Parks & Recreation - 2015 Playground Guide

Playground Safety

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2015 Playground Guide

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Greenfields Outdoor Fitness

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reenfields Outdoor Fitness was created to bring fun, social outdoor fitness equipment to parks, schools, military bases and other outdoor spaces worldwide.

As the obesity epidemic worsens, the need grows stronger to provide appealing exercise options to the whole community. Across the country, parks and other green spaces have been increasingly utilized as a means of providing these free options to the surrounding neighborhoods. Greenfields takes care to create exercise zones that are inviting, motivational and accessible to the greatest possible number of people.

Operating on a body-weight-leverage system, the equipment can be used by almost everyone, making it an ideal way for friends and family members to spend quality time together as they work on their fitness goals.

Greenfields’ extensive product line also includes the adjustable-resistance Professional Series units, which provide for a challenging workout for individuals with an even wider range of fitness levels.

Rob Herzog, fitness and sports medicine director for Memorial Healthcare System in south Florida, says the equipment “is as close as I could get to gym equipment that we’ll have in our [indoor] gyms.” Built to withstand all climate zones, the Professional Series — which utilizes a bidirectional hydraulic piston to provide resistance in both pushing and pulling actions — has proven to be a durable and popular option for outdoor exercise.

To be more fully inclusive, Greenfields in 2012 debuted exercise stations specially designed for people in wheelchairs. Unique in their functionality — accessible stations can also be used by able-bodied individuals — the apparatuses have gained a huge following nationwide.

“What an impact it’s made in the community…it’s just remarkable,” says Sherry McBee, parks and recreation director for St. Petersburg, Florida — the first city to install a fully-accessible Greenfields Fitness Zone. “When you come out and see them used constantly, it’s so rewarding.”

That St. Petersburg Fitness Zone at Azalea Park is used by U.S. Paralympian Jennifer French for upper-body conditioning. French, who won a silver med

al in sailing at the 2012 Paralympics in London, serves as Greenfields’ accessibility advisor.

“The great thing about the Fitness Zones is that they are free — anybody can come and go as they please, and there are features that allow wheelchair users to exercise alongside their able-bodied family members, friends and colleagues,” says French.

Traditional park amenities often cater only to certain demographics, leaving others without much to do in public spaces. Greenfields’ equipment is, of all park amenities, the one with the broadest appeal. Teens, adults, seniors (those already at high fitness levels and those just beginning to take steps toward a healthier lifestyle), the able-bodied and those in wheelchairs — everyone benefits as Greenfields continually pursues its mission of “promoting wellness and fighting obesity one community at a time.”

www.GreenfieldsFitness.com 888.315.9037

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Playtime Playground Equipment

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laytime means commercial-grade, American-made playground equipment. At Playtime, we’ve been building playgrounds for more than 25 years, so we know exactly what makes one worth playing on. Our creative whirligigs include merry-go-cycles, spyder ryders, and music and art stations, encouraging kids to interact not only with their environment, but with each other! Or, let their imaginations drive them on new adventures with our spring riders — school buses, firetrucks, trains and more.

We also build custom structures for schools, parks, churches and day-care facilities. Design your own playground with up to four towers and all the slides, climbers or panels you can think of. Add swing sets, picnic tables and other amenities to round out your site.

Call 866.784.9400 or visit www. playtimeus.com for a free consultation and enjoy the convenience of buying direct from the manufacturer, with our friendly customer service, great warranties and our enthusiasm to meet your needs!

Help your kids get moving and get creative! Playtime — How Fun Gets Done!

www.PlayTimeUS.com 866.784.9400 2

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contents features 3 Safety First Statistics on playground injuries and what to look out for when heading to the neighborhood playground help caregivers, and park and recreation professionals, keep safety at the forefront of play Catrina Belt

6 Safe and Accessible Playgrounds for All The International Play Equipment Manufacturers Association shares tips for making sure your playground is accessible to children and caregivers of all abilities.

10 Become a CPSI What better way to demonstrate your professional dedication and passion for safe, fun play than by obtaining your Certified Playground Safety Inspector designation?

company profiles 1 Greenfields

9 GameTime

2 PlaytimeUS

12 Landscape Structures

4 Playworld

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Safety First As summer approaches, more families and children are enjoying the warmer weather by spending time at their local playgrounds. With all of the excitement and activity at playgrounds, it is important to not only ensure that kids are having fun, but also that they are doing so safely. By familiarizing yourself with potential hazards and following recommended guidelines for playground safety, you and your community can create a safer environment for all children to play.

Here, we’ve compiled some interesting stats on playground hazards, which highlight key areas of concern for safety on public playgrounds.

200,000: Estimated number of injuries that oc-

cur each year in the United States as a result of playground accidents.

75: Percentage of playground injures that occur on public playgrounds.

80:

Percentage of playground injuries caused by falls on unsafe surfacing.

40: Percentage of playground injuries that are directly

related to lack of supervision.

$6.8 billion: Estimated annual cost of play-

ground-related injuries among children ages 14 and younger as of 2003.

15:

Number of children who will die from playground-related injuries each year.

56: Percentage of playground deaths resulting from en-

tanglement or entrapment.

25:

Percentage of public playgrounds that have appropriate impact-absorbing surfacing around stationary equipment.

42: Percentage of U.S. playgrounds that have separate

play areas for children ages 2 to 5 and children ages 5 to 12.

Sources: The Dirty Dozen: A Checklist for Safe Playgrounds, KaBOOM! (www.kaboom.org), Safe Kids Worldwide (www.safekids. org), Special Study: Injuries and Deaths Associated with Children’s Playground Equipment (www.cpsc.gov)

Five Tips for Playground Safety Each year, more than 200,000 injuries happen on playgrounds. Below, find five quick tips to help ensure children enjoy challenging and safe play experiences.

Check the surfacing material beneath the equipment to ensure it is acceptable.

Fact: Improper surfacing material under playground equipment is the leading cause of playground-related injuries.

Check the temperature of equipment surfaces.

Fact: Hot surfaces in direct sunlight can reach temperatures high enough to cause serious contact burn injuries.

Be observant of the conditions of the playground.

Fact: After falls, the next leading cause of injuries on playgrounds is related to breakage, tip-over, design and assembly of equipment.

Supervision and proper clothing can reduce risk.

Fact: It is estimated that 40 percent of playground injuries are associated with a lack of supervision.

Ensure the equipment is age-appropriate.

Fact: Preschool-aged children (2 to 5) have developmental needs that differ greatly from school-aged children (5 to 12).

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These tips have been developed from NRPA’s The Dirty Dozen, a comprehensive 12-point inspection guide for playground safety.

Download a free copy at www.nrpa.org/playgroundsafety.

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Innovative Playspace Solutions

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or more than 40 years and spanning three generations, Lewisburg, Pennsylvania-based Playworld® has been a family-owned and operated manufacturer of high-quality commercial playground and fitness equipment and is dedicated to providing the world’s best play experience.

Playworld believes The World Needs Play®. Play is vital to everyone’s health and well-being.

It’s something you are never too young or too old to enjoy. We develop playground environments where creativity is king, belly laughs are welcome and children make the rules. Playworld’s equipment and surfacing are designed to unleash the transformative power of play so bodies grow stronger, children play safely and imagination can take flight.

Our product lines span all ages and abilities, making us a leader in the industry. From age and developmentally appropriate early-childhood and schoolage equipment, through our outdoor fitness solutions geared for teens, adults and active seniors, we have the play and fitness solution you need.

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We are the pioneer in inclusive play solutions. In fact, we wrote the book! Our ground-breaking Inclusive Play Design Guide is an informative, objective resource developed by an international team of manufacturer-neutral child-development and inclusive-play experts. The overall design of a playspace is every bit as important as the individual products that inhabit it. Our team of more than 50 certified Inclusive Playground Specialists ensure that we make play accessible to people of all abilities when creating great playspaces.

Committed to sustainable manufacturing, we have removed 99.999 percent of PVCs from our products, and have earned certifications for environmentally responsible manufacturing, including the prestigious Cradle to Cradle CertifiedCM Silver designation of our products.

Our Unity™ Collection is the culmination of everything great from the playgrounds of yesteryear, reimagined and repurposed for today’s youth. Designed to allow more kids to play together, connect with one another, and use their imaginations in how they interact with the equipment, our collection of play pieces take the classic geodesic dome, teeter totter, monkey bars and slide and give them depth — they have multiple uses and functions that kids are drawn to and react to. Each piece works separately or can combine together to create a totally unique play experience. New materials like our flex treads allow children to encounter different types of play experiences than they are accustomed to.

For more information about Playworld, our products and our sustainability and inclusive initiatives, or to locate a local representative or request a catalog, visit www.playworldsystems.com.

www.PlayworldSystems.com 800.233.8404

an th ? e or ney m e jour m co t b be oin de p sli a to a n int a c po w a Ho ust j

Find out with Unity Slide Climber TM

These questions inspired Playworld® to create the Unity Collection—classic play structures reimagined to infuse more action, and greater connectivity.

Unity brings refreshing new possibilities to classic play forms, and new excitement to the playground.

Watch the entire Unity Collection in action at: PlayworldSystems.com/Play-Unites

ads14SS2961 © 2015 Playworld Systems®, Inc.

Safe and Accessible Playgrounds for All

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ince its inception almost 20 years ago, the International Play Equipment Manufacturers Association (IPEMA) has been a leader in creating, updating and maintaining industry standards for playground safety, establishing a formal process for playground equipment and surfacing through a third-party safety certification process.

Installing IPEMA-certified equipment and surfacing is considered a best practice benchmark for community and school playground owners and operators and provides consistency and reliability to safety within an ever-changing, innovative industry.

There is more than safety, however, to take into account when designing and building playgrounds.

Ultimately, planning using universal design principles can help to make a playground an accessible environment for children and caretakers of all abilities. At the very

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least, compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) standards will help with providing an accessible playground.

The 1990 Act is a wide-ranging civil rights law, prohibiting, under certain circumstances, discrimination based on disability. The ADA

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defines disability as “a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits major life activity.�

The ADA establishes standards by which public facilities, including public play spaces, must comply to ensure opportunities for people of all abilities to exist.

Playground equipment and surfacing materials are both subject to ADA standards. But having compliant materials and designs isn’t enough. Vigilance with regard to proper installation and maintenance procedures is key to upholding compliance. Compliant surfacing materials can have varying maintenance procedures and fac-

tors that can contribute to the degradation of the surface. Working with Certified Playground Safety Inspectors (CPSI) on installation and maintenance is recommended to safeguard the investment made in a compliant facility.

Complying with ADA standards is the law — but it’s also advantageous to the mission of encouraging more free play for kids. Outdoor, free play on playgrounds has been scientifically proven to have a variety of physical, mental emotional and cognitive benefits for children and parents of all ages. Additionally, it can be an important activity to promote family interaction and relationship-building.

Making sure a public play space is accessible to all — not only for differently-abled children, but for parents, grandparents and caregivers with different physical conditions — helps ensure a play space that is a diverse, healthy and popular community gathering spot.

In 2010, the Department of Justice updated its Standards for Accessible Design. The new standards, which became fully enforceable for all new construction and alterations in March of 2012, help ensure increased accessibility for all.

intended to help owners of public play areas understand how to use the Department of Justice’s 2010 Standards for Accessible Design.

The checklist provides everything

Complying with ADA standards is the law — but it’s also advantageous to the mission of encouraging more free play for kids. you need to know about access route dimensions, surfacing requirements and play equipment ramps and transfer stations for playgrounds of all sizes.

IPEMA’s Surfacing Guide for Safety and Access Through research, consultation and collaboration with those on the frontline of the playground indus-

try, IPEMA published a surfacing guide (http://bit.ly/1EQ0REb) to provide a complete source of regulations, including those related to access, concerning proper installation and maintenance of all IPEMA-certified playground surfaces including artificial turf, engineered wood fiber, interlocking tile, poured-in-place and rubber mulch. The guide provides an overview of different types of surfacing materials, as well as detailed information on the installation and maintenance of materials to ensure both safety and access.

Both resources can be found and downloaded at www.voiceofplay. org, along with other playground safety tips, FAQs and an “Ask the Expert” interactive feature.

Through planning and compliance with standards, playground designers can create a play space for schools that will thrive as an integral part of a child’s learning environment, and provide lasting benefits for a life full of play.

IPEMA’s Checklist for Access Because there can be confusion about the standards and what they mean for new or existing public play facilities, IPEMA has compiled a toolkit designed to help those in charge of public play facilities with compliance.

The “Checklist for Access” (http://bit.ly/1SRDTHp) summarizes 12 key steps to compliance with the standards and is

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Toolkit Now Available!

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SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

Expression Swing™ Science for Social Change

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hen a parent and a child make eye contact during play, something special happens. The portions of the brain that are responsible for balance and coordination, thought and language are stimulated. Scientists have observed an increase in brain activity in both parent and child at the moment of eye contact by using an encephalograph. This moment of “play attunement” is critical in the development of the parent-child bond and is essential in the early development of a child’s life.

Three-dimensional movement, like that experienced in swinging, stimulates the parts of the brain that enhance our emotions and cognitive development. By combining three-dimensional movement with eye contact, we can create a play experience that provides cognitive, emotional and physical benefits for both adult and child.

All over the world, we talk with people who are looking for opportunities to create mixed-age (intergenerational) social play. A U.K. study found that 1 in 5 adults have forgotten how to play with their children, and 55 percent of children desire more play interaction with their parents and grandparents. (A. Hill, 2010, The Guardian).

A report on baby boomers in the United States found one of the top priorities of adults reaching retirement age is living in neighborhoods that enable them to play and interact with their children and grandchildren on a regular basis. (M. Shields, 2013, www.khi.org) The need for adult/child play interaction drove us to create more than just a swing. We leveraged the science of play attunement to create a catalyst for social change.

Expression Swing is more than an adult/toddler combination swing. It is an opportunity for adults and children to interact with one another in meaningful, social play. Rather than standing behind a child and pushing him or her without being able to see one another, the patent pending, face-to-face design pairs a bucket seat for children with a comfortable adult swing seat that allows a parent and child (or grandparent and grandchild) to interact with each other and experience one another’s facial expressions during play.

Dr. Stuart Brown, M.D. is a world-renowned expert on the benefits of play. He is the founder of the Na

tional Institute for Play and the author of Play: How it Shapes the Brain, Opens the Imagination and Invigorates the Soul. He describes Expression Swing as “a wonderful design that brings many foundational elements of play, based on good play science, into action.

This swing allows mutual, joy-filled eye contact that activates the hard-wired play ‘state’ to spontaneously and vigorously emerge. It allows intergenerational mutual play to occur throughout the life cycle and stimulates cerebra-cerebellar circuits that we know are hugely important for developmental competency.”

Expression Swing brings adults and children together in play like nothing has before. Just as parents and grandparents relish the memory of a child’s first step or first day of school, Expression Swing allows them to participate, first-hand, in a child’s first swinging play experience and to see what you’ve been missing.

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Become a Certified Playground Safety Inspector

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RPA is dedicated to ensuring that children across the country have access to safe, challenging and fun play environments.

NRPA’s Certified Playground Safety Inspector (CPSI) program is the premier certification program in playground safety. It was developed to inform professionals and the public about playground safety issues at the highest national standards set by the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) and U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). The CPSI program provides credentials to inspect playgrounds for safety as well as the most comprehensive and up-to-date training on playground safety issues including hazard identification, equipment specifications, surfacing requirements and risk-management methods.

It is NRPA’s goal to train and certify at least one person from every community across the United States to be a CPSI. No matter if you are just beginning your career or are well along, NRPA’s CPSI certification can be beneficial in creating better visibility, opportunities and jobs for yourself. By investing in CPSI certification you are: • Protecting children from injury due to playground hazards.

• Protecting your business or agency from costly liabilities.

• Opening the door to more opportunities for career advancement.

• Increasing your job mobility and choices even in the face of a tough job market.

• Reaching not only your shortterm job goals, but also position-

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ing yourself for success in your long-term career.

• Being associated with NRPAs strong and long-standing reputation in playground safety.

Becoming CPSI certified is easy.

Visit www.nrpa.org/CPSI to locate classroom courses near you.

The CPSI course trains individuals to identify hazards on public playgrounds and playground equipment, how to rank those hazards according to injury potential, and how to apply the knowledge and establish a playground safety program. Individuals taking the classroom course will gain practical, hands-on training on how to apply the ASTM and CPSC guidelines to playground environments. If a course is not offered in your area,

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a four-part online course is also available. The online course offers individuals and employers greater visibility to help meet the training demands of their workplaces. Both the class and online course covers all of the material necessary to pass the CPSI certification exam.

Individuals taking the course can sign up for the CPSI practice exam for a stress-free way to identify strengths and weaknesses before taking the actual CPSI exam. This practice exam will help you measure your knowledge, skills and abilities necessary to perform many functions of a CPSI. Testing for the CPSI certification exam takes place on the third day of the classroom course or through Computer Based Testing. Individuals must apply online to register for the exam.

Once participants pass the CPSI exam, they will be awarded with the official CPSI designation.

Their freshly acquired knowledge properly and consistently applied in the field will help to create an experience level necessary to be considered a playground safety expert.

For more detailed information on how to become CPSI certified, visit www.nrpa.org/CPSI or email certification@nrpa.org.

Protect Your Playgrounds. protect your agency.

Get Certified.

Certified Playground Safety Inspectors (CPSIs) help ensure children have safe places to play. Not only that, becoming a CPSI opens the door for career advancement and increased job mobility.

Reach your career goals.

Take the course online or in a classroom near you.

www.nrpa.org/CPSI

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

Connecting Kids to Nature with Natural Playground Designs

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echnology offers numerous benefits to society — it provides convenience, fun and a way to connect to the world. However, technology has also changed the way that children play. Children are spending more time inside, in front of screens, and they’re less active, leading to an increase in childhood obesity. The good news, though, is that the solution to the obesity epidemic is in our backyards. Parks, playgrounds and nature are available for us to enjoy and benefit from.

At Landscape Structures Inc., a Delano, Minnesota-based commercial playground equipment manufacturer, we’re doing what we can to connect kids to nature with nature-inspired playgrounds. Earlier this year, we introduced the Canyon Collection™. The realistic rock panels integrate with PlayBooster® playstructures so that natural climbing structures are no longer set apart from the rest of the playground. This new innovation delivers continuous play that’s both physical and imaginative — four configurable rocks, along with the collection’s nets and a deck, create challenging and exciting play experiences perfect for 5- to 12-year-old children.

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We sculpted the Canyon Collection rocks based on molds from the Gneiss (pronounced “nice”) Outcrops in southwestern Minnesota. The result? Incredibly realistic texture and rock shapes for truly natural-looking playground equipment. Adding to the realism are critters like frogs and mice sculpted into the outside of the panels and features like bats, insects and stalactites on the inside.

All of the elements in the Canyon Collection were created to work well together, but in a variety of ways.

Playground designers will satisfy a range of budgets and footprints by choosing from four preconfigured formations or the individual rock panels can be placed to create a one-of-a-kind nature-inspired adventure.

Even more, the new Canyon Collection can be combined with our existing nature-inspired playground equipment to create truly natural-looking playground environments. Our equipment combines the adventure and wonder of nature with the durability, safety and low maintenance of high-quality playground equipment. From PlayBooster or PlayShaper® tree house playstructures to log and mushroom steppers, or nature-inspired playground components that are personalized for your location, our team of artists and playground designers will work with you to blend your new playground into its surrounding environment, making an outdoor play space where children, families and the entire community gathers.

See the Canyon Collection and our other nature-inspired playground equipment in action at www.playlsi. com. Then contact your local Landscape Structures playground consultant to get started on a nature-inspired design today.

www.playlsi.com 888.438.6574

NEW The Canyon Collection

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With The Canyon Collection™, rocks are no longer isolated events set apart from the rest of the playground. This integrated rock-climbing experience kindles the spirit of adventure with realistic rock panels that attach directly to a PlayBoosterŽ playstructure, creating new heights in continuous play.

This configurable collection of rocks, decks and nets can be combined in a variety of ways. Choose from four unique formations!

Watch The Canyon Collection in action at playlsi.com/canyon-collection.

763.972.5200 888.438.6574 playlsi.com Insta

SWING

With Me! Introducing the first playground swing that promotes social and intergenerational play with a patent pending, face-to-face design.

Expression Swing™ See What You’ve Been Missing.™ GAMETIME.COM/EXPRESSION

800.235.2440

gametime.com