Posts Tagged ‘Playground’

Safe Playground Equipment Guidelines

Playgrounds and outdoor playground equipment can offer your child enjoyment, fresh air, and exercise, but they can also pose some safety hazards. Faulty equipment, improper surfaces, and careless behavior are just a few of the dangers that cause children on playgrounds to visit hospital emergency departments. To ensure that your children have the safest playground environment possible, follow these guidelines.

• In the United States, a child is injured on a playground every 2 1/2 minutes.
• More than 200,000 children each year are treated in emergency departments for playground-related injuries.
• More than 75% of playground injuries occur on a public playground.
• Most playground injuries involve falls, and over half of the time the child’s head and face is hurt.
• Most of these injuries are preventable with proper supervision and safer playground equipment and design.

You can make the playground a place that’s entertaining and safe for your children by checking equipment for potential hazards and following some simple safety guidelines. In addition, teaching your kids how to play safely is important: if they know the rules of the playground, it’s less likely they’ll become injured.

Safety Guidelines

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention funds the National Program for Playground Safety (NPPS), which works to prevent playground-related injuries by establishing detailed guidelines for safe playgrounds. According to the NPPS, the most important factors in evaluating the safety of any playground are surface, design and spacing, equipment installation, and maintenance.

The following types of equipment are not meant for safe playgrounds:

• animal figure swings
• glider swings that hold more than one child at a time
• swinging ropes that can fray, unravel, or form a noose (any kind of rope attached to play equipment poses a strangulation hazard, so never let your child tie jump ropes or leashes onto the equipment)
• exercise rings (as used in gymnastics) and trapeze bars
• Monkey bars: although people use the terms monkey bars, jungle gyms, and climbing equipment interchangeably, actual monkey bars are a specific type of climbing equipment with interior bars onto which a child may fall from a height greater than 18 inches. In the early 1980s, the CPSC stated that monkey bars were unsuitable for playgrounds.
• trampolines: these are never appropriate for safe playgrounds

The Search for Truly Safe Playground Equipment Ends at Aaa State of Play

Todayâ??s age is better termed as computer age. Unlike past, now more and more work is based on computers and internet is one such tool that is considered must for variety of purposes. It is important to note that though this computerized age has given end number of advantages, still there are some disadvantages as well.

One biggest disadvantage of this high-tech age can be seen on children. Now-a-days it is quite common to see most of the children suffering from one problem or the other. But what is the reason behind it? Why children of past were considered much healthy and fit as compared to children of now? And how high tech age is responsible for such unfavorable situation?

The answer of all these questions lie in the fact that with the invention of technological equipments now children prefer to play various indoor games like video games or they like to watch television. Because of these habits they do not contribute their free time in playgrounds where with fun they do various important exercises as well that are considered very important for fitness.

So if you want to make your children fit and healthy then it is very important to send them to the playground for playing and gaining energy. If you are looking for having your own playground equipment or if you are running any school and you need best quality commercial playground equipment, then AAA State of Play is one such company that can prove as an inevitable option for you.

AAA State of Play is one such online company that is in the business of selling commercial playground equipment to day cares, childcare centers, schools, parks, homeowners associations, and much more. The main purpose why AAA State of Play came into existence was to provide best quality playground products made available to the organizations or centers requiring them online. It is the specialty of this online company to offer such user friendly environment that any customer can place order and can get his desired playground product as earliest as possible.

It is important to note that AAA State of Play arranges to supply any quantity of playground product and in order to assist its customers in the best manner it even offers option of installation. Irrespective of which city or area you live, it offers nationwide installation of playground equipment. Although installation is never included in the retail price, still it can provide estimates for any installation, nationwide.

There are many other advantages available with AAA State of Play. For example along with above mentioned features if you are concerned for the price factor then you need not to worry at all. It is so because AAA State of Play offers the Low Price Guarantee wherein if a competitor offers the customer a lower total price on the exact product and brand, then it will beat the price. Thus it is sure to get best quality playground products with great comforts and best prices from AAA State of Play. What else you require? So avail the charm of latest playground equipment now by shopping online with AAA State of Play.

Playground Equipment Promotes Social Skills In Children

The playgrounds at daycare centers and preschools are often where children learn important social skills that they will use for the rest of their lives. Playgrounds are not only fun and encourage physical fitness, but they are also a place where children bond and form friendships. Playground equipment can transform any playground into a world of imagination. Playground equipment can improve the social skills of children by teaching them the value of sharing.

Learning how to share on the playground will help them learn how to share materials inside of the classroom as well. Children will also learn how to follow the rules by waiting in line for their turn to use the playground equipment. Playing on the playground equipment is something that children look forward to so they can play outdoors and makes friends. They gain the knowledge of cooperating with others and build their self-confidence when they learn new skills like climbing and sliding.

Children also improve their communicative skills while using playground equipment in daycare or preschool. They become skilled at knowing how to negotiate when sharing the playground equipment and express a need for order if someone tries to cut them in line. Children also ask each other for help when they want to be pushed on swings or need help climbing on equipment. Communication skills are important and playgrounds provide a chance for children to ask friends for help and provide compassion when others are in need of help. Playgrounds are an excellent way for them to understand teamwork.

Imaginative skills and creativity thrives best on playgrounds. Children feel excited to have free playtime and let their imaginations run wild. They never get tired or bored of playground equipment while in daycare or preschool because they always imagine a new fun scenario. Imagination will transform a jungle gym into a spaceship or a seesaw into a rowboat. Playground equipment makes them excited about going to daycare and it gets them to think creatively. Children look forward to playing on the playground to release some energy and they learn these important social skills all at once.

Daycare centers and preschools that have playgrounds give children the opportunity to rethink the way they play and their idea of fun. Many preschoolers only enjoy being indoors watching television or playing video games. Playground equipment teaches children important social skills that cannot be obtained by playing video games. Playgrounds are a great way to promote physical fitness at daycare centers. Children get a chance to be active, improve their motor skills and coordination.

Children love to explore new ways to use playground equipment and the learning benefits and advantages are endless. Daycare centers and preschools should invest in high quality playground equipment that is durable and will last them a long time. It is important to provide a sufficient amount of playground equipment in order for these imperative skills to be learned. A wide range of equipment is also ideal to provide learning opportunities for children of all ages.