We Speak Playground

Having a playground in your neighborhood provides a safe space for children to get outdoors, socialize and get the body moving in active play. However, most people don't have the ready funding to have one built in their community. While hosting bake sales and other fundraising events can bring in the neighbors who will give donations, another way to get the funding for playgrounds is to find grants.

Some dog lovers might argue that all you need for a good dog park is dogs. No one would argue. However, you can always make things more fun at your own dog park. Whether you run a local community dog park, or you are adding some special features to your backyard dog park, there are several ways to add joy to your canine oasis.  

The normal routines kids enjoyed just a few months ago are almost nonexistent today. They often aren’t allowed to see their friends or go to each other's house to play. If they played sports or enjoyed being part of a group of any sort, that has likely ended. Everyone around them is distant and wearing a mask covering their faces. Only their closest family hug them as everyone on the outside is keeping their six foot distance.

This has led many kids to experience the very real effects of depression for the first time in their lives. It’s understandable. After all, we as humans are social beings, so denying that need would understandably lead to anxious or sad feelings. Thankfully, there are ways to help your child overcome the doldrums they are experiencing by embracing the great outdoors through play. 

With all our lives semi-permanently adjusted due to the current COVID-19 pandemic and its risk of infection, everyone needs to do their part to maintain personal health protection and social distancing. Per the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC), hand sanitizer and hand-washing are key activities that should be performed frequently to cut down on the chance of contact transfer of the virus along with masks. In this regard, May Recreation makes available an entire line of playground-specific hand sanitizer stands that can accommodate playground equipment and locations, complementing the regular cleaning of playground equipment and making sanitizing resources readily available for children.

Playgrounds and outdoor learning activities provide a wealth of benefits to children. They learn to socialize, enhance their hand and motor skills, practice sharing and learn other positive benefits. Recess time also keeps children engaged in an active lifestyle, as this activity promotes both good physical and mental wellbeing.

Normally when the days get longer and the weather becomes nicer, you'll see kids flocking to the playgrounds, basketball courts, soccer fields and more to enjoy time outdoors. Then, of course, the COVID-19 pandemic hit and playgrounds across the country were shuttered in an effort to stop the spread of the virus. Now that the country is opening back up, so too are playgrounds - and that's a good thing.

The pandemic has thrown a wrench into nearly everyone's plans, and it doesn't help that Texas has not seen the decline in cases that we were hoping for after reopening. The threats have caused nearly every industry to rethink plans, including several school districts that have already come out with potential schedules for the 2020 - 2021 year. We'll look at how this could have an impact on the construction schedule of recreation structures and what everyone can do to minimize the disruption. 

Visiting the playground is likely one of your child’s favorite activities. The playground is also where you child learns to interact socially with other children and gets that much needed physical exercise. It’s unfortunate that the playground is also a source of germs, but there are some clever ways to avoid germs on the playground.

Perhaps few groups of children have struggled with inclusion as much as people with sensory issues, and of course, parents who care for them. So many community activities provide an amount of stimulation that people with sensory disorders find overwhelming, uncomfortable, or even painful. The good news is that the Houston Metro Area has begun to provide some sensory-friendly opportunities for community and family fun.

At May Recreation, we know how important communities are. There has been no time in recent history when this has been more true than during the coronavirus outbreak. Our first responders, medical professionals, local school personnel, including teachers, educators and administrators, grocery store clerks, postal employees, delivery drivers, pharmacists, garbage collectors and so many more, are putting their lives on the line to provide vital services to the communities in which they live and serve. We'd like to take this opportunity to acknowledge their efforts and to thank them for the essential care, supplies, and services they are providing to their communities during this difficult time.