Outdoor Playground Equipment Can Cut Down on Obesity

Outdoor play structures ought to encourage kids to get moving. With the obesity problem in US children, it’s especially important for outdoor playground equipment to stimulate kids to exert themselves. The US Center for Disease Control and Prevention estimates the incidence of child obesity at 16%. This is astronomical! Obesity shortens the life span of children, decreases their quality of life, and significantly increases the probability that they’ll be obese in adulthood. Outdoor play structures can help.

Outdoor playground equipment can only deal with the problem if it is accessible and properly designed to stimulate physical activity. Personally, I feel the fun of outdoor play structures should come from the physical challenge, but a lot of outdoor playground equipment manufacturers are now moving towards electronic components. I can’t help but think that outdoor play structures should carry different play values than the passive appreciation of electronic elements. Kids need physical stimulation to burn fat, and if a piece of outdoor playground equipment doesn’t offer that physical challenge, it seems to me it’s not doing its job as an outdoor play structure.

Innovative outdoor playground equipment designs need to entice children to move, especially since some outdoor playground equipment has become less fun with the preoccupation with safety. Electronic components may be fun for some kids, but they don’t necessarily stimulate them to be active. Creative outdoor play structures do. Rotating climbing nets, for instance, inspire kids to spin and climb. As outdoor play structures, bouncing mats get their cardiovascular systems going. And of course, kids love the freedom of propelling themselves on outdoor playground swings.

While outdoor play structures need to accommodate the obesity problem, they also need to accommodate obese children. ElephantPlay swings offer a wide swing set seat so that kids of a larger girth can play, too. And kids can spin on the outside of ElephantPlay rotating climbing nets no matter what their size.

It’s sad to see some children not fully appreciating their childhood. Outdoor playground equipment should inject that appreciation back into the lives of overweight kids and slim kids alike. That’s why the potential for physical stimulation should be a high priority in designing outdoor play structures.

Sustainable Playground Design: Creating Commercial Playground Equipment that Lasts

Lately I’ve found that long-lasting commercial playground equipment is more important than ever in this down economy. Not only is it environmentally friendly, but sustainable playground design ensures that you get the most out of your investment. It is clearly worthwhile to invest in sustainability. Some of the benefits of sustainable playground design include:

• lower commercial playground equipment maintenance

• lower costs

• lower environmental impact

Approaches to sustainable playground design are not necessarily simple though. In fact, recycling can be counterproductive for commercial playground equipment because it is so expensive. Due to low reusability, recycling in playgrounds often amounts to a trash control solution with a high environmental cost. Recycled plastic parts, such as polyethylene plastic, are both difficult to repair and virtually unusable for anything but their intended purpose. My long-term prediction is that recycled parts for commercial playground equipment will begin to be manufactured with an eye to their second life. This will ensure that recycling costs are kept low. Other strategies for sustainable commercial playground equipment design include: the use of renewable resources, profiting from local resources, and the use of organic materials for greater durability.

I also think it’s important to develop specific techniques for sustainable and affordable commercial playground equipment design. For example, instead of dismantling an entire swing set, sustainable playground design would entail a sturdy, long-lasting frame. Rather than replacing the whole swing set, only suspension cords and seat should need sporadic replacement. ElephantPlay commercial playground swing sets were created with this kind of design in mind. They feature durable cable connections to minimize wear over time. With simple assemblies and easy repair, city workers can easily recondition commercial playground equipment themselves with very little new material.

For further information about sustainable and low-maintenance commercial playground equipment design, feel free to check out ElephantPlay’s high-quality materials and low-maintenance playground designs.

Outdoor Swing Sets, Rotating Nets, and Outdoor Basketball Hoops: The Cognitive Benefits of Commercial Playground Equipment

Commercial playground equipment is a great way to stimulate kids and get them moving. From outdoor swing sets to outdoor basketball hoops, playground equipment gets kids out in the beautiful outdoors instead of sitting in front of a TV. Commercial playground equipment is more than a way to get children exercising, though. I recently read an article in Playground magazine which supported what I have always believed: that most commercial playground equipment—from climbing nets to rotating nets, outdoor swing sets to outdoor basketball hoops—can also stimulate children developmentally and cognitively. In the December 2008 article “Restoring Risky Play to Playgrounds: The Developmental Benefits”, Professor Joe Frost from the University of Texas addresses the importance of play to children’s cognitive development. Commercial playground equipment offers space for kids to play and learn, and according to Frost, various forms of play can “contribute to the development of pre-concepts valuable for social success and later academic learning”. This is why it is so critical that commercial playground equipment offer high play value as well as diverse play structures adapted to all ages.

As I mentioned in a prior blog posting on commercial playground equipment safety, a preoccupation with safety can be detrimental to play value. In many ways this overemphasis defeats the very purpose of commercial playgrounds. That’s why I try to inject new and cognitively stimulating designs in all my commercial playground equipment, like climbing nets and rotating nets. Creative design strategies, such as multi-user designs and movement-based concepts, can contribute added developmental benefits beyond just the physical to commercial playground equipment.

For example, ElephantPlay’s outdoor swing sets and outdoor basketball hoops offer social stimulation. The large outdoor swing sets can accommodate multiple children and leave space for obese children to play. Their distinctness from single-user commercial playground equipment swing sets are meant to spark the imaginations of children—creating room for possibility, for camaraderie, and for teamwork. ElephantPlay outdoor basketball hoops also create a space for stimulating social play, with bright multi-game outdoor basketball hoops. This commercial playground equipment design features double, triple, or quadruple nets centered around a central post. The concept creates the possibility for multiple games and inspires healthy interaction among different children. But it’s important for kids to be challenged in other ways. In the Playground article, Dr. Frost underlines the “multiple cognitive benefits resulting from practice in organizing, negotiating, following play scripts, learning language, and problem-solving.” I firmly believe that innovative commercial playground equipment can and should inspire these practices. That’s why I try to create both safe and challenging commercial playground equipment. For instance, movement-based commercial playground equipment creates a physical challenge, and climbing-based playground equipment creates a goal—to reach the top. Climbing nets in particular require kids to plan and strategize how they will reach their goal. Nets with creative designs force kids to come up with creative climbing strategies and develop spatial cognition. Rotating nets in particular require an intuitive grasp of torque and gravity (whether or not kids know what these words mean!).

Want a visual example of cognitively stimulating commercial playground equipment? ElephantPlay’s rotating climbing nets encourage children to collaborate in spinning and climbing. They require balance and communication and force kids to work together and develop beyond just the physical. Kids have the opportunity to develop teamwork skills, even outside the classroom. Watch a recent ElephantPlay commercial playground equipment video to see how rotating nets require teamwork and an intuitive grasp of movement and physics.

Playground Equipment Safety: A Tip for Safe Outdoor Playground Swing Sets

Outdoor playground swing sets are often a playground’s greatest attraction. As such, it is particularly important to remember playground equipment safety when installing outdoor swing sets. Here’s a tip I usually give installers to create even better playground equipment safety when installing ElephantPlay outdoor swing sets:

Sometimes the surfacing used under outdoor swing sets is loose fill material—such as sand, or wood chips. ElephantPlay’s standard swing set is made to comply with ADA accessibility at 18’’ from the protective surface. This allows for extra fill under the swing—with up to a 12’’ minimum height set by safety standards. By adding extra fill, the protective surface level under the swing will be maintained, even with children digging in to the surface with their feet. This will provide long-term safety and lower maintenance. The longevity of the protective surface can even be extended by placing an outdoor carpet within the protective layer. Click on the figure below for a larger visual.

Figure: Loose Fill Levels for Playground Equipment Safety
(Click on Image to Expand View)

This same playground equipment safety tip applies for many play structures. For instance, ElephantPlay rotating nets encourage kids to run around the platform, with the result of worn down surfacing. According to ASTM playground equipment safety standards, you should have a minimum 9” clearance under the platform. It’s best to meet this figure with a surplus of loose fill material to make up for wear over time, much as with ElephantPlay outdoor playground swing sets. This practice will ensure your play area meets playground equipment safety standards—now and in the future!

Balancing Between Playground Equipment Safety and Play Value in Outdoor Play Structures

Playground equipment safety is often the central concern of park and recreation professionals. With growing concern about children’s safety—some parents even prepping their kids with helmets and kneepads prior to play on outdoor play structures—play structure safety is frequently at the forefront of people’s attention. But with so much focus on playground equipment safety, it’s easy to forget that outdoor play structures are also meant to be fun.

The November issue of Recreation Management addresses the ostensible trade-off between playground equipment safety, on the one hand, and fun outdoor play structures on the other. The article, More Than Child’s Play, paraphrases Teresa Hendy, newly appointed board member of The International Play Equipment Manufacturers Association (IPEMA) and president of Site Master, Inc., and says that “every play area has risk, and in an all-out-effort to eradicate it, play equipment and designs had become dumbed down and boring”.

The question is, does playground equipment safety have to come at the cost of play value, and vice versa? Quality play structures ought to be able to combine the two elements without sacrificing one for the other.

So how can safe outdoor play structures retain play value and keep kids engaged? Playground equipment safety guidelines, such as those delineated in the CPSC’s Public Playground Safety Handbook, must be followed for all play structure designs. Though outdoor play structure manufacturers are still expected to develop fun play structures, CPSC stipulations can be quite limiting. Outdoor play structure designers must address issues such as the possibility of free fall from high play structures, the prospective hazards posed by nearby equipment, and the potential for limb and clothing entrapment.

It may seem that avoiding such playground equipment safety issues could limit play value. But with a combination of secure climbing designs, movement-based equipment, and robust play structure architecture, children should be able to fully enjoy their play with no sacrifice to playground equipment safety. For example:

• ElephantPlay climbing nets widen from the top down and have a maximum 15-inch net width to both protect against free fall and avoid limb entrapment. With an ElephantPlay climbing net, children are enticed to climb to the top of the net. The net rocks while they climb and inspires a sense of competition to reach the top as children have fun and exert themselves.

• Another common safety concern is clothing entanglement. ElephantPlay rotating outdoor play structures also have decks which rotate with the central post to avoid entrapment. Rotating play structures still stimulate and challenge kids with dynamic spinning movement, but at no threat to their safety. The rotation encourages children to collaborate in spinning the play structure.

• ElephantPlay multi-user swing sets offer both high play structure stability and the opportunity for social play with multiple children on a single swing. The round, ergonomic shape of the swing set seat gives children confidence and stability and enriches the play experience.

Play value should never have to be sacrificed for playground equipment safety. With innovative conceptions and a little design creativity, kids can enjoy outdoor play structures that are both safe and fun.