get my exercise, and the kids get theirs, too.”
The Florida space was constructed during
a playground building blitz that began in fall
2011 and will finish this spring. The project
is part of a multigenerationl initiative by the
health insurer Humana and KaBOOM!, a nonprofit that aims to build a playground within
walking distance of every child’s home. By
spring, $100,000 play spaces will be in or near
nine other U.S. cities—San Antonio; Seattle;
New Orleans; Greensboro, N.C.; Albuquerque,
N.M.; Tucson, Ariz.; Nashville, Tenn.; Thermal, Calif.; and Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
No two spaces look the same. Each is de-
signed with input from the community. At
the Florida playground, a group of about 25
people, including older adults from Midway
Safe Harbor’s adult enrichment and foster
grandparent programs and children from
a local boys and girls club, participated in
a “design day.” The adults wanted exercise
equipment that targets range of motion,
muscle strength, stability and balance, says
Midway Safe Harbor Center administrator
Brenda Knight—and that is what they re-
ceived. Each of the three exercise stations
incorporates yoga moves to build flexibil-
ity and stability. A staircase helps work out
creaky knees, and
strength exercises
illustrated on the
equipment work
on the whole body.
If you make
a health
activity fun,
people are
much more
likely to do it.
