News About Intensity Fitness Play Equipment
Intensity Curriculum Enhances Fitness Benefits
BCI Burke’s fitness-oriented Intensity playgrounds have been such a hit that the company has retained two world-class experts on youth fitness to develop a course in how to get the maximum fitness value from them.
Burke’s new Intensity Curriculum was developed by Donna Thompson, Ph.D., and Susan Hudson, Ph.D., both of the University of Northern Iowa, Cedar Falls. Dr. Thompson is executive director of the National Program for Playground Safety as well as a professor of physical education at the university. Dr. Hudson is an education director for the National Program for Playground Safety and is also a professor of youth leadership services at the university.
Children get less and less physical activity due to shortened gym and recess time -- a trend often cited as a factor in the increase in obesity rates. In fact, more than 15 percent of kids ages two to 19 are considered obese by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The curriculum, designed for teachers and other individuals who supervise children in physical education classes and on playgrounds, provides step-by-step instructions for each Intensity event to help children achieve specific results. It has a suggested game for each Intensity event, as well as activities geared toward various fitness levels.
“These two authorities on child fitness were perfectly suited to the challenge, and the result is a curriculum that will guide teachers every step of the way in better understanding how to use the Intensity playground in a structured way to achieve the best possible results,” said Tim Ahern, chief executive officer and owner of BCI Burke.
Each Intensity playground comes with a booklet that outlines the curriculum, a lanyard with instruction cards showing details about each activity, a stopwatch, a pen, and access to the Intensity Curriculum web site that shows video clips of individual activities. For more information about the Intensity Curriculum please visit
BCI Burke, headquartered in Fond du Lac, Wisc., is a leading manufacturer of playgrounds and related products for schools, parks, day care centers and other agencies worldwide.