Commercial playground equipment has evolved with a wide range of materials, colors, and shapes. Soft synthetic materials like PermaLife are replacing wood chips for safety. Plastic is becoming more common due to its softness and easy installation. The five main types of equipment are sliding, rotating, balancing, hanging, and climbing. New innovations include activity boards and more developmental psychology input.
The world of commercial playground equipment has grown tremendously over the past decade. Gone are the days of playgrounds with a slide or two, something to spin on, and a simple jungle gym. Modern play equipment is made from a dizzying array of materials, comes in hundreds of shapes and colors, and provides every kind of stimulation imaginable.
A commercial playground starts with the ground structure. Classically, substances such as wood chips or mulch were used to provide a somewhat soft landing for children. However, these materials may cut and gouge and may contain chips. Many modern playing fields now use soft synthetic materials such as PermaLife as a foundation. With these rubberized floors, children can fall without risking scratches or bruises.
While most commercial playground equipment was once made from metal or wood, plastic is becoming more and more common in modern playgrounds. Not only are the plastics softer, resulting in fewer injuries, they also allow for easier installation and are available in a large assortment of colors. Commercial playgrounds can now captivate children’s visual sense as they provide physical entertainment.
Commercial playground equipment can be divided into five main types: sliding, rotating, balancing, hanging and climbing.
Slides can be covered or uncovered, steel or plastic, bumpy or smooth, curved or straight, with or without a final jump. They range from short 1.2m models to 3.6m tall models and can be standalone with a ladder or attached to a larger play structure.
When most people think of spinning play equipment, they think of the classic roundabout, a large metal disc that kids can sit on while being spun. A more modern variation of the spinning toy features a straight pole with a curve at the top and a small standing platform at the base; standing on the platform, starting to turn and pulling your center of gravity in, you can get a higher speed than in a classic roundabout. As more and more commercial playgrounds remove old roundabouts due to safety concerns, these modern spinning toys are replacing them.
Balance beams, log rolls, and trampolines are just a few of the many pieces of commercial playground equipment that aid in the development of a good sense of balance. These provide good ground-level activity for a playground while helping to develop important dexterity skills.
There are many different pieces of equipment for suspended activities. From traditional monkey bars, to spinning bars, to weird shapes and twists, to hanging trapeze bars, there are enough options to challenge a wide range of ages and skill levels.
Climbing activities are one of the newest areas of commercial playground equipment. These come in one of three main configurations: a large, flat top with bubbles to grab onto and climb, similar to a climbing wall; cargo network configurations; or lattices of bars resembling angled monkey bars.
A relatively new area of innovation in commercial playground equipment is a focus on activity boards, such as alphabet boards, large mirrors, or spinning blocks with pictures and words. As more developmental psychologists are hired for major playground equipment makers, it is likely that new and exciting pieces of playground equipment will continue to emerge in the years to come.
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