By James Logan Healthy Eagle reporters | Monkey bars, swings, and slides are on the wish list of James Logan Elementary third graders for the new school playground being planned by The School District of Philadelphia. 

Staff members for The Trust for Public Land (TPL) and the school district expect the playground to be finished by 2026, according to Ms. Kari Sannino told the Healthy Eagle. She is TPL’s program coordinator for Camden and Philadelphia. 

TPL works to protect land and bring people together outside. TPL has been around for 51 years and has been rebuilding school playgrounds for 30 years. 

To kick off the project, TPL started meeting with the Logan third-grade students to find inspiration about what kids would like to add to a playground, according to Ms. Sannino and Ms. Patricia Lee, who is a TPL program manager. TPL has been planning what kind of plants or trees to plant. It also is studying the land to figure out the best ways to build the playground. This year TPL is designing, planning, and talking about the playground. Next year the building will start. The project is scheduled to be completed by September 2026. 

The school playground will help students because it will provide a safe place for kids to play and stay active, Ms. Sannino said. 

“Exercising can also put you in a better mood. When you exercise, your brain releases chemicals that make you feel happier,” according to the website KidsHealth.org. The site also said that staying active makes you feel better and do better in school. 

The new playground will be open for families after school and on weekends, Ms. Sannino said.

Illustration by a James Logan E.S. reporter.