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Community Corner

A Chicagoland Playground App Now Includes Over 1,000 Playgrounds, Including Hinsdale and Clarendon Hills

Because Chicagoland parents deserve to experience every park in this great city for all that each one is worth; because each individual park offers unique assets; because no two parks are equal; because what one neighborhood calls "home field" warrants a visit. Enter, Playground Pointers: an easy-to-use $1.99 iPhone application that helps Chicagoland parents and caregivers, as well as tourists, find and evaluate playgrounds based on their specific needs. 

Caregivers can search Playground Pointers’ detailed, factual database of more than 1,000 playgrounds (and growing) with over 3,500 photos (and growing) to find information, play details, amenities and maps, helping them to keep their children entertained, active and outdoors. 

In addition to listing specific play equipment details, including (but not limited to) types of swings, climbing structures, sandboxes and other play options, the database includes information on water play, bathrooms, public transportation, cleanliness, parking availability, shade or sun, nearby food and drink options, surfacing and additional play amenities, such as baseball fields, basketball courts, tennis, etc.  Playgrounds can be searched on a variety of platforms, too, including via proximity to your location, by name, zip code, neighborhood, or play details.

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Bonus feature: the “Your Perfect Playground Day” feature suggests special activities, places and businesses to visit based on the user’s selected playground, and to encourage families to explore the many great neighborhoods of Chicago.

Playground Pointers is currently only available for Chicagoland playgrounds, including listings for all city of Chicago playgrounds as well as some expansion to the suburbs.       

Playground Pointers is the brainchild of Mistie Lucht and Chris Cooper.  Lucht is a former marketing and sales director and mother of three girls. An outdoor enthusiast and avid runner, Lucht resides in Hinsdale and created Playground Pointers to make it easier for moms and caregivers to keep their children healthy and happy through outdoor play. 

Find out what's happening in Hinsdale-Clarendon Hillswith free, real-time updates from Patch.

“I saw a void in the marketplace, as there is not an existing factual, comprehensive and searchable database to easily assist caregivers in finding playgrounds that fit the needs of their children based on age and ability level. Quickly, I realized the need to fill this lack in the Chicagoland app world, and thus, Playground Pointers was born! It truly is the must-have app for parents exploring this city.” -- Mistie Lucht

Cooper is a technology professional with a passion for product development.  Over the years, he's spent countless hours exploring new playgrounds with his four kids.

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