Sleigh bells ring, are you listening,
In the lane, snow is glistening
We want to learn more,
What's KaBOOM! got in store?
Check out all their winter webinars!

Gone away is our playground,
We must build a fun-n'-games-ground,
But we don't know how,
So let's learn how to now,
Regist'ring for winter webinars!

In our city we can build a playground,
Then our kids will laugh and run around,
They'll say "Can we play more?
Love this playground!"
And we'll build it all thanks to
kaboom.org!

But for now, as we wander,
On these topics we must ponder.
To face unafraid,
The plans that we made,
Let's register for winter webinars!

Thank you!

Now that "Winter Wonderland" is stuck in your head, go register for our fantastic webinars, covering the following topics:

• Finding Play in Playful City USA Communities: The KaBOOM! Playspace Finder and Widget
• Extra! Extra! Extra! Read All About It! Working with the Media
• How to Rally Your City to Become a Playful City Part II: Developing an Action Plan for Play
• KaBOOM! Success Stories: Washington Mutual and McKinley Elementary
• Playgrounds, Mental Health and Brain Development
• Success Stories: Volunteer Recruitment with Mara Kaplan
• Grant Writing 101
• Incorporating Service Learning Into Your Build
• Success Stories: Revitalizing your Playspace on a Shoestring Budget
• Making Your Build Day Green
• Fundraising 101
• Volunteer Recruitment: Managing the Process
• The KaBOOM! Road Map
• Safety, Surfacing & Vendors...Oh My!

Here at KaBOOM!, we like to offer a healthy, balanced diet of online learning opportunities.

We've got the Roadmap, which walks you through the various steps of planning a playspace project.

We've got the Toolkit, which has helpful how-to's for each planning team of your project.

We've got the Forums, where you can ask questions and learn from other people's successes and challenges.

We've got Side Projects, where you can learn step-by-step instructions for how to enhance and beautify your playspace with a bench, mural, sandbox, or other project.

And we've got webinars, free classes on specific subjects that you can take right in the comfort of your own home. All you need is an Internet connection and a phone to participate.

Check out these great upcoming webinars:

• An Introduction to the Community Build Road Map
• Making Your Build Day Green
• Why Play Matters
• Safety, Surfacing, and Vendors...Oh My!
• Becoming a KaBOOM! Community Partner
• How to Rally Your City to Become a Playful City USA

We also have archives of webinars on grants, fundraising, working with the media, and more. Check them out!

Find more webinar details, links to register, and archives here.

Here are some of the new features you're going to love on the new KaBOOM! Playspace Finder:

• Interactive maps. Find out exactly where a playspace is located with a detailed map view!
• More details. You can now add up to 149 different amenities, equipment, and playspace types to make your entry as detailed as possible.
• Better search. Filter your searches by the type of playground and/or by rating.
• More ratings. In addition to an overall rating, you can now rate playspaces on its condition, safety, the level of innovation, amenities, and maintenance.

Got a blog or website? Be sure to grab one of the shiny, new KaBOOM! Playspace Finder widgets. They're free!

The all-new KaBOOM! Playspace Finder wouldn't have been possible without the very generous support of KOOL-AID. Together, KaBOOM! and KOOL-AID are making great play possible, and making great playspaces easier to find.

Two brand-new webinars were announced today! Check them out:

Making Your Build Day Green
Oct. 1, 2008 (3:00-4:00 p.m. EST)
Here at KaBOOM! we believe a successful Build Day couples volunteer enthusiasm with a steadfast commitment to eco-friendliness. There are a number of ways that you can employ the 3Rs (reduce, reuse, recycle) as you prepare for your upcoming Build Day. In this webinar, you will hear some ideas on how to reduce food waste, recycle equipment packaging, and reuse Build Day tools, in addition to ideas for making a greener play environment! Join us as we learn how to care for the greatest of all playspaces – our natural environment.

Safety, Surfacing, and Vendors...Oh My!
Duration: 60 minutes
Oct. 14, 2008 (3-4 p.m. EST)
Choosing the right site and the right surfacing for your play structure are important first steps in planning your playground project. In this workshop, you'll learn about safety standards, equipment hazards, and the types of surfacing that will guarantee you'll have a fun and safe place for your kids to play. You'll also learn specific site considerations that you'll need to keep in mind before planning a project.

Learn more and register.

Put your seatbelts on, folks, and get ready to ride the webinar train! Destination: KNOWLEDGE.

All you need to participate in these webinars are a phone and a computer connected to the Internet. These trainings are offered free of charge.

FUNdraising 101
Fri., Sept. 5, 2008 (3:00-4:00 p.m. EST)

Play and Children’s Health: The Value of Playgrounds
Mon., Sept. 15, 2008 (3:30-4:30 p.m. EST)
Guest speaker: J.C. Boushh, founder of Design for Play
[Read an article J.C. wrote for KaBOOM!]

Almost There! Getting Ready for Your Build Day!
Tue., Sept. 16, 2008 (2:30- 3:30 p.m. EST)

An Introduction to the Community Build Road Map
Thu., Sept. 25, 2008 (2:00-3:00 p.m. EST)

Becoming a KaBOOM! Community Partner
Thu., Oct. 23, 2008 (2:00-3:00 p.m. EST)

To register, visit our webinars page.

A Play Day is one day when the community gets together to celebrate and recognize the importance of play — unstructured, self-motivated play — for kids of all ages. Organizing a Play Day is a good way to draw attention to the importance of play in the lives of all children in your community as well as create momentum for long-term commitments to building and caring for playspaces. A Play Day can be a simple (and, of course, fun) affair that lasts a few hours, or it can be a full day of activities, games, prizes, free play, and community building! A Play Day can be big or small, including a neighborhood or a whole city. It’s time to celebrate and have fun. And, don’t forget, this is your opportunity to network!

Get lots of resources and tips on our new Play Day planning resources page!

We've changed the Forums! We have a new area to help you get started, learn what's new in the community, and an area where we will feature active members of the community.

We've also greatly reduced the number of Forum categories. For instance, the threads for the Playmaker Network and Playful City USA have now been combined. Also, nearly all of the Forums about building playspaces have been combined into two categories: building and fundraising. We've eliminated many of the categories that no one was visiting and we think it will easier for you to find useful conversations.

Finally, y ou can now search the Forums by thread, username, date, and by keywords. The search function is what we are calling a "beta" test. There may be some bugs and if you come across some, we would be very appreciative if you posted them in the Community Forum (along with any other questions and comments about the changes we've made too!) [More]