Here's a sneak peek of some of the cool stuff you'll be able to do on kaboom.org starting next week:

Find people easier
You'll be able to easily browse and search for members of kaboom.org by name, username, and location. You can even select online friends and keep track of their updates!

Create and join groups
Your playspace planning committee, play task force, friends and people with similar interests will be able to organize and have conversations online. Each group gets its own Forum, photo gallery, and more - and you can make it either open to the public or private.

Visit our improved Forums
You'll be able to use the new and improved Forums to learn, teach and share with other people who are advocating for play and building playgrounds easier than ever before!

Share photos and videos
You'll be able to upload pictures and videos from your play projects and share playful memories with the community! You can sort your pictures and videos into albums for easy browsing, and rate and comment on other people's pictures and videos, too.

Invite people to events
You'll be able to post your events and support other playful happenings!

Set your privacy settings
You'll be able to decide exactly how much (or how little) of your information you want others to see.

So stay tuned! Be sure to check back on Dec. 29 for all these cool new features and more!

Are you on Facebook? Now you can promote the cause of play by "poking" your friends! Here's how.

First, login to Facebook. Make sure you've added the SuperPoke application.

Then, go to the SuperPoke application (which looks like this):

Select the friends you want to poke (we recommend using the "select all" button!).

Then, select the "Causes" tab and choose "Build a playground with KaBOOM!" (see below).

Then click the big "SuperPoke Them!" button.

Once you’ve sent the SuperPoke to all of your friends, you’ll be taken to a page where you can donate your Facebook status to KaBOOM!, and recruit your friends to the cause of play with KaBOOM!.

Note: Samantha is better known in the KaBOOM! community as Sammy12.

Progress continues in the effort to build playground for disabled children
By Andy Mattison
Syracuse 10 News
Dec. 7, 2008

SHROEPPEL, N.Y. -- In October we told you about Samantha Furco, a high school senior trying to raise $70,000 to build a playground for disabled kids.

At the time of our story Furco had only raised about $5,000, but that was before she held a very successful benefit dinner at RFH's Hide-A-Way in Phoenix.

"It went really well. We actually ran out of spaghetti and tickets at the door. So many people showed up,” said Samantha Furco.

Read the full article.

There are some great conversations happening on the KaBOOM! Forums right now! Check them out!

Share your most fun, interesting, cute, etc. playground story!
"Ok, so I had a thought today that it would be fun to start a thread where people can share their playground stories.  I think this would be something entertaining to read and hopefully people will keep adding to it and it'll just keep growing..."

Playgrounds for children with autism
"I would like to help my son's early intervention (IAC) autism class by finding a vendor who could help supply a design already in place..." 

"Since there is more than one spectrum of autism (chidren can be easily overstimulated as well as be understimulated) then several types of equipment should be incorporated, including movement based activities and quiet cozy spaces to get out of the action when needed..."

"I am collecting information about what parents who are raising children with autism would like in a playground through a survey..."

KaBOOM! is all over the Internet! Did you know you can be our friend on MySpace? A fan on Facebook? A follower on Twitter? Join us today!

	Let's be friends on Myspace!
	Become a fan on Facebook!
	Recruit friends with our Facebook Cause!
	Get mobile updates with Twitter!
	Network with us on LinkedIn!

Check out a cool playground build slideshow from forestgrove, who had this to say about her Build Day:

We are so excited, our build day on September the 6th went fantastic! We had 20 volunteers which was just perfect. It was supposed to rain that day but it held off til about an hour after we had finished. We are having our surface poured tomorrow and the kids will be able to play on it on Friday. Just in time for our school's Open House next Monday. It truly was a community effort, our township maintenance crew came out with there jackhammer, bobcat and auger, and bulldozer to help us dig our holes.

By Mara Kaplan

Mara just finished a playground build for her daughter’s school, Community Day in Pittsburgh, Penn. Below, she shares her best volunteer recruitment strategies for the project. “We had 180 people show up on Build Day, over 220 people volunteer on the project, and 41 percent of our school families participated,” says Mara.

1. Recruit a grade captain for every grade or every homeroom, depending on your school. The build chair can then communicate with the grade captains, who can do more personal outreach to the parents in their child’s class. Also, if you’re working with a private school, enlist someone as a liaison to the board of directors, and don’t forget the faculty! If you can get a teacher to ask their peers to volunteer, it will make it easier to get them excited about the project.

By John Doherty
Syracuse (N.Y.) Post Standard
Aug. 23, 2008

Ed. note: Samantha is a fixture in the KaBOOM! community, where she's known as Sammy12.

People are finally starting to take Samantha Furco seriously.

For nearly two years Furco, a Phoenix high school senior, has been trying to get support for a playground designed for disabled children.

A volunteer with the Phoenix Special Olympics program, Furco got the idea for the playground for disabled children after seeing a child sitting in a wheelchair watching other children playing in a playground.

"I would talk to people about it and they'd say, 'Yeah, yeah, it's a good idea,' " Furco said.

Days after a story detailing Furco's plans appeared in The Post-Standard the offers began. [More]

View Sammy12's profile and read her posts in the Forums.

Want to hear some fun news from KaBOOM!? You'll need to work for it...or rather, guess letters for it!

Play Hangman with Annie in the Forums!

High school senior and KaBOOM! Forum power user Sammy12 (AKA Samantha Furco) was just featured in her local newspaper discussing her work to try and build an accessible playground in Phoenix, N.Y.

Exerpt:

Furco has contacted manufacturers of playground units specifically designed for children in wheelchairs and other disabled children. A suitable unit will cost about $50,000, she said.

To raise the money, Furco is planing a series of events, including raffles, donation drives and community fundraising dinners.

"The fundraising is not a problem. I can take care of that," she said. "But I need land, some place to put it. That's my biggest obstacle. Without that place to build, we can't do it."

So far, she said, her proposal has received polite responses but no promises of support. She also has tried several times, without success, to enlist the help of local officials.

"I've called and called, but they haven't returned my calls," Furco said. "I think it's because I'm 17 and they're not taking me seriously. That is one of the biggest obstacles my mother told me I would face. But she said, 'Stick to it and don't let it get you down.' " [More]

Since the article was published, someone has offered her the land! Learn more, offer your advice, and congratulate Sammy12 in the Forums.

Forum activity is heating up!

In case you missed them, here are some great threads from the past few weeks:

Someone had a great idea about how to get water bottles donated for a build

Help Sammy12 prepare for a big media interview

Anyone know where to find a playground inspector in Pittsburgh?

What's needed to encourage a culture of fitness?

Forum poster pcmommy gives advice on city and town hall meetings

Check out info on this Miracle recreation grant

mathgirl6 is looking for graphic design help

Is rubber surfacing on playgrounds too hot to handle?

Want to see what's shakin' in the Forums right now? Check out the recent posts page.

Help us find every playspace in America, good and bad... and win a trip to a playground ribbon-cutting with Reverend Run!

KaBOOM! and KOOL-AID are teaming up to make great play possible through the KOOL-AID and KaBOOM! Playspace Finder Sweepstakes!

Every new playground (with an uploaded picture) you add to the KaBOOM! Playspace Finder between Aug. 4 and Aug. 9 will enter you to win a trip for four to a playground ribbon-cutting with Reverend Run in Atlanta!

Learn about the sweepstakes!

We've added some fun new photos to our photo gallery! Check them out!

Atlanta, GA - Whiteford Elementary School (Chrysler), 7/10/08
Indianapolis, IN - Save the Youth (The Home Depot), 7/10/08
WE Play! New Orleans - 7/25/08

Peace, love, and happiness in the Forums
"While it took several long hard days, specifically 3 - 9 hour days, our playground is complete!" says rblosser. Read her success story!

Rock, rock, rock...KaBOOM! Playspace Finder Rockstars!
They rock! KaBOOM! community member gbluettmills added 14 new playspaces and tbirenbaum added 10 new playspaces. Think you can top 'em? We'd like to see you try! (Really, we would.) Grab your camera and head out to your local playspaces to snap some pictures today!

Witty captioners needed!
Come up with a funny caption for this photo! Best caption gets something cool from KaBOOM!.

PCMommy questions
Forum poster pcmommy needs recommendations for inexpensive but safe school playgrounds. Help her out!

It's summertime and the playgrounds are hot!
Trees. Shade. Fast growing. Learn more!

Play Day video added
2007 Playful City USA community Ankeny, Iowa had its annual Play Day and we've got the video to prove it! Check it out.

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]

Okay... who broke the Internet?
Beginning next week on Wednesday, KaBOOM! HQ will be temporarily shutting down the Forums for what is commonly referred to in the Web world as "maintenance and optimization." The major change you will see is a streamlined number of categories for conversations. We will be taking paring our list of 19 categories down to seven.

We think this will improve your experience on the site and allow to find the information and inspiration you need for your playful projects.

If you have any other suggestions for other features you would like to on the Forums, feel free to post them in the "Website Support" thread (or you can email Jason at jcooper[at]kaboom.org).

Did you finish a project this month?
There were nearly 50 projects scheduled to finish in the month of June. Was your playground one of them?

Let the world know how it all turned out! Visit kaboom.org/projects, login, and on the right side of the page, you will see a link to your playspace projects. Under 'Actions' click 'Edit Project' and you will a screen similar to this:



Change the build date, the actual cost, the project's status (hopefully to "complete"), and when you're done, click 'Save'. It's an easy way to share your amazing news with the KaBOOM! community!

"A moment like this..."
Recently, Jason Cooper, your Online Community "best friend 4ever," shared a fun story about introducing KaBOOM! to a crowd full of techies at a conference. Jason, glory hound that he is, posted that moment on the Forums.

Have you had a moment like this, when people's ears perked up at the mention of your project? Share it in the Forums!

Enjoy these delicious and refreshing "Forums Classic" threads!
Alternative grass/playing surfaces
Purchasing Equipment - Discounts from Vendors?
I'm a new Playmaker - anyone else?

Don't miss out! We've just posted more new webinars! All you need is a phone and an Internet connection to participate. Register today!

Revitalizing Playspaces, Becoming Part of the Urban Parks Movement
Wed., July 2

Safety, Surfacing, and Vendors…Oh My!
Wed., July 16

How to Plan a Play Day
Thurs., July 17

And don't forget these other great, upcoming webinars:

Becoming a KaBOOM! Community Partner
Mon., June 30

Making the Ask: Getting Business Sponsorships
Wed., July 30

EXTRA! EXTRA! Read All About It! Working with the Media during Your Playground Project
Fri., Aug. 1

Grant Writing 101
Mon., Aug. 19

CNN and KaBOOM! are teaming up to build a playground in New Orleans this Saturday. Here's how you can be a part of the action!

• See photos from the Design Day
• See photos from the Build Day (coming June 30)
• Discuss this playground build in the Forums
• Watch CNN.com/health for their coverage of the day.

If you're planning on building a playspace, you can't go wrong with the KaBOOM! Project Planner. It's a great way to track volunteers and funding for your project, and it puts your project in our searchable database so funders and volunteers can find you!

Based on registered projects, here's who's been building (and is planning to build) in the month of June. Send happy thoughts their way! (Click the "Read more" button for the list!)

And now for a web feature that needs no introduction.
Namely, the Vendor Directory! If you're building a playspace and need to know where you can buy the components, mulch, and more, this is the place for you! By typing in your location you can find the playspace equipment and safety surfacing vendors nearest you. Slick!

It's 3 a.m. Do you know what's on your KaBOOM! profile?
Have you looked at your profile lately? It's THE primo awesome way to introduce yourself to the rest of the KaBOOM! community. And what's more, it's got a new super cool feature! When you check your profile (after logging in to kaboom.org, of course), there's a happy little menu in the upper-left-hand corner now that gives you quick links to any projects you've added to the project planner, the playgrounds you've added to the KaBOOM! Playspace Finder, and a link to edit your profile. Keen!

New newsletter subscriptions available!
We know you're savvy cats who know all about subscribing to our website's newsletters. You know that we offer over a dozen different newsletters based on your area of interest, and that you can even decide how frequently you receive them. What you probably don't know is that we just added two new categories to subscribe to: "New KaBOOM! Resources" and "New KaBOOM! Photos." Subscribing to these two will give you news about...well, I guess that's pretty self-explanatory. If you don't want to miss out on the mass quantities of awesome that these newsletters are sure to deliver, visit your "My Subscriptions" page (after logging in to kaboom.org) and check the boxes next to the newsletters you want.

"Badges?! We no need no stinking badges!"
Yes, in fact, you do. For those of you who have attended or plan to attend a WE Play! event, how would you like to add a spiffy WE Play! badge to your online profile? It'll show up in your profile and below your username when you post in the Forums. Simply edit your profile and choose the WE Play! badge to let the world know you attended or are planning to attend WE Play!

"'Cause we all just wanna be big rockstars..."
I'd even cut my hair and change my name to be a KaBOOM! Playspace Finder Rockstar! But these people have actually done it!

Users aeh4543 and patharrington have added 40 new playspaces each! Meanwhile, user mumbai52 has added 35 new playspaces. Wow! Congratulations to this month's KaBOOM! Playspace Finder Rockstars!

Do you want to be a KaBOOM! Playspace Finder Rockstar? Start adding as many playspaces as you can to help us find and catalog every playspace!

Help us help you find playspaces near you!
During the months of May and June, over 3,200 new playspaces were added to the KaBOOM! Playspace Finder. Over 1,400 new comments and ratings were added, and 2,651 new pictures were uploaded.
 
Help us catalog every playspace in America, including the good and the bad! Search your city now and make sure your playspaces are in KaBOOM! Playspace Finder. If they are, rate them and comment on them! If they aren't, add them to our growing directory! [KaBOOM! Playspace Finder]

Did you know? 
You can get email alerts when someone posts to your favorite Forum threads! It's super-easy and a great way to stay in the know. [More]

How can you deal with playground graffiti and vandalism?
Playgrounds are, sadly, sometimes targets for graffiti and vandalism. Join the conversation around how to deal with these problems in the Forums. [More]

Bring play back into your life!
Forum user tomelwhite has alerted everyone to look at the Spring 2008 issue of Greater Good magazine, which has several feature articles urging readers to bring play back into their lives. [More]

KaBOOM! Web team + Bloxes, cups, and wads of paper = fun for all!
The KaBOOM! web team has set up a fun game in their pod using Bloxes, cups, and little wads of paper. How do you and your coworkers have fun? 
 
You can't spell "Forums" without "Awesome posts"
Among the highlights:

• Looking to volunteer? Help out tcla!
• Ideas for summer fundraisers
• Advice on how to ensure play exists in your community 

Did you know?
When viewing someone's profile, you can send them a private message by clicking this button: 
 

Want to check your own messages? Login and click the "My KaBOOM!" button on the top of every page. On the left side of the page, you'll see something like this:

Simply click those buttons to check your messages!

Or, as my aunt calls them, MyFace and Spacebook
Join us on popular online hangouts like MySpace and Facebook! You can even follow us on your mobile phone with Twitter! Learn more on the Online Community page.

Is there anyplace on the web where KaBOOM! isn't? Let us know if there's someplace you'd like us to be by commenting on this article or posting in the Community Forum.

Help someone help you!
Need volunteers? Check out the Volunteer Forums. Skgoode is looking for a project to help with in Washington D.C.

We're following the Forums, the Forums, the Forums...
Did you know you could subscribe to any Forum thread by email? Just scroll down to the end of the page and you will see a checkbox that says: "Email me when X forum has a new thread." Check it and you will receive an update in your email inbox whenever there is a new post.

The hardest part was fitting all those great ideas into boxes
We've moved the Fundraising ideas wiki! The new wiki has even more great ideas and makes it even easier for you to add your own ideas! If you've got a great story to tell about a fundraiser, add it to the fundraising wiki!

So...what do you think?
Let us know! You can now post comments on this or any other news article, even if you're not logged in! Click the "Comments" link below the title and then click the "here" button at the bottom of the page to post a comment.

There's nothing quite like a Workshop Entirely on Play (WE Play!).

Now you can experience the fun by checking out photos from the first three events:

Washington, D.C. | Charlotte, N.C. | Chicago, Ill.

But more WE Play! events are coming to a city near you! Check the list below and sign up today! 

Not all of the training hotel locations have been identified. You can still register for a training and we will update you as soon as we have the event address.

* = At each of the Los Angeles, Houston, Cleveland, and Atlanta WE Play! trainings, five attendees will receive $7,500 grants toward building a playground in their community! [More]

Meet April's Playspace Finder Rockstars!
Meet the best of the best. They worked hard. They played harder. And they uploaded a LOT of playspaces into the KaBOOM! Playspace Finder! They are...April's Playspace Finder Rockstars. Behold their greatness!

Landscape Structures
Ruth Schumi
aeh4543

New stuff to watch!
Why not take a few minutes out of your day to watch a playground being built by an NBA star?

Missing: Your playface.
If found, please post in kaboom.org profile.
Remember that April is the month to show us your playface by posting a picture in your profile! JCooper has helpfully taken some time to illustrate what constitutes a "playface" (and what doesn't) in the Forums.

Now where did I put that playspace?
It was here a minute ago.
If you ever want to go back to a playspace you previously added to the KaBOOM! Playspace Finder, we have a new feature that can help! First, log in to kaboom.org. Then go to the KaBOOM! Playspace Finder page. Scroll down the page and look to the right. Underneath the menu, you will see a box called "My Playspaces." It's a list of all the playgrounds you have entered into the KaBOOM! Playspace Finder! Now you can easily add new pictures and comments to your playspaces.

Online Community page has nifty new features
Hot off the presses...you can now see the last five completed playspace projects and recent additions to the KaBOOM! Playspace Finder on the Online Community page. Check it out!

What's been happening in the KaBOOM! online community?

Show us your play face!
In April, we asked you to post add the number of playgrounds you've helped build to your profile and many of you did! See the top builders on kaboom.org here.

This month, we want to see your "Play face"! Go to your profile page and upload a picture of yourself showing off the exhilaration that can only come from the joy of play. At the end of May, we'll post our favorites in the Forums. This is your chance to show off how fun and playful you can be.

Edit your profile now to show off your play face! 

New videos
We added some cool new videos, including our new public service announcements. Be the first one in your neighborhood to watch them!
 
Worst. Playground. Ever.
Think your playground is bad? Jackthecat found a picture of a playground that can really put things in perspective!

Delve into the Forum archives to find hidden gems!
Having just celebrated Earth Day, many people want to know how to make their Build Day a little more eco-friendly. Check out this thread from last year with lots of tips for keeping your waste down. Don't forget to post your own ideas!

Warning: Approaching deadline!
The deadline to turn in your Playful City USA application is looming! The manager of the KaBOOM! National campaign for Play has been answering your questions and posting best practices in the Playful City USA Forums. Playspace audit woes? Committee spreadsheet quandaries? Play Day mysteries? You have questions, the KaBOOM! community has answers.

For Youngsters, Leaps and Boundaries
New York Times
March 16, 2008
BYLINE: By KATHRYN SHATTUCK

SUBTLE and earthy, in hues of green, brown and gray, the West 110th Street Playground at the north end of Central Park has little of the overt cheer associated with children's spaces. Four adjoining circular areas, echoing the curve of the boulders jutting up beyond its south side and the airiness of the ferns dotting the terrain, offer sparse, space-agey climbing and spinning equipment with movable parts that wobble and sway, threatening to send a child tumbling. Beneath it all, springy rubber matting undulates like a grassy knoll.

"The intention is to fall," said Marta Gutman, an associate professor of architectural history at City College, surveying the playground on a recent morning. "You don't want to make the environment so safe that it's not challenging."

What? Get out the lawyer's number.

The ever-shifting perspective on what constitutes the ideal environment for children is at the heart of "Designing Modern Childhoods: History, Space, and the Material Culture of Children," a new book from Rutgers University Press edited by Ms. Gutman and Ning de Coninck-Smith, an associate professor in the department of educational sociology at the School of Education-Aarhus University.

A compilation of essays, the book traces the history of a veritable toy box of specialized architecture (schools, hospitals, playgrounds, houses) and objects (cellphones, snowboards, the McDonald's Happy Meal) that have molded the landscape of children's private lives.

Read the whole article
Discuss this article in the Forums

Haven't visited our awesome Forums lately? Here are some of the great conversations you're missing. Check them out and post your comments!

Advocate for Play
Lots of ideas for how to host a "Play Day" in your community

Founder's Forum: The place for the founding 31 Playful City USA communities, recognized in 2007, to share best practices, updates, next steps, and questions.

Playground vs. Dog Park?

Play advocacy editorial: "Kids need safe places to meet, play and grow"

Playspace Builders Support Network
What Playworld Systems or Landscape Structures equipment do kids LOVE?

Rubber Mulch: What is the general consensus?

Weirdest. Fundraiser. Ever. Mustache-a-thon

Don't lose hope! (Fundraising)

Fundraising Idea: Wacky Olympics

Fundraising ideas: Top 5 Non-profit strategies for severe recession

Graffiti & Vandalism Issues...

Training
Planning on attending a WE Play! training? Introduce yourself here!

One of our frequent posters in the Forums is getting ready to do a media interview in the hopes of raising awareness about the universally-accessible playspace she wants to build. Got any advice on how to give a great interview? Post it in this thread.

Also, check out the PR basics in our online Toolkit for more information!

Think you know your stuff?

A member of the KaBOOM! community is asking how many audits are needed per playspace to apply to become a Playful City USA.

If you know the answer, Ben Duda is promising to send six KaBOOM! kickballs to the first KaBOOM! community member who posts it in this thread.

Inspired...

pajessup writes:

Growing up in a town seven miles from downtown Atlanta, the playgrounds were becoming dingy and unkempt with parents unwilling to repair and taxpayers unwilling to allocate funds to do the job. This was 35 years ago. That little city still struggles and hasn't grown to match other inner city communities nearby. Now, I'm watching as Atlanta's grown-ups and kids rallied to win a grant recently to build a new playspace; our local parent network helped build one, and an adjacent neighborhood turned out to build theirs with business sponsors. I wonder if this will be reflected in the growth of these communities in 35 years. Somehow, I suspect it will be a strong community, not without struggles, but able to overcome, and ready to work hard and play harder.

What's your inspiration for getting involved in your community? Tell us here!

Looking for help...

deedee1963 wrote:

Our organization is trying to build new playspaces in our neighborhood.  The neighborhood is in an "affordable housing complex" where 194 families with over 200 children, call home  One of the obstacles we are having is trying to engage the outside town community to join with us.  We have been pedaling our ideas to townsfolk however, they do not seem interested in our plans and point out the fact that the town recently spent a lot of money to improve the local town park and want to know why they can't play there?  I explain that our neighborhood has over 200 children who need a place to play within walking distance and the town park is too far away.  Any ideas on how to engage others who do see that they have a "benefit to gain" from the build?

See what the responses were here.

Make a difference...

Fearing potential predators on the playground: This conversation pops up every few months. Can you help bklynaries come up with ways to address her concern?

Hello Everyone,

I am a mother of a 9 year old who is about to be 10 in a few months. Even as he gets older I am scared myself of letting him go anywhere by himself. I think he will probably be a teenager when I feel comfortable with letting him go by himself. The fact of the matter is, there are predators everywhere. I'd rather be safe than sorry.

Offer your support and suggestions here.

You can be a part of all of the forums at www.kaboom.org/forums.

For many adults, the onset of winter means frozen car locks, fender bender causing ice, and a sore back from shoveling snow. For a child, however, winter means snowball fights, snowmen, eating icicles, and (hopefully) at least one day off school.

Out of the thousands of different ways to play in the snow, my absolute, number one, king and queen of activities has always been and shall forever remain sledding.

Oh, if there were only a way to reproduce that terrifying and exhilarating rush of cold air and snow slicing into your face as you rocket down a miniature mountain of compressed snow and ice on a $15 piece of plastic or decades old toboggan sled.

Because we are so fond of the people who visit and post on the KaBOOM! Forums, we've started a new contest to add some more fun and play to the conversation.

From now until the end of 2007, KaBOOM! will post a new question or challenge each week on the forums.  Nothing too difficult, we promise.  To participate, all you have to do is login and post a response!  KaBOOM! will choose a winner from the entries and promptly send that person a great piece of KaBOOM! gear.

The first contest is Caption This Photo!

Happy Posting!

Enter the Super Spectacular Weekly Forum Giveaway