Play Is Not a Four Letter Word

One of the most consistent activities in a child's life, especially in the infant stage of life. A child always looks for a way to play at every chance they get and as many times as they can during the day. Many parents see play as a waste of their child's time and would rather see their children spend this time on other activities; however, play may be more significant and essential than parents think. Play may instill valuable skills and teachings in children's minds, and what a child learns can remain with them for life. playground equipment

Significance of play

While it may sound ridiculous, the effects of play go a long way to creating an adult with valuable life skills. Some of the essential benefits of play include:

Stimulates creativity: In the modern world, creativity seems to be more relevant daily. When a child plays, thanks to the absence of adult interference, the children have to find ways to overcome any challenge they encounter and this kind of creative nature usually translates into their adult life and is very useful in navigating the rigors of adulthood. They also learn how to act independently and to think for themselves, which are necessary traits to be productive members of society.

A cherished childhood: Memories are a significant part of a person's psyche. Therapeutic reports of some of the most dangerous minds have shown that most of these individuals were not exposed to events like play during their childhood. Playing fills a childhood with cherished memories, and this can help build a productive society member.

Develop social skills: Children usually play in groups with other children of similar age groups. This creates a robust socializing ability in the children, as they have no problem socializing when they grow old. An inability to socialize can lead to undesirable situations like depression, which can prove fatal, especially since an event could have avoided it as mundane and generic as play. An inability to socialize can also lead to creating a depraved mind. preschool playground

Learning still occurs: Play-based learning is one of the most progressive forms of education and learning. In play-based learning, children learn through active participation in activities (active learning), and since there are no confines of a classroom or pressure to participate, the children tend to participate willingly, as opposed to the traditional setting where a a child can be isolated and detached from the rest of the class. In addition to the educational benefits that are gained, there is also another valuable skill, like teamwork, which is highly valued in the workplace today, and there is also the ability to take the initiative, another rare and highly valued commodity in the labor market.

Thanks to these factors, it is clear that there is more to the art of play than meets the eye. Parents and teachers are advised to incorporate play into their children's schedule to help ensure that these children turn out to be productive members of society. 

New Commercial Playground Installation Featured Project in Austin, Texas

This week's featured commercial playground project is coming to you from Austin, Texas. The project was completed for a new community and consists of 2 areas - 1 for ages 2-5 and the other for ages 5-12. Bucket seats and belt seats, climbing features, slides, modular integrated shades and more.

Play is not only a foundation for learning, it is critical for healthy physical, social, emotional, and intellectual kids development. Our commercial playground equipment manufacturers specialize in playground design, inclusive play, budget-friendly play structures, and friendly playgrounds for children of all ages and abilities. Request a free quote today.

Playground Equipment Safety and Maintenance

Playgrounds are places where children make the best memories of their childhood. They not only laugh and play but learn many new experiences on the playgrounds. Not only this, playgrounds play a significant role in shaping the social behaviors of kids and making new friends.

Although commercial playground equipment today is safer than the previous years, there is always a chance of getting injured while playing at the modern playgrounds. There are many playground-related injuries that are a major threat to our children’s lives. Today, we have come up with four ways you can make the playgrounds safer for your kids.

1. Supervise kids play

Adult supervision is one of the key components of a playground safety strategy. We can better control how our kids play under our supervision. When adults are around the kids when they are playing using playground equipment, they make sure that the kids do not engage in any risky game activity. Adults help kids understand the distance from the equipment, and ensure that elder kids do not violate the playing limits. Even if you don’t do anything, having parents or caregivers around help kids regulate their playing behavior. 

2. Safety Instructions

If you are advocating for the safety of the children on the playground, then the first thing would be to make sure that the outdoor playground equipment in the playground meets the safety standards of watchdog organizations. Look for the recommendations of the Consumer Product Safety Commission. From the past few decades, advancements in technology have produced new playground equipment. As a result, there have been changes to the surface requirements and safety guidelines. Some of the basic guidelines that should not be missed include: 

a) Proper labeling and signage on the equipment

b) Sightline to track the children anywhere in the playground 

c) Safe surface materials including engineered wood fiber, sand, and pea gravel

3. Maintenance 

Once you have safe and modern equipment in place, it is also important to keep checking it periodically to ensure it is working optimally. Proper maintenance makes sure that the school playground equipment is in safe working order. Any obstruction like rocks or stumps of trees must be cleared from the playground area. Soft seats must be installed in place of metal or wooden swing seats. There should not be any sharp edges, instead, make them smooth. All the platforms must be timely repaired. There is another safety rule that the cushioned surface should extend at least 6 feet beyond the equipment. Finally, replace all the worn-out materials to avoid any dangerous situation.

4. Use Age-Related Equipment

Playground equipment today is made according to the age groups and ability levels. It is important to ensure that any equipment that your kids play with must be age-appropriate. Similarly, there is a ladder height of 60 inches for kids in their preschool years. Moreover, age guidelines must be clearly displayed on the playground equipment.

New Commercial Playground Installation in Johnsonburg Pennsylvania

This new project features a unique Themed Commercial Playground Design from our Ancient Tribe Series including straw textured roofs, stepping pods, climbers, overhead ladders, slides and more. Enjoy! School Playground

Want to Play Safe? Here are Four Safety Tips for Kids’ Playground

Playgrounds are the places where children make the best memories of their childhood. They not only laugh and play but learn many new experiences on the playgrounds. Not only this, playgrounds play a significant role in shaping the social behaviors of kids and making new friends.

Although commercial playground equipment today is safer than the previous years, there is always a chance of getting injured while playing at the modern playgrounds. There are many playground-related injuries that are a major threat to our children’s lives. Today, we have come up with four ways you can make the playgrounds safer for your kids.

1. Supervise kids play

Adult supervision is one of the key components of playground safety strategy. We can better control how our kids play under our supervision. When adults are around the kids when they are playing using playground equipment, they make sure that the kids do not engage in any risky game activity. Adults help kids understand the distance from the equipment, and ensure that elder kids do not violate the playing limits. Even if you don’t do anything, having parents or caregivers around help kids regulate their playing behavior. 

2. Safety Instructions

If you are advocating for the safety of the children on the playground, then the first thing would be to make sure that the outdoor playground equipment in the playground meets the safety standards of watchdog organizations. Look for the recommendations of The Consumer Product Safety Commission. From the past few decades, advancements in technology have produced new playground equipment. As a result, there have been changes to the surface requirements and safety guidelines. Some of the basic guidelines that should not be missed include:

a) Proper labeling and signage on the equipment

b) Sightline to track the children anywhere in the playground 

c) Safe surface materials including engineered wood fiber, sand, and pea gravel

3. Maintenance 

Once you have safe and modern equipment in place, it is also important to keep checking it periodically to ensure it is working optimally. Proper maintenance makes sure that the playground equipment is in safe working order. Any obstruction like rocks or stumps of trees must be cleared from the playground area. Soft seats must be installed in place of metal or wooden swing seats. There should not be any sharp edges, instead, make them smooth. All the platforms must be timely repaired. There is another safety rule that the cushioned surface should extend at least 6 feet beyond the equipment. Finally, replace all the worn out materials to avoid any dangerous situation.

4. Use Age-Related Equipment

Playground equipment today is made according to the age groups and ability levels. It is important to ensure that any equipment that your kids play with must be age-appropriate. Similarly, there is a ladder height of 60 inches for kids in their preschool years. Moreover, age guidelines must be clearly displayed on the playground equipment.

How Playing on the Slide Benefits Your Child

Slides are one of the most revered structures among the kids when they visit a playground. Kids love that feeling of rush as they soar down a slide’s surface. Slide structures are not only fun for children but there is another side of them that you may not be aware of. In many different ways, it helps in child development. You will discover many benefits of slides for your kid as you encourage them to play on the playground:

Flourishes Social Skills

When your kids visit a playground equipment every day, they make new friends. You would see them meet new people every day and love how they form new friendships. When they are playing around the slide, they develop social skills. They learn to share and giving up on something for someone’s happiness. They learn what makes others happy and how to be patient with kids who move slowly up the slide. They start appreciating kids with physical disability and their love for humanity increases. All these skills acquired around the slides during the play are not only invaluable but go a long way in your kids’ lives.

Makes you tough and flexible

Kids of all age visit the slides. When small kids start to slide, they can only muster enough strength to climb a short slide. But as the kids practice climbing the ladder and slides, their stamina grows and they develop more strength in their limbs. Their flexibility also grows with these routine exercises. Eventually, they can tackle bigger slides with ease and this learned flexibility and strength help them avoid injuries. And, not to mention, the confidence that they gain with a strong body as they move in daily life.

Fosters Balance

Whenever any kid runs to take a slide, they must have to climb a ladder first. This is followed by sitting at the stop and in the final step they have to release themselves to slide down the slide structure without hurting themselves. The combined action of all these actions is that kids boost their overall balance of the body. This exercise stimulates the part of the inner ear that is responsible for keeping our equilibrium. Kids can perform all physical activities better when they can stand, walk, and move with confidence. That is all down to the better balance of the body.

Three-Quarters of Perth Playgrounds are Short of Cancer-Preventing Shade Structures

While it is chilling in the U.S., some parts of the world are facing hot waves. To protect us and our kids from the harsh sunrays we have shade structures in Las Vegas, but it seems another part of the world is still quite short of them. A new survey by The Sunday Times has revealed that of the 2295 playgrounds in Perth, only 604 are protected throughout the entire day by shade structures. The survey was conducted in 24 metropolitan councils of the Perth.

This makes Perth quite vulnerable to cancer-causing sun rays. According to the survey, three-8quarters of Perth playgrounds do not have cancer-preventing shade structures installed. Most of the councils are relying on the tree cover only.

Why shade structures are important? 

• Protection: The major benefit of shade structures is to block the harmful rays of the sun during the summers. During the hotter days, the sunrays have high UV frequency that might cause cancers or sunburns. Kids, being the most vulnerable, when subjected to these rays are most affected by this light. Shade structure help to prevent around 80 to 90 percent of this harmful light which is sure to damage skin layers and may cause cancer in extreme cases.

• Style: Aside from providing protection from the harmful sun rays, shade structure also provide dynamic aesthetics to the playgrounds and the play space. They are available in bold colors and make the playground look livelier. They are available in different shapes, this difference in geometry gives new look to the playground.

• Saving: The shade areas are another way to save money. When shades are not around, our house or school premises are hotter. We have to turn the AC on to prevent the hotter temperature. Having shade structures lowers the temperatures in the premises. They help keep the house cool and lower the cost of electricity, thus saving you a good amount.

• Las Vegas Playground Equipment have a modern look and they look best with contemporary architecture. These structures provide a welcome respite from the bright sun and they can be used in both residential and commercial places. Having shade structures means you don’t have to rely on temporary solutions like pergola and gazebos. They are permanent and the good thing about them is that they have the option to be uninstalled during the winters. So that you can have the maximum amount of sun during those cold months.