Children & Nature network

KaBOOM! Encourages Communities to “Get Outside and Play!”

By Bethe Almeras - The Grass Stain Guru

From September 19 - 27, over 1,000 communities across the U.S. will host free, fun-for-the-whole-family events that focus on the importance of play in children’s lives. Whether you are a naturalist who does children’s programming, a parent that heads-up a Family Nature Club, a recreation leader at a teen center, or a park ranger, KaBOOM! encourages you to host a Play Day in your community.

A Play Day is a day to gather at your favorite park or green space to play and connect with nature as a community. Explore local parks and trails with a nature scavenger hunt, host a canoe trip or photo safari, or have a play-themed Back-to-School Night. Your event is completely up to you -- the only rule is to have fun!

You can also plan a Play Day dedicated to service, and gather community members to improve local parks and playspaces with clean-ups and simple enhancement projects. In fact, KaBOOM! is partnering with National public Lands Day (NPLD) on September 26th to encourage just that! By doing service-projects on September 26th, people across the country are not only taking care of our public lands, but restoring places for all of us to play and connect with nature.

The process is as easy as 1- 2- 3 with the Play Day Planner:
1. Register your Play Day event

2. Utilize the Planner to get free tips and resources

3. Host a nature play-themed Play Day in your community

Organizers who complete Mile Marker 4 in the Planner will receive a free Play Day Kit valued at $100. As an added bonus, all groups that successfully complete the process and host Play Day events are eligible to win one of seven grants totaling $25,000. Grants can be used to purchase equipment such as benches, picnic tables, shade structures, and more for parks and playspaces near you. And it doesn’t need to be a brand new event. If your club or facility already has activities or outings planned for that week, you are still eligible to register them in the planner and qualify for the gifts and to be considered in the grant competition.

What are you waiting for?! Join thousands of Americans this September as they get in-touch with their kids-at-heart and get outside and play!


About KaBOOM!
KaBOOM! is a national non-profit organization that envisions a great place to play within walking distance of every child in America. Since 1995, KaBOOM! has used its innovative community-build model to bring together business and community interests to construct more than 1,600 new playgrounds, skate parks, sports fields and ice rinks across North America. KaBOOM! also offers a variety of resources, including an online community, free online trainings, grants, publications and the KaBOOM! National Campaign for Play, which includes Playful City USA and Playmakers – a national network of individual advocates for play.

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