Ideal interiors: Design a safe playground for your children

Every child needs to play, it is their right. As much we want our children to be bookworms it is also important that we give them enough time to play, after all it is part of growing. When children play they discover themselves, you can also tell your child’s talents when they are out there playing. Most homes do have a playground for children, but then do parents follow the rules of safety in the playgrounds? Do parents know what to put or not to in the playgrounds? Let us look at the very basics of having an interesting playground for your children at the same time observe safety measures for the sake of our little ones. HOME PLAYGROUND EQUIPMENTApproximately 25 percent of all playground-equipment-related injuries that are treated at emergency rooms happen on home playgrounds. Parents or caregivers should regularly inspect and maintain their home playground equipment to insure it is safe to play on. It is recommended to never place home playground equipment on hard surfaces such as asphalt or concrete. Make sure there is plenty of room around swinging equipments and also swing sets are properly anchored. Check openings that are closed on all sides to insure they do not present a head entrapment hazard. Openings should be smaller than 3 1/2 inches or greater than 9 inches. WARNINGS Provide warnings and instructions on any signage designed to enhance the play experience or explain use of a piece of equipment. Make sure all signage is away from landing sites of slides, poles and zip lines, and outside the zone of use of any swings. Use pictorial instructions for the small children who do not know how to read and teach then what each means. PLAYGROUND TRAINING Teaching children how to play by the rules is very important. Insure your children always wear shoes on the playground to prevent cuts and splinters. They should never play on wet equipment, which can exacerbate the potential for falls. Children should be taught to go down slides one at a time and to move away from the slide as soon as they are on the ground. When climbing ladders, children should be taught to take their time, to climb one step at a time and to hold onto the handrails. Children should only swing sitting down and with only one child per seat. They should never jump out of the swing while it is in motion. Children should also be taught to be aware of other people swinging and to not walk in the path of the swing. SEPARATE BY AGE GROUPS Design separate structures for the three main age groups intended to use the playground: children ages 0 to 2, 2 to 5, and 5 to 12. Equipment for children under age 2 must include access ramps instead of stairs or ladders; equipment under 32 inches high; long run, low rise slides with well-padded landings; open spiral slides with curves less than 360 degrees; spring rockers and swings with full bucket seats. Equipment for children ages 2 through 5 should include horizontal ladders less than or equal to 60 inches high for ages 4 and 5, merry-go-rounds with platforms less than 15 inches from ground height, ramps instead of ladders only, rung ladders with wide foot plates, single-file step ladders, slides not more than 6 feet high, spiral slides up to 360 degrees, swings with belts and full bucket seats, spring rockers and rotating tire swings. For children age 5 through 12, include arch climbers; chain, cable or rope walks, free-standing climbers with flexible parts; fulcrum seesaws; horizontal, rung and step ladders; overhead rings; balance beams; log rollers; climbing walls and zip lines. Provide additional padding and deeper shock-absorbing play surfaces for older children. Never have play areas over 6 feet in height without an additional 12 inches of shock-absorbing material, including landing pads or other means of ensuring that children are not injured by falls. Ends

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Ideal interiors: Design a safe playground for your children