Atlanta Taskforce on Play (ATOP): Making Atlanta a Great Place to Play
Importance of Play
Play has always been fun. Now that children are getting less and less of it we have come to discover that it is also good for you!
Free unstructured play is an important component of a healthy childhood and impacts children on a number of levels. From fighting obesity, to helping develop socialization skills, to lessening the severity of ADHD symptoms- the list of the known benefits of play is impressive and growing.
What is not growing is the amount of time children spend playing.
As we develop our site, we will provide you with an extensive resource list. For now, here are two great places to start:
The Strong National Museum of Play
Coming in the Spring of 2009 will be the release of the Atlanta Taskforce on Play's report on The State of Play in the City of Atlanta. We'll keep you posted.
Last updated by Cynthia Gentry Sep. 18, 2008.
About
GREAT PLAY RESOURCES
Great information on Nature Deficit Disorder
FANTASTIC blog about playgrounds: Playscapes
And, of course, KaBOOM! Find a playground, plan a Play Day, how to build a playground, and much, much more.
Videos
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!
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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 a Ning Network!
