Dave Daniels: Playgrounds provide fun and exercise

Published 1:11 pm Wednesday, January 13, 2010

As we drive by any one of the four elementary schools in our district, one thing that we notice is children playing on the playgrounds.

We all understand that recess is an important part of a young child’s development in terms of social activities and being physically fit.

But how is a playground developed, maintained and new equipment purchased and installed?

New playgrounds are developed using available space, age- appropriate equipment and trending toward specific physical activities.

A number of safety-related issues also go into the playground development process.
Such as:

• Proper protective surfacing. This is the surface underneath the play structures. It should provide protection from falls, provide drainage of water and be easily maintained.

• Fall zones and use zone. This is the area directly under a play structure or a pre-determined area adjacent to a play structure. A good example is a swing set. Not only is it required to have a protective surface under the swing set, it is also required to have this protective surface extend two times the height of the swing set to protect a child in the event a child decides to let go and fly through the air.

• Protrusions and entanglements. These consist of items that might protrude, causing a scrape or cut. Entanglements cause items of clothing to be caught and not allow a child to move, such as sliding down a slide. Our equipment does not contain these hazards.

• Entrapments. These consist of openings where a child may be able to pass through with their feet, but would not allow the torso of the body to pass through. Our equipment does not contain these hazards.

• Equipment spacing. This provides sufficient spacing and eliminates overcrowding on or near equipment. These spacing requirements are spelled out in the Public Playground Safety Act.

• Trip hazards. Equipment should not be located near exposed tree roots, adjacent to parking lots or sidewalks or exposed concrete footings from equipment installation.

• Supervision. A playground should be designed so a playground supervisor is able to view all activities without obstructions and be able too respond to any incident that may develop.

• Maintenance. Building custodians perform monthly playground inspections. These inspections are documented. If deficiencies are found, corrections are made to meet the standards. Yearly, extensive maintenance inspections are performed and again these are documented and if deficiencies are present, corrections are made.

Dowagiac Union Schools has been fortunate in the past years to have groups provide monies to upgrade and purchase new equipment.

We have also been able to have a number of volunteers step up to help install this equipment.

With the volunteers this has allowed the monies to stretch a little farther and to purchase additional equipment.

For many children, whether it is summer time or during the school year, the school playground provides a place to come and enjoy time with family and friends.

It also provides the physical activity necessary to build a healthy mind and body and development of social skills to carry them into their adult life.

This week’s column is by Maintenance Supervisor Dave Daniels.