Redesign of Kids Country Playground in Coppell

Kids Country - Coppell Texas

A Childhood Memory Revisited

by Drew Davis

My fondest Olympic memory is of the ‘84 games.  Even though I was just 8 years old, I vividly remember the way our neighborhood ‘70s-style metal playground was hastily transformed into an Olympic venue.  Our Olympians, the teenage boys in the neighborhood, invented events and rules as they went along.  The event most likely to be featured on a box of Wheaties was the way they used the momentum of the swing to kick off a shoe.  The champion’s shoe made it all the way to the slide (an Olympic record that still stands)!  A few years later, a new wooden playground was put in where everything was connected to a two story wooden structure (a precursor of the playgrounds of today) we had entered a new era!!!

The magic of my playground memories in no way prepared me for my first encounter with Kids Country in Coppell.  It is a sprawling wooden castle with bridges and turrets galore; there’s even an amphitheater.  Ancient looking Oak trees provide a roof that covers the vast majority of the area.  As I looked on incomprehensibly, I realized there was something I had lost sight of: my four year old son.

How To Raise Emotionally Healthy Children: Respect

How to Raise Emotionally Healthy Children

A Series of Articles on Raising Emotionally Healthy Children

Guest Post from The Children’s Project

All of us – babies, toddlers, teenagers, parents and grandparents have the same emotional needs.  Meeting these needs in childhood provides the foundation for success in school, work, relationships, marriage and life in general. We see it in our daily lives and the news, failure to meet the emotional needs of our children is a serious and under-recognized problem facing our country.

Dr. Gerald Newmark, in his book How to Raise Emotionally Healthy Children: Meeting the Five Critical Needs of Children…and Parents Too!, shows parents and teachers how to nourish emotional health at home and at school. The book helps parents recognize and satisfy the critical emotional needs that all children have: to feel Respected, Important, Accepted, Included, and Secure, and in the process, parents will benefit too.

In the coming weeks, we will present a series of articles with more information on meeting each of these five emotional needs, including tips and activities.  We’ll also address “behavior that hurts and behavior that helps”, as well as how to become a professional at parenting.  These simple, powerful tools will enhance the lives of children, parents and families. The goal is to raise children to be self-confident, independent, responsible, thinking, caring, and civic-minded individuals.

Ringling Bros Aims to Break World Record in Shaving Cream Pie Fight!

The Biggest Shaving Cream Pie Fight on Earth - Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey

Thousands of Pies to Fly as The Greatest Show On Earth Raises Awareness and Funds for Two Premier Metroplex Clowning Programs

 

Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey invites Dallas/Fort Worth families and businesses to join in ultimate shaving cream chaos on Tuesday, July 31, 6:00 p.m. as The Greatest Show On Earth teams up with two premier Metroplex clowning programs in a Guinness World Records attempt for the largest shaving cream pie fight ever held.  The event will take place outside American Airlines Center in AT&T Plaza.  The arena is located at 2500 Victory Avenue, Dallas, TX 75219.

The Biggest Shaving Cream Pie Fight On Earth is a celebratory event to kick-off International Clown Week and the Dallas/Fort Worth debut of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey presents FULLY CHARGED.  International Clown Week honors the charitable activities of clowns and clowning.