Rocking the world of playgrounds

Calling all kids of all ages - come on down to New York Hall of Science this weekend, Saturday, June 28 or Sunday, June 29 and have a ball building castles, robots or anything you can imagine.
The Hall of Science will be collaborating with The Rockwell Group to present their Imagination Playground - an interactive creative play area and it’s free with general admission to the Hall.
The main goal of this exhibit will be to push the boundaries of normal playgrounds, while developing children’s creative thinking.
This two-day-event, which will run from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., features over 265 blue foam blocks of different weights and sizes as well as assorted fabrics, tarps and reused cardboard, called “loose parts.” These pieces will give kids the freedom to build and disassemble playground creations of their choice.
“We are giving the kids something exciting to ignite their imagination,” said Marcos Stafne, Hall of Science’s Director of Public Programs & Traveling Exhibitions.
The 4,000-foot Anthony Viscusi Gallery, at the New York Hall of Science, will be transformed into an indoor giant playground for kids of all ages. “When people walk into this room, they will see these blocks and immediately know what to do,” Stafne said.
David Rockwell, who created the Imagination Playground, is also in a partnership with KaBOOM!, a leader in playground production, to provide parks and schools around the country with a chance to obtain this interactive playground.
The idea here is that they will give the recipients a semi-mobile kit of parts that comes in a box. When Imagination Playground in a box opens, it will immediately activate the environment around it, creating a playground configured by children’s play, and evolving as the community of children changes throughout the day.
The first Imagination Playground in a box will be in Brownsville, Brooklyn, on July 9 through Labor Day. The Hall of Science loose blocks exhibit will just be a preview of the actual interactive playground.
Stafne said that this exhibit helps children develop gross and fine-motor skill. “I’m extraordinarily excited for this event,” he said. “I knew I needed to get those blocks in the Hall from the first time I saw them.”
The Rockwell group and KaBOOM! both want to expand this idea as much as they can. When it’s raining outside on a school day, the Rockwell group wants every school to have a playground box, which would easily be ready to set up in the gym or auditorium. “We see the possibilities that these playgrounds have, and this exhibit is just the beginning,” Stafne said.
For hours, directions, and other information, please visit www.nyscience.org or call 718-699-0005.