New Chapter for this Historic Sonoma Plaza

This month, volunteer Sonoma Rotarians teamed up with the town of Sonoma and Ross Recreation Equipment to upgrade and refresh a popular Landscape Structures play structure on the historic Sonoma Plaza.  The plaza, a traditional town square and a source of regional pride for more than a century and a half, was the place where early settlers staged the Bear... Read More »

Designing Splashpads for Inclusive Play – Webinar

Want to learn more about inclusive splashpad design? Register now for Vortex’s upcoming informational webinar on practical tips to make sure your current or future Splashpad® is successfully designed with access and inclusive participation in mind. This session will cover: The value of Splashpads in communities Inclusive Play concepts Sensory processing and Splashpads How to achieve a universal design ADA... Read More »

Monte Rio School Makes Fitness A Priority

The Monte Rio School District in Sonoma County, California, is taking physical fitness seriously. Over the past three years, Monte Rio School has built a fun, fitness-driven Landscape Structures playground, and this summer installed an outdoor fitness course on campus that will serve the needs of the students and the greater community when school is not in session. This commitment... Read More »

Going Strong – Providing Decades of Play Value

Recently, the City of Santa Clara contacted Ross Recreation about the availability of replacement parts for two ancient Landscape Structures playgrounds: one at Carmichael Park and one at Rotary Park, both nearly thirty years old and according to the City, “Going strong”!  The old redwood playground equipment was officially discontinued by Landscape Structures in the late eighties, but parts for... Read More »

George “Rocky” Graham Park is Now Open!

On July 11th, the community of Marin City joined together to celebrate the grand opening of their new George “Rocky” Graham Park. Ross Recreation, along with many other organizations involved in the design and construction of the park, were on hand to join the local residents in the celebration. After several years of planning, it was wonderful to see the... Read More »

A Winner in Harsh Marine Environments

It’s no coincidence that many Landscape Structures play structures are found near the northern California and Oregon coast. Landscape Structures play equipment is the ideal choice for durability and longevity in harsh-on-metal marine environments because of the materials and finishes used in fabrication. 5” diameter vertical posts and beams are made of highly rust resistant aluminum, are primed with industrial... Read More »

Grass Without Limits

At Ross Recreation, we don’t take on new product lines lightly nor frequently, but when we do, it is for the long-term.  It is important that we are closely aligned with our manufacturing partners when it comes to quality expectations, innovative progress, life costing and customer support capabilities.  With that in mind, we are proud and excited about our recent partnership with ForeverLawn, a manufacturer of durable,... Read More »

Sheridan Elementary School Playground Safety Seminar

This month, Ross Recreation had the privilege of being a part of Sheridan Elementary School‘s safety seminar in San Francisco, CA! Playground safety seminars are an excellent way to get the students familiar with how each component is meant to be used, as well as a great opportunity to have the kids spend some time outside! We want to thank Simon... Read More »

“Natural Play” – What’s it all Mean?

Much is written today about the desirability of “natural” play environments and I suspect that that is because of well founded concern that children are spending less and less time outdoors exploring the natural world.  This unfortunate trend was well documented in the now famous 2005 book by Richard Louv called Last Child in the Woods, in which the author coins... Read More »

Building a Fitness-Focused Playground in Phases

Over time, the Loyola School PTA in Los Altos, California has gradually built a fitness-focused playground for their Upper Grade students. Constructed in phases spanning 10 years, the final phase features a new Netplex structure that complements existing fitness components. The initial equipment consisted mainly of monkey bars, overhead ladders, rings, and balance components and was designed by Ross Recreation... Read More »

The Value in Maintenance

This month Ross Recreation hosted a complimentary Landscape Structures’ Learning Academy Maintenance Seminar in Sacramento, CA.  With close to one hundred in attendance, the session included industry insight and hands-on information and techniques on playground repairs, risk management and graffiti removal techniques.  The seminar put a focus on the importance of proper and consistent maintenance and safety work for those individuals who... Read More »

Greater & Greener 2015

City Parks Alliance and San Francisco Recreation & Parks Department present this year’s Greater & Greener 2015: Innovative Park, Vibrant Cities.  The Greater & Greener conference is a “leading international conference for urban park leaders, city planning and design professionals, public officials and innovators to explore the issues, challenges, and opportunities facing today’s urban parks”.  With statistics projecting that 66% of the world’s population... Read More »

Monoliths of the Playground

Sometimes inspiration can come from the world around us. Landscape Structures Inc. newest play features, the Canyon Collection™, were molded from the Gneiss Outcrops in Granite Falls, Minnesota. This design process provided incredible realism, which translated into playground components that challenge and can bring kids closer to nature. With four rock formations to choose from, the combinations can transform any play... Read More »

Helping Communities Build Playgrounds is Our Specialty

A small site and a challenging budget doesn’t always mean that an exciting new playground is out of reach. Ask Catina Haugen, principal at Grant Elementary School in Petaluma. After an initial site visit, we explained to Catina how we could create an exciting but affordable new playground for her kindergarteners. By relying on parent volunteers, Catina was able to... Read More »

Glankler Early Childhood Learning Center, Fremont USD

It’s not every day that I get a chance to have a playground tour with an expert in children’s special needs. But that’s just what happened recently when Anita Allardice, Principal and Program Director at Glankler Early Childhood Learning Center, graciously devoted part of her whirlwind morning to visit with me at her newly installed, Landscape Structures “Nature Themed” playground... Read More »

Splashpad Opens in Mission District

Mission District youngsters can now take a break from the summer heat with the newly opened Mission Playground, San Francisco’s first Vortex splashpad. The new splashpad features kid-activated bubblers and fountains. More young families are making this new outdoor recreational amenity a destination visit, enlivening and enriching this Mission District neighborhood. Splashpads are accessible to everyone and offer inclusive play... Read More »

Playgrounds Coming In Different Shapes & Sizes

Cookie-cutter playsystems with posts and elevated decks are beginning to give way to new innovative designs. Since the early 1970s, playgrounds have invariably featured composite playstructures with elevated decks. And while these traditional playsystems have their place, new design trends are increasingly breaking this traditional mold, offering users an array of functionally linked net climbers, fitness clusters, and independent slides.... Read More »

Building Community in the Napa Valley

They say necessity is the mother of invention. In Napa, the realities of shrinking city budgets resulted in a very non-traditional alliance of municipal government, community volunteers, and “The Playground King.” The City of Napa, with Jon Bawden of Ross Recreation, had developed plans for a major renovation of the city’s large playground at Buhman Park. With growing budget cutbacks,... Read More »

Playgrounds Aren’t Just For Kids

Someone recently sent me an AARP article – yup, I’m a grandpa. The article touted the health benefits of multi-generational play for people of all ages. Over the years, I’ve come to intuitively believe that playgrounds aren’t just for kids, but in fact can be centers of healthy living for people of all ages and abilities. When Bonney and I... Read More »

On The Front Lines of School Playground Safety

Earlier this month, I got to spend time with 75 dedicated people who commit themselves on a daily basis to child safety on busy San Jose school playgrounds. Because of our long-standing relationship, the San Jose Unified School District had invited me to speak at a playground safety training with their playground supervisors. At the training, I gave an overview... Read More »