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Thursday, January 16, 2014

Fix Those Teeter Totters!: Creating A Safe Playground For Your Child

By Judy Sullivan


These days, with all of the safety concerns about playgrounds and everything else, it can be tempting to keep children inside the house to play. However, this is neither realistic nor healthy. Children need to run around and be outside. Playgrounds are great places for them to do this, and to meet other children. However, it is important to ensure that the tire swings and teeter totters where they children play are safe and in good repair. There are lots of things to check when determining the safety of a playground. Here are a few.

1. Make sure the children are always supervised. While you might want to personally supervise your child at the park or playground, work and other commitments can make this difficult. Even when you cannot be there, it is important that another trusted adult is present. One thing to consider is forming a schedule with the parents of other kids who use the playground regularly, so that the responsibility for supervision is shared.

2. Playground structure is also important. Even if trusted adults are always present, there may be areas of the playground that are blocked from their view. Make sure all parents are aware of any spots that may cause problems, and that each parent regularly checks these areas.

3. Ensuring equipment maintenance. Someone should be checking regularly for rusty chain links or screws, so that the equipment does not suddenly fall apart while a child is playing on it. Make sure that this is done regularly and not neglected.

4. Make sure that things get fixed. Checking for problems is the first step, but fixing them is the necessary conclusion. Whether it is a tiny detail, or a larger issue like a broken ladder or a rusty slide, there needs to be a system for resolving problems in a timely manner.

5. Check the surfaces around swings, slides, and other equipment. While grass-covered dirt is fairly safe, dirt that is hard and filled with rocks can be a safety hazard. Even if the organization in charge of the playground cannot afford to put down fancy cushioning, grass can be planted and soft soil can be put down.

6. Get in touch with the people in charge. Whether your playground is run by the parks department, controlled by a school, or privately owned, find out who is responsible for all of the maintenance issues mentioned above. Get involved. Offer to fund raise and volunteer your time to improve the playground.

All children, regardless of family income or place of residence, should have a safe outside space where they can run and play. Broken teeter totters and rusty slides should be fixed. Making sure that your neighborhood playgrounds are safe might require some personal effort. You might need to network with people, including those who control the park and the other parents whose children play there. Remember that all of this work is helping to create a safe space for your own child and other neighborhood children.




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