Features of a Playground and Equipment

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by: WestFild
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Word Count: 504
Date: Mon, 21 Mar 2011 Time: 6:39 AM

When designing a playground, some basic features should be considered. One of them is safety. An ideal playground as well as playground equipment should be safe to play in. Latest designs in commercial playground equipment have integrated safety features in their design. The playground equipment should be age appropriate and the challenges it offers safe for that particular age group. Climbing walls should be appropriately located and the height should be considered safe. The swings should have secure chains and hanging equipment firmly secured to the ground. Various standards have been outlined so as to ensure safety of kids playing. There are playground safety handbooks, commercial playground equipment manufacturers’ regulations and playground surfaces requirements. These are all meant to provide a safe and secure place for children to play in.

Another feature is design. As with design of any other structure intended for use, playground requires keen planning of what, how and where you want the equipment. You should evaluate the space you have, establish the entry and exit points, where that different playground equipment and features will be installed and their sizes. If toddlers are expected to be also present, a supervised, separate special and safe area should be installed with age appropriate equipment for them. Playground design also involves evaluation the age and number of children expected to patronize the playground. This will help you install equipment that will provide reasonable challenges to the children that are age appropriate. The playground area should be large enough to accommodate the expected number of children but also small enough to encourage interactions between the children and also sharing of the equipment. The recommended area is 200 square feet per child though 75 square feet is reasonable.

Still under design, a variety of activities should be set up to ensure that all children are engaged. It should have different equipment to cater for different personalities of children. Different zones should have different noise levels as each child has their preference. There should be a quiet zone, which is usually located at the entrance of the playground. It is where the adult supervisor usually sits and also where the children getting into the playground can view the whole installation and decide on where to go play. The other zones have different playground equipment installed such that each part is different from the other zone in terms of noise levels

Material choice used to make the playground equipment is another feature. The most commonly used materials are stainless steel, wood, aluminium and plastics. You should take into consideration aesthetics, safety and environmental conditions when considering material. Rubber and concrete are also used as bases for the playground equipment as rubber absorbs shock while concrete provides a firm base for installation.

Cost is another feature to consider. They include the initial land cost, land preparation, purchase of playground equipment and maintenance costs. While this is usually a major undertaking for public parks, a backyard playground has less parameter to consider.

About the Author

Matt Jordan is the author of this article on Commercial Playground Equipment. Find more information on PlaygroundEquipment.com here.

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