Deliver social and cooperative play opportunities with playground spinners

Posted on December 1, 2022 by PlayLSI

Modern day merry-go-rounds attract kids of all ages and abilities. But why are kids so fascinated with spinning activities? Because it’s one of the core movements that engages the vestibular system. When a child twists and turns on playground spinners their brain receives signals to help control movement and balance. Even more, playground spinners offer developmental benefits including social and cooperative play.

Three children standing on a Curva spinner playground feature

We understand that kids discover their world and how to be successful in it through sensory play. And the more sensory-rich play experiences kids are presented with, the more they can fully develop a wide array of skills necessary to engage, change and impact the world around them.

Adding multi-user playground spinners to playground designs is a great way to expand play spaces and freshen up the play experience. Best of all, while kids whirl and twirl their day away, they’re receiving developmental benefits like building an array of motor, cognitive and social/emotional skills.

Try placing one spinner or multiple together to create a play zone filled with thrilling experiences that are great for kids of all ages and abilities. The Revi™ products including the ReviRock™ Bouncer, ReviWheel™ Spinner and ReviWhirl™ Spinner are a great option for this. Designed with inclusion in mind, all three Revi products are designed at transfer height, offer multiple ways to hang on, and provide plenty of room for kids of all abilities to lay down, sit, kneel or stand as they experiment with the motion.

When children play together, they develop in ways that they couldn’t alone. That’s why we develop multi-user spinners that combine the sensory input of spinning and social interaction among peers. Even better, many of these products like the We-Go-Round®, OmniSpin® Spinner and WhirlyQ® Spinner are inclusive to individuals of all ages and abilities.

Learn more about how certain types of play may shape children’s development by requesting our whitepaper, Shaped by Play: How Play Types Impact Development. Our observational research with the University of Minnesota examines whether certain types of developmentally significant play are best supported by certain playground components.

Delivering adventure with playground towers

Posted on August 4, 2022 by PlayLSI

Playgrounds and outdoor play do so much more than expend a child’s excess energy. Playing on a playground teaches children self-regulation, how to handle stressful situations, and increase self-confidence and self-esteem. Including adventure-filled playground designs that test and challenge children of all ages and abilities increases these benefits.

We are aware of the importance of designing challenge into our playground products as well as overall playground environments. Our team of playground designers, conceptors, sculptors and artists work with clients to create playgrounds that offer exciting and challenging play activities to not only entice children to participate and be active but help them to fully develop a wide array of skills.

Creating adventure-filled play experiences

The best way to create adventure-filled play experiences for kids of all ages and abilities is to look for playground designs that encourage the progression of the play experience. Playground towers like the Alpha® Tower and Alpha Link® Towers, Super Netplex®, PlayOdyssey® Tower or custom options like the Hedra® Towers all offer a variety of ground-level play components, plus deliver multiple climbing opportunities that take kids as high as they’d like as well as slide options along the way. Each of these playground towers help kids gain confidence through repeated and slow exposure to new challenges.

Additionally, the Super Netplex provides an inclusive play experience with an easy way to transfer and an accessible route to the top of the highest tower via its center spiral belting. Kids of all abilities can enjoy the view, hang out with friends and take whooshy rides down one of the playground slides.

Highland recreation complex hedra towers

The research shows that if children are not provided with challenging play opportunities they may be more prone to problems such as mental health concerns, a lack of independence, and a decrease in learning, perception and judgment skills. Learn more about how to create adventure-filled playground designs using our various playground towers at playlsi.com. And learn more about balancing safety and challenge in playground design by requesting our whitepaper.

The best of 2017

Posted on January 4, 2018 by PlayLSI

You came. You read. And now we’re sharing our five most read blog posts of 2017.

Decline in children’s play time shown in new study
According to our recent poll, more than half of parents think that children today have fewer opportunities for play than children 20 years ago.
Five considerations for your toddler and preschool playgrounds
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.
Exciting, new products for your 2017 playground designs
We introduced exciting new commercial playground products—GeoPlex™, Nook, Loft and more—to help create playground designs that shape kids’ lives.
A fresh look for your playground
Add a cool aesthetic (and an extra layer of protection) to your playground that will look great in any environment—urban, sculptural, modern, industrial—with the new HDG Series!
Exploring nature on the playground
There are myriad benefits to kids playing outdoors. That’s why we design nature-inspired playground equipment that helps connect kids to the natural world.

Thank you for tuning in to Together We Play in 2017. We’re looking forward to an exciting year of play; tell us below what you’d like to see more of in 2018 and we’ll do our best to share it here.

Exciting, new products for your 2017 playground designs

Posted on January 26, 2017 by PlayLSI

Good things start on the playground, and that’s because we have exciting new playground products for 2017.

GeoPlex™

The abstract, geometric GeoPlex™ climbing panels for ages 5 to 12 come together in so many different ways to create endless patterns of visual and physical texture.

Smart Play®: Nook 6-23

Sized just right for little crawlers and early walkers, the whimsical Smart Play®: Nook 6-23 offers plenty of colorful activities to capture the attention of young ones.

Smart Play: Loft 2-5

Toddlers graduate from the Nook to Smart Play: Loft 2-5 and enter a world of imaginary play. Even more, the play structure encourages conversation between children and caregivers.

WhooshWinder™ Slide

Give kids a fast, twisty ride down the WhooshWinder™ Slide from 6- or 8-foot decks.

Double Swoosh Slide®

The Double Swoosh Slide® is our steepest double racer slide is now available in 8 feet height.

Learn more about these innovative new commercial playground equipment products on playlsi.com. And watch our video to see how we’re all #shapedbyplay at Landscape Structures.

Tell a story with your playground colors

Posted on January 22, 2015 by PlayLSI

You may have seen that we introduced eight new colors to make your playground designs pop, blend in or tell a unique story. But with all the infinite number of colors available, how did we choose peacock, buttercup, sky, grass, berry, lagoon, paprika and carbon?

A team of five playground designers looked at a cross-section of trends—built environments, graphics and fashion design—in addition to nature to find colors that excite, but will also stand the test of time. They each created mood boards to identify what they felt were “gaps” in our current color offerings. And after seeing similarities among the boards, they began to move forward with colors they felt would complement our existing playground colors and offer the most variety in color palettes.

The team then ordered paint swatches to study how the sun affected the colors and to see which new hues would be most complimentary to existing color options. According to Nikki Hall, playground designer, “Seeing the swatches in the sunlight dramatically changed how the colors interacted, so this was an important step in the process.” Going even further, the team came up with the idea to carbonize some of the colors to give it a richer finish.

So what about the names? “We wanted all of the names to be something authentic from nature—nothing artificial or made-up,” explained Allison Schrein, playground designer. “We generated lists, and threw ideas and more images back and forth to each other until we found ones that seemed right.” Most of the names that the team started with early on in the process are ones that stuck.

Do you have a favorite of the 2015 new playground colors? What do you think of the 23 curated palettes? Share your thoughts below, then visit playlsi.com to learn more.

Announcing our NEW 2013 Park & Playground Equipment Catalog

Posted on January 28, 2013 by PlayLSI

We are very excited to introduce our 2013 Park & Playground Equipment Catalog. With more than 200 pages, our new catalog features many new products and offerings that are designed to inspire your upcoming playground projects.

2013 Park & Play Equipment Catalog

The catalog opens to a letter from Cofounder and Chairman Steve King on behalf of all 300 employee owners at Landscape Structures. We are all honored to be a part of children’s lives, and are constantly inspired by their imaginations and drive to have fun. Every employee here puts his or her heart and soul into creating innovative playgrounds that kids flock to and become community gathering spaces.

Pulse™ Tempo

Next, you’ll see our new product offerings for 2013 like Pulse™, which offers a multisensory way to add light, sound, touch and more movement to the playground. We’re excited to show off our new site furnishings collections—Designer, Vivid and Nature-Inspired—which will match your new or existing playground. We’ve also introduced new freestanding play components like the We-saw™, our multi-person seesaw that welcomes children and families of all abilities; the Flywheel™ Spinner that encourages social interaction; and the Log Stack Climber, which will expand your nature-inspired playground design and offer various levels of challenge.

Mobius® Boat

In addition to our new products, we have a section of signature playground designs that highlight our custom design and manufacturing capabilities. Our artists, designers and engineers look forward to collaborating with customers to help bring their ideas to life, and our focus on the details makes each playground an exciting destination for children who visit it.

These are just a few of the highlights in the new 2013 Park & Playground Equipment Catalog, so take some time to page through the entire thing. You can browse our Virtual Catalog or request a copy be mailed to you at playlsi.com.

Create inspiring play spaces together

Posted on November 9, 2012 by PlayLSI

If you’re working on an upcoming playground project, be sure to check out our 2013 Design Book for inspiration. The book features seven playgrounds from across the country that incorporate a theme, learning opportunities for visitors and truly innovative design.

Sunset Park, Las Vegas, Nev.
Clark County Nevada, Parks & Recreation Department

We have decades of custom design experience, and can help you create a playground design that best fits your community’s personality. Our team of custom designers and artists has created everything from boats and ships to aliens and UFOs, as well as unique designs without themes that become playable art.

Indian Creek Playground, Berwyn Heights, Md.
The Maryland National Capital Park and Planning Commission, Prince George’s County Department of Parks and Recreation

Whatever your idea, we’ll help you bring it to life on the playground. Kids’ imaginations with soar with a custom and theme playground design. Get your creative juices flowing… browse our 2013 Design Book, or request that a copy be mailed to you here.

Together We Play

Bringing the magic of play to communities.

Tag Archives: playground designs