{"id":593,"date":"2010-01-28T15:17:00","date_gmt":"2010-01-29T02:17:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/backyardcity.wordpress.com\/?p=593"},"modified":"2012-07-07T23:43:47","modified_gmt":"2012-07-07T23:43:47","slug":"backyard-playground-safety-planning-for-a-safe-playground","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.backyardcity.com\/Outdoor-Patio-Blog\/backyard-playground-safety-planning-for-a-safe-playground\/","title":{"rendered":"Backyard Playground Safety: Planning For a Safe\u00a0Playground"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-594\" title=\"Adventurer-4Pos-Tonn2\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.backyardcity.com\/Outdoor-Patio-Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/01\/adventurer-4pos-tonn2.jpg?resize=300%2C199&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"199\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.backyardcity.com\/Outdoor-Patio-Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/01\/adventurer-4pos-tonn2.jpg?w=660&amp;ssl=1 660w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.backyardcity.com\/Outdoor-Patio-Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/01\/adventurer-4pos-tonn2.jpg?resize=300%2C199&amp;ssl=1 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>It&#8217;s not too early to start thinking about providing your kids with a Springtime surprise &#8212; a <a title=\"Playground Equipment\" href=\"http:\/\/www.backyardcity.com\/Swing-Set-Kits-Do-It-Yourself.htm\" target=\"_blank\">backyard swing set or playground<\/a>.\u00a0 In fact, it&#8217;s best to start early because there are a number of considerations to take into account when planning for a safe\u00a0backyard playground experience.<\/p>\n<p>Location is key! Be sure to select the best spot for your new playground set:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Avoid ground that slopes or is uneven. Level ground helps prevent a playground set from tipping.<\/li>\n<li>Select a spot that is away from potentially dangerous obstacles such as trees, low branches and wires, stumps, roots, large rocks, fences, bricks, and concrete.<\/li>\n<li>Plan for a safety zone of at least 6 feet around all playground equipment; set aside even more space in front of and behind swings.<\/li>\n<li>Plan the location\u00a0and position of any metal or dark-colored slides or surfaces. Placing these out of direct sunlight can help prevent burns on hot, sunny days.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Falls\u00a0will happen!\u00a0Don&#8217;t forget to choose a proper protective surface for under and around the playground equipment:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Grass and dirt are not adequate protection from injuries due to falls.<\/li>\n<li>Pea gravel, sand, wood chips, and shredded or recycled rubber mulch are some recommended protective playground surface options. (Further details about the variety of protective playground surfaces will be discussed in future postings.)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>In my next post on the topic of backyard playground safety, I&#8217;ll go into more detail about the variety of protective safety surface materials available.\u00a0 You should then\u00a0be able to make a more informed decision regarding the best choice of surface material to use under and around your playground equipment.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>It&#8217;s not too early to start thinking about providing your kids with a Springtime surprise &#8212; a backyard swing set or playground.\u00a0 In fact, it&#8217;s best to start early because there are a number of considerations to take into account when planning for a safe\u00a0backyard playground experience. Location is key! Be sure to select the best spot for your new playground set: Avoid ground that &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.backyardcity.com\/Outdoor-Patio-Blog\/backyard-playground-safety-planning-for-a-safe-playground\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Backyard Playground Safety: Planning For a Safe\u00a0Playground<\/span> <span class=\"meta-nav\">&raquo;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[3,17],"tags":[386,533],"class_list":["post-593","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-backyard-fun","category-outdoor-safety-tips","tag-playground-safety","tag-swing-sets"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p2Nnyf-9z","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":221,"url":"https:\/\/www.backyardcity.com\/Outdoor-Patio-Blog\/swing-set-safety\/","url_meta":{"origin":593,"position":0},"title":"Swing Set\u00a0Safety","author":"Trey Collier","date":"December 23, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"How Safe is Your Backyard Playground Equipment? Before you jump into installing the swing set you got for your kids this Christmas, consider the following\u2026 Backyard playground safety begins even before the playground equipment has been constructed and installed. Hopefully this information will assist you in planning and creating a\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Backyard Fun&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Backyard Fun","link":"https:\/\/www.backyardcity.com\/Outdoor-Patio-Blog\/category\/backyard-fun\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":601,"url":"https:\/\/www.backyardcity.com\/Outdoor-Patio-Blog\/backyard-playground-safety-tips-for-constructing-your-new-swing-set\/","url_meta":{"origin":593,"position":1},"title":"Backyard Playground Safety: Tips For Constructing Your New Swing Set","author":"Sara May","date":"February 3, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"Once you have planned\u00a0the safest location for your new backyard swing set equipment and have selected the most suitable protective surface material\u00a0for underneath and around the equipment, you\u00a0are ready to construct.\u00a0\u00a0Of course, safety considerations during swing set construction\u00a0are just as important as during the planning stage.\u00a0\u00a0 By following the guidelines\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Backyard Fun&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Backyard Fun","link":"https:\/\/www.backyardcity.com\/Outdoor-Patio-Blog\/category\/backyard-fun\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1977,"url":"https:\/\/www.backyardcity.com\/Outdoor-Patio-Blog\/plan-ahead-for-successful-swing-set-installation\/","url_meta":{"origin":593,"position":2},"title":"Plan Ahead for Successful Swing Set Installation","author":"Sara May","date":"January 30, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Spring is the perfect time to install a new backyard swing set or playground set\u00a0for the kids, but don't wait until spring to get started.\u00a0 Installing a backyard playground properly requires some\u00a0initial planning before the equipment is ever purchased.\u00a0 Spend time now thinking about important details, and you'll be ready\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Backyard Fun&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Backyard Fun","link":"https:\/\/www.backyardcity.com\/Outdoor-Patio-Blog\/category\/backyard-fun\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":603,"url":"https:\/\/www.backyardcity.com\/Outdoor-Patio-Blog\/backyard-playground-safety-safety-on-the-swing-set\/","url_meta":{"origin":593,"position":3},"title":"Backyard Playground Safety: Safety on the Swing Set","author":"Sara May","date":"February 8, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"Considering safety when planning and constructing\u00a0new backyard playground equipment\u00a0is crucial, but just as important is considering safety while the kids are engaged\u00a0in active play on that well-designed and well-constructed equipment.\u00a0\u00a0Kids just want to have fun, but sometimes that fun can have some hidden dangers about which parents and caregivers should\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Backyard Fun&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Backyard Fun","link":"https:\/\/www.backyardcity.com\/Outdoor-Patio-Blog\/category\/backyard-fun\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":2883,"url":"https:\/\/www.backyardcity.com\/Outdoor-Patio-Blog\/how-safe-is-your-home-playground-equipment-part-1\/","url_meta":{"origin":593,"position":4},"title":"How Safe is Your Home Playground Equipment? Part 1","author":"Trey Collier","date":"March 11, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Planning and Assembling a Safe Playground Home playground safety should begin even before the equipment has been purchased and assembled. This article, and the two subsequent articles, will help you as you plan for and create a safe home playground experience for your children and their friends. Choose the best\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Backyard Fun&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Backyard Fun","link":"https:\/\/www.backyardcity.com\/Outdoor-Patio-Blog\/category\/backyard-fun\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.backyardcity.com\/Images\/BYC\/safety.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":599,"url":"https:\/\/www.backyardcity.com\/Outdoor-Patio-Blog\/backyard-playground-safety-how-to-choose-a-protective-surface-material\/","url_meta":{"origin":593,"position":5},"title":"Backyard Playground Safety: How to Choose a Protective Surface\u00a0Material","author":"Sara May","date":"February 1, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"When it comes to safety, one of the most neglected features of backyard swing sets and playgrounds is the ground itself.\u00a0 While something like 80% of public playgrounds have some type of shock-absorbing protective surfacing under playground equipment, only 9% of home backyard playgrounds do, according to a 2001 playground\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Backyard Fun&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Backyard Fun","link":"https:\/\/www.backyardcity.com\/Outdoor-Patio-Blog\/category\/backyard-fun\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.backyardcity.com\/Outdoor-Patio-Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/593","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.backyardcity.com\/Outdoor-Patio-Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.backyardcity.com\/Outdoor-Patio-Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.backyardcity.com\/Outdoor-Patio-Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.backyardcity.com\/Outdoor-Patio-Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=593"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.backyardcity.com\/Outdoor-Patio-Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/593\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2538,"href":"https:\/\/www.backyardcity.com\/Outdoor-Patio-Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/593\/revisions\/2538"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.backyardcity.com\/Outdoor-Patio-Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=593"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.backyardcity.com\/Outdoor-Patio-Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=593"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.backyardcity.com\/Outdoor-Patio-Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=593"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}