The typical American playground is antiquated, hazardous, and inappropriate for the developmental needs of children. The paper explains how design, installation, maintenance, and supervision are critical in preventing playground injuries and resulting litigation, noting the importance of regular training for everyone who supervises children on the…

By carefully planning for outdoor play, adults can help ensure that outdoor experiences are challenging and safe for young children. Creative outdoor play should encourage healthy risk taking; offer graduated challenges; include variety in types of play; focus on child-centered and child-planned activities; and include the use of moveable…

Describes the process of designing and building a playground for 3- to 6-year-olds in Brazil. Describes how the playground design incorporated recommendations of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission's "Handbook for Public Safety," how local materials were obtained, and how funding was secured. (KB)

An interview with Mark White on his views of playground safety is presented in this article. Some of the featured interview questions include: (1) How did you start to focus so intently on playground safety?; (2) There was no central accumulation of injury information?; (3) What's an example of an injury report that led to an improvement?; (4)…

Students at the John Dewey Elementary School in Carnegie, Pennsylvania, covered a school parking lot with a gigantic mural that is a series of game areas. (Author/MLF)

Dimensions of a rich and nurturing learning climate for the early childhood years are discussed. Contents focus on: (1) the early childhood scene; (2) the teacher's role in creating a positive learning climate; (3) the transition from home to school during the first few days of school; (4) the outdoor classroom; (5) school climate and staff…

This curriculum guide is an interdisciplinary approach designed to reduce childhood accidental injuries on the playground. Materials are designed to provide background information and teaching resources for teachers that will be useable in a wide variety of environments. The first chapter provides a general background on playground hazards and…

Until it is possible to carry out programing, planning, and design to foster children's play, activity measures may provide a useful evaluative format for design paradigms concerned with facilitating children's motor, social, and explorative behaviors. (Author)

This handbook presents some general guidelines that may be used to increase the safety of public playgrounds. Information is provided about hazards associated with the use of public playground equipment, and suggestions are made to reduce the frequency and severity of injuries. A discussion is presented on playground-related injuries and the…

Ways in which a playground may be used an an area for young children's education are described. Techniques for encouraging children to observe, explore, and investigate are pointed out, and the implications for future learning implicit in these skills are noted. (JD)

This booklet presents several ideas for using old tires as equipment in both indoor and outdoor learning settings for young children. (JMB)

This memorandum report proposes a safety standard to reduce the frequency and severity of children's impacts with the suspended members of swing assemblies and falls from slide surfaces, under conditions of normal use and reasonably foreseeable misuse. The standard applies to swings and straight slides intended for use as public playground…

THIS PAMPHLET DISCUSSES THE ALTERNATIVE METHODS, APPLICATIONS, AND TECHNICAL CONSIDERATIONS FOR OFF-STREET PAVING AND PLAY AREAS. OFF-STREET PAVING INCLUDES--(1) ASPHALT-PAVED PARKING AREAS, (2) ROOF DECK PARKING AREAS, (3) ASPHALT-PAVED DRIVEWAYS, (4) ASPHALT-PAVED SERVICE STATION LOTS, AND (5) SIDEWALKS. THE DISCUSSION OF PLAY AREAS…

This publication is designed to assist elementary school teachers in the construction and use of improvised physical education equipment. The equipment described is accompanied by activities in which it can be used. Since workers, materials, and construction knowledge are essential for the creation of this equipment, teachers should try to involve…

Described are 20 pieces of therapeutic playground equipment constructed by volunteers and fathers of children in the Early Learning Center for Exceptional Children (El Paso, Texas). It is noted that discarded and readily available materials (such as old tires) were used, and that no commercial playground equipment was purchased. Information on the…