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For kids, summer is still the best time of year. ?EUR??,,????'?????<
Playground supervisors or other adults at playgrounds need not only keep an eye on the children, but be alert to hot-to-the-touch play equipment and surfaces. Each summer we hear the same stories: children blistering their feet or other exposed skin areas on hot playground surfaces or equipment. Kids, of course, should not play barefooted, but they do tumble to the ground sometimes, and the play surfaces and certain equipment can be blistering hot.
The easiest and most practical solution to keeping everything and everyone cooler, while protecting delicate skins from harmful rays, is to specify shade structures. Unfortunately, many cities and schools may not have extra funds for that amenity.
BCI Burke of Fond du Lac, Wis., has some general suggestions for adults about summer fun on the playground and some basic safety tips:
Put your hand on parts of the playground that the children?EUR??,,????'?????< Choose a cooler part of the day to play. Apply sunscreen to protect children?EUR??,,????'?????< As a rough rule of thumb, surfacing around play structures should be at least 12 inches deep, consisting of either loose fill surfacing such as pea gravel, mulch, sand or wood chips, or one of a variety of rubber products available. It is strongly recommended to consult with a certified playground installer or playground manufacturer to ensure all safety guidelines, including exact depth of surfacing materials, are followed. Never attach ropes, jump ropes, clotheslines, or pet leashes to the equipment. These present serious strangulation hazards to children. Watch for broken parts, rust, protruding hardware, sharp edges, or other disrepair. Bring maintenance and safety concerns to the attention of the appropriate person immediately. Ensure debris and litter is picked up to prevent tripping hazards and health issues. (Editor?EUR??,,????'?????< Due to the differing capabilities and needs of children, separate play areas should be provided for pre-schoolers (ages 2-5) and children ages 5-12. Be sure children play on the equipment designated for their age. Look for signage on playgrounds that informs parents/ supervisors which structures are appropriate for the age of the children in their care, and remind them of supervision requirements. Interact with children at play. They take pride in showing adults what they can do. This also allows for better attention to safety.
The National Program for Playground Safety (NPPS) suggests children follow these safety tips:
Never play on playgrounds with loose clothing or drawstrings. Remove bike helmets while playing. Bring an adult with you. Only play on equipment with soft surfacing underneath. Pick up trash in and around the playground. Tell an adult if any equipment is broken, and do not play on it until it is fixed. When playing on swings be sure to sit down at all times, slow down before getting off, and do not walk near someone who is swinging. Play on dry equipment only. Beware of hot surfaces that can burn skin on sunny days.
To emphasize safety and fun, NPPS offers a SAFE Playground Supervision Kit to help supervisors understand and learn the techniques of safe supervision. The kit includes a training manual, DVD and a supervision fanny pack. BCI Burke is offering the NPPS Playground Supervision Kit free of charge to its customers.
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For more information, visit www.bciburke.com and uni.edu/playground.
The heavy spring rains and flooding in a number of states, especially in the Midwest, turned many playgrounds in parks, schools and childcare centers into ad hoc ?EUR??,,????'?????<
The first safety concern was, of course, was putting fencing or barriers up to keep children away from flooded playgrounds. When the waters began to recede, the National Program for Playground Safety (NPPS) suggested signage to warn of contaminated surfacing and equipment from stormwater runoff. The presence of e-coli and other bacteria, viruses and toxic chemicals are all concerns.
If the playground surfacing was loose fill materials (wood, rubber chips, sand or pea gravel), it will be important to be sure the surfacing is removed. Mold and bacteria can easily develop within organic (wood products) loose fill surfacing. Local landfill authorities should be consulted for disposal options.
Solid surfacing such as poured-in-place or rubber tiles need to be power-washed to remove possible contaminates. If the unitary surface or tiles have become loose during a flood, it may be necessary to replace the playground area with new surfacing.
Once the playground is dry, the NPPS recommends all the equipment and surfaces be sprayed with a 1:100 dilution of chlorine bleach and allowed to dry with a water rinse in 24 hours. The chlorine bleach wash is important as the hepatitis.
A virus can remain on surfaces for up to four to nine days without a bleach wash. New mulch in the disinfected playground area can then be placed.
For questions about the safety of the surfacing or equipment, the local health department is a good source.
(Note: Catherine Zeman, PhD, associate professor in HPELS, at UNI gave technical assistance to NPPS regarding playground contamination.)
Chattanooga, Tenn. based PlayCore, Inc., a designer, manufacturer, and marketer of a broad range of playground equipment and related play products, announced June 30, 2008 the acquisition of Ultra Play Systems, Inc.
For more than 20 years, Ultra Play, based in Red Bud, Ill., has been in the business of manufacturing and supplying playground equipment (swings, climbers, merry-go-rounds, slides, see saws, tunnels, sandboxes) park amenities (metal bicycle racks, flag poles, picnic tables, grills, bleachers) and outdoor athletic equipment. Ultra Play is also known for its thermoplastic-coated steel furniture and site amenities.
PlayCore, Inc.?EUR??,,????'?????<
Ultra Play Systems, Inc. will be an operating division of PlayCore in Red Bud, Ill., and Mike Moll will continue to serve as Ultra Play?EUR??,,????'?????<
For more info, visit www.playcore.com.
Playworld Systems?EUR??,,????'?????<
The awards, hosted by IDEA and BusinessWeek, honor design excellence for a variety of products. This year there were 27 product categories and 1,517 product entries submitted from 25 countries. Playworld Systems was named one of 389 finalists (all categories combined).
Gold awards went to 35 products; 77 received silver awards and 93 won bronze awards. The gold award in the leisure and recreation category went to SylvanSport GO?EUR??,,????'?????<
NEOS brings electronic gaming to outdoor play space with four towers of interactive sound and buttons that light up in random sequence depending on game selection. NEOS sports nine different games and three skill levels. Players compete for points, which are electronically recorded during play.
Playworld Systems is a manufacturer of customized recreation equipment and is headquarted in Lewisburg, Pa.
Visit idsa.org for more about the product awards.
Francisco Uviña, University of New Mexico
Hardscape Oasis in Litchfield Park
Ash Nochian, Ph.D. Landscape Architect
November 12th, 2025
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