Landscape Architects

Windom Public School

Senator Jean Preston Memorial Park

This rural town right off the coast of North Carolina had big plans to build an inclusive playground in the heart of town in memory of a local retired special education teacher, principal, and politician. The community alone contributed nearly $50,000 in donations. Then, Emerald Isle learned that they were one of 30 locations in eastern North Carolina chosen to receive a Play Together Accessible Playground grant from Trillium Health Resources. With the added $225,000, in just under two months, they transformed an empty lot by the local docks into a completely inclusive and sensory-rich destination playground.

All of the “coolest” playground equipment is fully accessible and promotes cooperation between kids of all abilities. The Cruise Line^™, AeroGlider^™, and Unity^® RockR all encourage parents, siblings, or fellow playmates to join in on the action together, providing enough space so that any child can transfer on and take a ride.

Another key inclusive feature is the double-wide ramps of the main play structure, which enable a better traffic flow for kids with and without mobility devices. A variety of panels along the way provide cognitive and sensory stimulation for everyone. Several other smaller freestanding products around the playground, such as Cozy Cocoon^™, Spin Cup, and Moon Rock Climber, provide comfy spots and vestibular stimulation away from the main action. And of course, no inclusive playground is complete without poured-in-place safety surfacing, which allows children, parents, and grandparents alike to access the play area with ease.

Not only was this play space designed with inclusion in mind, but with a local flair as well. A vibrant purple and gold color scheme displays their pride for East Carolina University, while high views and telescopes bring the focus back to the beautiful coastline.

Now Emerald Isle is beaming with pride over this unifying play space, as it brings families and kids together to play side by side and leave differences behind.

Inclusive features:

• Cozy Cocoon^™
• AeroGlider^™
• Cruise Line^™
• Unity^® RockR
• Accessible Swing Seats
• Spin Cup
• Moon Rock Climber
• Music panels
• Double-wide ramps
• Unitary surfacing

Lollipop School

What makes the Lollipop School stand apart from other early childhood facilities? Its second-generation family ownership? Its ongoing reputation for excellence? Or its immense pirate ghost ship?

Actually, it’s all of those things. The stunning playground ship structure is a natural extension of the Lollipop School’s distinctive approach to learning. Along with his wife and his daughter, owner Jim Angelillo has continued the founding vision of his mother—to exceed expectations in providing an outstanding environment for early childhood development.

Located between New York City and the New Jersey suburbs, the Lollipop School serves pre-K through kindergarten children year-round, plus summer day camps for kids up to 12 years old. Their playground hosts more than 100 children a day, and even more in the summer. So when the time came for the latest playground update, Jim knew they would need something with serious capacity and durability. Safety, as always, would be top priority. And there was something else. A vision. A pirate ghost ship vision, to be exact.

“We already have a castle and a ship from Playworld,” Jim says, “and they’re great. But I wanted this to be something special, something big. Something nobody had seen before.”

It took a team of people—including Jim, his wife Kara, Playworld sales rep Scott Fenton of George Ely Associates, and Playworld’s engineering team—to bring the idea to life. From researching pirate ships online, through dozens of napkin sketches, and some creative new combinations of existing Playworld components, the pirate ghost ship took shape.

Its signature black sails and black panels, part of Jim’s original vision, were new, custom designs. The second-level deck, also part of the distinctive pirate ship look, created the perfect opportunity for the tube slide, irresistibly fun and reassuringly safe.

With a mix of stock and custom ground-level interactive play panels, multiple slides, lookouts and cannons galore, this whale of a vessel keeps the entire crew occupied with adventure, imagination and most importantly, activity. From eye appeal to play appeal, it’s been a hit with students, families and teachers alike—a rich source of quality play and exercise for the children at the Lollipop School.

“We love it. The kids love it. And their parents love it,” Jim says. “We couldn’t be happier.”

Whether you’re looking to build a new playground, or update your existing playground, Playworld offers a variety of equipment to take care of your commercial playground needs. Our representatives will work with you to create a play experience to fit your space and budget. Learn more by contacting your local Playworld representative today!

George I. Sánchez Collaborative Community School

Key Features:

• ENERGI^®
• Unity^® Dome
• Bambino^™
• Cozy Cocoon^™

Named after a prominent civil rights activist and educational scholarship pioneer, the George I. Sanchez Collaborative Community School has a deep commitment to the growth and high achievement of every student. The first Albuquerque school to serve kindergarten through 8th grade, the Sanchez School promotes principles of critical thinking, innovation and collaboration.

Another one of their core values is high expectations. Standard isn’t good enough—and those expectations extend to their playground. With more than 1,200 children spanning a wide range of ages, interests and abilities, the school needed a play space with the capacity and durability to serve a large and growing student population with superior levels of engagement, challenge, and (lest we forget) fun.

In the spirit of collaboration, Playworld worked with school leadership to formulate a playground with integrated play flow, yet with distinct areas and intuitive navigation to facilitate kids’ access to age-appropriate play.

A Bambino^™ play structure provides pre-K children with physical and intellectual engagement specifically designed for little hands and hearts. For 5- to 12-year-olds, Adventure Series Climbers offer self-regulated challenge, confidence building and creative problem solving, and the Unity^® Dome reinvents classic climbing dome play with innovative design. Its whimsical circles form asymmetric climbing paths for fresh mind and body challenge, and its more open layout invites kids to interact with each other while playing in, on and around. Meanwhile, ENERGI^® fitness systems present the ideal activity for 7-8th graders who might feel too grown up for “little kid” playgrounds, but who nevertheless relish exercise and an outlet for their energy. Adding to the specialized play features, the Cozy Cocoon^™ is more than just a fun motion experience—it also serves as a calming space for children on the autism spectrum to take a break from sensory input.

Enjoyment and relaxation flow throughout the entire playground with features designed for all ages, such as the shade fabric that tempers the hot New Mexico sun, and the benches that provide a place to rest and recharge.

In all, it’s a perfect match—aesthetically, with designs crafted to complement the color palette and architecture of the school itself, and also philosophically—in the spirit of connecting with and challenging children, each at their own level, giving them the opportunity to wonder, engage, explore, achieve and enjoy.

Conestoga Community Playground

This park was already a popular gathering spot, but it also had a lot of untapped potential. To revitalize the park and bring the community together, The Trust for Public Land worked with us to replace outdated equipment with Unity Connect.