Monday, November 30, 2009

Playground Winter Maintenance

With cold weather on the way winter can do strange things to our facilities. Playgrounds are not exempt from experiencing winter conditions. Three of the most common occurrences you should be aware of for the children's safety.


1. Plastic play components tend to contract or shrink in cold temperatures. This can lead to bolts that were once tight and secure to be loose. This danger could mean a failure in the play piece and potential injury to a child. Be on the look out for loose hardware and correct if necessary.


2. If there is moisture retention in your loose fill safety surfacing (i.e. sand, pea gravel, engineered wood fiber, etc.), it will freeze when the temperature drops below the freezing mark. When the surface is frozen, the impact attenuation (head impact criteria) properties of your loose fill system are lost. Please check your surface frequently in the winter weather and if it is frozen the play area should not be used.


3. Frost can also shift the soil. Most playgrounds have a containment system for their loose fill surfacing. Typically they are wood or plastic timbers that use a stake to keep it in place. If you have one of these systems please check periodically to make sure the stakes have not shifted upwards. If they have shifted they can cause trip hazards and other potential problems. During your periodic surveys of the playground check the stakes and correct if necessary.


If you would like a more in depth discussion about playground safety or are looking to start your 2010 playground goals please call us. Your local Snider & Associates representative would be happy to meet and talk.

Playground Winter Maintenance

With cold weather on the way winter can do strange things to our facilities. Playgrounds are not exempt from experiencing winter conditions. Three of the most common occurrences you should be aware of for the children's safety.


1. Plastic play components tend to contract or shrink in cold temperatures. This can lead to bolts that were once tight and secure to be loose. This danger could mean a failure in the play piece and potential injury to a child. Be on the look out for loose hardware and correct if necessary.


2. If there is moisture retention in your loose fill safety surfacing (i.e. sand, pea gravel, engineered wood fiber, etc.), it will freeze when the temperature drops below the freezing mark. When the surface is frozen, the impact attenuation (head impact criteria) properties of your loose fill system are lost. Please check your surface frequently in the winter weather and if it is frozen the play area should not be used.


3. Frost can also shift the soil. Most playgrounds have a containment system for their loose fill surfacing. Typically they are wood or plastic timbers that use a stake to keep it in place. If you have one of these systems please check periodically to make sure the stakes have not shifted upwards. If they have shifted they can cause trip hazards and other potential problems. During your periodic surveys of the playground check the stakes and correct if necessary.


If you would like a more in depth discussion about playground safety or are looking to start your 2010 playground goals please call us 800-888-2889. Your local Snider & Associates representative would be happy to meet and talk.

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

New Metro Parks Wetland Park

After voters approved a tax hike in May, Franklin county Metro Parks plans to open a new park in 2011. The project will develop a 500-acre wetland and will end up being the largest such project in Ohio.

Historically the site was a wet prairie and woods, and with a budget of $1 million, the Metro Parks hopes to restore this natural park and add trails, boardwalks, and observation decks. A new parks operations manager and assistant park manager as well as six full-time workers will be in charge of maintaining the greenways trails, as well as new rangers to patrol them.

This new Wetlands Park should prove to be a bird watchers mecca with birds like the Sandhill Crane which has been moving back to Ohio in the past few years. Along with the Sandhill Crane, a 500-acre wetland will attract hundreds of variety of bird back to the area and provide bird watchers with a new area to frequent.

Friday, November 20, 2009

Pennsylvania's new five-year Outdoor Recreation Plan focuses on outdoor activities

Pennsylvania's new five-year Outdoor Recreation Plan focuses on outdoor activities

Concussions Hard To Spot, Need Serious Attention

http://www.10tv.com/live/content/local/stories/2009/11/19/story-columbus-concussions-warning-signs.html?sid=102

Playground Safety - Concussions can happen on the playground. All parents should pay attention to playground safety surfacing before letting their kids play. If it is not adequate per ASTM and CPSC standards then it should be corrected.
At least 12" of wood fiber(playground mulch) should be under all equipment.
For other surfaces it varies based on manufacturers testing.

Concussions Hard To Spot, Need Serious Attention

COLUMBUS, Ohio —
http://www.10tv.com/live/content/local/stories/2009/11/19/story-columbus-concussions-warning-signs.html?sid=102

If your child falls and takes a blow to the head in sports or on the playground, would you know the symptoms of a concussion?

Often the injuries are not limited to sports and the signs can be hard to spot, 10TV's Tracy Townsend reported.

Blake Norris found out firsthand that football hits are hard and fast.

The boy, 12, received a concussion after a hit in football practice, but he and his family did not realize it until two weeks later.

"When I got hit I went down to the ground, my right side of my head went down on the ground real hard," Norris said.

Despite taking a hard hit and getting sick, Norris continued to practice with Lancaster's Ewing Junior High football team.

The first hit had caused a concussion and he mild brain injury was compounded as Norris continued to practice-- and re-injure himself, Townsend reported.

The neurologist at Nationwide Children's Hospital called it second injury syndrome - when a child can reinjure themselves by trying to be a brave football player.

Studies show children often try to play through the pain and concussions are often called silent injuries - because the symptoms go unrecognized.

Symptoms of concussion can range from headaches, dizziness and nausea to vomiting and difficulty concentrating in school.

Those with undiagnosed concussions are at risk for disability or brain damage.

More than 400,000 children are treated each year in emergency departments with hard knocks they have taken during contact sports, or from falling from a bike or playground equipment.

"We think that they're very prevalent one of the problems is they're under reported because kids don't recognize the symptoms," said Dr. Richard Rodenberg, with Nationwide Children's Hospital.

Treatment starts by allowing the bruised brain to rest. It often means sitting a child out sports activities and in some cases, school work.

In the concussion clinic at Nationwide Children's Hospital, the experts can measure progress using neurocognitive tests of concentration, memory and reaction skills.

"If we can see them early enough, hopefully get them out of their activity, allow them to recover. Hopefully it makes a faster recovery and ability to get them back to their sport," Dr. Rodenburg said.

Charlotte Myers plays soccer and at just 16 has already had three concussions.

"My freshman year when I had my worst one that affected my school work-- I couldn't read, I couldn't focus my eyes enough to go to the next line in reading," Myers said.

Myers is back in the game after being sidelined from contact sports for eight months. She wears a concussion headband to soften any blows she might take to the head.

"The main thing I would say is don't take your concussion lightly that's what I did if you take a hit have a headache or feel dizzy definitely take a week off," Myers said.

"I just wish that was what happened. Unfortunately it's not and that is why I'm just advocating, when in doubt, sit them out," said Blake's mom Nancy Stewart.

The Ohio High School Athletic Association said it works with team coaches to recognize signs of concussion.

It relies on school doctors, physicians and coaches to prevent students from competing before they are medically cleared.

Sunday, November 15, 2009

The Circle of Rubber

Nike has started a program to turn old athletic shoes into playground surfaces and athletic venues. Since 1990, Nike has recycled more than 24 million pairs of shoes and remains one of the only companies to reuse all parts of their worn out product.

Every shoe breaks down into three basic parts: the cloth, the foam, and the rubber. The cloth and foam are put to work in athletic venues such as basketball courts and tennis courts, while the rubber is ground down, purified, and turned into playground surfacing.

Today, most of Nike’s shoes contain recycled material in some form or another and the irony is that you may be walking around in someone else’s shoes next time you hit the track, field, or your home town playground.

Whether it’s the road to sustainability, the right thing to do, or just going green, Nike has proved its dedication to making our playgrounds a better place.

If you are interested in taking part, you can visit http://www.nikereuseashoe.com or simply mail your old shoes to…

Nike Recycling Center
c/o Reuse-A-Shoe
26755 SW 95th Ave.
Wilsonville, OR 97070

Saturday, November 14, 2009

New Trend: Playground Design by Kids

Who better to help design a playground than the very people who will be using them? Various non profit organizations have begun to turn to kids for design ideas as both a good way to save costs as well as instill a sense of community.

Teens from the Indio club submitted suggestions and ideas for their playground and their input was put into the final design. Construction is expected to take place in one day.

Children from Valley Oaks Charter School also took part in the design process of their playground by submitting design ideas to KaBoom!, who finalized and built the playground, also in one day.

If these experiments are successful, perhaps we can expect to see more playground designs by the kids who use them.

Friday, November 13, 2009

Beneficial Designs hosts international tour | RecordCourier.com

http://www.recordcourier.com/article/20091113/COMMUNITY/911129990/1062&ParentProfile=1049

Posted using ShareThis

Thursday, November 12, 2009

Saturday, November 7, 2009

12 Playground Hazards

"The Dirty Dozen" - 12 Playground Hazards

Jarod's Law may have been repealed in Ohio but national safety standards for playgrounds were around before it and will continue long after it. The playground industry has been complying with ASTM (American Society for Testing and Materials) and CPSC (US Consumer Product Safety Commission) codes for years.

As most of us in the industry are parents and caregivers, we are responsible for providing safer play opportunities for our children. It is our goal to promote children's rights to play in a safe environment and to promote the importance of play in their development.

We encourage you to familiarize yourself with potential playground hazards. Below is an overview of the top 12 safety hazards in playgrounds. Please contact your local Snider & Associates, Inc. representative if you desire a more in depth understanding of safety on playgrounds.
  1. Improper Protective Surfacing
  2. Inadequate Use Zone
  3. Protrusion & Entanglement Hazards
  4. Entrapment in Openings
  5. Insufficient Equipment Spacing
  6. Trip Hazards
  7. Lack of Supervision
  8. Age-Inappropriate Activities
  9. Lack of Maintenance
  10. Crush, Shearing and Sharp Edge Hazards
  11. Platforms with No Guardrails
  12. Equipment Not Recommended for Public Playground

Click here for Other Sources of Playground Safety Information, or call us at 1-800-888-2889 to help.

Wednesday, November 4, 2009

Playground equipment grant seminar

I am going to attend a grant seminar to see if I can get some playground equipment grants
Here is the information

http://foundationcenter.org/cleveland/training/gbcl.html
this looks like a cool ride down a slide coaster

Tuesday, November 3, 2009

Grant Seeker help

Hey someone just posted this site to my linked and I wanted to share it with all those looking for playground equipment or playground grants good education seminars

New Schedule Released! November Nonprofit Grantseeker Education at the Foundation Center-Cleveland
New Schedule Released! November Grantseeker Education at the Foundation Center-Cleveland Grantseeking Basics November 4, 6pm November 17, 10am Register: http://foundationcenter.org/cleveland/training/gbcl.html Proposal Budgeting Workshop November 6, 9am (all day) Register: http://foundationcenter.org/marketplace/catalog/product_training.jhtml?id=prod2670010&navCount=1&navAction=push Introduction to Fundraising Planning November 10, 1pm Register: http://foundationcenter.org/cleveland/training/intfrplcl.html Your Board and Fundraising November 10, 2:45pm Register: http://foundationcenter.org/cleveland/training/ybafcl.html Before You Seek a Grant: A Checklist for New Nonprofits November 11, 6pm Register: http://foundationcenter.org/cleveland/training/readycl.html [Features special guest, Matthew Rossman of the Milton A. Kramer Law Clinic Center] Proposal Writing Basics November 17, 1pm Register: http://foundationcenter.org/cleveland/training/pwbcl.html Electronic Resources for Finding Funders November 24, 1pm Register: http://foundationcenter.org/cleveland/training/elecres.html