Darell Hammond Quotes

• When given age-appropriate challenges, children tend to take them very seriously; in fact, the more obvious the risk is, the more cautiously a child will proceed.

  Darell Hammond

  Topics in Uncategorized

  Tags in Proceed, Seriously

• We all have a natural instinct to protect children from harm. It’s never fun to see a child hurt, even if it’s just a scraped knee. But on the other hand, children need to take on physical challenges to learn and grow, and scraped knees and other bumps and bruises teach them valuable lessons about their own limits.

  Darell Hammond

  Topics in Uncategorized

  Tags in Instinct, Harm

• Toddlers need to get off the soccer field and onto the playground. Children need to get out of the gym and into neighborhood stickball games. We need to give kids room to create their own rules, set their own terms, and move their bodies in their own ways.

  Darell Hammond

  Topics in Uncategorized

  Tags in Playground, Field

• 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

  Topics in Uncategorized

  Tags in Founded, Cause

• This summer, we need to let our kids go play and we need to stop worrying about whether or not it’s going to ruin their chances of getting into college.

  Darell Hammond

  Topics in College

  Tags in Ruin, Worrying

• The lack of free, child-directed play time for our kids today will have dire consequences for these future leaders, making them less prepared to solve complex challenges and problems.

  Darell Hammond

  Topics in Uncategorized

  Tags in Prepared, Consequences

• Sendak’s 1963 classic ‘Where The Wild Things Are’ has long been a favorite of mine because of the creative imagery, fantastic adventures and, most of all, because of how this timeless story shows us that children need to be free to roam, explore and invent in order to understand their place in the world that surrounds them.

  Darell Hammond

  Topics in Uncategorized

  Tags in Imagery, Invent

• Public swimming pools, recreation centers, summer reading programs, youth jobs programs – they are all shutting their doors. And they are all facilities and programs relied on most heavily by low-income children.

  Darell Hammond

  Topics in Uncategorized

  Tags in Recreation, Facilities

• Play is under attack in our nation’s schools – and shrinking recess periods are only part of the problem. Homework is increasing. Cities are building new schools without playgrounds. Safety concerns are prompting bans of tag, soccer, and even running on the schoolyard.

  Darell Hammond

  Topics in Uncategorized

  Tags in Building, Attack

• Play is the best natural resource in a creative economy. Kids need more of it. It is the work of childhood. We hope to intrinsically change the opinion that play is not just a luxury but an absolute necessity for kids’ lives.

  Darell Hammond

  Topics in Uncategorized

  Tags in Luxury, Creative

• 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

  Topics in Uncategorized

  Tags in Thinking, Happens

• Our education system is increasingly embracing a black-and-white way of thinking, in which ‘learning’ and ‘play’ are diametrically opposed. ‘Learning’ is the serious stuff that happens inside a classroom and can be measured via multiple choice questions and a No. 2 pencil. ‘Play’ is frivolous, fun, and worst of all, optional.

  Darell Hammond

  Topics in Uncategorized

  Tags in Multiple, Frivolous

• ‘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

  Topics in Uncategorized

  Tags in Instructions, Build

• 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

  Topics in Uncategorized

  Tags in Obsession, Hurting

• Only one in five children in the U.S. lives within walking distance of a park. Many more lack access to a quality early childhood education that provides ample time and space to play.

  Darell Hammond

  Topics in Uncategorized

  Tags in Distance, Provides

• No child wants to fall off a jungle gym or slide. Accidents are an unfortunate fact of life, but to lower every last slide and jungle gym to a height that would only interest a toddler is doing our children a grave disservice.

  Darell Hammond

  Topics in Uncategorized

  Tags in Unfortunate, Grave

• Kids who don’t play are not just at greater risk of falling behind academically, but also of becoming overweight or obese, failing to integrate socially, and even engaging in criminal activity.

  Darell Hammond

  Topics in Uncategorized

  Tags in Overweight, Failing

• Just as playgrounds didn’t even make the priority list of most of those responding to Katrina, they all too often slip off the radar of those building our schools, designing our neighborhoods, and drafting government budgets.

  Darell Hammond

  Topics in Uncategorized

  Tags in Priority, Building, Neighborhoods

• It’s absolutely crucial that every child-serving organization – be it an elementary school, daycare, or community center – provide its children with time and space to play.

  Darell Hammond

  Topics in Uncategorized

  Tags in Elementary, Organization

• 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

  Topics in Uncategorized

  Tags in Scores, Stunted

Darell Hammond (42)

Birth:	1971
Nationality:	American
Profession:	Businessman, Philanthropist

About

Darell Hammond was born in Jerome, Idaho. He is an American philanthropist and chief executive officer of the non-profit organization KaBOOM! that helps communities build playgrounds for children. He was listed in the Forbes 2011 list of the top 30 social entrepreneurs and was named as a "Health hero" by WebMD. He has received multiple honors and awards for his work, including the President's Volunteer Service Award.

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