News
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Playground equipment With Special Needs, More Places Can Play
In Pocatello ¡ª an old railroad town bordering the Fort Hall Indian Reservation ¡ª Brooklyn's Playground sits on a flat, often windy park with a view of the Rocky Mountains. That it's here at all goes back to a minor domestic squabble and a bump on the head. When Brooklyn was 3 years old, her dad took her to another playground, and put her in a regular swing. "I thought she could handle it," Fisher says, "So I put her in there, and my wife said, 'I wouldn't do that.' " Brooklyn was born with spina bifida and has difficulty controlling her muscles. With no back support, she flipped out of the swing and hit her head. "So it was at that time that my wife said, 'We need to do this. We need to bring a playground for her, for the other kids in our community, to Pocatello.' " Inclusive designs have been evolving for decades. Federal accessibility guidelines have been around since the 1990s. But in recent years there has been a bigger push by parents, advocates and designers, amounting to an inclusive playground movement. "We have the therapeutic swings," Fisher says. "These have got backs, so kids that don't have that muscle tone can get in there completely, and feel safe and secure and swing." One of the elements that legally define an accessible playground is literally the ground. "We have ramps leading up to all the play structures. You have the solid surfaces throughout the entire playground. With walkers or wheelchairs it's very easy to go around this." If the surface weren't smooth, if it were sand or those familiar wood chips, kids in wheelchairs might get stuck, or their parents would have to carry them. This accessible swing is designed to support children with physical disabilities. John W. Poole/NPR But ramps ¡ª and other inclusive playground features ¡ª drive up costs. For example, the smooth, resilient surface at Brooklyn's Playground cost more than $150,000. Also, at 15,000 square feet, this playground is something most municipalities wouldn't have the funding to build on their own. So the Fishers, with the help of a local civic group, started raising money. Over eight months, the money poured in from grants and hundreds of individual donations, bake sales and garage sales. "We raised $580,000 and it cost $560,000 so we have $20,000 in the maintenance fund," Fisher says. And when it came time to build the playground, 3,000 people showed up to work. In a week, it was done. But public playgrounds are generally the responsibility of local governments. So, couldn't the city of Pocatello have built it? "Absolutely not," says Mayor Brian Blad, "not on the budget we have." He and officials from other municipalities tell NPR that a weak economy has put many local governments in survival mode ¡ª providing basic services and not much more. "The resources just wouldn't be there for a playground like this," Blad says. "The money is needed in so many other places." But as of March 15, 2012, federal law requires that public play areas include wheelchair-friendly surfaces and equipment that help kids with physical challenges move around. So if a town does build or renovate a playground, it must meet specific accessibility standards. And, localities must provide their residents with "program accessibility," which means there are equal play opportunities for everyone in the community.
2018 12/24
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Playground equipment Can Promote Children To Grow Up
Most parents have a consensus, we can poor in everything except the children, so, as long as it is the child to eat, play, all the best, and the more the better. "Is it true?¡± Eat not, nor is playing. The results of the study which is about preschool children education plan showed that, giving the child too much toys or inappropriate toys can damage their cognitive ability, because they will be in front of so many toys appear at loose ends, unable to concentrate on playing one. Not only that, Oxford University education psychology professor Cathy Silva in the related research also pointed out that the child who have less toys, as parents together with them reading, singing, game time will be relatively more, so they are more intelligent than those children who¡¯s family circumstances is superior, toys into mountain age. For this conclusion, the Chinese family education association, a happy spring children's development research center director Cheng Huai also agreed with. He said that if the toy is too much, it will stimulate the child at a loss, only like a bear that is breaking off corn cobs, break one throw one, play one, throw one, the results is they didn't play one in deep, and has been in a simple tinkering with stage. In fact, the role of the toy mainly support, promote child physical, psychological development, the key is not the number, but in whether it is suitable for children. The so-called fitting, the first is to fit the age, the second is to be able to have children at this stage to promote the normal development of the role. For instance, 1 years old child is learning to walk, at this time, you need a drag duck toy, it can send out sound, stimulate the child excited, be helpful for training the ability to walk. Generally, in a certain stage, two or three suitable toys are enough. If the toys is much, classify them, when the child will indeed hand toy tired of playing, no new move, then take out a few new.
2018 11/14
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Playground equipment-What's the Requirements we will face ?
Where is the playground surfacing industry going in the near term? I wish I could give you a definitive answer. I will attempt to enlighten you, but what I will not do is give you the answer you all need. It is time to roll up your sleeves and do some good old fashion homework. There is no excuse for not being informed on the many variables that impact your purchasing decisions. Yes, it might make sense to hire a consultant; however, buyer beware. When it comes to listening to what you are being told or what you read in marketing literature, always consider the information and source with an open and inquisitive mind. One bit of good advice I received from a friend as my son was starting to become a bit more social and wanted to go to a friend¡¯s house for a sleepover was to ¡°trust but verify.¡± I continue to get questions from CPSIs and others who want to know what surface system they should be specifying for their playgrounds. I appreciate the fact that we are all very busy and would appreciate some help from the industry experts. I too did the same when I was responsible for all of playground-related tasks for my agency. I realized early on there was not an adequate comprehensive source of information in one place nor were there enough well informed people within the industry to get the quick answer we all desire. This was understandable for two reasons. Everyone is trying to sell their own surface system and private consultants want to be paid to do your homework and make an appropriate recommendation for a surface system that best fits your budget and performance requirements. Where do these consultants get their information? I realized back in the day they get most of their information from many of the same sources I was using. I, like many of you, was paying the cost to educate my consultant. A lot has changed over the past 30 years. There are many new products available in the marketplace and many more industry performance standards for play area surface systems. When I started out in the field of Park and Recreation Management, there was no Google Search. There was no Internet or cell phone. Things were not as bad is it appears. We did have indoor plumbing, electricity, and the telephone. We found answers to most of our problems through word of mouth and experimentation. This is not the way things are done today. Google it and you get all kinds of things to read, most of which are put out by the surfacing companies and their marketing staff who are trying to sell you their products. Most of this information will point out all the positives of their surface systems. Unfortunately, there is no consumer report on the subject. You will not find a complete report with a side by side comparison of all the positives and negatives of each system available in the marketplace. Regardless of all the good, and sometimes bad, information available through the Internet, the question everyone should be asking is, ¡°What performance requirements must be adhered to for my surface system to meet the current industry recommendations for a compliant system and how long should it last?¡± It is time for everyone involved in managing public playgrounds to do their homework and become knowledgeable in everything necessary to select the appropriate impact attenuating surface system for their situation. This includes everything related to proper installation, maintenance, and repair throughout the system¡¯s life. There is no excuse for not knowing what resources are required to maintain a compliant impact attenuating surface within the play equipment use zone. Knowing this information is only half of the battle. Knowing what resources you have at your disposal to successfully manage the surfacing throughout its life will help you apply this knowledge to achieve the best outcome. This is where making good decisions becomes a bit more involved. Accessibility requirements for firmness and stability tend to steer our choices towards unitary systems. There are so many new unitary and composite hybrid surface systems, it is becoming very difficult to keep up with the surfacing industry. Then how do you compare these new systems to one another when looking at initial cost versus long term maintenance and projected life expectancy? Most of these systems have not been in place for more than a few years at best. Loose fill systems like Engineered Wood Fiber (EWF) and loose rubber are still popular and provide excellent impact attenuation, but issues related to accessibility and the ongoing frequency of maintenance of these systems pose the biggest challenge for most public play areas owners. Still the number one consideration guiding our purchasing decision should be to provide the most impact attenuation possible while meeting all our other unique issues each play area presents. Too many owners and their consultants are focused on meeting the minimum industry performance requirements without understanding the future challenges of meeting these requirements throughout the life of the playground. What kind of warranty is available for each of these surface systems? Do these warranties have any limitations? I doubt most people have taken the time to read these warranty statements and what your responsibilities will be to remove and replace a system that fails within the warranty time limits. What is more troubling to me is how many people defer their decision to their consultant for what surfacing system to specify. Many owners give little or no guidance for what performance requirements you expect. I see this scenario repeating itself time and time again with very unpleasant outcomes 3 to 5 years down the road. Now it is too late. Everyone is upset and the owner is the one left to deal with the issues at hand. If this has happened to you I suggest you look in the mirror to find the person responsible. Nobody should relinquish their responsibility to someone else for choosing the best most appropriate surface system for their play areas. I would start with defining and specifying impact attenuation performance.
2018 10/22
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Research of the outdoor equipment in park
Outdoor equipment provides place and equipment for those who do not have places to exercise. However, China outdoor fitness equipment industry is still in its beginning stage, community, park and square outdoor fitness equipment has many defects in the design, scientific and other aspects. Many people use fitness equipment in an improper way or the fitness equipment is poorly design, which was easy to get injured. A lot of outdoor fitness equipment can be easily during use, and it's difficult to maintain. Some of there problems are man-made problem, some natural factors and unreasonable design. It has caused several disturbing negative effects, such as injuring people and disrupting their normal lives. So in the face of many problems reflected by the unreasonable design of the outdoor fitness equipment in the park, we should research the use, environment, use situation of the outdoor fitness equipment in the parks. Through actual investigation, the study positions the middle-aged crowd as the positioning crowd in fitness equipment design. We make summary considering of the shape, color, material and safety and also combining the elderly physiological, psychological and behavior characteristics with the outdoor fitness equipment defects as well as unreasonable design, intended to make certain reference function on the outdoor fitness equipment design of the park. According to the general requirements for safety standard of our outdoor fitness equipment, we sum up some fitness equipment design principle, let outdoor fitness equipment can serve people's fitness requirements, further improve and perfect the design theory research of fitness equipment, and apply the improved results in the new design.
2018 08/31
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How to overcome physical discomfort which caused by misused of outdoor fitness equipment?
Exercising on outdoor fitness equipment for a long time may cause muscular sprain, and high strength to bear the load, energy consumption, oxygen debt, work ability will decline. It is prone to muscle stiffness phenomenon. Muscle stiffness is a temporary normal physiological phenomenon, and is also"self-defense signal" of your body protective response. It indicates that the muscles have been tired, need to adjust and rest. How to prevent the use of outdoor fitness equipment caused by muscle stiffness? 1. You should arrange the appropriate exercise and exercise intensity and density from the actual reasonable choice of strength, density, time and quantity, the amount of exercise and exercise the intensity and density. 2. The training way should change from time to time, because the practice means to be diverse, muscle to work alternately. 3. Ability to master muscle relaxation. After each group exercising, deep breathing, massage, hot water bath, etc. to fully relax the muscles, so as soon as possible to eliminate fatigue. 4. To grasp the technical essentials correctly, and the muscle contraction and relaxation should coordinate. It can reduce unnecessary work and consumption
2018 08/23
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What should we do if outdoor equipment aging?
Outdoor fitness equipment plays an important role in people's daily life. As the people's living standards improve, the demands of outdoor fitness equipment are also increasing. It can be said that outdoor fitness equipment has been integrated into the daily life of people's daily life. However, what should we do if outdoor fitness equipment aging? It will be very dangerous if still using aged fitness equipment. According to the reporter found that many communities fitness equipment exist security risk, and some fitness facilities have been damaged, and some have been rusted which can not be used, and some stolen. The damaged fitness equipment is unavailable to residents. Community staff says that they will promote the release of "the protection of outdoor fitness equipment" after installation. So that people not only understand the national fitness project, and called on everyone to love the outdoor fitness equipment. It can strengthen their use of guidance and daily management and protection.
2018 08/16
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Nowdays Maintenance Methods of Playground Equipment
1. For plastic parts and glass fiber in playground equipment, use a soft cloth or soft brush to scrub, after soaking in soapy water, disinfectant detergent, bleaching powder dilution, and then rinse with water, dry with a clean cloth or in the air. Finally, disinfect with disinfectant spray. 2. For the soft part, you can use a soft cloth stained with soapy water to scrub, or place it in the sunlight for exposure disinfection. 3. To moisture and heat resistant, fadeless wooden part, wash with soapy water and then dry it. Finally, disinfect with disinfectant spray. 4. If there is the requirement of derusting for the metal parts of playground equipment, you can use brush to wipe off the rust, and clean with a dry cloth; after exposure in the sunlight, you can use some colorless spray paint at the distance of 20 cm or so, after dry and then spray once again, from the protective effect. When the paint is completely dry, clean, dry and disinfects it. 5. When clean circuit parts, first of all to ensure that power outage, prohibit watering, generally scrub with a damp cloth, not connect to the power until completely dry. 6. For all the playground equipment, especially outdoor slides and drill parts, there should not be any water after the rain. If any, should play a 4 mm diameter holes for drainage at the lowest point. 7. Of course, at the same time must also need to check and see if the connection parts are solid or not, refuel the metal part with frequent activities, and check electrical appliances and ordinary parts to avoid damage.
2018 08/14
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How Much the Outdoor Playground Equipment Cost?
The price of children playground equipment has always been the concern of many playground operators, and now more and more operators choose outdoor playground equipment. Whether it is a large playground, or shopping malls, or small children recreational equipment operators, for their own, how to choose their own children play equipment is what they really concerned about. For the operating costs of investors, we should be based on the size of their own playground to choose their own children play equipment. 1. For the shopping malls, the small, low-priced children play equipment will be more suitable, because it`s usually aim to attract customers, but not to profit through the amusement equipment. 2. The passenger flow volume of large playground is very high, so children play equipment can bring many benefits. We can choose more expensive equipment, this kind of children play equipment are usually more popular among children. 3. To small and medium operators, due to the limited cost of operation, can not buy large-scale children play equipment, so according to their own economic strength to make a choice is a better way. The price of the appropriate children play equipment will be more suitable for our business, small playground can`t choose large children play equipment, because the price is high, the maintenance costs are high, and will not bring better benefits.
2018 08/10
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Playground equipment-Everyone can make a difference
March is the harbinger of spring and rebirth. The perfect month to be designated Developmental Disabilities Month. A time to recognize that everyone has something to contribute, and that we can all learn from one another. Established in 1987 by President Reagan, Americans were called upon to help people with developmental disabilities reach their potential by offering encouragement and providing opportunities. I am a child of the 90s, a time of florescent colors and big hair, but also a decade when important issues that were difficult to discuss were in the spotlight. It was about creating awareness of the plights of those less fortunate, think Ryan White and We Are the World. In fact, it was a time when many organizations were created to promote awareness and actively help. Growing up I never saw children with disabilities in school. There were no children in wheelchairs or with developmental disabilities in my classes. I was surprised that my friend had a sister I never met because she had Down Syndrome and lived in a special group home. I never thought of the kids in special education classes as having disabilities if they were slow learners or troubled teens bucking authority. It wasn't until later I heard about dyslexia and other learning disabilities.There are now nationwide efforts in schools to prevent bullying of those who are different. Today, children with disabilities both physical and developmental are mainstreamed in schools and in other organizations, such as in our church. Our school district allows children with disabilities to continue to be involved in certain school activities like chorus and drama productions until they are 21 because of the positive aspects socialization affords them. My younger daughter has a friend who is wheelchair bound due to cystic fibrosis, and has assisted her in several drama and musical productions. They have developed a friendship and trust. My daughter tells me that she is as talkative as any other teenager and even uses Facebook to message my older daughter at college. Other children with developmental disabilities participate in chorus and the students often help keep them focused and on task. They delight in being in the spotlight, seeing people smile and applaud for them building their self-esteem. A local dance studio my girls used to attend created a special class for people of all ages with various levels of ability, including my daughter's friend. It was a joy to see how proud they were to be involved. And what about the parents of these children who are more publically visible and active in society? They are fiercely proud of their kids, their involvement in activities and their acceptance by their peers. Society today has empowered them with support and a voice. They have become leaders for creating opportunities for their children and educating us about their disabilities. By integrating these children in school and other societal activities, others get to know, engage with encourage and become more caring, compassionate and understanding. They, too, have become advocates. By recognizing that anyone with a disability is more than their disability, we can become better human beings. It is March time for our high school spring musical. It will be the last performance for my daughter's friend, but her impact on everyone will live on in each of the people whose lives she touched. I encourage everyone to help support families of children and relatives with developmental disabilities continue to have opportunities and make a positive impact in society.
2018 07/31
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Playground equipment-Let Kids Play
Not long ago, I visited a local playground. The exact location will remain anonymous to protect the fun-crushers. It had the latest fencing to protect the precious little ones, or keep undesirables out. I am still not sure which. The playground equipment was high tech, no rough edges to cause a boo boo. And the perfect ground cushioning was in place, so no one is snowflake would get an owee. And then there was the sign. After reading it, I was in a funk for days. 1. There is to be adult supervision at all times. NO EXCEPTIONS. Yes, children are always the cause of the world is problems. We must protect them from each other. Put a bunch of kids together and all hell always breaks out. They just can¡¯t have fun without adults around. 2. No jumping from swings in motion. Isn't that the point? I mean, it is all about who can go the highest. Who can jump the longest? 3. No climbing except on the climbing wall. Did you even have a climbing wall on your playground? I thought the whole purpose of playgrounds was to climb on any and every thing possible. Hanging upside down from whatever is a rule of playgrounds. 4. No jumping from any playground equipment. And how, pray tell, can we play Superman? 5. No throwing of mulch or rocks from the playground. I guess this means we are to use imaginary missiles during our wars or to fight off the bad guys. The question remains as to how one knows if one is hit. 6. No touching of someone ahead of you on the slide. I don't even know where to go with that one. Everyone likes a little push for extra speed. 7. No climbing up the slides the wrong way. Anyone who has not raced up a slide the wrong way is to see if they could make it, please raise your hand. Still waiting. 8. No climbing, pulling or leaning on the fence. The purpose of a fence is to climb it. And has anyone ever leaned on a fence while talking with a friend or neighbor? 9. No wrestling, pushing, grabbing, kicking, or using any other physical aggression with each other. Okay, I will let the kicking part slide. But it is a playground. No tackling the man with the ball? No king of the hill? And that was it. At least it wasn¡¯t a Top 10 list, only nine. I remember reading that thinking there were a lot of ¡°no¡¯s¡± and ¡°don¡¯ts.¡± There wasn¡¯t a single ¡°yes¡± or ¡°do.¡± And the word ¡°fun¡± was never mentioned. Ever. Why? Because we are all about rules; about not being sued because some precious snowflake actually went outside to play and got an owee. Our ¡°play¡± is becoming as structured and regulated as everything else. We are too legalistic and ready to sue at a moment¡¯s notice. Coffee too hot? Sue them. And yes, that happens. I read that sign and looked at all the shining and, yes, cool, playground equipment. I saw the ground padding. And I thought to myself how can anyone have fun. Too many rules. Too many ¡°don¡¯ts.¡± As parents, we try to protect our children from harm. But it seems more and more we are protecting them from fun. And yes, during fun time, one can get a scrape or a scratch or sometimes even a sprained or broken ankle from taking the whole Superman thing a little too far. It¡¯s called life. It¡¯s called the ER, where the SONs of Thunder have a running account. I thought up my own rules. Yes, there are a couple of don``t, but I think the tone follows the whole ¡°have fun playing outside¡± as it was meant to be. 1. No electronics of any kind. NO EXCEPTIONS. 2. It¡¯s called dirt. It won¡¯t kill you. You can clean up later. 3. Be nice. 4. Wait your turn. 5. Share. 6. Only those kids actually playing in the playground can make up the rules for various games and contests. 7. If you get a boo boo, we have bandaids. 8. Drink plenty of water. 9. Have fun. Let the kids play. Let them play and follow their own rules.
2018 07/26
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Playground equipment-Risky Play: Why Children Love and Need It
Fear, you would think, is a negative experience, to be avoided whenever possible. Yet, as everyone who has a child or once was one knows, children love to play in risky ways-ways that combine the joy of freedom with just the right measure of fear to produce the exhilarating blend known as thrill. Six categories of risky play Ellen Sandseter, a professor at Queen Maud University in Trondheim, Norway, has identified six categories of risks that seem to attract children everywhere in their play.[1] These are: • Great heights. Children climb trees and other structures to scary heights, from which they gain a birds-eye view of the world and the thrilling feeling of I did it!. • Rapid speeds. Children swing on vines, ropes, or playground swings; slide on sleds, skis, skates, or playground slides; shoot down rapids on logs or boats; and ride bikes, skateboards, and other devices fast enough to produce the thrill of almost but not quite losing control. • Dangerous tools. Depending on the culture, children play with knives, bows and arrows, farm machinery (where work and play combine), or other tools known to be potentially dangerous. There is, of course, great satisfaction in being trusted to handle such tools, but there is also thrill in controlling them, knowing that a mistake could hurt. • Dangerous elements. Children love to play with fire, or in and around deep bodies of water, either of which poses some danger. • Rough and tumble. Children everywhere chase one another around and fight playfully, and they typically prefer being in the most vulnerable position-the one being chased or the one underneath in wrestling--the position that involves the most risk of being hurt and requires the most skill to overcome. • Disappearing/getting lost. Little children play hide and seek and experience the thrill of temporary, scary separation from their companions. Older ones venture off, on their own, away from adults, into territories that to them are new and filled with imagined dangers, including the danger of getting lost. The evolutionary value of risky play Other young mammals also enjoy risky play.[2] Goat kids frolic along steep slopes and leap awkwardly into the air in ways that make landing difficult. Young monkeys playfully swing from branch to branch in trees, far enough apart to challenge their skill and high enough up that a fall could hurt. Young chimpanzees enjoy dropping from high branches and catching themselves on lower ones just before hitting the ground. Young mammals of most species, not just ours, spend great amounts of time chasing one another around and play fighting, and they, too, generally prefer the most vulnerable positions. From an evolutionary perspective, the obvious question about risky play is this: Why does it exist? It can cause injury (though serious injury is rare) and even (very rarely) death, so why hasn`t natural selection weeded it out? The fact that it hasn`t been weeded out is evidence that the benefits must outweigh the risks. What are the benefits? Laboratory studies with animals give us some clues. Researchers have devised ways to deprive young rats of play, during a critical phase of their development, without depriving them of other social experiences. Rats raised in this way grow up emotionally crippled.[3, 4] When placed in a novel environment, they overact with fear and fail to adapt and explore as a normal rat would. When placed with an unfamiliar peer, they may alternate between freezing in fear and lashing out with inappropriate, ineffective, aggression. In earlier experiments, similar findings occurred when young monkeys were deprived of play (though the controls in those experiments were not as good as in the subsequent rat experiments). Such findings have contributed to the emotion regulation theory of play-the theory that one of play`s major functions is to teach young mammals how to regulate fear and anger.[4] In risky play, youngsters dose themselves with manageable quantities of fear and practice keeping their heads and behaving adaptively while experiencing that fear. They learn that they can manage their fear, overcome it, and come out alive. In rough and tumble play they may also experience anger, as one player may accidentally hurt another. But to continue playing, to continue the fun, they must overcome that anger. If they lash out, the play is over. Thus, according to the emotion regulation theory, play is, among other things, the way that young mammals learn to control their fear and anger so they can encounter real-life dangers, and interact in close quarters with others, without succumbing to negative emotions. The harmful consequences of play deprivation in our culture today On the basis of such research, Sandseter[1] wrote, in a 2011 article in the journal Evolutionary Psychology, [We may observe an increased neuroticism or psychopathology in society if children are hindered from partaking in age adequate risky play." She wrote this as if it were a prediction for the future, but I've reviewed data-in Free to Learn and elsewhere[5]--indicating that this future is here already and has been for awhile.
2018 07/23
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Playground equipment-Science, playing, learning
It's interesting to hear people talk about play. While we all know play when we see it, some speak of it as a way for young children to learn, as a catalyst to breed cooperation, interpersonal relationships, coordination, and as the very foundation for life success. Amazingly, there are still those who think play is trivial, simply time off from the things that children should be doing, like book study, structured events, and ensuring adherence to educational standards. Both views think their opinion states what children need in order to be successful adults. Ask children why they play, and we get to the heart of the matter. They will tell you, "I do it to have fun, to spend time with friends, because I like it." To a child, play is simply a choice they make that is fun, enjoyable, and self motivated. While time for it may be planned, the activities that happen during that time rarely are, they simply unfold, which is what children dearly love, but don¡¯t always know how to articulate that play is their own time, free from the guidance of adults, interference in the development of their games and imaginations, and based on the child's sense of what's real and what's important and relevant now. This child-centered definition of play is what upsets the balance of those who try to assign adult objectives to child-focused activity. Play is maddening to some, because they feel there are no quantitative adult objectives that are met. Outcomes are difficult to measure. Specific academic skills and goals seem unrelated. Add to this conundrum the fact that children are often directed to video games as a way to play, keeping them "safe at home" and efficiently acting as babysitters; however, these activities lack the experiential focus so beloved and fondly remembered by their parents and grandparents. Tapping away on a lighted screen doesn¡¯t provide the sight, sound, and experience of jumping in leaf piles, racing through the woods, or turning over stones to discover little creatures. Slaying dragons in online games doesn¡¯t provide thecompetition, strategic thinking, and exhilaration that playing ¡°capture the fort¡± does. Jumping a character across the war-torn tundra in a video game doesn¡¯t offer the speed, rushing wind, or physical conditioning that using a playground swing or slide can create. In fact, new studies from the University of Montreal suggest that too many hours of video gaming can have adverse effects on the brain, and while video gamers may exhibit "efficient visual attention abilities, they are also much more likely to use navigation strategies that rely on the brain's reward system (the caudate nucleus) and not the brain's spatial memory system (the hippocampus). Past research has shown that people who use caudate nucleus-dependent navigation strategies have decreased grey matter and lower functional brain activity in the hippocampus. So as we continue to observe children's "activity" being funneled into passive, little electronic boxes as a means of experience and competition, and as we watch school curriculum outweigh the need for outdoorplayground experiences, how do we advocate for children and play? Linking the correlation between learning and play is certainly important. By observing children and play and analyzing what is happening, people may be able to better embrace the concept of play as learning, and learning as a broader concept than the typical "three R's." Physical play provides opportunities to develop fine and gross motor skills, promote muscular development, coordination, and physical conditioning. Physical play also promotes endurance in active settings. Physical play and development are critical for education, besides allowing children time to expend stored energy and refocus effort on academia. A recent study suggests that obese children are actually slower than healthy-weight children to recognize when they have made an error and correct it. The research is the first to show that weight status not only affects how quickly children react to stimuli but also impacts the level of activity that occurs in the cerebral cortex during action monitoring. In the study, the scientists measured the behavioral and neuroelectric responses of preadolescent children, half of them obese, half at a healthy weight. Children were asked to press a button to denote a response. Obese children were found to be considerably slower to respond and that healthy-weight children were better at evaluating their need to change their behavior in order to avoid future errors. This adds to the researchby Rima Shore in 1997 that confirmed the critical link between stimulating activity and brain development. Social play helps children learn how to act and interact with others, while learning important lessons in reciprocity, give and take, turns, listening vs. talking. Without these skills, children's behavior in a classroom setting is sure to suffer. Creating things with found items plays a vital role in learning, and can identify skills that lead to builders, artists, marketers, and other creative occupations. Constructive play allows for experimentation, cause and effect, failure leading to new approaches to a problem, and control of the environment around them. Play really is a curriculum in and of itself and a road map for creativity and learning. Simply stated, when children play, they learn. Children who play learn better academically. Look at the Sudbury School examples highlighted in an earlier column. In a school where play is the curriculum, students show no lag in testing, college readiness, or workforce performance post graduation. Play encourages creativity, cooperation, innovation, and self-awareness. Play develops us and prepares us for real life in a way no other activity or curriculum can. We must continue to advocate for, defend, develop, and promote playful behavior and opportunities by continuing to learn about play, advocating for it in our schools and parks, and engaging in playful behavior throughout our lives. We'd love to hear how you're advocating for play. Please add your comments in the field below.
2018 07/19
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Childern like to play slides
Nowadays, the growth of children can not be separated from the toys, but in these toys, not all the children like it. Such as today to say the slide, and the slide is divided into inflatable large slide, combination slide, small slide and other different styles of products, then why do children like the slide, like the swing and the like? After a lot of access, summed up the following points. Speed: Experience the speed of stimulation, and the experience of air friction skin, is a way of knowing nature. Control of desire: This is sitting in the Ferris wheel or pirate ship and the like compared to the control of their own accounted for a large proportion, after all, Ferris wheel or pirate ship and the like toys are not their own control. Controlled Risks: The height of the slide, the small friction, is a risk and a challenge for the child, but because of the presence of both sides, it makes the risk completely controllable. The use of natural law: Mainly on the gravitational use of instinct and emotional experience. Exercise on their own ability to balance: This is similar to the animal world inside the young lion slapstick in the process of learning to prey. Herd mentality: rarely see a child a person playing slides. Recognized psychological needs: If it is a parent teacher with a play, a successful taxi will bring praise and praise. Some of the satisfaction of the scarcity of resources: In general, playground slide is relatively small, and a taxi can only allow a child to use. A child in a certain period of time can take this alone "monster". In short, the slide is a comprehensive sports products, children can enjoy the speed of the slide, control, stimulation and other aspects of the visual experience, in the past common in kindergartens, parks and other venues, now the children parks also purchase outdoor playground equipment. In addition to regular use of children in the children play and exercise, there are many other roles. For example, on July 6, Asiana Boeing aircraft crash in San Francisco, the passengers are through the inflatable slide to escape the machine, otherwise it will cause more serious and tragic consequences.
2018 07/17
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Start a Playground equipment Club in Your School
on a Saturday afternoon going to the school and playing jump rope, Simon says, Red light, Green light, and other activities with people of all ages. Check out the post about planning a play day. Older students could go play with younger students. Teens could offer to play soccer, play catch or Frisbee at a playground or park in town as a way to promote play in your community. Tips for starting a play club in your school 1.Students interested in starting a play club should first talk to their friends and classmates. Make a draft of what you want and have it typed up. Have everyone sign it and ask to meet with the Principal. 2.Speak to the PTA, your parents and teachers about starting a play club. 3.Look at your facilities at your school and figure out the places where would be ideal to play outside and inside. 4.Start gathering play equipment, games, etc. Ask parents if you can donate some of your equipment, ask neighbors for used equipment. 5.Does your family belong to a community list serve? If they do ask if you can send a message through the list serve asking for donations, some people will give you money and/or buy you new equipment. 6.Make a wish list, so people know what you want. 7.Remember to include the entire school. Everyone deserves to play. Tips for promoting the play club 1.Once you have the play club up and running beginning thinking about a way to promote play in your community. 2.Would a play event at your school be possible? 3.Are there homes for seniors in your community? If there is I suggest you contact them and ask if you can come play with the seniors. They may already have a Games Night. 4.Be creative about promoting play. Take a good look at the facilities in your community and think of ways you can get people to join you to play. We have held a couple of Indoor Splash & Play Pool Parties. They were a big hit. Children have the right to play. If your child or the children in your community do not have the opportunity to go out and play like you did when you were a child then forming a play club is a must. If the children in your community are over scheduled, stressed by attending an adult led activity daily then they need fun free unstructured play. You can help give this to them by helping form a play club at your neighborhood school. I believe play clubs are the answer to so many problems that are going on in America today. Some children hardly get any physical activity during the day. Some children are so busy they are stressed to the max and some children do not have a safe place to play. If you are a parent, teacher, administrator, or an adult who loved to play as a child who notices that play is missing in your community I urge you to act now. Feel free to contact me. I would be glad to help. I would even be willing to come to your community or do whatever it takes to give children the opportunity to play. Let¡¯s put playing on the priority list in your community. As I said before, every child deserves to play.
2018 07/02
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Gala Bau 2018 of Egoal
GaLaBau, Europe`s most comprehensive show for the design, construction and maintenance of urban, open and green spaces, takes place in the Nuremberg exhibition centre from 12–15 September 2012. GaLaBau is ideally enhanced by the two segments PLAYGROUND and Deutsche Golfplatztage (German Golf Course Days), whose products and services are intended for operators of leisure parks, camping sites and nursery schools, and for those responsible for the construction, maintenance and management of golf courses. It is a must event for national and international experts from the segments of earth moving, transport, road making, etc. Products Focus Manufacturers of Building materials, Construction Machinery and Equipment, Building Material and Accessories, Technical products, IT products and services for the building industry, Maintenance related products & technology will be participating in the exhibition. Introduction GaLaBau is the meeting point for constructors, engineers, architects, decorators and designers. This is the biggest national display of materials, machinery, raw materials, equipments and technological advances in construction and architecture, interior and exterior decoration, virtual and industrial design. Organizer: NurnbergMesse GmbH Duration: Sept 12-15, 2018 Venue: Nuremberg Exhibition Centre Location: Germany Website: Visit the official website
2018 06/29
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Playground equipment-Playgrounds of Imagination
Bernie DeKoven-Playgrounds of the imagination are open whenever we are. They are everywhere we are. We can visit them in bed, on a walk, in the woods, looking up, eyes open or closed. Even when our bodies are no longer as flexible as our minds are, we still have our imagination to keep us free and alive and full of wonder. Imagination. Such a simple gift. So much a part of us that we forget what it brings us, where it takes us, what it gives us: the opportunity to play with ideas, images, sounds, memories; to create new worlds. Like all other playgrounds, Playgrounds of the Imagination are not always fun. There are bullies in the playgrounds of our imagination. Nightmares that terrify us from the time we are children, and, from time to time, for the rest of our lives. When we are children, we have yet to learn how to distinguish reality from fantasy. Our dreams are as real to us as our parents. We don't have them for fun. In truth, they have us. But as we grow older we master not only the ability to distinguish between imagination and actuality, but also to apply our imagination to more and more of our ever-expanding consciousness. We use our imagination to create our self-image, to expand empathy, compassion, to love; to politics, science, mathematics, philosophy, architecture, city planning, design, games; to the creation of culture, to religion, to belief.... Imagination is also something that we use to help us make things. It is closely tied to creativity. It is how we do our art. It is also how we appreciate art. All art. Anything we think of as art. Imagination is more important than knowledge. Says our good friend Al: It's easy to understand why he'd say such a thing - the man who used what he called gedankenexperiment (thought experiment) to create his theory of relativity. The man who also says: What interests me in particular, and, hopefully you in general, is that imagination is something we can play with, something we can do for fun. And even more interesting: the fun that we can create with our imagination can be sometimes something very, very deep. And I have a sneaking suspicion (also imaginary) that playing with our imagination, just for fun, by ourselves or with each other, makes our ability to imagine things more clearly, makes the power of imagination stronger, richer, and enhances our abilities to use our imagination even more skillfully for even more purposes. But, of course, that's not our purpose here. Our purpose is to find new avenues to new kinds of play, deeper kinds of fun, o yes. And of all the conceptual tools we have access to, imagination (fantasy, role-playing, pretending, daydreaming, wondering, wandering) might very well be the most fun, the most useful, the most transforming and the longest lasting.
2018 06/25
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The childern are interested in slide play
Nowadays, the growth of children can not be separated from the toys, but in these toys, not all the children like it. Such as today to say the slide, and the slide is divided into inflatable large slide, combination slide, small slide and other different styles of products, then why do children like the slide, like the swing and the like? After a lot of access, summed up the following points. Speed: Experience the speed of stimulation, and the experience of air friction skin, is a way of knowing nature. Control of desire: This is sitting in the Ferris wheel or pirate ship and the like compared to the control of their own accounted for a large proportion, after all, Ferris wheel or pirate ship and the like toys are not their own control. Controlled Risks: The height of the slide, the small friction, is a risk and a challenge for the child, but because of the presence of both sides, it makes the risk completely controllable. The use of natural law: Mainly on the gravitational use of instinct and emotional experience. Exercise on their own ability to balance: This is similar to the animal world inside the young lion slapstick in the process of learning to prey. Herd mentality: rarely see a child a person playing slides. Recognized psychological needs: If it is a parent teacher with a play, a successful taxi will bring praise and praise. Some of the satisfaction of the scarcity of resources: In general, playground slide is relatively small, and a taxi can only allow a child to use. A child in a certain period of time can take this alone "monster". In short, the slide is a comprehensive sports products, children can enjoy the speed of the slide, control, stimulation and other aspects of the visual experience, in the past common in kindergartens, parks and other venues, now the children parks also purchase outdoor playground equipment. In addition to regular use of children in the children play and exercise, there are many other roles. For example, on July 6, Asiana Boeing aircraft crash in San Francisco, the passengers are through the inflatable slide to escape the machine, otherwise it will cause more serious and tragic consequences. Our company's designers will take full account of the "play" is not the purpose of the rational design of children recreational facilities, so that they learn in the game, develop their spirit of exploration, dare to overcome the difficulties of courage, and through the exchange to create a team ability. In the slide to pay attention to the corresponding matters, to prevent accidents. Play the best time to accompany the parents, the clothes do not bring with the items can not be brought (hard objects and the like), playing the main hurdle from the fall and skin abrasions, attention to it, and now the inflatable slide can be effective to avoid these two aspects of the injury.
2018 06/19
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Indoor Playground Safety precautions
The items need to pay attention when play. 1.Indoor playground just suitable for 2-10 years old ,Children under 5 years of age should be play with guardian 2.For keep indoor playground clean,everyone must take off the socks before into the playground.Children who do not learn to have their own urine and urine must wear diapers.The belongings should be placed in the locker. 3.After into the location pls don't take the sharps.To prevent hurt the children. 4.No jumping from high place .To prevent fall and hurt oneself or bump into others. 5.Trampoline net just protect .Don't climb when play.
2018 06/11
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How to improve the market competitivenes of children playground equipments?
In recent years, playgrounds, large and small, are more and more popular from all walks of life. Whether it is a large shopping mall, or community supermarket, you almost can see children playground equipment all there. How to stand out in the competition, not only in the proprietor's business skills and business methods, but also the security, puzzle and education of playground equipment. And as people's spiritual needs continue to improve, children playground equipment needs to meet the above three levels, at the same time, also need to meet the emotional principles and experience design concept. Children are born with a sense of curiosity, especially in the needs of playground equipment, they prefer to challenge the unknown factors and uncertain factors of the playground project. So in the ever-changing environment, the state of the same object movement is absolutely more attractive than the relatively static state. In addition, children are particularly sensitive to the stimulation of the outside world, with the emotional touch to the users caused by experience design trend in recent years, and enhancement of children cognitive ability, the development of children playground equipment gradually in the dynamic direction gets closer to the children world, to meet Children emotional needs. Children playground equipment should be skillful designed from the visual, tactile, shape, beautiful and dynamic aspects, taking into account the children safety assurance, entertaining, so that children can obtain rapid growth in entertainment, education and aesthetic areas. This not only meets the security, puzzle and educational needs to children playground equipment, but also fits the emotional principle and experience design concept.
2018 06/09
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Playground equipment should always be updated
In the process of business of playground equipment, the operator must be flexible applicant. If running on a few playground equipment, then it often will not be too popular, because for the novel outdoor playground equipment. The child is often unable to resist the attraction. So in the course of business, playground equipment must be regularly updated. Beautiful appearance modeling colorful lights and wonderful music are the first elements to attract customers, the first time to give customers a good impression then allow visitors to become your customers. The traditional, stupid outdoor playground equipment can not catch child's interest. They will complain, every day to see these things which have been played in countless times, there is no fresh feeling. Children playground park must understand the children voice, in the children outdoor playground equipment to add new "blood", to promote the enthusiasm of the children. When purchasing playground equipment, you`d better check the finished products of the manufacturers, not just look at the picture, to some places where installations are more secure. You can learn more about some of the products after-sales service and quality assurance, the appearance is also witnessed, the details of the product can reflect the overall credibility of the manufacturers, such as all aspects are good Children playground park should add some new projects to satisfy child's curiosity about new things, the children are born full of curiosity, we only continue to develop and introduce new playground equipment to drive the development of the old children playground equipment, which will not be eliminated.
2018 06/01
