The Art of the Possible: Playground Surface Evolution The early 1900s saw the growth of playgrounds throughout the US, with virtually all playgrounds built upon hard ground, soil, pavement, or other hard surfaces. Although children in both urban and rural areas flocked to them, the frequent occurrence of injury caused by fall or scrape caused designers to switch to other surfaces. The alternates that appeared during the course of the 20th century included: All these materials could also harbor hidden hazards. Sharp objects like discarded syringes could mix in with sand or loose-fill. Finally, consider the issue of cleanliness. Loose-fill is just plain dirty – hard to clean, susceptible to mold and mildew growth, and a great hiding place for nesting insects, snakes, and rodents. The arrival of the 2000s brought a host of new regulations like the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) which impacted playground accessibility. These regulations led to the increase in the use of unitary rubber surfaces such as tiles, bonded rubber, and poured-inplace surfaces to help meet these regulatory requirements. • Sand Although sand is inexpensive and readily available, sand becomes hard when it’s wet and thus did not significantly reduce the number of injuries. • Loose-fill Although these materials (including rubber chips, engineered wood fiber (EWF), and pea gravel) offered some degree of fall protection, often these playground surfaces introduced their own problems. Splinters and choking hazards abounded, and toddlers often ended up with pea gravel lodged in an ear or nose. Besides those hazards, loose-fill materials were easily displaced from directly under play surfaces, further limiting their usefulness. Playgrounds have steadily evolved over their 125+ year history in the US, from seesaws and monkey bars built on asphalt or dirt park grounds to today’s sophisticated playground designs that engage children while providing a safer environment than years past. This paper looks at the evolution of playground surfaces and offers city and school planners and playground architects guidance on what to look for when choosing the right surface for a new playground – or when the time comes to upgrade existing playground surfaces. Playground Grass: Keeping Children Safe and Happy at Play Why Playground Surface Matters
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NTkzMzk=