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NatureGrounds: Putting Nature Into Play

Research reveals a strong link between children's experiences of being outdoors in nature and their psychological well being and overall development. To support children's health, it is critical to encourage outdoor play in nature. An important concept is the provision of innovative play environments that integrate manufactured playground equipment with the living landscape. This session will review the research-based benefits of naturalized equipment playgrounds and illustrate best practice design principles for playground installations in new and existing parks and school grounds, and strategies for overcoming potential barriers to ensure the sustainability of these valuable community assets. Participants will acquire funding and management ideas, educational materials and resources, and practical ideas for putting nature back into play for children, families, and communities across the nation.
  1. American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) Annual Meeting & Expo
    Lakeside Center at McCormick Place
    Friday, September 18th, 2009
    1:00-3:30 p.m.
    Presenters: Robin Moore, Natural Learning Initiative, NC State University, Tom Norquist, PlayCore/GameTime, and Ken Hurst, GameTime
    http://www.asla.org/2009meeting/3
  2. Tennessee Recreation and Park Association Annual Conference
    Meadowview Conference Center
    Kingsport, TN
    September 23, 2009
    8:00-9:15 a.m.
    Presenter: Lisa Moore, PlayCore
    http://www.trpa.net/displayconvspecific.cfm?convnbr=6065
  3. National Recreation & Park Association (NRPA) Congress & Exposition
    Salt Palace Convention Center- Ballroom A
    Salt Lake City, Utah
    Wednesday, October 14
    2:30 p.m. - 4:30 pm
    Presenters: Robin Moore, Natural Learning Initiative, NC State University and Nilda Cosco, Natural Learning Initiative, NC State University
    http://www.nrpa.org/congress/
  4. Turfgrass & Landscape Expo
    Long Beach Convention Center
    Long Beach, CA
    November 4, 2009
    8:30-10:30 a.m.
    Speaker: Tom Norquist, PlayCore/GameTime
    5. http://landscapeonline.com/
  5. Georgia Recreation & Parks Association Annual Conference
    Jekyll Island, Georgia
    November 4, 2009
    2:45-4:00 p.m.
    Speaker: Jennie Sumrell, PlayCore
    http://www.grpa.org/annual_conference.php
  6. National Association of the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) Annual Conference & Expo
    Washington, DC
    November 18-20, 2009
    Date/Time: TBA
    Speaker: Jennie Sumrell, PlayCore
    http://www.naeyc.org/conference/
  7. Alabama Recreation & Parks Association Annual Conference
    Orange Beach, AL
    January 24, 2010
    3:30-6:30 p.m.
    Speaker: Jennie Sumrell, PlayCore and Anne-Marie Spencer, PlayCore/GameTime
    http://www.arpaonline.org/conference.html
  8. Ohio Park and Recreation Association Annual Conference
    John Knight Center
    Akron , Ohio
    January 25, 2010
    Times: TBA
    Speaker: Tom Norquist, PlayCore/GameTime
    http://www.opraonline.org//cgi-bin/WebSuite/tcsAssnWebSuite.pl?AssnID=PARKS&DBCode=41152&Action=DisplayTemplate&Page=AWS_PARKS_conference.html

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“We believe innovative programs like NatureGrounds are critical for challenging and inspiring the future innovation of play environments across our nation.”

- Bob Farnsworth, CEO of PlayCore

“We see the NatureGrounds program as an opportunity to inspire landscape architects, designers, and park and recreation professionals with new tools to create healthy, innovative, naturalized playgrounds for all.”

- Robin Moore, Director of the Natural Learning Initiative