Saturday, May 10, 2008

Playgrounding



Thank god for the warm weather so we can get out of the house! (See previous post)
Now that Chloe's back in her spring/summer routine of errands/playground visit once a day, here's some things I wish more playground designers realized:

Slides are great for almost any age, but try not to have them terminate in a two foot drop. Kids are freestylers by nature and I've swapped a few stories with other parents about head-first or belly-down runs going heartstoppingly wrong.

Those big habit-trails for kids need a little baby-proofing. I've never seen a toddler take the plunge off the side(knock on wood), but those sudden openings into a sheer 6 foot drop to the ground need to go.

One thing the much-maligned Salem Common Tot Lot does right; the little chain & post fence next to the swing set. Nothing like seeing your kid make a beeline into a row of accelerating human pendulums to get your heart going!

Got any ideas for making playgrounds around here better? Let me know!


Share/Bookmark