Get Out and Play

This post was sponsored by Landscape Structures as part of an Influencer Activation for Influence Central. All opinions expressed in my post are my own.

It’s no secret that I prefer my kids to be outside all the time. For my feral offspring, their only true freedom comes when they are outside. Inside, they are like caged animals.

A life spent outdoors is one of the main reasons we started RVing. And even though our grand plans of full-time RVing didn’t pan out, I don’t regret our little trips for a second. My kids loved exploring their outdoor surroundings–be it a trip to Rock City near Chattanooga, Tennessee, a hike at a state park or simply a couple hours spent at the campground playground.

This past weekend, my sister and I pooled our kids together and went park hopping to enjoy the last foretaste of spring before the temperatures plummeted this week. Surely, these current (and comical) freezing temperatures are the final hoorah of groundhog Punxsutawney Phil before the first day of spring next week.

Upon arriving at the first playground, our kids ran wild, bounding from one playground activity to another as a means to tactually digest all the fun to be had. They careened down slides linked together, arranging themselves from youngest to oldest. They imagined themselves aboard a ship, navigating the waters of the open sea. They cheered each other on when a slide seemed too high for one’s comfort. They took turns on the swings, realizing there was plenty of time for everyone. They collaborated on a way to fit five little bodies in a tire swing so that no one was left out.

These playgrounds, which we as adults tend to think of as a way to expend the energy of our rambunctious kids, often provide the backdrop for more life lessons than we realize. Not only are playgrounds a place for play, they are a place for learning, where children develop in the areas of leadership, teamwork and perseverance. They are also a place where children build valuable social relationships and learn to include people of all ages and abilities.

Landscape Structures is a global playground manufacturer that believes the skills our kids develop through play today will help to ensure a better tomorrow. The company believes that play experiences during these formative years shape children into thinkers, dreamers and leaders–and I couldn’t agree more.

Check out this video, which celebrates the promise of our future as kids play and develop skills that shape them as adults on playgrounds:

Landscape Structures, a forerunner in the playground industry, has partnered with University of Minnesota’s Institute of Childhood Development to research how play helps develop the whole child by creating leaders, encouraging collaboration and teaching about the values of persistence and problem solving.

Find a Landscape Structures playground near you, or visit the company’s Facebook or Twitter pages.