The village of Helena in Ohio received the largest grant awarded this year from the Sandusky County Park District. Using the money with a match from the village they purchased new playground equipment. The project cost  $14,108. The grant amount totaled $16,000.

The playground equipment is 25 years old and was not safe. It now meets consumer product safety commission standards. “The new playground includes a climbing wall, three slides and a wave climber.”

The thing the article doesn’t state is what the playground surface will be – to us a critical issue. According to U.S. Product Safety Commission report:

“There are two options available for surfacing public playgrounds: unitary and loose-fill materials. A playground should never be installed without protective surfacing of some type. Concrete, asphalt, or other hard surfaces should never be directly under playground equipment. Grass and dirt are not considered protective surfacing because wear and environmental factors can reduce their shock absorbing effectiveness.”

They further state:

The surfacing under and around playground equipment is one of the most important factors in reducing the likelihood of life-threatening head injuries. A fall onto a shock absorbing surface is less likely to cause a serious head injury than a fall onto a hard surface.

Rubberecycle encourages people to do the “egg test” – if you drop an egg from the top of the playground – does it break? With rubber mulch it has been shown not to. That means a safer playground for your kids.

Is your Playground Surface Safe?

A playground in Cambria County has had crews called in once again – and while the playground was safe – there can still be safety problems. Firefighters stopped at Diamod Playground in suburban Johnstown to rescue kids who got stuck and needed help. It illustrates our theme of playground safety.

A young child got wedged in between the tube slide and the slide’s bracing after climbing up the outside of the slide. Fire crews had to pry the child from the equipment. The same story repeated another time when a 9-year-old got stuck in a baby swing.

Wargo said all the playground equipment is up to code on safety inspections and it is only about seven years old. The issue is the parents keeping watch and making sure children use the equipment in safe ways. There were warnings written at the playground.

We urge parents to supervise their children. Encourage them to observe playground safety guidelines.

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• How to Become a Certified Playground Safety Inspector (rubberecycle.com)

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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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

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…

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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It’s not very often you see a merry-go-round on a playground anymore. That fact has many children and adults pining for one. In Texas at a playground, they are especially missed. They playground had a pair of enormous merry-go-rounds.

These were pretty amazing merry-go-rounds too. Just one could hold 30 children. They were likely build during the Great Depression and have become part of the history of the town.

Last year the school expanded, taking over part of the playground. Then came new, handicap-accessible playground equipment. But they’re not giving up. There is a request for bids on the antique merry-go-round and there are already offers coming in.

There were some concerns about playground safety — more than one child has fallen off the toy. Which is part of the experience. We say, it’s not if they fall it’s when they do. In most cases, it’s not so much the fall, but what they land on that matters!

Do you have nostalgic feelings for a particular toy on a playground that you grew up playing on?

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