Children Going Outside to Meet up with Nature
from the Philadelphia Inquirer
Researchers continue to find correlations between exposure to nature and academic achievement, increased creativity, cooperation, social skills, problem-solving and self-esteem. To that end, New Jersey's new "Celebrating Afterschool: Outdoors in the Garden State" program is part of a national "No Child Left Inside" movement that is sweeping schools and nature centers, including some in suburban Philadelphia. Research on children interacting with nature dates back decades, but interest in the potential benefits has soared since publication of the book Last Child in the Woods, by Richard Louv, in 2005. More

Accessible Play: No More Watching from the Sidelines
from Landscape Online
An important aspect of playground design today is making sure all kids can access the play. In the “old days,” really not that long ago, children with disabilities, often in wheelchairs, could only watch from the sidelines. Landscape architects are now designing playgrounds with special features to let both the able-bodied and less able-bodied children to play side-by-side and enjoy just being kids. More

Recreation Program Targets Youth Suicide
from the Argus Leader
On the Pine Ridge and Rosebud reservations in South Dakota, where youth suicide is an ongoing scourge, a fishing pole or baseball bat could be a lifesaver. Russ Stubbles, a professor of park management at South Dakota State University, believes that. And now Steve Her Many Horses, the Rosebud tribe's new parks and recreation director, and Joe Red Owl in Wanblee are starting to see the possibilities, too. More

50 Swing Over to Texas Park
from the San Angelo Standard-Times
San Angelo, Texas’ oldest park has been the setting for countless San Angeloans’ childhood memories the past 106 years. In return, the city’s parks and recreation department and the area’s Master Gardeners have spent two years and $350,000 giving City Park a major face-lift. With Saturday’s rededication ceremony, the 6.1-acre park finally got its day to shine. More

Video: Rhode Island Division of Parks and Recreation Kicks Off Their 2nd Annual Rhode Island Great Outdoors Pursuit
from The Providence Journal
The Rhode Island Division of Parks and Recreation kicked off their 2nd annual Rhode Island Great Outdoors Pursuit this weekend at Lincoln Woods State Park. The Pursuit is a twelve-week contest that helps families discover state parks while participating in outdoor activities and challenges. More

Thrill of the Hunt Lies in Using GPS to Track Down Hidden Treasures
from the LA Daily News
The modern-day treasure hunters seek out prizes using clues transmitted from space. There are no Lara Croft gunslingers here, not a single Indiana Jones whip-cracker among them. For geocachers, the thrill of the hunt involves coordinates, a hand-held Global Positioning System device and the need to hide and seek in strange new places where none may have gone before. More

Parks Get the Squeeze
from The Republican
With money scarce this summer for travel, many people will depend on Massachusett's parks and pools for their vacations. Unfortunately, money is just as scarce in state and municipal recreation budgets, meaning that some of those parks and pools may not be open once the summer begins. More

Let's Go Fly a (Recycled) Kite
from The Daily Green
"I wanted something with clean lines," New York City designer Eric Jovcevski said about his kite, which looked like a cross between a Star Trek symbol and a giant paper airplane. Jovcevski, who works in marketing and advertising for his day job, was one of a cadre of designers, architects, engineers and artists participating in the first FlyNY, an international kite design competition sponsored by the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation. More

Video: Closing California Parks Called Bad Plan
from KPBS
California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has proposed closing 220 state parks to help reduce the state's $24 billion budget deficit. KPBS digital reporter Sharon Heilbrunn asks whether you'd be willing to pay higher taxes to keep public recreation centers and libraries open. More

Social Networking Drives New Fundraising Push for Seattle Children’s PlayGarden
from Seattle’s Child Magazine
Seattle Children’s PlayGarden, a nonprofit that works to improve access to outdoor recreation space for children of all abilities, has kicked off an effort to raise $230,000 for construction projects, and it’s using social networking Web sites to do it. More

Columbia Providing Free Wi-Fi in Two Parks
from the Columbia Missourian
A peaceful lunch break outdoors no longer means being disconnected from the Internet at two Columbia, Mo., parks. Columbia Parks and Recreation chose Stephens Lake Park and Flat Branch Park as the locations for free Wi-Fi Internet services donated by iZones, a local wireless Internet provider. Mike Griggs, park services manager for the Parks and Recreation Department, has seen frequent citizen requests for wireless Internet in Columbia’s parks, especially in what he calls “urbanized parks with a lot of café traffic” such as people getting coffee or taking lunch breaks. More

Investing in Our Parks
from the Battleboro Reformer
While other states are cutting back on their public park systems, Vermont is planning to spend $6 million on improvements this year. According to Jason Gibbs, commissioner of the Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation, "the parks are the one bright spot in the state budget." More