Live / Science of Play Series Part 1 - Play for Life: How Recreation Fuels Health and Happiness

As a like-minded play advocate, PlayCore is proud to partner with Dr. Stuart Brown on furthering the advancement of play and helping our world understand the critical importance of participating in play throughout life. Our work together thus far has resulted in several play concepts that promote attunement between family members, and we are honored to feature Dr. Brown as our Scholarly Writer in Residence, a role in which he will impart his wealth of knowledge through seminars, features, and a monthly blog.

Lauren Sundstrom, Dr. Stuart Brown’s youngest daughter, is honored to support the National Institute for Play as a Board Member and Strategic Advisor. Lauren attended Colorado College and St. Peter’s College, Oxford University, then spent nearly a decade in Washington, D.C., as a legislative aide to U.S. Senator Ted Stevens of Alaska, and as a lobbyist for Holland & Hart. Lauren later joined Western Land Group in Denver, where she became a partner specializing in real estate transactions involving government lands. Lauren has served as a Strategic Advisor to Rickaroons and a host of community and sports initiatives. She and her husband Steve raised two children, Mia and Leo, in Boulder where they attended a play-based preschool and a K-8 Charter based on self-directed, playful learning with very limited tests, grades, or homework. Lauren is a social kinesthete for whom play is a daily practice.

As a founding board member in 1995, past president, past treasurer, current secretary and president elect of the International Play Equipment Manufacturer’s Association (IPEMA) and long-term active American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) representative, over the past 34 years, Tom has been involved in all aspects of the play industry. He served from 2002-2004 on the Advisory Board for the National Program for Playground Safety (NPPS). He served from 2002-2004 on the Advisory Board for the National Program for Playground Safety (NPPS).

For over a decade, he actively served in the (Access Board) Recreation Access Advisory Committee and Regulatory Negotiation meetings and additionally served on the advisory panel for the Access Board’s on-line Technical Assistance and Training for Play Area Accessibility. Tom served for over 15 years on the Board for the International Playground Contractor’s Association (NPCAI), and is a founding steering committee member and active leader on the U.S. Coalition for Play. Tom is one of few recipients of the coveted Joe L. Frost Play Research Collection National Play Advocate Award in April 2008.

Additionally, over the past five years, Tom has led Dr. Stuart Brown’s National Institute for Play (NIFP) Board and is the project co-leader of the first known on-line database of scientific and academic research creating a cohesive picture about the proven scientific benefits of play. He is currently serving as the President of NIFP.

Tom received Auburn University’s School of Industrial and Graphic Design Distinguished Service Award for his leadership teaching ten design studios over the past twelve years. Finally, Tom serves on the Canadian Standards Association Children’s Playspaces & Equipment Z614 committee and is representing the United States on the ISO TC83 Playground Equipment committee.

Tom is a passionate play advocate and enjoys the many fun opportunities he has created at his “Boneyard” to play outdoors with family and friends of all ages.

Mia Sundstrom is director for play transformation at the National Institute For Play, an organization that champions play founded by her grandfather, Dr. Stuart Brown. She is also a project manager for character education in the chancellor’s office at the University of Denver. Sundstrom has appeared on podcasts, delivered keynotes, led workshops and consulted with organizations regarding the application of play and character as a competitive advantage. She was previously an NCAA D1 assistant coach for the University of Denver’s top-10 gymnastics team. Before that, she was a student-athlete and captain for Denver Gymnastics, helping lead the program to a historic fourth-place finish while earning her master’s in public policy and bachelor’s in business information and analytics.