Archive for the ‘Playground safety’ Category

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How to Become a Certified Playground Safety Inspector

Wednesday, July 28th, 2010
Official Logo of NRPA "Mission, Vision, G...
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There are 8,000 Certified Playground Safety Inspectors (CPSI) worldwide. These are folks who are credentialed to inspect playgrounds for safety issues. They help ensure each playground they inspect is up to current national standards and is done in coordination with the NRPA who offers training courses.

Even if you’re not official, you can look out for unsafe conditions at playgrounds.

Is your Playground Surface Safe? Here are some guidelines to help you find out:

• There should be no missing, broken or worn-out components
• All hardware should be secure
• The wood, metal or plastic should not show signs of fatigue or deterioration
• All parts should be stable with no apparent signs of loosening
• Surfacing material must be maintained
• Check for signs of vandalism

Learn more about the Certified Playground Safety Inspector (CPSI) training and certification program

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Imagination Playground Opens in New York

Wednesday, July 28th, 2010

On Tuesday the 4. 5 million dollar “Imagination Playground” opened in New York. Instead of the usual playground equipment, the playground features large foam movable parts, sand, and water.

The playground is located at Burling Slip and South Street in New York. Like Disneyland its creator David Rockwell is a dad who wanted to build something engaging for his kids.

The problem I imagine with such playgrounds is keeping them from wearing out or walking off. There’s a solution for that (and yes it costs money). There are “play workers” keeping watch. It seems like this type of playground equipment would be ideal for rec centers or day cares. Or even at home in the back yard. It just may get a bit unwieldy for cities to manage. Still, the idea is fun and it looks like they have created plenty of that.

Read more: http://dnainfo.com/20100727/financial-district-battery-park-city/new-seaport-playground-encourages-kids-use-their-imagination#ixzz0uv84Ro82

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Is your Playground Surface Safe?

Monday, July 26th, 2010

Here is a sad statistic about America’s playgrounds. That is, that some are not safe. “It is estimated that, each year, more than 200,000 playground-related injuries occur, and approximately 15 children will die as a result of a playground accident.” That is according to the NRPA.

NRPA’s National Playground Safety Institute (NPSI) has identified 12 of the leading causes of injuries on playgrounds. They have what they call “The Dirty Dozen – A Checklist for Safe Playgrounds,” which is a brochure that identifies and discusses the 12 most common safety concerns and leading causes of injuries on playgrounds.

#1 The Playground Surface

Of course this is the issue we focus on the most — is your playground surface safe?

Here’s what they say:
Improper surfacing material under playground equipment is the leading cause of playground-related injuries. Over 79% of all accidents on playgrounds are from children falling.

The surface or ground under/around the playground equipment should be soft enough to
cushion a fall. A fall onto one of these hard surfaces could be life threatening and there are
many surfaces that offer protection from falls.

Good playground surfaces
• Sand / Pea Gravel
• Synthetic / Rubber Tiles
• Shredded Rubber
• Mats
• Poured-in-place rubber

Not good
• Concrete
• Blacktop
• Packed Earth
• Grass

Most loose-fill surfacing must be maintained at a depth of 12 inches and be free of standing water and debris.

Is your playground safe for kids? More of the dirty dozen coming soon…

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Could Sleep Deprivation Contribute to Childhood Obesity?

Monday, July 19th, 2010

Over the weekend I read an interesting book called Nurture Shock by Po Bronson and Ashley Merryman. In it there are many studies about childhood including a segment about obesity.

The authors note that watching TV isn’t as much of an issue as we might think when it comes to obesity. Instead, it could be linked to sleep deprivation. Also that parents don’t do very well at guessing how many hours of sleep their kids actually get. We tend to underestimate it.

“Several scholars have tried to figure out how accurate parents are at accessing their children’s amount of sleep…parents frequently overestimate the time their kids are asleep by at least a half-an-hour — even as much as an hour and a half.”

How much are we off?

One report said in 1997 children age 3-5 years old were getting 10.8 hours of sleep at night. The National Sleep Foundation said 3-5 year olds in 2004 were getting 10.4 hours. Older kids were down to 9.5 hours. The data comes from all over the world saying that kids are not sleeping as much as they once did. Overall kids sleep about an hour less every day in 2010 than they did in 1997.

Lack of sleep contributes to ADD issues and emotional ups and downs. It affects how kids do in school. But here’s the startling data – scholars have found that getting less sleep in elementary school means they can predict the chance of the kids being obese by age 32. There seems to be a correlation. While not conclusive, there’s enough research to suggest it should be one of the possible things contributing to the problem.

So when recommending solutions to childhood obesity, we should remember to talk about eating healthy foods and exercise.  Another often overlooked recommendation is to get a full night of sleep – including putting children to bed on time and eliminating distractions. I know many parents who don’t give their kids bedtimes at all. (See http://www.webmd.com/parenting/guide/sleep-children)

WebMD gives a list of recommended hours of sleep by age. For a 3-6 year old it  is 10-12 hours per day. How much are your kids getting?

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Over 70% of Americans Want to Lose Weight

Monday, July 12th, 2010

A new study shows surprising numbers of Americans are concerned about their weight. 70% say they are concerned about their weight status, and 77% are trying to lose or maintain their weight.

What are we doing about it? 69% are eating less; 63% are changing the type of foods they eat; and 60% are getting more active. 65% of Americans report weight loss as the reason they are trying to eat healthier. Still there’s a lot more to be done.

This comes from the International Food Information Council Foundation’s 5th annual Food & Health Survey.

We need to do something — just 2 countries have more obese people than the United States. And the rates are headed up not down.

What is the culprit? According to the study we don’t understand the impact of calories. To avoid gaining weight we have to burn more calories than we eat. For many of us that means tracking calories. It means knowing how many calories we use in a day. It’s also an economic problem – cheap food and fast food is often very high in calories. Combined with a more sedentary lifestyle and yes, we have a collective weight problem.

I think they should start with Disneyland – the happiest place on earth has the worst foods for our waistlines. Walt Disney couldn’t stay slim on the kinds of foods for sale. I was recently on a trip to Disney World and got a look at kids from all over the country. Many were overweight.

I also saw a movie showing the first men to walk on the moon. I was surprised at how trim the astronauts were.

Almost all of us have a few extra pounds to lose. We hope to not only become more educated but to make better choices about food and exercise.

More at www.foodinsight.org

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How the White House Plans to Fight Childhood Obesity

Wednesday, July 7th, 2010

Did you know there was a Childhood Obesity Task Force? Their aim is to solve the problem of childhood obesity within a generation. They have a new report and got  input from 12 federal agencies. Citizens also weighed in with 2,500 submissions  from parents, teachers, doctors, nurses and others. The Let’s Move program has a YouTube channel that you can check out.

Quick Facts about Childhood Obesity

The report makes recommendations on how to fight childhood obesity in 5 key areas:

  1. Getting children a healthy start on life which means good prenatal care.
  2. Empowering parents and caregivers with clear information to help make healthy choices for children
  3. Providing healthy food in schools and educating kids about healthy food choices.
  4. Improve access to healthy, affordable food and reducing hunger.
  5. Getting children more physically active which includes “improving access to safe parks, playgrounds, and indoor and outdoor recreational facilities.”

I’m impressed by the effort and involvement of citizens and we’re glad that you’re building playgrounds around the country where kids can be active.

Please tell us ways your community is getting involved or what you’re doing as a parent to prevent obesity. As for me – my son is so skinny that so far it hasn’t been a worry – I worry more about keeping him well fed!

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3 Ways to Get your Kids off the Couch

Monday, July 5th, 2010
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If you’re a parent of younger children you know how much time they spend either on the couch or sitting in a chair. With iPods, tv, computers and the internet there is a lot that takes them into their head and not into the woods.

Getting kids active helps prevent problems like obesity. See: How you Can Help Fight Childhood Obesity?

Here are 3 ways to get your kids off the couch and moving:

1. Put up sports equipment.
Whether it’s a basketball standard, volleyball net, trampoline, ping pong table or a skate ramp encourage kids to be more active by giving them things to do. When I was a kid we always had a badminton net and rackets set up ready for a game.

2. Start a water fight.
Water fights in the summer mean kids will run and run without noticing all of the exercise they’re getting. In the Winter if you have snow, set up a snowball fight. Plan it or make it a regular event by deeming a certain time and day of the week for a neighborhood water fight. I had friends who had an ongoing water fight all summer – so I was always on the lookout when I visited. It was fun and kept us running.

3. Sign them up for lessons.
Whether it’s karate, swimming lessons, basketball, tennis or golf lessons – formal lessons are a good way to help your kids establish good habits of exercise. What I’ve noticed is that kids like things they are good at and what better way to help them get good at something than signing them up for lessons?

What ways have you gotten your kids off the couch? Please comment.

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Report Gives America an ‘F,’ and that Stands for ‘Fat’

Wednesday, June 30th, 2010

“Marx once predicted that the capitalist countries would become so bloated that the bourgeoisie would actually pay to lose weight.” – From a comment on USAToday

That prediction has come true – the rich and poor are paying to lose weight. Many people in America are not only overweight — we’re getting fatter. If they were being graded on it, we’d get an F. This is according to a report by the Trust for America’s Health and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Two-thirds of adults are overweight, which is double what we were in 1980. Too many of our children and even our pets are overweight. (see Quick Facts about Childhood Obesity)

Utah, Colorado and California, are doing better than the rest of the nation but are also gaining. Issues like  poverty, a sedentary work force and less time for recess and play at schools and child care centers factor in, according to Jeffrey Levi, executive director of Trust for America’s Health.

“Millions of Americans still face barriers, like the high cost of healthy foods and lack of access to safe places to be physically active, that make healthy choices challenging.” It’s worse for low-income Americans and minorities.

A 2008 survey in Utah found that 21.5 percent of elementary students were overweight. In this survey a sampling of students were weighed and measured —  unlike this national survey which was done by telephone. I find that a frightening number.

We spend a lot of time sitting in cars, then on couches and not nearly enough time in playgrounds, outside or moving around. Exercise was once built into our life but now we have to make time for it. Also, you have to go out of your way and it’s more expensive to eat healthy than it is to prepare food that is healthy.

Are we headed towards life like is shown on the movie Wall-e where we get so fat we are carted around all on a platform and have machines take care of us? What do you think we should do about the issue?

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Welcome to our New Fit Nation

Monday, June 28th, 2010

First Lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move campaign is underway and she celebrated by jumping rope and eating healthy snacks with children.

“The President’s Council on Fitness, Sports and Nutrition is here to challenge you to join the healthy living movement—through the Department of Health and Human Services, First Lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move!, America’s Great Outdoors, or one of the many programs across the nation and in your community.”

The council picked Dominique Dawes, 3-Time Olympic Gymnast to be the Co-Chair. Dawes is dedicated to educating others about the importance of physical and emotional health.

Council members and children were at an event at a Washington DC school and led children and council members in a series of fitness and nutrition activities.

8 Tips for being healthy, fit and strong.

1. Eating plenty of fruits and vegetables

2. Choose to eat whole grains

3. Drink water to get the energy to get through your day

4. Choose to bike or walk instead of driving to work

5. Play with your friends at the park instead of turning on the computer after school

6. If you watch TV, do sit ups while watching

7. Plant a garden with your neighbors

8. Eat vegetables for lunch and dinner each day

“It is our goal to make healthy eating and safe play accessible, affordable and attractive for everyone regardless of age, background or ability.”

Visit www.fitness.gov to learn more about the program.

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Here’s an Idea to Get Kids Playing! Host a Play Day

Thursday, June 24th, 2010

We’ve been writing a lot about Michelle Obama’s efforts to get kids moving. Here’s a great way you can get involved and meet others in your community with similiar goals: Host a Play Day.

The nonprofit organization KaBoom! is organizing the day to get kids out and improve playgrounds.  You can organize efforts to clean up or do things like  plant flowers or trees, build new amenities like benches or picnic tables, paint murals, and more.

If you use the KaBoom Play Day Planner, you could also get some cash in the form of grants to help fund bigger improvement projects. They will give 5 Play Day grants: one $10,000 First Place, one $7,500 Second Place and three $2,500 Runner-Ups. You’ll also get access to the online Play Day tools, and ideas to make your event successful. Other participants will share ideas.

Get started now for this event that starts Sept 18, 2010. More at http://playday.kaboom.org/why

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