New Adventure Playground Opening in May on Governor’s Island

A local non-profit organization, play:ground, is gearing up to open a vast 5,000-square-foot playground on Governor’s Island, this May. The play space is intended to engage kids’ imaginations, sense of wonder, and love for outdoor adventure. It will be unlike any playground you have seen in the past.

The new playground will be designed with the look of a junkyard, full of basic materials for kids to use for play, such as dirt, tools, water, and the like. Kids can build huts and forts and other creations to play with or on. There will be no traditional playground equipment like slides, swings, or see-saws; everything is left to the kids’ imaginations to create and build their own fun.

Co-founder of play:ground, Eve Mosher says, "Too often kids are hampered from playing the way they want – whether it is rules at the public park or different parenting views at the local playground – a space for free play and risk taking allows kids to get back to the business of playing to learn and grow."

What started as a kickstarter campaign to raise $25,000 to build the space, play:ground’s dream is fruitfully coming to life. A sense of free spirit, open space, and imagination are the keys to the unique quality of the adventure playground which will be open to the public and will also offer school trips and summer camp visits. They plan to offer local outreach and pop-up sites around the city beyond Governor’s Island too.