Imagination Playground
By Larry Siegel
What can be more fun than providing a safe space for children to have fun in the City? And, to top it off, it is a mobile play space! The “Imagination Playground” is a project of the Children’s Environments Research Group (CERG) and operates out of the City University of New York. CERG “links university scholarship with the development of policies, environments and programs to fulfill children’s rights and improve the quality of their lives.”
The playground enables children to engage in creative constructions and inventions and provides a higher degree of social interaction than a typical playground with fixed equipment.
Imagination Playground in a Box is a kit of parts suitable for a variety of outdoor and indoor sites. It offers a cost-effective means to provide children with opportunities to engage in open-ended, free play. The set includes Imagination Playground Blocks, parts that encourage sand and water play, a starter kit of “found parts,” and a storage unit on wheels. 
The “In a Box” model can be wheeled indoors and outdoors, and is suitable for supervised sites, such as child care and school settings. The two-part container can be used as open shelving or as closed storage.
To see a short video on the Imagination Playground or to order an Imagination Playground (yes, you can order one) you can go to this URL.
After providing massive amounts of safe and creative fun in the sun, the parts used in the playground are packed into containers and brought to another location on another day. Cool, huh?
About the Author: Larry Siegel has worked as a writer of corporate policies and procedures and as a technical writer. He currently works as a Pesticide Community Outreach Specialist for the Pesticide and Toxic Substances Branch in Edison, NJ
Editor's Note: The opinions expressed in Greenversations are those of the author. They do not reflect EPA policy, endorsement, or action, and EPA does not verify the accuracy or science of the contents of the blog.
This is a really great post. As an NJ mother, I always wonder how city kids can get the same kind of outdoors experiences as suburban kids. This is a great solution to space constraints of urban living.
Nice. It is a good means so that kids will be active again. They will not be inactive like the culture we are in. We spend more time sitting than doing activities.
This is very impressive, and the blue material looks very soft and safe for children. Such playground can definitely inspire them to be active. It is a much better choice than computer or TV games.