We Speak Playground

When it comes to child development, play goes far beyond simple entertainment by acting as a building block to learning. Regular playtime allows the brain neurons of children to change and grow, which aids in their ability to pick up new skills rather quickly. Through free-play sessions, children can increase their knowledge about how the world works and build skills that will help them through every stage of life. Parents and caregivers can aid this process by better understanding the role of play in learning and child development — and offering their kids ample opportunities for growth through play.

In the words of Charlie Chaplin, "A day without laughter is a day wasted." Fortunately for children and the adults who take care of them, laughter is one of the primary sounds heard on a well-designed playground. Thanks to the help of Computer-Aided Design (CAD), playgrounds can now be more readily designed to meet the specific needs of schools, parks and recreation areas. 

Adding a fantastic play structure to your Texas church, school or park is easy thanks to our wonderful May Recreation team. However, one of the biggest hurdles most of our clients have to overcome is funding. Thankfully, there are many options out there. Here are five amazing resources for finding funding for your playground project.

Today’s children are growing up with screens at their fingertips. They have never had to live without smartphones, tablets or the internet. But studies show that too much screen time can have a negative impact on children. Their brains can actually change, according to The American Academy of Pediatrics. While smart devices can help improve your child’s education, too much time can be damaging.

Play has always been an innate part of the childhood experience. Long before there were playgrounds of any kind, children were creating their own using little more than their imaginations. Play is important for the cultivation of motor skills as well as physical strength and stamina. Children also learn social skills from playing together in groups. Country children had it best in this respect — a crooked stick became a lightning-fast steed, while a small stream became a vast and mysterious ocean. Play occurs in all cultures and is an essential part of healthy childhood development, even though playgrounds themselves are a relatively recent addition. The first public playground was built in San Francisco in the year 1887, and playgrounds as we know them gradually came into existence as cities grew larger and outdoor play in the streets and in vacant lots became increasingly dangerous. However, it took over a century for the idea of inclusive playgrounds to even begin to make a dent in America's cultural landscape. 

Especially in this day and age, kids are consumed by electronics. From games on their phones to games on the Xbox, PlayStation or computer, these games are consuming the lives of kids all over the world. Although there are many games responsible for this video-game addiction, Fortnite is currently leading the pack. Fortnite is an online game where players fight against each other in player vs. player combat. Especially over the past decade, kids are spending less time outdoors and more time playing video games. Not only does that lead to social issues in kids, it can also contribute to obesity and other health problems. In this post, we’ll discuss the importance of getting outside, the many activities that your kids can do, and how to encourage your kids to put down the controller.

Put down the screens!

In this day and age of Facebook, screen time and YouTube videos, real “face time” can get lost in the shuffle. And that’s too bad. Because growing children need time with other people to learn how to socialize and how to interact. They need time away from their screens so their growing minds and bodies can develop.

Christmas is officially upon us! It’s the season of peace, love and joy — but sometimes we tend to forget that and focus on the material things. This Christmas season, try to focus more on the spirit of Christmas by enjoying time with your family and making memories that will last a lifetime.

Are you thinking of building a playground but don’t know where to start? Planning for a new playground can be intimidating and overwhelming. Understandably, most people don’t know where to start. It’s easy enough to pick out playground equipment that you like, but there are many other aspect of the project that people don't initially think about. 

Organizations across the country are recognizing the benefits of daily recess for elementary school students. With increased academic pressure and focus on standardize tests seeming to become more and more prominent, some schools are pushing back and doubling the dose of daily recess. They realize that that their students actually perform better with more unstructured playtime.