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Building a playground is one of the most important things that educators, caregivers and communities can do for their children. A playground is not just designed for enjoyment because the kids also learn vital life skills while playing which are essential for them to keep their mind and body healthy. Experts on child education agree that a playground should combine physical activity with fun, imagination and excitement for the holistic development of the child.

Building a playground is a time and capital intensive exercise if undertaken seriously, so it requires a certain time spent for planning and designing before the plan is executed. A playground has to be designed keeping the age-group of the kids and their safety in mind.

Some of the essential elements that should be considered before building a playground are:

• Safety has to be the primary consideration for all the playground equipment since many studies suggest that playground injuries are unavoidable and more than 70% of the playground injuries are caused by falls. The heights of the rides, swings and slides should conform to the local rules so that kids are safe at all times. The surface material has to be such that it cushions the fall and saves the kids from unnecessary injury.

• Since the playground will be for the kids, all the equipment that is required there should be accessible to the kids of that age. Special provisions should be made for the access to each ride or each equipment since many kids will be playing at the same time. Access from the entry of the playground or the park (if the playground occupies a part of the park) to the rides should be smooth enough for the kids to run straight to the rides and swings. If the playground is in a community park, then provisions have to be made to make the playground accessible to kids with physical disabilities too.

• The playground equipment should help in the kids’ development through free and motion play so each piece of equipment has to be chosen carefully. The equipment should be age-appropriate and functional with minimal supervision to encourage all kids to play.

• It is especially important since the kids who play in the playground are young kids. Whether the playground is in school or within a community, enough benches or seats should be provided within a short distance of the equipment. In such situations, even if the adults are not on the ground, they can supervise the kids from an approachable distance.

Child development experts and parents agree play is an essential part of childhood. Outdoor play areas can help children develop physically, emotionally, socially, and intellectually. It is recommended that adults be proactive in selecting age appropriate equipment and request separate play areas for different age groups – 6 months through 23 months, ages 2 to 5, and 5 to 12. These areas should be marked by signage indicating the age appropriate areas. The following factors should be kept in mind when selecting playground equipment in order to help make play areas developmentally appropriate, more enjoyable, and safer for children.

Physical Development

Children are developmentally different in size and ability. Outdoor play areas can facilitate physical development.

• Ages: 6 months – 23 months
  Play areas for children 6 months through 23 months should offer places where children can have space to move and explore. Appropriate play areas for this group should provide places to crawl, stand, and walk.

• Ages: 2-5 years
  Play areas for children ages 2-5 should offer areas with smaller steps and crawl spaces. Appropriate play areas for children ages 2 – 5 could include: areas to crawl; low platforms with multiple access such as ramps and ladders; ramps with pieces attached for grasping; low tables for sand, water and manipulation of materials; tricycle paths with various textures; flexible spring rockers; sand areas with covers; and shorter slides .

• Ages: 5-12 years
  Developmentally appropriate play areas for school-age children could include: rope or chain climbers on angles; climbing pieces; horizontal bars; cooperative pieces such as tire swings, slides and sliding poles; and open spaces to run and play ball.

Emotional Development

Well-designed play areas can help create positive emotional development for children. Appropriately designed play areas allow younger children to explore new ideas. Parents can help nurture positive emotional development by observing, supervising, facilitating, and complimenting.

Social Development

Outdoor play areas may be one of the first social experiences for some children. Good play areas offer children opportunities to play alone or with other children. The playground should allow younger children to easily manipulate items, explore spaces, and begin to interact with others. Play areas for school-aged children should encourage social growth and cooperation. Children of all ages can develop social skills by working together to maintain their play areas. Tricycles, loose parts, and dramatic play parts should be used and placed in designated areas.

Playgrounds are a fun way for children to develop intellectually. Playgrounds offer opportunities to learn problem solving skills, to explore, and to manipulate items. Exploration areas include nature trails, large composite structures, and play houses. Manipulative equipment includes sand boxes, sand diggers, water-wheels, loose parts, and construction materials.

Indoor play equipment is fun and interesting no matter how old you are. This is not only a way to provide enjoyment, but it also allows psychological growth and health. Whether it is the weather or another reason that is keeping a kid in the house, it can get irritating and irk even a child to be indoors doing nothing. Staying effective while in the house at times can be difficult, but not when you have indoor devices.

Lots of variety is available in playing equipments. For youngsters, you can start off with a couple actions that lead to a glide that the child can move or glide down. It can come in different shapes and sizes. Some even offer a football that can be included. What makes most of the devices so well-known is that each item is individual, allowing the kid to build the items into different forms. Normally these are detachable so that they can be set up in different rooms and again packed up and taken out only when in use. You need to select something which is safe and can be placed indoors without scraping the floor or scraping the walls. The edges should be such that prevent any mishap in case of accidents. It should be compact in size and if required can be placed outdoors too.

Board games are a good option; lately introducing fitness for children has been a rage so having a play gym for them is not a bad idea as it improves flexibility and makes the kids active. Although choosing playground equipment is a tedious process, make it easy for yourself by firstly choosing your base structure, your budget and your play size space. See that they are certified safe, most durable and environmentally sustainable. See to it that it is more interactive and there is no compromising on the quality. The best quality material is used and installation done by them is preferred too. Indoor play equipments help the children grow psychologically and should come in a large variety of shades and styles. They should be appealing and most importantly safe so that the children can play without harming each other. Safety is the first measure to be taken and it should be the priority. Maintenance should be on regular basis and if the weather seems good, make the most of outdoors than indoors.

Playgrounds and outdoor play equipment offer kids fresh air, friends, and exercise. So it’s important for parents to make sure that faulty equipment, improper surfaces, and careless behavior don’t ruin the fun. Each year, more than 200,000 kids are treated in hospital for playground-related injuries. Many of these accidents can be prevented with the proper supervision. You can make the playground entertaining and safe for your kids and the other benches and grills and tables too by checking them for potential hazards and following some simple safety guidelines.

In the safest playgrounds, play areas for younger children are separated from those meant for older kids and signs clearly designate each area to prevent confusion. Younger children should not play on equipment designed for older kids because the equipment sizes and proportions won’t be right for small kids, and this can lead to injury. Likewise, older kids shouldn’t play on equipment designed for younger ones. Smaller equipment and spaces can cause problems for bigger kids. Because swings, slides, and climbing equipment are so different from one another, each requires a different set of safety considerations. And some kinds of equipment are not safe for playgrounds, no matter how careful kids are. Because seesaw use requires cooperation between kids, they’re generally not recommended for preschoolers unless the seesaw has a spring-centring device to prevent abrupt contact with the ground. Regardless of design, both seesaws and merry-go-rounds should be approached with caution. Seesaw seats are like swings: one child per seat. A child who is too light to seesaw with a partner should find a different partner — not add another child to his or her side of the seesaw. Kids should stand back from a seesaw when it’s in use. They should never stand beneath a raised seesaw, stand and rock in the middle, or try to climb onto it while it’s in motion. Swings are the most frequent source of childhood injuries from moving equipment on a playground. But a few simple precautions can help keep kids safely swinging in the breeze: Kids should always sit in the swing, not stand or kneel. They should hold on tightly with both hands while swinging, and when finished swinging, stop the swing completely before getting off.

Care should be taken that the benches do not rust and no nails are out so that no harm is done to anybody. Proper maintenance is required too. This benefits in the long run!

A church is more than places where people congregate to listen to sermons and pray. Their significance to the faithful is wholesome. This means that going to church as a family is always quite important. It is important for churches to make it easier for parents to attend services by putting up playgrounds. Children can leave their parents to attend services while they play on playground equipment. This is especially great in attracting young families to be part of the congregation. Below we will look at some of the benefits and considerations to keep in mind on church playground equipment.

Attracting Young Families

By installing a church playground, the church has a better chance of attracting young families to their congregation. This is because the parents can take part in the service while their children play in the playground. It is often quite inconvenient to have to look after young children while continuing to be involved in the church service. Children can spend the time occupied at the playground with their friends.

Further Community Outreach

With a church playground set in place, the church-based community outreach programs are bound to have more effect on the local community. For instance, in various communities where regular parks are either unsecure or too far away, a local church playground can be quite useful in such circumstances. Getting the local children together and equipping the playground with the best equipment is bound to attract even more kids, the church can then incorporate other activities in the program.

Now that you appreciate the benefits of having a well-equipped church playground it is up to you to make it a reality. In this endeavor, you will have to consider a few important factors.

The playground’s location is one of the most important considerations to keep in mind when looking to put up a church playground. To be able to reap the above benefits of attracting young families and benefiting the local community, you will need to make sure the playground is always safe and close to the church building. Parents will want to keep a close eye on their children while they play.

Another important consideration would be the cost. The available budget is always a limiting factor in every purchasing decision and project. In this case, you can look to the church members not only for donations but also installation labor. Church members can volunteer through the spirit of fellowship and help in the construction process to lower the labor cost. This is instead of hiring a huge group of specialized laborers.

Molanda Company sells high-quality playground equipment for the best playground experience. You can browse through our website and take a look at the collection of different types of equipment that will help you create a playground for fun and exciting activities.

According to a recent report, playgrounds are very important in the development of a child’s emotional, cognitive, social, and physical development. In order to allow children enjoy and be developed at the same time, it is highly recommended to purchase a slide that meets playground standards.

Commercial Grade Options

Generally speaking, slides are perfect for children regardless of their age. As a matter of fact, even 10-year-old children still love this feature in a playground. A slide is unquestionably one of the most popular features in a playground. They are generally made of metal, fiberglass, plastic as well as composite materials. However, if you are planning to purchase a slide for your playground, it is very important to select slides that are made of safe materials.

Playground slides also come in various sizes, shapes and colors. When talking about the structure, a slide is generally a smooth slope that has a ladder on one edge and a soft landing space on the other. So as to prevent kids from falling over, you may want to choose a slide that has slightly folded sides. You may also find more complicated options in the market. There are some with spiral or wavy shape. If you are interested in having unique slides for your playground, you may want to consider getting customized options for your theme.

The Benefits of Purchasing Slides

According to a report, almost one in every three kids in the United States alone suffers from obesity, and other weight-related disorders. In order to make your children healthy and fit, it is very important to have a regular exercise. While it is quite hard to implement the type of exercise that adults do, allowing them to play with slides is one good way to encourage them to move.

A slide that is installed according to playground standards can encourage body movements to children. They provide climbing exercises which is good for the legs. Some designs also come with bars which can help in strengthening the shoulders and arms. By encouraging children to climb and slide, they can also develop their brains further. Physical exercise is known to release endorphins which can make them feel happy and positive. Playground slides also help in keeping a healthy regime, as well as a positive attitude which is important in the lives of the children.

In line with this, it is very important to make sure of the proper installation of a slide. After all, while enjoyment and exercise is very important among children, safety and security should still be given utmost priority. With this, it is vital to use only commercial grade slides as they come with high-quality materials.

It’s not only about fun and games when purchasing playground equipment especially for children. You have to consider a lot of things including the safety level, the quality equipment standard, proper design, credibility and reputation of the retailer, and many other important things that you should never forget. Moreover, kid’s playground equipment has to be age appropriate and ADA compliant to ensure your child’s maximum safety while enjoying a fun play with other kids in the playground.

Before you are to spend your money for children equipment, you have to ensure that the considerations mentioned above are met. Basically, the first consideration when purchasing playground equipment is the safety level of the equipment facility to be installed in the recreational area. As a playground coordinator or school head, or any other person in authority, the safety of the kids should be the top priority among others. Hence, it pays if you have some knowledge as to what qualify equipment that passes the safety standards.

Equipment safety attributes are directly related to the second consideration which is having quality equipment. In all cases, quality equipment is always a lot safer to use than those equipment that are haphazardly created. That is why; you should always buy playground equipment only from a trusted playground equipment provider just like Molanda Company. This is to ensure that you get your playground installations at the best quality possible.

Another consideration to make when buying your kid’s recreational equipment is the credibility and reputation of the retailer. Playground equipment providers with great reputation like Molanda Company only sell the best quality equipment. Hence, it is best if you read through the company’s testimonials and browse some online reviews generated by real customers. That way, you can use their verdict on your own decision whether to buy or not.

In addition, when choosing a playground facility, you have to see to it that the equipment is age appropriate so that kid’s safety will not be jeopardized. The equipment should also be ADA compliant in such a way that special needs such as wheelchair usage are properly addressed. Hence, proper design of the equipment should also be taken into consideration.

Lastly, one thing to be in mind when purchasing kid’s recreational equipment is your budget requirements. Each company has its own pricing and rates. That being said, it is best that you pick the one that offers quality equipment at a very affordable rate. You can breathe easily in this regard with the presence of Molanda Company whose playground equipment is surely within your price range.

In conclusion, choosing playground equipment can be difficult and time-consuming with the many things needed to be considered. But with proper knowledge and application of the points highlighted above, being able to choose the best quality equipment can be so rewarding.

The playground is a place where children can play and learn about each other. It is an area where they can be kids. A high quality playground should be designed according to ADA standards so that it is universally accessible to everyone. That’s why careful planning is important to achieve the standards. Below are some tips that will help you in designing the perfect playground.

Create a Budget

Setting a budget is important when designing a playground. The price should be reasonable enough so that you can afford high quality products. When creating a budget, you should consider the age of the children who will be using the playground. Keep in mind that there should be separate areas for kids ages six to 23 months, two to five-year-olds, and school age kids.

You should also consider the number of kids who will use the facility at the same time. This will help you determine the number of swing sets and climbers you need, as well as the playground size.

You should also check the ADA standards to ensure that your playground caters to the special needs of children with disabilities. The play area must be accessible to everyone.

Another factor that affects the budget is the type of activities you want to incorporate into the playground. These include the kind of equipment that will be installed in it, such as climbers, slides, and swing sets. You also need to consider the amenities you are going to offer, such as picnic tables, restroom facilities, bike racks, litter receptacles, and more.

The budget must have expenses such as site preparation, equipment, storage, shipping, installation, and playground surfacing. In order to save on the costs, you can find volunteers to help prepare the site. You can also ask local companies to donate materials and/or services for the construction of the playground.

Public parks provide an avenue for children for exercise and adults to spend their leisure time. Because of the influence of modern day computers, smartphones, and iPads, active physical activity became not so much of an influence to today’s youth and this can tremendously affect their social, societal interpersonal and physical growth. Public parks are an essential opportunity for children and adults to interact to others and build trusting friendly relationships. Despite this wonderful benefits public parks provide, it cannot be denied that safety might be a concern. Around 80,000 safety issues, were reported annually because of public parks injuries as a result of faulty equipment. These incidents warrant attention. Here is a complete guide on how to choose the right public park equipment from tables and benches for children and adults.

Public Park Safety Standards

Whether it is for a public park or playground, it is an utmost priority to consider the safety of the children. Because of this, the CPSC developed standardized guidelines for public park safety. These include the age of the children that should be allowed to play in the park and general consideration for choosing public park equipment such as umbrellas and benches.

Choosing an Equipment

One factor that needs to be considered is the age. You should accurately determine the age range that the particular equipment includes. It is of worthy consideration to think about children who have physical disabilities that would also want to develop interpersonal and physical skills through play. The park equipment that should be chosen can be generally used by kids and those with disabilities, not to mention adults who would also want to spend their relaxing time in it. It is smart to add different styles of benches and tables with varied levels of comfort.

An example of an age-appropriate equipment are climbing equipment, ramps, single file step ladder, spring rockers, stairways and swings for toddlers or kids who are six to 32 months of age. Preschoolers or those who are two to five years of age are safe with horizontal ladders, merry-go-rounds, rung ladders, ramps, spiral slides of 360 degrees and swings. Grade-schoolers or those who are five to 12 years old are good with arch climbers, chain or cable walks, fulcrum seesaw, ladder, overhead rings, ring treks, slides, and vertical sliding poles. Grills should be added to prevent children from going beyond the public park and into the street.

Equipment Height

This is a number one factor that influences the incidents of playground injuries. The majority of emergencies as a result of playground injuries are falls. The height of the equipment should be reasonably safe for children. For example, climbing equipment for a toddler ages six to 23 months should be at the height of 32 inches high. The dealer for playground equipment that you will eventually choose should provide you with complete information regarding the age-appropriate height of the equipment. Tables and Benches should not be more than 40 inches for toddlers.

Molanda Company provides the best service as a dealer of quality and safe public park equipment such as tables, chairs, benches, umbrellas and grills. They also provide safe playground equipment for kids such as swings, slides and merry-go-round. Come and visit Molanda Company or call them today at 217-855-5477.