The book Handcrafted Playgrounds – Designs You Can Build Yourself was written by M. Paul Friedberg, one of America’s leading designers and landscape architects. It was published in 1975 by Vintage Books, a division of Random House. The book is a sketchbook of designs based on the premises that anyone can build a playground and that the actual process of the building can be as important as the finished product.

The Hassenfeld brothers, Henry, Hilal, and Herman, as recent Polish emigrants in Providence, Rhode Island, began selling cloth leftovers in 1923. Three years later they founded Hassenfeld Brothers, Inc. with eight family members to manufacture pencil box covers from these cloth leftovers. By 1929, under Henry's direction, they employed 150 in the manufacture and sale of pencil boxes and cloth zipper pouches containing school supplies.

Head Start Body Start National Center for Physical Development and Outdoor Play (HSBS) is dedicated to promoting physical activity, outdoor play, and healthy lifestyles for young children and their families. Funded by the Office of Head Start, HSBS is a joint project of the American Association of Physical Activity and Recreation (AAPAR) and the National Association of Sport and Physical Education (NASPE).1 The AAPAR executive director Mariah Burton Nelson stated, “Through this partnership, almost a million children will receive not only a head start, but a body start, not only academic preparation but physical preparation.”2

• 1. Almeras, Bethe. Email to Playground Professionals. 23 Feb. 2011.
• 2. Bossenmeyer, Melinda.

Health-E-tips Inc. is dedicated to reducing obesity and disease in the young and the old through “bite-sized” tools that make healthy choices a daily habit. Believing that prevention is the best cure, the company promotes the philosophy that the key to healthy living is good nutrition, daily activity, and a knowledge of health issues.1 Additionally they advocate a balanced and moderate approach that encourages patience, recognizing that “neither your mind nor your body is designed to change overnight.”2

• 1. “Products and Programs.” Health-E-tips. < http://healthetips.com/upload/forms/form_12797492163.pdf > 8 Dec. 2011.
• 2. “Company.” Health-E-tips. < http://healthetips.com/company.php > 8 Dec. 2011.

Healthy Parks Healthy People US is a National Park Service initiative that is a “holistic approach to promoting the health and well-being of people and the sustainability of the planet.”1 The initiative supports the major health roles that national, state, and local parks play in reducing our society's incidents of heart disease, diabetes, and obesity. Healthy Parks Healthy People US also seeks to partner with business innovators, healthcare leaders, scientists, foundations, and advocacy organizations to achieve the reintegration of human, environmental, and ecological health.

• 1. “Welcome.” Healthy Parks Healthy People US. < http://www.nps.gov/public_health/hp/hphp.htm > 15 Nov. 2011.

Robert Heath was born in England, educated in Scotland, and worked in Australia before coming to the United States in 1968. While working as a commentator for equestrian events in the United Kingdom, Robert noticed how the shredded wood fiber in the training tracks and in the breeding sheds was “quiet and soft.”1 He decided to bring the idea to the United States.

Robert first refined the manufacturing process and in 1979 began developing the market for his Fibar Engineered Wood Fiber. Through his company, Fibar, Inc., Robert surfaced 60 training tracks over the next six years.

• 1. Merrill, Lynn. “Getting into the Grind: Innovations in Wood Processing.” WasteAge. < http://wasteage.com/mag/waste_getting_grind_innovations/ > 1 Sep. 1998.

Teresa (Teri) Hendy earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Art and a Teacher's Certificate from Miami University in 1974. For the next four years she taught Art and Industrial Arts for grades K-8 in the Reading Community Schools of Reading, Ohio. This strong background in child development, education, and fine art has enhanced her ability to design outdoor children's learning environments in the playground industry.

Starting in 1983, Teri began consulting in the playground industry on a part time basis. In 1988 she started Site Masters Inc, a business owned by women based in Cincinnati, Ohio. As president and owner, Teri has been an active consultant on design and safety issues for schools, parks, and the courts for the past 20 years.

Peter Heseltine is a playground health and safety consultant and playground industry author in the United Kingdom. He began as a Playworker and a Community Play Development Officer for local government. From there he became a Regional Play Adviser for a national charity and then the editor of UK's first play magazine, Play Times.1

• 1. “CV – Peter Heseltine.” Private correspondence to Playground Professionals. 9 Sep. 2011.

Playgrounds are intended to be fun, safe places to take children to visit and play. The National Playground Safety Institute (NPSI), a program developed under the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA), has identified twelve of the leading causes of injury on playgrounds known as “The Dirty Dozen.” These dangers include improper protective surfacing, inadequate use zones, and protrusion, entanglement, and entrapment hazards to name a few.1

• 1. The Dirty Dozen: Are they hiding in your child’s playground? Arlington, Virginia. National Recreation and Park Association.

Patty Smith Hill (1868-1946) was a leader in the Kindergarten movement and an advocate of the value of free play in the education of young children. Although the theory and methods of Friedrich Froebel were accepted in most kindergartens at the time, Hill studied the work of other leading educators, such as G. Stanley Hall, John Dewey, and Francis W. Parker, and challenged the practice of following Froebel’s methods explicitly. Her work established the foundation for the modern kindergarten in America today.

Paul Hogan, as a young man, served in the Massachusetts State Guard, the US Merchant Marines, and finally two years in the 11th Airborne Division. After military life, he began civilian life as a carpenter and eventually became partner in Hogan & Lynch Construction Company, Inc. in 1956. They specialized in small and complicated military contracts. In 1958, he volunteered at his children's nursery school and was assigned the playground, which he found decrepit and unsafe. This began Paul's interest in designing, constructing, and improving playgrounds.

As a national non-profit organization, the Home Safety Council (HSC) is dedicated to preventing home-related injuries through educating the public. The Home Safety Council is a “leading source for home safety tips, checklists and information about home fire safety, falls prevention, poison prevention, water safety, child safety, disaster preparedness as well as many other home safety topics.”1 HSC utilizes innovative website technology, educational resources for teachers, policy makers, and corporations, partnerships with companies, and a network of volunteers to accomplish its goals.

• 1. “Home Safety Council.” Home Safety Council. < http://www.homesafetycouncil.org/index.asp > 31 Jan. 2011.

After extensive training through such polyurethane companies as Berleburger Shaumstoffwerk GmbH (BSW), the Poligras division of J.F. Adolf AG, and the Sportsbau Technique AG, Rolf Huber developed the Elastocrete Mats for athletic and playground surfaces in 1981. This was accomplished as a part of Sportsbau Canada Limited.

Benefiting from this training, beginning in 1984 Rolf and his team invented the Toro-Tan athletic and play systems, the Champ-Track running track system, and the Champ-Floor gymnasium system. These products evolved into the Everplay poured-in-place surfacing system, the Everplay Mat system, and the Champ-Track polyurethane systems for water play.1

• 1. Huber, Rolf. Email to Playground Professionals. 21 Jan. 2011.