Search Playground Professional's Archives

As playground equipment ages and weathers, the materials used in its construction increase their potential for deterioration. Unless carefully monitored and maintained, the physical properties of these materials weaken until the materials become easy to …

Swings can be used by children (and adults) of all ages. They have been around for thousands of years and have been depicted in art objects from every continent. Paintings of women swinging were popular in the late 17 th century as depictions of leisure …

In 1989 three members of the National Recreation and Parks Association, (NRPA) Fran Wallach, Ken Kutska and Monty Christiansen, along with the NRPA Executive director, met to discuss the feasibility of creating a playground safety-training program, to …

It’s a time you’ll always remember, the start of a new school year. The smell of glue in the air, the sight of children dressed up in their new clothes and the sound of youngsters running and laughing around the playground. When my family gets together, …

Donald G. Godfrey’s September 2, 2002, article in the Salt Lake Tribune, states that on September 7, 1927, “Philo T. Farnsworth, the father of television, was the first to transmit an all-electronic television signal.” Mary Bellis, a writer for …

Only the squeals, squeaks, giggles and laughter of children at play can replace the terse NASA countdown commands. The excitement level is approximately equal and the locations are in close proximity.  The interplanetary playground within the Kennedy …

While babysitting my niece, I’ve found that she’s entertained by watching Beauty and the Beast until she discovers her mom is gone. A wail to pierce the soul of any caring individual ensues. I try to distract her, play ball, and offer to read a …

In the world of play, accidents happen. Children riding bikes run into parked cars, they jam their toes while playing kickball and, occasionally, kids can break a limb or two during rough play on the playground. Accidents resulting in injury can occur …

As kids get back into the summer swing of things, rising temperatures on playgrounds may raise some questions on how best to beat the summer heat and keep kids safe from sunburns. One of the primary elements to consider in this equation is what is under …

Every edition of Today’s Playground contains a “Value of Play” section. Within this section, an article addressing (obviously) the value of play is printed. But what exactly is play? The editors, authors, advertisers and especially the readers of Today’s …

Most of the research available today underlines how important play is for a child’s development. But there are some experts who believe that modern research has missed the point by overemphasizing the formative function of play and underestimating its …

We all know how active and creative children are, and how easily these qualities can lead to injury. aquatic playgrounds are designed to be unsupervised play environments. hile a supervised environment can stop children from playing too aggressively,  …

Tightropes taut between telephone poles; belay and repel lines; 30-foot platforms: it looks more like a military obstacle course than physical education equipment. But these obstacle courses are part of physical education at schools nationwide.  …

People may picture life on a military base as a structured, sterile environment. Or, perhaps the shenanigans of Hawkeye Pierce or Gomer Pyle come to mind. More than likely, life on base consists of both rigid structure and hilarious antics, providing …

Over the past few decades, organizations such as the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), the National Playground Safety Institute, the Consumer Federation of America and the National Program for Playground Safety have helped bring playground …

As William descends from the very top of the play structure to the bike path for the first time, he grins from ear to ear and exclaims, “I did it all by myself!”    This might sound like a typical experience for a 6-year-old child, but it was a very …

The growing healthcare crisis of obesity has been a common topic recently in the media.  One area receiving increased attention is the impact this crisis is having on working-class children and adults in urban areas. When compared to their white …

The headline read: Come one, come all, grab them while they last! It’s the world’s Super Duper, Triple-Quad-ripple, Tons of Fun, Maintenance free playground.  “Maintenance free?” It was too good to be true—a playground owner’s dream. I bought four of …

I was driving home from a weekend trip when my wife asked me a bizarre question, “You do playgrounds right?” I responded with a, “Yeah babe, I do playgrounds, why?” She began to tell me about an article that she was reading in Family Circle magazine …

One of the major advantages offered by a unitary surfacing product is its ability to incorporate aesthetically pleasing colors and designs into your overall playground concept.  Progressive playground designers have long realized that a creatively …

Water is often seen as being abundant and renewable. But as demand for freshwater continues to rise, with water quality issues adding to the concern, municipalities across the country are looking for innovative ways to help manage and conserve this …