In neighborhoods without a usable park or playground, the incidence of childhood obesity increases by 29 percent. Darell Hammond childhoodincidenceincrease Change image and share on social
'Our Dream Playground' is a new online project planner designed to help you build the playground of your dreams. It's a free resource, brought to you 'KaBOOM!,' offering step-by-step instructions to help you bring play to the kids in your community. Darell Hammond bringbuildcommunity share on social
People have to see play as more important than what it currently is. We don't want to get boxed into thinking play only happens on a playground. The best type of play is all kinds of play. Darell Hammond boximportantkind Change image and share on social
The national nonprofit I founded, 'KaBOOM!,' is on a mission to save play for America's children, and has long been championing the cause in high-need communities. Darell Hammond americachampionchild Change image and share on social
We are raising today's children in sterile, risk-averse and highly structured environments. In so doing, we are failing to cultivate artists, pioneers and entrepreneurs, and instead cultivating a generation of children who can follow the rules in organized sports games, sit for hours in front of screens and mark bubbles on standardized tests. Darell Hammond artistaversebubble share on social
At KaBOOM! we are crowd-sourcing a nationwide Map of Play that uses GIS data and user rankings to identify where the engaging playgrounds are located, but more importantly, where they are not. Darell Hammond crowddatumengage Change image and share on social
Our country's growing obsession with organized sports isn't just hurting our children, but also our communities. As play is siphoned off to gyms and fields, fewer kids are playing in our streets, parks, and playgrounds. Darell Hammond childcommunitycountry share on social
Increased physical activity during the school day can help children's attention, classroom behavior, and achievement test scores. Meanwhile, the decline of play is closely linked to ADHD; behavioral problems; and stunted social, cognitive, and creative development. Darell Hammond achievementactivityadhd share on social
A cultural shift is needed to incorporate exercise into our children's daily lives. Darell Hammond childculturaldaily Change image and share on social
If there's one thing that 'No Child Left Behind' has proven, it's that more academics don't make for smarter children - or even higher test scores. And yet we somehow refuse to accept this reality. Darell Hammond academicacceptchild Change image and share on social