Playground Planning: Include These “7 Zones” To Create a Balanced Playground Environment
Before choosing the actual layout for your playground, it’s helpful to have an overall plan or design for the placement of furnishings. You will want to organize the space in a way that will promote physical and social play while minimizing conflicts. The following is called the zoned approach and was outlined in Esbenson in his book “The Early Childhood Playground: An Outdoor Classroom”. Similar to the way a classroom is arranged into specific areas or centers, small groupings of functionally separate outdoor play areas called zones can enrich children’s interaction with the equipment, nature, adults, and one another. Instead of having one large, central structure that attempts to provide a variety of experiences and activities for children, each zone includes several smaller, related activities and pieces of equipment. This allows more active play areas to be separated from areas that involve less noisy creative of manipulative activities and can help minimize the tendency for louder, bigger boys to dominate a play structure.
Esbenson outlines seven distinct zones:
1. Transition zone: The area between your building and the playground or between different play zones. This area allows children time and space to decide where they want to go as they enter the playground. This can include open space, or seating areas. Items to consider: picnic tables and benches, Shade Structures, Picnic Shelters, Bleachers. Read more
The Sensory Rich Playground is For Children of All Abilities
Young children learn by using all of their senses, so your playground should offer as many experiences as possible. The more sensory experiences, the more is learned and gained during development. The playground should include the following sensory areas:
Visual:top Adults tend to look at the functional aspect of playgrounds that includes the natural coloration and a traditional theme. Oft times, the natural looking playground is aesthetic for the adult rather than the child. It’s rare that the typical child-oriented environment consists of typical natural coloration, i.e. beige, green, brown. More likely, a playground with a variety of shapes, colors, and forms will offer the most stimulation and improve spatial perception.
Vestibular:top
The vestibular system consists of small, liquid-filled tubes in the inner ear and is important in maintaining a child’s sense of balance. The movement of liquid through these canals produces stimulation of the nervous system. Sensory experiences change every time the head moves in a different direction or at a different speed; this explains children’s great enjoyment of whirling, spinning, swing, or being tossed in the air. During the first years, children’s vestibular systems are very receptive to even small amount s of stimulation, and slight variations in speed and direction have a substantial effect on balance. The vestibular system works with the senses of touch and vision as well as sensations from the joints and muscles to help children orient themselves in space. When children go down a slide, for example, they both feel and see themselves moving downward through space. by about the age of 8, the sensory-motor development of children is well established.
Playground Safety in Georgia, What Do You Need to Know?
While the national safety standards for playground equipment as established by ASTM and CPSC are still considered as “voluntary standards”, each state may have its own criteria. The Childinjurylawyerblog has a great summary of Georgia daycare center playground rules and regulations.
You can download the Georgia Daycare Center Playground Area Standards here. The outdoor play area requirements begin on page 3.
Here’s a reference to an evaluation of Georgia daycare center playgrounds that likely led to the adoption of these facility standards. Atlanta playground hazards in childcare centers
Georgia does not recognize a national standard for playground equipment, according to the National Program of Playground Safety. They’ve included a list of public playground state regulations here.
In addition, the Georgia Construction Industry Licensing Board does not license general contractors or specialty contractors such as playground contractors. In order to do business in this state, you will need to contact the local city or county where work is to be performed. Website: http://www.sos.state.ga.us./plb/construct/
Your best solution is to find a reputable vendor, design consultant, and installer that is NPSI certified. The equipment should also be IPEMA certified, and the design and access should all meet ADAAG (accessibility standards). If you are planning a playground in Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, Florida, Kentucky or North Carolina and would like assistance, please contact us at .
Don’t forget to reference the Fundraising Resources page on the top right tab, for products and resource to help you with your playground fundraiser.
Restore Rubber Playground Surface with a Roll Coat Application
Rubber playground surfaces, referred to as poured-in-place (PIP) surfacing, are a great investment for your public playground, but may require restoration through a Roll Coat topping. Unfortunately, rubber playground surfacing is not a maintenance free option and you’ll see that through normal use and exposure to elements, the surface will start to degrade from:
- fading and discoloration,
- thinning of the top course through the loss of granules around high traffic areas
- peeling off of shredded rubber when using a bonded rubber
Faded rubber before roll coat
Restored with roll coat applied to rubber playground surface
Once the granules are washed off they can not be reapplied without completely adding another layer application (approximately 3/8″ thick). Generally, the fading and minimal loss of granules is not covered by the warranty. If steps are taken through a Roll Coat process early on, you’ll extend the appeal of the surfacing with color in addition to potentially extending the warranty of your investment. Given the average cost of $12.50 per square foot for PIP rubber, and the average playground size of 2000 square feet, you’ll want to extend this capital project as far beyond the 5-year warranty of most PIP surfacing manufacturers.
If used in a waterpark, or splashpark, the use of a Roll Coat is essential to preserving the life of the product. Most warranties for a waterpark setting are one year. The added chemicals, or salt break down the glue (binder) and the rubber granules will wash out through the filter system. The glue is not intended to be submerged in a water, so annual or even semi-annual applications may be required. The Roll Coat binder is “painted” on w/roller brushes, so we can provide the materials for future applications, as well as ship to any of your other locations.
The benefits of rubber playground surfacing are tremendous in terms of added play value through integrated designs, accessibility to special needs individuals, and a consistent fall absorption. As an alternative to engineered wood fiber (EWF–certified playground surfacing), or other loose-fill playground surfaces (including loose-fill nuggets or shredded rubber mulch) that require replenishment rubber surfacing will add years of fulfillment to your park, school, church or daycare playground. Contact us at www.korkat.com for do-it-yourself Roll Coat Kits, Poured-In-Place Patch Kits, Bonded Rubber Patch Kits.
Save Thousands By Installing Your Playground Equipment Together
One of the best ways to stretch your playground budget is by having a community build to install your playground equipment. Considering installations run between 25-40% of your total budget, it can be a disappointment to know that $6000 of a $10000 budget actually goes toward the equipment, while the rest is applied to installation/shipping/mulch/borders/taxes, etc. Those who install their own playground gain a sense of ownership and responsibility toward the finished project, and the pride felt by the volunteers in their accomplishment translates into pride toward the school or the community. You’d be surprised the number of people willing and able to put their tools & efforts to work.
What is needed for your playground installation: Unfortunately, the major power tools should be left at home. The only major tools/equipment (assuming the site is level) are an auger/bobcat and a great attitude. Depending on the scale of your installation, the community build can be completed in a day or two (weather & volunteers permitting). Usually, the day prior to build is spent laying and punching the holes; prepping the components; and laying out the equipment in advance of your volunteers. The key to organization is having activities for everyone to do, without requiring a lot of cooks in the kitchen. The groups can be split into teams to tackle the various phases:
- offloading and unpacking and sorting equipment
- site preparation
- post and platform assembly
- panel and component assembly
- borders and mulch installation team
- 1 or 2 runners for hardware/tooling drinks & food
- Project managers to coordinate the event.
The most important priority is to remember that this should be FUN!!!! Ask local companies to donate goods or services to the Build Day, from construction materials to food and beverages. Offer free publicity or advertising on your playspace’s signage as an extra enticement. Here are a few considerations in addition to these must read articles:
- 7 Critical Steps for Planning a Playground Layout
- Must-Have List for Designing Your Playground
- 14 Layout Considerations for your Playground
- Check before you dig!!!! Call ahead to have your local services identified on your build site—includes sprinkler lines
- Verify that your design plans and installation instructions are in-line with site
- Offload and secure equipment until build day
- Review all of the installation instructions thoroughly before build day
- Make sure the site has been prepared properly, i.e. less than 2% grade
- Secure area off for 72 hrs to allow concrete to cure
- Secure area from access if no surfacing has been installed
- Provide adequate dumpster and haul off packaging
COMMUNITY BUILD PLAYGROUND
TOOLS & RESPONSIBILITIES
- Customer to dig and clean holes and remove spoils. This must be done a minimum of one day before the actual build day. Customer is responsible to meet and unload truck and assist in sorting hardware if we are providing supervision on build day.
- Manufacturer Representatives will assist and laser holes in some cases if we are also providing supervision.
- Customer to provide and install concrete and provide 2” thick concrete paver blocks(stepping stones) to be placed in the bottom of the main structure holes.
- Recommended Tools:
- a. 14” – 18” Auger bit – 12” minimum-Recommend using a Bobcat with auger attachment
- b. Post hole diggers – 2 or 3
- c. Tape Measures – Long and Short
- d. 2 Foot Level – 1 or 2
- e. 4 Foot Level – 1 or 2
- f. Ladders – 2 each 6 foot or 8 foot or possible other heights
- g. Torpedo Levels – 12” Magnetic – 2-3
- h. Various Shovels and Garden Rakes
- i. Ratchets Wrenches 3/8” – 4-5
- j. 9/16” sockets – 4-5
- k. Electric Drills – 2 – Don’t recommend cordless
- l. ¼” Drill Bits – 4-5
- m. Extension Cords
- n. Water Hose and Nozzle
- o. Wheel Barrow – 3-4
- p. Pry Bar (Digging Bar) 6 foot – 1 – CRITICAL
- q. Concrete
- r. 2 – 4 8ft pressure treated 2 x 4’s
- s. 2 Tables 3×6 or 3×8 in width and length or 2 picnic tables.
- t. 2 Long handle sledge hammers if plastic border timbers ordered
- u. 4-6 Milk crates used for various purposes
