AAA State of Play Blog: December 2012

Tuesday, December 18, 2012

Things to Consider while Making Playground

Are you planning to make a playground in your community? If yes, here is something for you. We all know playgrounds are certainly the best place for kids where they can play and enjoy with their friends. Not just kids, even adults like to come to a park for a morning or evening walk. Hence, it is not an easy job to create a park which is liked by both children and adults in the community. To make the task simpler for you, we are here with certain things that you can consider before working upon your playground ideas.

For Kids

No doubt, kids visit the playground for exciting and fun filled play sets. You need to be extra careful while choosing the play equipment for your park. Whether you are buying them online or from tangible store, make sure you deal with IPEMA certified manufacturer who offer superior grade play sets. Ensure that he has followed all the guidelines defined by ASTM and CPSC.

For the safety of kids, check there is no pointy edge or rough surface that can harm them. You must install the high quality rubber mulch under the playground equipment. This will prevent the risk of injury that occurs due to fall from the sets.

For Adults

Begin with installing commercial grade benches at the required places in the park. Construct concrete pathways covering the park boundaries, making it convenient for them to go for a nice walk. You can also place great picnic tables for the families to eat, talk and enjoy their picnic in the park.Along with this, you can also install planters, outdoor shade structures, trash receptacles and the like to make your park neat and clean.

Playgrounds

Swing Sets and Slides

Structures and Furniture

Commercial Play Equipment

Monday, December 17, 2012

Choosing the Best Indoor Play Equipment

Indoor play equipment comes in handy especially when there is a bad weather. The equipment should be interesting and engaging to keep your child or children busy for hours. When it comes to choosing the equipment, you should consider some important factors like the space to put the equipment, your child's age, likes and dislikes, safety and of course the maintenance.

Normally children like imitating grown-ups, so a best option for them would be party rooms. They contain chairs, tables and thus create a chance for them to invite other kids, have snacks and play. If you're shopping for girls then Barbie would be great for indoor fun. They come with bedroom and dining sets and will definitely keep your little girl(s) occupied for hours. Otherwise if you have boys then a good indoor play equipment to suit them will be cars and racing tracks. Boys love them and they will be kept busy for the better part of the day.

Traditional games like UNO or board games are good for your kids if you would like them to learn about defeat and patience. The games will teach them defeat is possible and also get to enjoy victory too. When you play with them, teach them to be fair and not to cheat. This will also teach them the values of sharing when they play together.

If you are on a budget then you can also make indoor play equipment at home. These can simply be charts and decorative that you can use to create any environment that your kids will love. This will save you lots of cash as well as provide your kids with enjoyable play equipment.Overall, just make sure the equipment whether you buy or make it, is a hundred percent safe and your kids enjoy playing with it. Remember indoor play equipment is very important for kids and their brain development. They also help you to know if your kid has a problem or is gifted in a special way.

Playgrounds

Swing Sets and Slides

Structures and Furniture

Commercial Play Equipment

How to Choose Playground Equipment?

Selecting a Playground Equipment is certainly not an easy task. Are you also not able to figure out which play set is appropriate for your playground? You are not alone. Majority of U.S. residents fail to buy the right equipment for their park. Here are certain factors that you must consider before making a final purchase decision.

There are various types of equipment like see saws, dome climbers, swing sets and slides that run high on fun factor. These are made of material like metal, aluminum, wood and plastic. You should select the one manufactured with high grade material and is durable in nature. Moreover, it should be strong and can easily withstand adverse weather conditions.

Do not neglect the quality of playground equipment. Before you buy any one of them, make sure the manufacturer has constructed it as per the guidelines defined by ASTM and CPSC. Purchase the equipment from IPEMA certified manufacturer who offer superior quality play sets to the customers.

Another thing that you should consider while searching for right playground equipment is the safety of kids. It should be installed with sturdy and strong bars, railings, hinges and other anchors at required places. All the pointy edges in the playground should be properly covered to reduce the risk of injury to kids.

We hope that above mentioned factors would help you out in choosing the appropriate play set for your commercial park. Along with play sets, make sure you install requisite furniture like planters, shade, cycle stands etc. for the convenience of visitors. Whether you buy shade structure or picnic table, ensure that it can be placed outside for years on end.

Playgrounds

Swing Sets and Slides

Structures and Furniture

Commercial Play Equipment

Thursday, December 13, 2012

How to Choose Playground Equipment for Community Park

Selecting playground equipment for backyard is not an easy job. To make it simpler for you, we are here with certain things that would help you out in purchasing the right play set for your community park.

There are different types of equipment like see saws, dome climbers, play house, play slides and swing sets that are hit in the playground. Before you select any for your park, you need to ensure it is made of superior quality raw material. It should be strong, sturdy and can easily withstand adverse weather conditions.

Consider to buy the equipment from IPEMA certified manufacturer that defines he is engaged in selling commercial grade play sets. Also, make sure he has constructed the equipment in adherence with the guidelines defined by American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) and Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC).

For the safety of kids, make sure the equipment you are opting for has requisite bars, hinges, railing and other anchors. Besides, you can install high quality mulch beneath the playground equipment. It will provide cushioning surface to kids and eliminate the scope of any injury that occurs due to falls.

While looking for play sets, you can consider purchasing the one which can be customized with a wide variety of accessories to add more fun to kids' play. For accessories, playground equipment buyers can search for the sellers that offer high quality accessories at nominal prices.

Playgrounds

Swing Sets and Slides

Structures and Furniture

Commercial Play Equipment

Wednesday, December 12, 2012

Common Trends in Children’s Playground Equipment

Children's playground equipment have come a long way and they are no longer just simple spinning wheel, a slide or a swing, but they come in a variety of play sets. Modern play sets comprises of structures such as climbers, Merry go rounds, Balance Beams, Sliders, Swing sets and See-saws among others. Even better, most playground manufactures incorporate handicap accessible equipment’s thereby considering the needs of physically handicapped children. Children will always be content in playground whether it's in the park, at school or at home in the backyard. Therefore, if you are shopping for a play set, grace yourself to think beyond the space issues or the target group of kids who will be using the play set.

While shopping for playground equipment’s, you need to be up to date with the latest trends of play sets. Without doubt, manufactures are emphasizing on playground safety, a factor which has led to replacement of the conventionally rusty metals with plastic equipment’s. Children's plastic playground equipment is much safer as they lack sharp edges, and will protect your child when they fall. Innovative play sets have been introduced to help children learn as they play thereby helping them to grow both physically and mentally.

It is possible to watch children's imagination come to life when you select the right playground equipment for them. Play areas can be customized with the latest children’s playground equipment which is both entertaining and safe. It does not matter where you are building a public play area or a private backyard play area, selecting the right play set accessory is important. You can choose between playhouses, interactive play systems, swing sets, climbers, slides or commercial play sets based on your needs. Parents and care givers can always find information of the latest trends of playground from the internet and children magazines.

Playgrounds

Swing Sets and Slides

Structures and Furniture

Commercial Play Equipment

Things to think about before buying a Swing Set

Swing sets come in a variety of shapes, sizes and styles. They have been an integral part of children's playground and the modern swings unlike earlier models have better designs, are made using the best materials, and have safety features. Modern swing sets are therefore not only better, but also safer for children. If you wish to add Swing set to your backyard, you need to have an idea of the size of swing set you want in relation to the available space in your backyard. With constant improvement in designs, modern swings take up less space; have conveniently arranged swings and they come in attractive colors which do not fade easily.

Even though swing sets are favorite equipment for children, it was noted that the earlier designs could cause injuries to kids in case they fall. This was mainly due to the fact that the swings were made of metallic materials which made then uncomfortable to sit on. There was also risk of slipping and falling. Modern swing set design put much focus on safety and other essential features in swing play set. Investing in the right swing set will help you avoid common playground injuries while at the same time, offer you ample comfort during playtime.

Currently, most swings that have been designed have taken into account all the necessary safety and comfort factors. Greater attention is put on things like keeping the edges smoother, and making the swing as comfortable as possible bearing in mind different age groups that might use the swing set. Height, movement and rotating angles of the swing are areas which have been improved in modern designs. Seating space of modern playground swing sets is very comfortable and are made from, plastic, rubber, flexible canvas, wood or heavy vinyl. Before purchasing swing set, ensure all components, accessories and engineered parts meets the safety guidelines that have been set by American society for Testing and materials and consumer product safety commission.

Playgrounds

Swing Sets and Slides

Structures and Furniture

Commercial Play Equipment

Why install Recycled Rubber Mulch?

Kids like to explore different play sets and run freely on the playground. This raises the risk of getting injured on the rough surface of the park. To prevent this, you can cover the playground with recycled rubber mulch. It provides proper cushioning surface and reduce the risk of probable injuries to kids.

Post consumer material like cycle tubes, rubber pipes, van tires and other rubber products get recycled to produce recycled rubber mulch for the playground. In this recycling process, all the imperfections and other impurities are completely removed to obtain high quality rubber. Further, it gets de-vulcanized and shredded to acquire mulch.

Recycled mulch has an added advantage over regular playground surfacing options. It is durable and impact resistant in nature. Moreover, it has high absorbing tendency and can easily absorb the moisture up to any amount, providing non-slippery surface to kids. The life expectancy of recycled rubber mulch is twice as long as regular playground surfaces.

This mulch is totally bacteria free and does not allow the growth of weed as well as spread of rodent on the surface. All you need is mild soap and water to clean the recycled rubber mulch. As it is eco-friendly, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in the United States also supports the recycled rubber mulch. It is totally bacteria free and prevents the growth of weed & spread of rodent on the playground surface.

You must install the rubber mulch beneath kids dome climber and see saw as such equipment has greater risk of falling to the ground.

Playgrounds

Swing Sets and Slides

Structures and Furniture

Commercial Play Equipment

Commercial Playground Equipment Buying Guide

We are here with certain factors that you should consider while purchasing the playground equipment.

Material Used - Play sets are generally constructed using aluminum, wood, metal and plastic. Select the equipment that is sturdy, strong and durable material. It should easily withstand adverse weather conditions and can stand firmly on the ground for years on end.

Quality - Go for the manufacturer who has the International Playground Equipment Association certification that ensures he sells only superior grade sets to the customers. Before making the final purchasing decision, ensure that manufacturer has stringently followed all the guidelines defined by Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and American Society of Testing and Materials (ASTM) while constructing the playground equipment.

Safety - Another factor that you should consider while looking out for commercial playground is safety. Whether you are buying a complete play house or a swing set, make sure it is installed with anchors like bars, railing and hinges at the requisite places. Consider that all the pointy edges or rough surfaces in the play sets that can harm the children, is properly covered.

Location - Carefully measure the area where you will install the commercial playground. By this, you would get a clear picture of how big play set you can purchase for kids.

If followed patiently, the above mentioned factors would help you out in making the right purchasing decision.

Playgrounds

Swing Sets and Slides

Structures and Furniture

Commercial Play Equipment

Monday, December 3, 2012

Safety Tips for Kids in the Playground

Playgrounds are created to provide non-stop hours of fun to kids. It becomes quite a challenging job for the parents to keep their kids disciplined on the playground. This raises the risk of getting injured. Like every parent, you also want your children to be safe while they are enjoying on the play sets. Here are certain tips that you should follow to keep the kids safe in the playground.

1. Kids should wear essential safety gear such as helmets or knee-pads when riding a bicycle or roller skating in the park.

2. Make the children play on the equipment which is age appropriate for them.

3. Ensure that they wear tennis shoes with slip-proof bottoms instead of going open toes to the playground.

4. Do not let the kids play in public sandbox. It usually becomes a breed ground for hazards and bacteria.

5. Do not take your kids to playground wearing drawstrings, hoods or loose-fitting clothes. These may get entangled in the play equipment and raise the risk of strangulation.

6. Public playgrounds may have broken glass pieces and garbage. Do not let your kids play near such hazardous places.

7. Consider that there is not pointy edge on the play set before letting your kids play on it.

8. Children's playground equipment can be riddled with germs. Make the kids wash their hands properly after returning back to home.

It would be wide to visit the playground that is covered with superior quality rubber mulch rather than a park, which has concrete, asphalt or dirt surface beneath the play sets.

Playgrounds

Swing Sets and Slides

Structures and Furniture

Commercial Play Equipment