We consulted with many seminal figures in the field of play and education during our research and development phase, especially Roger Hart [director of the Children’s Environments Research Group and professor of environmental psychology at the Graduate Center of the City of New York], Susan Solomon [author of American Playgrounds: Revitalizing Community Space], Penny Wilson [a renowned U.K. Play Worker], and Elise Clark at the City and Country School in New York City [we learned a lot from their founder Caroline Pratt’s scholarship on block play]. We also spent years speaking with parents, teachers, kids, doing focus groups, prototyping, and researching all sorts of different ways to play.

Traditional playgrounds consist primarily of fixed equipment, such as slides, monkey bars and teeter-totters, all of which focus on developing children’s gross motor skills. Imagination Playground, on the other hand, is an interactive, transformable environment that prompts children to manipulate their environment and create a playspace of their own with sand, water and loose parts. Imagination Playground addresses a broader spectrum of play needs through opportunities for fantasy play and socio-cooperative play, in addition to more traditional running, jumping and climbing. Kids need to be active on many levels, and they need to exercise their minds as well as their muscles. Research shows that children at the age of eight who have experienced varied and challenging play are considerably better prepared to benefit from ongoing formal education. Imagination Playground can be used by itself, or in conjunction with traditional playground equipment.

For more information on Imagination Playground Parks, please visit www.imaginationplayground.org/parks.  For more information on our products – Imagination Playground in a Box, Imagination Playground in a Cart and Imagination Playground Blocks – please visit www.imaginationplayground.org/products.

The flagship Imagination Playground Park opened to the public in July 2010 at Burling Slip in the South Street Seaport area of New York City, a collaboration between Rockwell Group and the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation. There are also Imagination Playground in a Box sets popping up across the globe, from New York to Chicago to Hawaii. To find the one nearest you, go to our locations page or contact .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).  

The price of Imagination Playground ranges depending on what version you purchase. Please contact Imagination Playground at 1.866.986.5551 or .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) for more information on the different design and pricing options.

Imagination Playground Blocks are made of a cross-linked Polyethylene foam manufactured in the United States. The closed-cell foam is soft, lightweight, waterproof, and biodegradable. It is resistant to sun, heat, mold, mildew, corrosion and micro-organisms. These highly-durable blocks can be transported to a landfill or returned to the manufacturer to be recycled when they are no longer wanted on the playground.

Imagination Playground Blocks are non-toxic and resistant to germs, mold and mildew.  They are sturdy enough to withstand the elements and soft enough for children to play with safely. 

The blue blocks can be cleaned easily with a scrub brush, soap and water.

Yes, incorporating breakthrough technologies, these highly durable parts are biodegradable and can be returned to the manufacturer for recycling.

Play Associates are an integral part of the Imagination Playground concept and are responsible for the management and maintenance of the play space, as well as the facilitation of children’s play. Play Associates do not direct play or teach children how to use the objects or environment. They might sometimes quietly demonstrate a different use of materials but there is no educational agenda or schedule of recreation programs.  What children do will be the result of their inherent curiosity and urge to play. Play Associates will enable children to play in ways that would not be possible without a trained staff to monitor the resources.

Imagination Playground, LLC provides a Limited Warranty to the original purchaser of Imagination Playground in a Box. Full warranty language can be found here. 

For Imagination Playground in a Box sets, Play Associate training is part of the purchase price. The training provides an overview of the Imagination Playground concept, the development of loose parts play, current research in child development, as well as some tips and tools to help Play Associates facilitate creative play on a daily basis. The training is offered online in a convenient on-demand format. Contact .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) for more details. 

In Imagination Playground at Burling Slip, Play Associates are employees of the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation. The Parks Department has a summer program that deploys Play Associates to sites all around New York City, and they will use Imagination Playground at Burling Slip for training all year round.

Imagination Playground products have been created as sets of parts intended to be used with a Play Associate. Imagination Playground has developed a curriculum that will train these workers to properly implement Imagination Playground products. We require all Play Associates to receive this training prior to taking charge of the Imagination Playground site.

We recommend that while adult-child ratios should be determined by policy at the site, at least one adult per twenty children, ages 5-12.  A lower adult-child ratio should be maintained when children are younger than five.

Imagination Playground blue foam blocks only come in one color in order to facilitate more imaginative play, without any distraction or competition that might arise from having multi-colored toys.

Rockwell Group serves as the creative force behind the concept, while KaBOOM! brings its 14 years of community outreach experience to determine the easiest and most cost-efficient way to implement Imagination Playground in a variety of community settings nationwide.