of clubs partner with Landscape Structures to bring play and playgrounds to communities across the globe. Learn more about the partnership at playlsi.com.

Sharing the history of Landscape Structures

Posted on April 12, 2013 by PlayLSI

Steve King, our cofounder and chairman, released a book titled, A Legacy of Play, in January. In A Legacy of Play, readers take a journey through the unusual history of Landscape Structures, and learn how the company helped the playground industry evolve while keeping in mind the most important aspect of play—child development across all ages and abilities.

When Steve was a landscape architectural student at Iowa State University in the mid-1960s, he was eager to learn more about play and went to the Child Development Department to observe kids. Their behaviors—kids didn’t like standing in line to use the swings or slides; they wanted group activities—got him thinking. For Steve’s final project he designed a playstructure using the continuous play concept, which combines traditional playground equipment into an endless stream of activities.

Landscape Structures’ first sold playstructure.

In 1971, Steve and his late wife, Barb, cofounded Landscape Structures. We are headquartered in Delano, Minn., and proud to be a 100-percent employee-owned company. Since opening, Steve and Barb were committed to enhancing children’s lives by creating inspiring play experiences, a mission that all of us employees connect with and work towards.

Landscape Structures corporate headquarters in Delano, Minn.

Steve continues to serve as chairman of Landscape Structures and is a Fellow of the American Society of Landscape Architects (FASLA). He served as chairman for the task group of the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) that worked to develop accessibility standards to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), is a Certified Playground Safety Inspector, and a founding member and past president of IPEMA (International Play Equipment Manufacturers Association).

A Legacy of Play is available for order on amazon.com. The cost of the book is $14.95, and proceeds will go to the SEBA Foundation, the King family charitable foundation dedicated to environmental and children’s causes.

Topiaries, flowers and playgrounds… OH MY!

Posted on March 14, 2013 by PlayLSI

We are excited to have our playground equipment featured at the 20th Annual EPCOT® International Flower & Garden Festival, which kicked off March 6, and runs through May 19. We are truly honored to be a part of this special event, and proud to say that 2013 marks our 11th year of participation.

New to the Festival this year is the garden and children’s play area called, “Land of Oz.” A themed Evos® playsystem is linked to the PlayBooster® Vibe™ to create a truly unique play experience. A rainbow-colored O-Zone® climber, cityscape and flower post toppers, and custom Vibe roofs will stretch kids’ imaginations and muscles. Additionally flower pod steppers lead to three Cozy Domes®, fun playground components that act as a hide-away on the inside while providing climbing fun on the outside.

In addition to the all-new “Land of Oz” garden, we have a nature-inspired playground that was designed especially for 2- to 5-year-olds. A PlayBooster playstructure complete with The Pinnacle™ and The Pointe™ rock climbers fits perfectly into the garden, which has a southwestern-themed landscape. And EPCOT didn’t forget about the teenagers, parents and grandparents visiting the park. In yet another garden, three of our HealthBeat® outdoor fitness stations are available for a quick workout.

If you’re in the neighborhood or planning a vacation nearby Lake Buena Vista, Fla., make plans to visit the EPCOT International Flower & Garden Festival. Colorful flowers and more than 75 Disney character topiaries accompany the play areas, along with a concert series and presentations by HGTV and DIY Network personalities. Read more about the annual Festival here.

Spring means playground planning

Posted on March 8, 2013 by PlayLSI

On Sunday, we spring forward for daylight saving time and then spring officially gets underway nine days after that. So what I’m saying is that spring is in the air, which is the perfect time to start thinking about your upcoming playground projects.

Whether you’re designing an entirely new playground or freshening up an existing play space, don’t forget to include freestanding play components. Playground activities set apart from a main play structure allows kids to step away for some quiet time or break into smaller play groups. Better yet, freestanding play components can bring children of all abilities and ages into the same space for collaborative play.

Flywheel™ spinner

We have a wide variety of freestanding play events. New this year is the Flywheel™ spinner, which was designed for kids ages 5 to 12. The multi-user spinner accommodates up to five kids at a time, promoting social interaction and sensory stimulation. The Flywheel spinner can fit into a compact space, making it a great option for a playground add-on. Plus, many kids will love the thrill of spinning that the Flywheel Spinner offers.

Freestanding play includes more than just spinners. We have climbers like the Mobius® and Aeronet® Climbers, slides and gliders, swings, and sensory-stimulating activities like the Sway Fun® glider that will engage a variety of ages and abilities. Learn more here, and then get in touch with your local playground consultant.

Together We Play

Bringing the magic of play to communities.