The Canadian Playground Safety Institute, in association with the Alberta Recreation and Parks Association, is offering a four day course for participants who wish to complete playground inspector certification training. This training is designed for owner/operators, health inspectors, daycare staff, maintenance/public works staff for schools, municipalities, housing complexes and other areas that contain public playspaces, private inspectors and contractors, manufacturers, installers, parks staff, insurance agents, etc. This playground safety education program helps individuals thoroughly understand the Canadian playspace safety standard from CAN/CSA Z614 “Children’s Playspaces and Equipment” and teaches participants how to conduct a hands-on inspection/ audit of a playspace.
The Canadian Parks and Recreation Association (CPRA) currently offers a Canadian Certified Playground Inspector certification through the Canadian Playground Safety Institute (CPSI) for individuals who complete the CPSI Theory and CPSI Practical Courses and achieve passing grades on both exams. The certification is valid for a three year period and can be renewed by completing a recertification exam either online or in the classroom. These courses are also open to participants outside of Alberta. Individuals who only want to take the Theory Course are welcome to attend. However, the Theory Course is a prerequisite for the Practical course, whether you complete it during this session, online or elsewhere at any time within the 12 months prior to the course. Inspectors with recently, or soon to be, expired certifications, may recertify by taking the Practical Course and rewriting the classroom recertification exam. If you are recertifying, please indicate your intent by marking the recertification box on the registration form.
If you have questions about these courses or certification, please contact CPSI by email at cpsi@cpra.ca, by phone toll-free at 1-877-536-2338 or visit the training and education/playground safety website pages at www.cpra.ca.
Course Information
- Theory- April 19-20, 2010
- Practical – April 21-22, 2010
- Renfrew Community Association, 828 – 8th Avenue NE, Calgary, Alberta
We would like to thank our host, Parks Calgary, for their assistance with this event.
CPSI
As of this month LIN (and the National Recreation Database) made a final and smooth transition to the Alberta Recreation and Parks Association for governance oversight and general operations. At its April 16th meeting, the ARPA Board of Directors ratified the final transition details that would effectively have a new LIN Board (comprised of ARPA selected representatives) undertake governance and operational responsibility for LIN.
A National Leadership Council will also be created to advise and support the continuing development and evolution of LIN as a national resource for the recreation and parks sector. LIN will continue to provide valued information, knowledge management, and related research services to clients, users, and patrons.
“This transition and reorganization of LIN will afford the opportunity for ARPA, with its upgraded technology infrastructure, to protect LIN as a significant national recreation and parks asset, but will also lead to more modern and effective knowledge transfer for practitioners and those in allied fields,” says Dr. Tim Burton, ARPA President. “ARPA is well-positioned to pursue active engagement with other levels of government and other allied agencies and sectors on the build-out potential for LIN.”
For more information on LIN, please visit www.lin.ca.
Circle Dodge Ball
Length: 30 mins
Age Range: Elementary (6-12yrs old)
Space Requirements:
Supply List:
Description:
IT is inside circle and other players are outside. Outside players try to hit IT with ball. A fair hit is a hit below the waist and when player throwing ball has both feet outside of circle. Player who hits IT fairly exchanges places with him and becomes new IT.
Hen and Chickens
Length: 30 mins
Age Range: Elementary (6-12yrs old)
Space Requirements:
Supply List:
Description:
Players in center of circle hold on to waist of person in front. Lead player is “Mother Hen”, and others are “Chickens”. Players on outside of circle try to hit Chickens by catching or pushing ball away, by swinging Chickens away from ball, or by putting own body in front of ball. If a chicken is hit fairly with the ball, he goes into throwing circle, and thrower who hit him becomes new Mother Hen. If a chicken lets go of waist of player in front of him to avoid being hit by ball, he must go into throwing circle and Hen chooses new Chicken to take his place.
Bopper
Length: 30 mins
Age Range: Elementary (6-12yrs old)
Space Requirements:
Supply List:
Description:
Have group stand in a circle with one person in the middle. The leader should start by saying the name of someone else in the group. THe purpose of hte game is for the person in the middle to tap the person who's name is called out before that person calls out someone else's name. You use some sort of soft bopper to tap people. The middle person keeps trying to hit someone and once they do they change position with the person they hit.
Group Juggling
Length: 30 mins
Age Range: Elementary (6-12yrs old)
Space Requirements:
Supply List:
Description:
Good way to practice names. Have group stand in a circle, start passing a ball around. Tell the group to remember who they threw to because that will be the person they will always pass to. The catch is you have to say your name when you throw the ball. Next you have to say the name of the person you are throwing to. Change it up by using a lot of different balls and even reversing the order.
Right/Left Brain
Length: 30 mins
Age Range: Elementary (6-12yrs old)
Space Requirements:
Supply List:
Description:
Group sits in a circle and the leader is considerd the starting point. To the leaders right is the right team. THe leader tells the group that she will time them to see how fast they can say their name after the next person and they will go around the whole circle. Then they do the same thing going to the left side all around the circle. Finally there is a race between the right side an the left side. It is fun chaos!!
Calling your Mate!
Length: 30 mins
Age Range: Elementary (6-12yrs old)
Space Requirements:
Supply List:
Description:
Make a small enough play area. Have everyone blindfolded. Give everyone a animal name. Tell them to make their animal's noises and find their partners. THere should be a lot of different groups of animals in the end. You can have them introduce themselves when they find these groups – a good way to lead into knots!
Clap Game
Length: 30 mins
Age Range: Elementary (6-12yrs old)
Space Requirements:
Supply List:
Description:
Divide group into 3 section. DOn't talk (grabs attention!)
Signal to first group what their clap rhythm is and practice.
Second group then gets a different rhythm. Once all three groups has their clapping rhythm, you get them to increase tempo one after another. Gets them alive and interested.
Everybody Up
Length: 30 mins
Age Range: Elementary (6-12yrs old)
Space Requirements:
Supply List:
Description:
Participants sit back to back and link arms. The object is to stand up at the same time without releasing your arms.
To make this more interesting gradually increase the number of people in a line and try and get the entire group to stand up together.