Playground

Every playground has one. The mom who seems to be there from dawn to dusk, rain or shine. The one that other moms nod hello to in recognition as well as sympathy, knowing that she'll be spending her entire day there...again. She's the Playground Princess and if you're spending more time in the park than anywhere else, she could be you. Here are 10 signs that you should be crowned royalty at your playground.

1. You have a favorite bench, and nobody else dares to sit in it.
2. You know the park keeper's schedules so well — and they know yours – that you bring each other coffee each day.
3. Friends don't ask where to meet for a playdate, they just show up at your park at the appointed time.
4. You enter the park's restroom on a steady schedule – exactly two minutes behind the cleaning crew's schedule.
5. You know which kids hog the swings and can slip your lil ones onto the equipment before the others notice.

For five other ways to know you're the playground princess, read more

If we don't build it, kids will come! Most playgrounds are filled with standard equipment: slides, monkey bars, swings, and a jungle gym. The stationary objects can lead to hours of fun, but don't do much to inspire creativity. David Rockwell, the architect and designer behind trendy restaurants and the Oscar's set design, is changing the way children play with a new playground set to open in New York City later this month.

The Imagination Playground looks like a work in progress with a mess of loose, blue foam blocks (all biodegradable and antimicrobial) and wheels laying around. But once a group of kids get their hands on the pieces, they work together to create their own creations. The park is staffed by trained associates who don't direct play, but ensure that the environment is safe. Through a partnership with KaBOOM!, Imagination Playgrounds might pop up in more American communities. Rockwell's "playground in a box" is filled with select pieces from the permanent NYC park to encourage sand and water play in smaller areas.

We had the opportunity to see a traveling version of the playground last weekend and witnessed a group of enthusiastic tots build a virtual water park complete with a towering waterfall, spinning wheels, and a sand pit.

Drop the kiddos off at this Saturday's first ever Take Our Children to the Park . . . And Leave Them There Day. Playgrounds are abuzz with parents discussing the amount of freedom children need. The day, which free-range parenting pioneer Lenore Skenazy created to draw attention to today's tendency toward over-parenting, is encouraging mom and dad to allow their kids — particularly those over 7 years old — to play without restrictions.

But for parents who aren't ready to leave their kiddos completely alone, we have three tips to ease your way into allowing them more freedom.

• If an entire afternoon at the park sounds too scary, try five- and 10-minute increments of freedom.
• If you're used to hovering over your child on the jungle gym, try sitting on a bench and watching from afar. You'll still be close enough to keep tabs on things.
• Rather than tote a bag filled with toys and equipment, let your child lead the way. See where some unstructured play time leads them.

Keep monkeying around on the playground – but do so safely! Neighborhood playgrounds filled with jungle gyms, slides and fireman poles that keep lil ones occupied throughout the day also pose potential hazards that can thwart an otherwise fun afternoon. According to the Centers for Disease Control, more than 200,000 children visit the emergency room each year for playground injuries. Before packing up the snacks and sporting equipment, check out our top five tips for keeping lil hands, heads and legs free from injury.

• Don't ride on slides with your tots. According to a new study, placing a child on your lap to ride down a slide can significantly increase the possibility of fracturing their legs. When a child's leg gets stuck against the side of a slide, the pressure from a parent behind them can cause it to bend in ways that force it to break.
• Keep swinging on the swing set, not from mama's arms. Though swinging from mommy's arms may be fun, the pressure from doing so can cause lil elbow bones to be pulled partially out of joint, leading to a condition called Nursemaid Elbow that can be very painful for tots.

To see the rest of the helpful reminders,

 read more

Mommy Dearest,

I live in NYC where the neighborhood playground is part of my family's daily routine. I've gotten over my fear of germs on the jungle gym and swing equipment, but the sandbox is a whole other story. Convinced that rodents and insects visit the sandbox during the night and leave their excrement behind, I've forbidden my three-year-old son from playing in it. His father, grandparents and nanny know my fears, but the other day his caretaker allowed him to play in it with his friends. When I stopped by for a visit and told him to get out, it caused a big scene.  How should I handle this situation without the daily fuss?

— No Sandbox for My Son

To see the response from Mommy Dearest, read more