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Imagination Playground, a company based in New York City, markets loose parts designed by David Rockwell that encourage child-directed, unstructured free play. David, a father of two small children and the CEO of the Rockwell Group architecture firm, began thinking of playground designs in 2004 after finishing some post 9/11 projects in lower Manhattan. Having just read Susan Solomon's American Playgrounds, Revitalizing Community Space and being influenced by Louis Kahn and Isamu Noguchi's playground design for Riverside Park, David was interested in designing a playground that would not only foster gross motor skills, but also facilitate creativity, stimulate mental development, and encourage collaboration between children.1

• 1. Ackman, Dan.

The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child states in Article 31: “Children have the right to relax and play, and to join in a wide range of cultural, artistic and other recreational activities.” The right to play applies to all children regardless of their race, religion, or abilities.1

• 1. “FACT SHEET: A summary of the rights under the Convention on the Rights of the Child.” UNICEF. < http://www.unicef.org/crc/files/Rights_overview.pdf > 8 July 2011.

Playground installers are the individuals who assemble and build playgrounds. Installers work for contractors, the companies that contract with the owner to construct the playground. There are a wide variety of chores that must be performed for a successful playground build. A playground construction project may include excavation, concrete work, drainage systems, installation of the playground equipment, and resilient surfacing work.

The National Museum of Play in Rochester, New York, later known as The Strong, created the International Center for the History of Electronic Games (ICHEG) in 2009. The ICHEG collects, studies, and interprets how video games and electronic games affect the ways people play, learn, and connect across cultural and geographical boundaries.1 They do this through their collections of artifacts, their interactive exhibits, a weekly blog, and publishing articles and reviews in the American Journal of Play.

• 1. “ICHEG Library and Archival Collections.” Brian Sutton-Smith Library and Archives of Play. < http://www.libraryandarchivesofplay.org/collections/icheg-library-archival > 5 April 2011.

The International Journal of Play is an inter-disciplinary publication that focuses on all facets of play. It is published by Routledge, a distinguished publisher of leading educational research since 1836.1 The first issue of the International Journal of Play was released in March of 2012 with three issues published yearly.

• 1. “About Us.” Routledge Education Arena. < http://www.educationarena.com/about.asp > 3 May 2012.

The International Play Association (IPA) World is a global non-government organization that protects, preserves, and promotes the child's fundamental human right to play. IPA World identifies negative trends affecting children's development worldwide and proposes remedies that involve better housing and community planning and meeting the children's needs for health, education, welfare, and leisure.1 It is particularly concerned where these needs are met through play.

• 1. “IPA Declaration of the Child's Right to Play.” IPA World. < http://ipaworld.org/category/about-us/ > 8 Sep. 2011.

The International Play Equipment Manufacturers Association (IPEMA) was formed in 1995 by a group of twelve playground equipment manufacturers. IPEMA is a nonprofit, membership trade association with the goal of representing and promoting an open market for manufacturers of playground equipment and surfacing.1

• 1. IPEMA. < http://www.ipema.com/ > 15 Sep. 2011.

In October of 1995, the International Play Equipment Manufacturers Association (IPEMA) was formed by a group of twelve playground equipment manufacturers. They saw the need for a trade organization that would provide third-party physical validation of compliance to the safety standards as outlined in the ASTM International (ASTM) F1487. Though these manufacturers were already working together under the auspices of the National School Supply and Equipment Association (NSSEA), that organization chose not to allow the new certification program due to liability concerns.