Welcome to PLAY ATLANTA
Play Atlanta:
making cool stuff happen
We want Atlanta to be a great place to raise your children, and that means having great places to play.
Who We Are
Play Atlanta (formerly known as ATOP-Atlanta Taskforce on Play) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting the child's right to play. We advocate for play, help communities set a vision for and design a playful environment, help real estate developers integrate play spaces throughout a project, educate about the importance of play, and much more.
Play Atlanta was founded in 2007 in order to apply to KaBOOM!’s Playful City USA competition on behalf of the City of Atlanta. Working closely with the City’s Department of Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs, Play Atlanta (then ATOP) was successful and Atlanta became one of the 31 Founding Playful Cities and went on to win first prize in the PCUSA video grant competition. Check out
Play Atlanta is a fiscal partner of the local 501(c)(3) nonprofit Park Pride and will
For info: Cynthia (at) PlayAtlanta.org
To REPAIR/BUILD Playgrounds
REPAIRS: See something that needs to be fixed in a City of Atlanta playground? Please report it to Parks Dept. Customer Service at: 404-546-6813
In the News
Play Atlanta IN THE NEWS
Atlanta Business Chronicle: ABC-Private Grants Help Deliver.pdf
Atlanta Magazine: Play With A Purpose, Why Kids Need Recess
KaBOOM! Playmaker of the Month
Recreation & Parks in Georgia Magazine: Creating Partnerships in Atlanta
Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Centers of Hope Good for Atlanta's Kids
YouTube
ATOP in Metropolis
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
CNN iReport
Delta's SKY Magazine
ArchDaily
The Treehouse in the News
ATOP/SCAD's Sculpture Department Project at Camp Twin Lakes
Camp Twin Lakes' News Splash p. 3-4
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
CNN
KaBOOM
New York Times
National Cities Weekly
Georgia Front Page
Southeast Green
Atlanta Board of Education's Khaatim El - blog
Blog Posts
Saporta Report: Let’s Talk About Play
I just stumbled upon an article I wrote for the Saporta Report earlier this year before Park Pride's annual Parks and Greenspace Conference. The conference had the theme of Parks and Play: A Conversation for All Ages and it was fantastic.
…
ContinuePosted by Cynthia Gentry on September 6, 2016 at 11:42am
Play Everywhere
I love the idea of play being everywhere, not just at the playground. When I was a kid (oh,…
ContinuePosted by Cynthia Gentry on August 16, 2016 at 11:00am
Shadows With a Life of Their Own
This idea of a streetlight that makes shadows based on the memory of your shadow is such a fun idea. It was created by the design team of Chomko & Rosier for a Playable City competition in the UK.
I know this is wrong of me, but I tend to not care much about playful designs…
ContinuePosted by Cynthia Gentry on July 16, 2016 at 4:19pm
Art + Play + Engineering = A Dream Worthy of Installation
Janet Echelman + Alberto Adolfo, Fernandez Gonzalez and Carlos Benjamin + Hyunjeong Kim
The artist Janet Echelman spoke at the Museum of Design Atlanta (MODA) several months ago and I have been obsessed with figuring out how to create a play space with her ever since. She uses what are essentially fishermen's nets to create stunning, moving,…
ContinuePosted by Cynthia Gentry on July 9, 2016 at 11:00am
A Simple Reminder of the Right of All Children to Play
Thought it was time for a reminder of the simplicity and beauty of play. Plus, I just love the way the song accents the children.
Posted by Cynthia Gentry on April 6, 2016 at 7:43pm
To Win Over Poverty a Child Must Have a Dream
There is a very important article in The Atlantic titled, "Why Do Some Poor Kids Thrive?" It is a fascinating read about coming out on the winning side of a childhood of poverty.
A big factor in…
ContinuePosted by Cynthia Gentry on April 6, 2016 at 10:42am
Atlanta Shines a Bright Light on Parks and Play
by Guest Blogger Lianne Epstein Deren
Recently I had the delightful and rewarding experience of attending Park…
ContinuePosted by Cynthia Gentry on April 1, 2016 at 4:19pm
The Bond Between Grandparents and Grandchildren
As you could see in my previous post we have had a grand new playground open up in our neighborhood. It was the brain child of Chastain Park Conservancy Vice Chairman Jay Smith. It has been a long road - over four years, in fact - to get this gargantuan task completed and one had to wonder how Jay kept the vision alive through all the ups and downs, and…
ContinuePosted by Cynthia Gentry on March 19, 2016 at 2:00pm
A Dream Realized
The Summer Dale Treehouse at Play Chastain (Atlanta, Georgia)
What if you lost someone you loved dearly? There is never a replacement, but sometimes, just sometimes, a memorial or remembrance is so powerful that it touches the heart…
ContinuePosted by Cynthia Gentry on March 18, 2016 at 9:50am
Just a Few More Days!
PARKS AND PLAY!! IS THE THEME
Monday, March 21, 2016 (all day)
Atlanta Botanical Gardens
It is incredibly exciting and promising that the big annual Park Pride Parks and Greenspace Conference has Parks and Play : A Conversation for All Ages as its topic this year.…
ContinuePosted by Cynthia Gentry on March 15, 2016 at 10:34pm
Photos
Events
GREAT PLAY RESOURCES
WATCH THIS!!
Watch this video to see why play matters!!
Aqui esta en Español: 
FANTASTIC blog about playgrounds: Playscapes
FIND A PLAYGROUND!!
Click for the Find a Playground app to put on your phone.
Pretty much everything you ever needed to know about play.
And, of course, KaBOOM! Find a playground, plan a Play Day, how to build a playground, and much, much more.
Playgroundology, an emerging social science.
Videos
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!
My Face Having Fun
© 2016 Created by Cynthia Gentry.
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