Brooklyn Hall of Game

Brooklyn Hall of Game is hosting a basketball tournament for youth in the summer months when school is out and options for activities are minimal. 200 youth participants are learning basketball and eating vegetables and fruits from local community gardens, training to participate in the tournament at the end of the summer.
 

Inclusive "Toy Chest" for Community Gardens

By adding  portable recreation objects to your community garden, visitors of ALL AGES  will have more things to do when they visit

Here are some ideas:

 The Childrens magical Garden on the Lower East Side has Hula Hoops

By storing play equipment with Special Needs neighbors in mind you add inclusivity to your garden.



 For kids with cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy, or any condition that affects the motor systems, look for toys that work with their limited movements. A good choice if he uses a wheelchair: the Infinite Loop. It increases upper-body dexterity and concentration as he opens and closes the tracks to keep the ball on its path. Two balls of different weights, for two difficulty levels, are included. ($23.85; munchkinfield.com)

link

This chest, store Bryant Parks Recreation  objects






This cabinet stores recreation objects at Rockefeller Park

Cooperative Games Day

Throw a cooperative games day




I have used several of these activities successfully with elementary school aged children with and without disabilities. I am not a big fan of competitive games or games of elimination so I prefer activities such as offered in this book. I was attracted to the word 'joyful' in the title because I think that 'joy' or spontaneous enjoyment are lacking in a lot of peoples' lives - and I was pleased to find this book not only includes 'joyful' activities but that it was written using positive and encouraging language. I have purchased several books promising appropriate activities for young people and found that they frequently include games and activities that are not original and/or have the potential to cause discomfort or embarrassment, or that there is a focus on games of elimination, and/or the activities just don't sound like fun. None of these issues applies to this book. Although the activities are grouped by age, I find this book most helpful for working with younger children.  Amazon

Storytellings in the Park

Throw a storytelling series for kids in your park.

You might want to co sponsor this series with your library just as the folks at Washington Park in Cincinnati did




 Want to hear a story? Then join us for the Library’s Storytelling in the Park! Set in the shady green spaces around Washington Park’s historic bandstand, professional and amateur Ohio storytellers will share stories for the whole family. Professional storytellers Eric Wolf, Omope Carter Daboiku, and Harold and Jonatha Wright will bring their talents to the stage, joined by the 2005 New York Times Librarian of the Year and College Hill Branch Manager Arnice Smith with stories just for kids. Amateur storytellers will have the opportunity to share their own story in a special session with festival partner Teilen. This event is presented by the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County

Library:. CLICK HERE for more information
Park:  - See more at: http://washingtonpark.org/event/storytelling-in-the-park/#sthash.JNGYWWNv.dpuf

Rain Activated parks and other environmental dependant playspaces

This  is a bench sitting area, it is never used by anyone but seniors, because it has no activities other then a place to sit

A Space Only a Senior Could Love

.But funny thing, I passed by it one day shortly after a heavy snow and this same kid repellent area became a kid attractant area with kids coming in to play with the snow. Snow activated this space for the kids.

How about requesting a grant to add weather or time  activated features to your space. Here are several ideas.

Night Activated Parks

At night I suspect  there isn't much to do in your park. Why not  buy telescopes and offer Sky Viewing in the Park nights at your park or community garden.




Download Star Party & Astronomy Events

2015 Star Parties

Come spend an evening with your family and friends at the park, and observe the wonders of the night sky through astronomers’ telescopes! Bring a red light, sweater or jacket, enthusiasm to enjoy and conserve our beautiful night skies! Entrance Fee varies per park for night of family fun! Meet our partner astronomy groups who host these program below.
SEP 26 Dead Horse Ranch SP

Observe the Wonders of the Night Sky Through Telescopes at Dark Sky Parks!

Many Arizona State Parks host fun, educational Star Parties or Astronomy events! Our astronomy program has been in operation since 2007 and continues to grow! At a typical star night event you can hear a lecture (often with guest speakers), and view celestial objects (planets, nebulas, stars) through a variety of telescopes. Some events have information tables and afternoon solar viewings as well. These events are supported by Arizona Astronomy Clubs and individuals who invite the public to come see Arizona's amazing night skies. Watch our video which gives a good introduction to Star Night activities. Learn more about what to expect and what to bring on this page.  link





-Rain Activated Parks

Normally it rains and parks go empty, come up with ideas that will make people want to use your  park when it rains...

 

 
...The former freelance graphic designer has been making Rainworks, or rain-activated art, for about a year. His mediums: A sidewalk; a biodegradable and non-toxic, water-repellent product from Belgium; and Seattle's most well-known weather pattern.

The art is only visible when it rains. Messages and graphic elements appear when water beads off the repellent product, leaving dry areas of the sidewalk as the rest of the concrete darkens with moisture. The inspirational and fun messages catch people's attention for their novelty and positivity.
A goal of Church's Rainworks is to turn rainy days into something people look forward to. link




Sun Activated parks

Request a grant to purchase lounge chairs for your park, on Sunny days having a lounge chair will bring people to the park who would never come out just to sit on a bench. 
 

link

What other weather or time of day specific activities  can you add to your grant proposal?

Magazine Subscriptions and other Low Cost Reading ideas

Often passive recreation parks, offer adults and seniors little more than a bench to sit on. Adding a Little Free Library to you park, can

Attract people to your space by adding a selection of reading material to your space.
$100 will buy you between 10 and 20 subscriptions.

This Little Free Library idea was developed by Park Chelsea under a Citizens Committee for New York City Grant. LFL's normally cost hundreds of dollars,  this model can be built for under $50.  At this price you can even  afford to buy 2 one for childrens books, and another for magazine subscriptions, so as to offer reading material to older folks. Instructions on how to build it  are at this link.



Here's why its important to have  Little Free Library in parks...

-“Research consistently shows that children who live in low-income neighborhoods have little access to reading material in their public libraries, in their schools, and at home. After investigating access to reading material in different neighborhoods, Neuman and Celano (2001) concluded that that " ... children in middle-income neighborhoods were likely to be deluged with a wide variety of reading materials. However, children from poor neighborhoods would have to aggressively and persistently seek them out" (p. 15)

.If more access leads to more reading, and if more reading leads to better reading, writing, spelling, grammar, and a larger vocabulary (for overwhelming evidence, see Krashen, 2004), this means that the first step any literacy campaign needs to take is to make sure children have access to plenty of books. Link


Libraries are often few and far between


Looking at this map you'll  see only 5 on the west side of Manhattan

In the same area there are at least 50 parks,  playgrounds and other outdoor public spaces where little free libraries could be setup.

 




If you give kids reading opportunities in parks, they will read more. 




 

Storage Shed

A storage shed can hold gardening tools, toys and games and other items that need to be kept out of the rain.

Piano

Someone took a survey of what people wanted in their parks. A piano was the item highest on the list!.


Artist-designed pianos are popping up in public parks throughout Seattle and King County, and people are invited, nay encouraged, to stop and play them. It's all part of an interactive public art project called Pianos in the Parks--which is taking piano art to bizarre new heights and places you never thought the simple instrument could go.




Note: This is a new idea

Solar Powered Wi-Fi Repeater

 




New York City ia adding thousands of LinkNYC hotspots throughout the city. When one of these hotspots is near your park great!. If not, use of this solar powered wi-fi repeater    
may be able to bring wi-fi reception from the phone booth to your park! 


Note: Will this work for your location? No idea. That's why we have a loaner repeather at our office.  If there is a Link NYC installation near your park, stop by the office and borrow our loaner unit. Install it and see if it works. If so apply for the grant.

Sidewalk Games Graphics

Adding sidewalk games graphics to you playground increase play opportunities at a really low cost.

Lawn Objects

 These objects are on the lawn at Rockefeller Park, a NYS park.
Seward Park, a NYC Park  has similar objects  on their lawn, put in for a grant and  they can be on your parks lawn too!

Giant Chess Set

link

Beautification

Brooklyn’s Coney Island Beautification Project was awarded $2,000 for multilingual flyers, rainwater irrigation system, plants, and 501(c)(3) filing fees

Performances

Friends of St. Mary’s Park in the Bronx received $1,500 for a cultural nonprofit group to perform in the park,community visioning materials, and flyers and posters for advertising.

Publications & Websites

Publications & Websites

Here are samples of publications and websites produced by Partnerships for Parks:

Friends of Dag Hammarskjold
hammarskjoldplaza.org

Friends of Greenwood Playground
Publication

Jefferson Market Garden
Publication

Montefiore Neighborhood Park Association
Publication
montefiorepark.org