Making Atlanta a Great Place to Play
Be a part of making Atlanta a great place for our kids to play. Playspaces, parks, trails... where do you need more play? Join in!
Who We Are
ATOP is a fiscal partner of the local 501(c)(3) nonprofit Park Pride.
For info: Cynthia (at) PlayAtlanta.org
To REPAIR/BUILD Playgrounds
BUILD A PLAYGROUND:
If you would like info on building a playground in an Atlanta City Park contact:
Design & location:
Pat Katz at PKatz(at)AtlantaGa.Gov
or
Paul Taylor at pataylor(at)atlantaga.gov
Funding ideas:
Alvin Dodson at
adodson(at)atlantaga.gov
Everything you ever wanted to know about HOW TO BUILD A PLAYGROUND can be found on the
KaBOOM! ROAD MAP.
Videos
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Playful City USA: Atlanta!
Added by Cynthia Gentry
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Notes
Play Bio - Councilman Jim Maddox
The Honorable Jim Maddox
Councilmember- District 11
City of Atlanta
… ContinueCreated by Cynthia Gentry Sep 18, 2008 at 11:58am. Last updated by Cynthia Gentry Apr 7.
In the News & ATOP Partners
NEW: Camp Twin Lakes' News Splash p. 3-4
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
CNN
KaBOOM
New York Times
National Cities Weekly
Georgia Front Page
Southeast Green
ATOP Advisory Board
Dr. Arthur Wendel, CDC
Medical Officer, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention -
National Center for Environmental Health, Public Health and Built Environment Initiative
Tom Walsh, Founding Principal, Tunnell-Spangler-Walsh & Associates
Olga Jarrett, PhD - President, International Play Association; Associate Professor, Department of Early Childhood Education, Georgia State University
RoseMary Hamer, Principal, Bethune Elementary School
Orland Esval, Director of eCommerce, AT&T
ATOP PARTNERS
City of Atlanta
KaBOOM!
Playful City USA
Park Pride
Nickelodeon
Camp Twin Lakes
Sports4Kids
Chattahoochee Nature Center
CNN Fit Nation
Tool Bank
Tunnell-Spangler-Walsh & Associates
StarTreks, LLC
Georgia Public Broadcasting
Websites
Playscapes
ATLANTA NAMED PLAYFUL CITY USA!!
9.06.08 (Atlanta) Atlanta, GA is named "Playful City USA" by KaBOOM! For the second year in a row, Atlanta has shown that it knows how to play and is making parks, playgrounds, trails and all kinds of play a top priority. Join the Atlanta Taskforce on Play and be a part of it all!
City of Atlanta press release
NationsCities_3_24_08_Mayor Franklin article.doc
Photos
Blog Posts
Campers Take Over the Treehouse
Why walk in the front door when there's a rope bridge that takes you to the treehouse?
… Continue
Posted by Cynthia Gentry on July 15, 2009 at 8:00pm
Great Atlanta Play Day Coming - 9/26/09
We had a great time last year, and this year is going to be even better.
… Continue
Posted by Cynthia Gentry on July 6, 2009 at 5:14pm
13 & 14 Year Olds Enjoying a Playground?
They took turns sitting on a roundabout and all worked together spinning. One by one someone would jump off and another would take his place. These kids today were… Continue
Posted by Cynthia Gentry on June 16, 2009 at 5:13pm
The Campers are in the New Treehouse!
Click on the yellow title above to open up the picture album.
The kids are really enjoying this amazing structure that took two years and… Continue
Posted by Cynthia Gentry on June 5, 2009 at 5:00pm
Noguchi Playscape Restored and Reopened
On May 1, 1976, the Noguchi Playscape opened in Piedmont Park in Atlanta. Over 30 years later on June 1, 2009, the beautiful playground reopened after years of arduous planning and restoration work. -- The Japanese-American artist Isamu Noguchi (1904-1988) designed many i… Continue
Posted by Cynthia Gentry on June 3, 2009 at 11:00am
Forum
Do you know any cool places to play? 3 Replies
Started by Cynthia Gentry. Last reply by Cochan Mill Nature Center Mar 24.
Events
September 26
Saturday
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Great Atlanta PLAY DAY 09.26.09
September 26, 2009 from 12am to 11:45pm – All over Atlanta: backyards, playgrounds, parks
Fun Play Ideas
Find an Atlanta Playground
101 Ideas on What to Play
Sports4Kids' Power of Play Training Guide for Atlanta
Nickelodeon Play Day Guidebook
Build a fort Building a box fort Decorating your fort
Climb a tree!
Build a sandcastle
Play Frisbee
Build A Treehouse
Find a Trail
Campout In Your Backyard
Watch Clouds
Explore Your Backyard
Design your own constellations! CampoutStars.pdf
Take A City Nature Walk
Take A Backyard Bird Walk
ATLANTA'S COMMISSIONER COHEN GIVEN ATOP PLAY CHAMPION OF THE YEAR AWARD for 2008
(l-r: Commissioner of Parks, Recreation & Cultural Affairs Dianne Harnell Cohen, Atlanta Taskforce on Play Founder Cynthia Gentry, Atlanta City Councilman Kwanza Hall)
Saturday, September 27, 2008 (Great Atlanta Play Day)
Dianne Harnell Cohen, Commissioner of Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs for the City of Atlanta has been named the ATOP Play Champion of the Year for 2008.
At the Great Atlanta Play Day launch on Saturday, September 27, 2008, ATOP Founder Cynthia Gentry said, "Atlanta is fortunate to be home to one of the country’s most tireless workers on behalf of our parks, greenspaces, playspaces, trails….and therefore our children.
"This person has done an extraordinary job and has literally turned the parks system of the city around with a $105 million Parks and Greenspace Opportunity Bond to renovate existing parks and build new ones. She attends more community meetings than all other Department heads combined – listening to residents about what they want to see in their parks. She is committed to having a park, greenspace, playspace or greenway trail within walking distance of every child in Atlanta. She even sent a quick email that turned ATOP’s Playful City USA video entry from a jumble of video clips into the crisply edited, first place entry in KaBOOM’s Playful City USA contest.
"Our City has been blessed with an exceptional leader in the form of the Commissioner of Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs, and so it gives me great honor to award to Dianne Harnell Cohen, the first ever Atlanta Taskforce on Play “Play Champion of the Year” Award.
"Congratulations, Commissioner, and thank you on behalf of a grateful city."
About
Play Champion of the Month
TUNNELL-SPANGLER-WALSH
Many thanks to Tunnell-Spangler-Walsh , community design and architecture firm extraordinaire. TSW is developing Playground Design Guidelines that will be on this website soon . Then, you'll be able to post information about your playground project and get input.
Thanks so much to TSW for understanding the importance of play and contributing to improving the quality of play in Atlanta!
DONATE
CLICK TO DONATE!
Ethan's grandmother gave him a gift of $25. He gave $20 to ATOP so more Atlanta kids will have great places to play. He kept $5 to get something cool for himself. We think Ethan is pretty cool!
Playground of the Month
BETHUNE Elementary School This month, our Playground of the Month is one that has not been built yet. Students, parents, staff, and volunteers are busy at work preparing for an awesome playground to be built in the Fall of 2009. Congratulations to the students for their great playground designs! We'll keep watching your progress. To help on the Bethune project, contact us at Cynthia (at) PlayAtlanta dot org.
© 2009 Created by Cynthia Gentry on Ning. Create Your Own Social Network
