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Our ]ndoor Playground (continued)
<br />`-'~~ ~ moo`' d,
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<br />but I'll call you back," she said.
<br />° When she did, she suggested I dis-
<br />cuss my idea with Dave Cody, assis-
<br />tant director of recreation for the
<br />Parks and Recreation Department,
<br />who helps run our town's summer
<br />children's program. "He's inter-
<br />ested in things like this. And he has
<br />children of his own," she said.
<br />When I told him about my idea for
<br />the indoor playground, he didn't
<br />laugh either. He invited me down to
<br />city hall to talk about it.
<br />W'e discussed R~hat w-as needed: a
<br />big carpeted room, divided into ac-
<br />tive and quiet areas; some toys and
<br />books; furniture usable by both chil-
<br />dren and their parents; and bath-
<br />room facilities nearby-nothing
<br />fancy. The playground, eventually re-
<br />named the Play House, would oper-
<br />ate four hours a day, five mornings a
<br />week. It would be open to children
<br />up to five years old, accompanied by
<br />an adult. "Sounds good," he said.
<br />"Let me make a few phone calls."
<br />The first person Dave called was
<br />ivlary Haust, project coordinator of
<br />Schools as Community Sites, at Bing-
<br />hamton's ;MacArthur Elementary
<br />School. A school seemed like an ideal
<br />location for the indoor playground;
<br />if a school could provide the space;
<br />the city might provide supervision
<br />and equipment.
<br />Binghamton's mayor, Juanita
<br />Crabb, gave immediate and enthusi-
<br />astic support to the project. She ap-
<br />proved 53,500 in discretionary
<br />funds from the parks department for
<br />equipment, and 56,500 in salaries to
<br />keep the project running smoothly.
<br />The school board was also suppor-
<br />tive, although dovetailing the right
<br />place and time for the playground
<br />with the needs of the school system
<br />required careful planning.
<br />The board's initial approval took a
<br />matter of a few months. Implemen-
<br />tation of the actual Play House took
<br />a little over a year. VGe were given a
<br />spare classroom in the MacArthur Ele-
<br />mentarySchool that suited our needs
<br />perfectly.
<br />The number of people who do-
<br />nated time and energy to the project
<br />was amazing. Binghamton's head of
<br />cultural affairs designed a wildly col-
<br />orful wall mural, and Maryann
<br />Stenta, recreation leader of the parks
<br />department, spent countless hours-
<br />nights and weekends-painting it in.
<br />96 PARENTS VCVEMBER 1991
<br />(The principal of the school sup-
<br />ported everything from the p~~ting
<br />of Play House signs all arou' he
<br />school to the loaning of used lt~..~ter !.
<br />garten equipment. G. P. Putnam' I.
<br />Sons, located in nearby Kirkwood, do-
<br />nated boles of children's books.)
<br />ivlaryann, Dave, and I pored happil.;
<br />over educational-toy catalogs and
<br />spent one unforgettable three-hour
<br />session trying to cover every aisle in
<br />the largest toy store in town. We vis-
<br />~E~ 9" li'9 8 5 ~'8 91CE+~
<br />
<br />To order toys and equipment foryour
<br />own indoor playground, here are some
<br />of our favorite sources: All catalogs can
<br />be ordered free of charge. (Please note:
<br />Many of these play items can be made
<br />by the handy.)
<br />ABC School Supply: One of the
<br />most complete catalogs, with reason-
<br />ably priced early-learning materials
<br />from sand tables to construction paper
<br />(1-800-669-4222).
<br />Childcraft Education Corp.: The clas-
<br />sic source of awidevariety ofwell-made
<br />children's toys and educational supplies
<br />(1-800-631-5657).
<br />U.S. Constructive Playthings`. .-
<br />other encyclopedic source of toys and
<br />equipment, both indoor and out, includ-
<br />ing afine, hand-picked selection of chit-
<br />dren's books (1-800-255-6124). -
<br />Environments, Inc.: Especialtygood
<br />for some of the more unusual, large
<br />items. We ordered our. wood slide and
<br />the three-in-one play comer from this
<br />catalog (1-800-342-4453)..
<br />ChildLife Inc: From here you can
<br />order "Quadro" kits consisting of
<br />tubes, panels, and wheels that will en-
<br />able you to put together your own
<br />sturdy slides, playhouses, riding toys,
<br />tables, and more (1-800-462-4445,
<br />ext 911).
<br />The Right Start Catalogue: From
<br />this catalog we ordered the famous
<br />"roller coaster" toy (beads on loop-
<br />ing wires), an alphabet wall hanging,
<br />and the babies' favorite, a soft floor
<br />mat called the "ruggie bear" (1-800-
<br />548-8531).
<br />How to Design and Build Chil-
<br />dren's Play Equipment by J. Beek-
<br />with (Ortho Books), is a useful resource.
<br />Sterling Publishers also offers several fine
<br />books on the subject CaII toll-free at 1-
<br />800-367-9692, but don't forget ycur fa-
<br />vorite local toy store! -'
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