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Eagle Play Structures

Eagle Play Structures manufactures and installs commercial playground equipment in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. As a division of Sport Systems, LLC, the company is located in Ijamsville, Maryland.

EarthPlay

Rusty Keeler initiated the EarthPlay email discussion group in 1996 for a place to share ideas and information about natural play spaces.1 From that beginning, EarthPlay was founded to create “outdoor play environments for the soul.”2

As an artist, designer, and firm believer in the importance of play, Rusty collaborates with Leon Smith, another designer and preschool educator. Since 2004 they have assisted communities in designing, planning, and building natural playscapes.

1. “Community.” EarthPlay. < http://planetearthplayscapes.com/community.html > 10 May 2011.
2. EarthPlay. < http://planetearthplayscapes.com/ > 10 May 2011.

Edwardson, Paul

Paul Edwardson has had a long career in the parks and recreation field and has been especially concerned with playground safety and maintenance.

Paul graduated from the University of Minnesota in 1973 with Bachelor of Science degree in Education, and for three years he was a public school music teacher in Eden Prairie, Minnesota. When his interests led him in another direction, he left teaching and returned to school to further his education in park and forestry operations.

Elephant®Play

Elephant®Play was founded in 1994 in Montreal, Canada, by Serge Morin and Yvan Cinq-Mars. Combining their talents to design playground equipment, their goal was to develop new and innovative post and deck systems that offer products that entice children to move, increase their play value, and still be safe and accessible.1 Originally named Techno Playground Equipment, the Elephant®Play trade mark was introduce in 2007 after market confusion with a similar name.

1. “Elephant Play.” Communication with Playground Professionals. 9 May 2011.

Elkind, David

Dr. David Elkind is a child psychologist, educator, speaker, and author who has built on and furthered the works of biologist and child psychologist, Jean Piaget. He has focused on the cognitive, perceptual, and social development of children and adolescents with an emphasis on what constitutes healthy development. His research and writings have included the effects of stress and the importance of creative, spontaneous play for healthy development and academic learning.1

1. “Book Description: The Power of Play: Learning What Comes Naturally.” Amazon. < http://www.amazon.com/Power-Play-Learning-Comes-Naturally/dp/0738211109 > 22 March 2012.

Emotional Development

Emotional development refers to the ability to recognize, express, and manage feelings at different stages of life and to have empathy for the feelings of others.1 The development of these emotions, which include both positive and negative emotions, is largely affected by relationships with parents, siblings, and peers.2

1. Hearron, P. F. and V. Hildebrand. “Social-Emotional Development.” Education.com. < http://www.education.com/reference/article/social-emotional-development-2/ > 18 Nov. 2010.
2. Frost, J. L., Wortham, S. C., and S. Reifel. “Characteristics of Social-Emotional Development.” Education.com. < http://www.education.com/reference/article/characteristics-social-emotional-development/ > 18 Nov. 2010.

Empower Playgrounds Inc

The nonprofit organization, Empower Playgrounds, Inc. (EPI), is providing electricity-generating playground equipment to villages in Ghana that are too remote to be on their nation's electricity grid. The school children gain a playground as well as safe, rechargeable LED lanterns to light their homes so they can do their homework. Additionally, the play equipment doubles as part of a hands-on science lab which brings science concepts into their daily lives.1

1. “This is our mission.” Empower Playgrounds. < http://www.empowerplaygrounds.org/ > 25 Nov. 2011.

Endurance

Endurance is defined as the ability to continue despite fatigue or difficult conditions.1 The stamina to perform physical activities for longer periods of time can be improved by exercise and increasing the amount of activity. This will result in developing stronger muscles, reducing body fat, and lessening the risk of developing diabetes or high blood pressure.2

1. “Endurance.” Dictionary.com. < www.dictionary.com > 30 July 2010.
2. Welton, Rose. “Endurance Exercises for Children.” Livestrong.com. < http://www.livestrong.com/article/107412-endurance-exercises-children/ > 30 July 2010.

Entanglement

Entanglement is a “…condition in which the user’s clothing or something around the user’s neck becomes caught or entwined on a component of playground equipment.”1

The causes of entanglement include projections, protrusions, and open hooks, such as “S” hooks and gaps, that could entrap a child’s clothing.

1. “Standard Consumer Safety Performance Specification for Playground Equipment for Public Use,” ASTM International (ASTM), 3.1.12., p. 3.

Entrapment

Entrapment is defined as “…any condition which impedes withdrawal of a body or a body part that has penetrated an opening.”1

Gaps can be small enough to entrap fingers or large enough to entrap heads. In between are the sizes of gaps that could entrap hands, knees, or ankles.

The ASTM International (ASTM) Standard F1487 and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) Public Playground Safety Handbook address the types of entrapment that might cause a life threatening injury. These are head and neck entrapment.

1. Standard F1487-07, Standard Consumer Safety Performance Specification for Playground Equipment for Public Use, ASTM International (ASTM), 3.1.13, p. 3.

Equilibrium

Equilibrium is the state of balance acquired when contending forces are equal.1 The “sense of equilibrium” involves having a sense of security when standing, walking, or performing any movement.2 A number of factors are involved in equilibrium of the body, including visual cues, tactile kinesthetic sensations, and vestibular (inner ear) stimulation.3

1. “Equilibrium.” The American Institute of Balance. < http://dizzy.com/dizzines_and_equilibrium.htm#glossary > 4 Aug. 2010.
2. “Equilibrium.” Love to Know 1911. Classic Encyclopedia. < http://www.1911encyclopedia.org/Equilibrium > 4 Aug. 2010.
3. Frost, Joe L., Pei-San Brown, John A. Sutterby, Candra D. Thornton. The Developmental Benefits of Playgrounds.

Etch A Sketch

Manufactured by the Ohio Art Company, the Etch A Sketch is a mechanical drawing toy that has been a popular classic toy for over 50 years. First marketed in 1960, this remarkably simple device still maintains the original basic concept with little change to the design. The Etch A Sketch was inducted into the National Toy Hall of Fame in 1998 for its enduring popularity. In 2003, the Toy Industry Association named the Etch A Sketch to its Century of Toys List commemorating the 100 most memorable and creative toys of the 20th century.1

1. “Etch A Sketch.” TargetStudy.com. < http://targetstudy.com/knowledge/invention/151/etch-a-sketch.html > 29 March 2012.

Executive Function

Executive function, a term originally used in neuroscience, describes the cognitive abilities to think and control emotions. As young children learn to order their thoughts, process information, remember details, and focus on tasks amid distractions, they are developing their executive function skills. Play activities lead to opportunities for children to learn to wait their turns and control their impulses, which is described as self-regulation, one of the key executive function skills needed for success in daily living.1

1. Tough, Paul. “Can the Right Kinds of Play Teach Self-Control?” The New York Times. < http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/27/magazine/27tools-t.html > 21 Sep. 2011.

Exercise

Physical exercise is the activity of exerting muscles in various ways to aid in fitness.1 For children, exercise is playing and being physically active.

1. “Exercise.” Dictionary.com. < http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/physical+exercise?qsrc=2446 > 5 Aug. 2010.

Exploration Playgrounds

Peter May, a sculptor, began Research Casting International (RCI) in 1987, a museum technical services company that creates life-sized models of fossils. Having made molds of dinosaurs and other extinct mammals for museums all over the world, Peter and Matt Fair realized that these molds could be used with children. In 2009, Peter and Matt founded Exploration Playgrounds as an extension of RCI. Operating on the belief that, “Not every town has a museum, but every town has a playground,” Exploration Playgrounds creates playground dinosaur digs, archeological sites, custom playgrounds, and dinosaur climbers.1

1. Personal email received from Exploration Playgrounds to Playground Professionals. 10 Feb. 2011.

Eye-Hand Coordination

Eye-hand coordination is the ability of the vision system to coordinate the movement of the hands to perform a task. While vision is the process of understanding what the eye sees, it also involves the ability to move the eyes in a particular direction to aim and focus on an object. The effectual use of the hands to perform an activity usually requires visual input.1

1. Laberg, Monique. “Hand-eye Coordination.” Encyclopedia of Children’s Health. < http://www.healthofchildren.com/G-H/Hand-Eye-Coordination.html > 4 Aug. 2010.

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