SCHOOL PLAYGROUNDS

School is a place in the world where children are used to play in grounds, called playground. A playground, play park or play area is a place that specifically made for the children so that they are able to play in it. There are two kind of playgrounds, indoor playground or outdoor playground but mostly are outdoor ones. The playgrounds are usually equipped with recreational stuff such as seesaw, merry-go-ground, swing set, slide, sandbox, playhouse, mazes and much more. Playgrounds are just not only source of fun but also make the children physically and mentally fit. Playground also provides the facilities for adult sports, like skating, basketball court etc. Playscape is a type of ground that is formed to provide a safe and healthier environment for play. There are certain regulations and associations in the world which set regulations and training programs for the safety of playgrounds and certification of Playground Safety Inspectors. There are certain safety equipment are used to protect the children from injury, which include the Playgrounds mulch use on the ground in order cushion the impact, similarly mats which are rubber made structure use on ground for the protection of children. Playgrounds have very good effect on the development of child when a child plays in grouping, his/her exposure to friends increases and become socialized. Puzzle games available in playground also increase the learning ability of the child, when he/she tries to explore something through equipment his/her cognitive ability increases automatically. According to child health specialist, self-esteem of the children increases with improvement in physical and mental health.Now parents prefer that school for their children which have modern playground. Playgrounds comprises of following different forms,

1.       Inclusive playgrounds:

These kinds of playgrounds are designed in order to accommodate all children. There are some special children like wheelchair users who are not able to play in grounds; inclusive playgrounds are formed to accommodate these wheelchair users.

2.       Natural playgrounds:

Natural playgrounds are those which consist of natural features, materials, and vegetation with creative landscape that provide a natural environment. Play components include trees, shrubs, grasses etc.

3.       Adult playground:

A type of playground designed especially for adults, it include fitness equipment like gym equipment.

However with all kind of safety measures a lot of injuries happen at playgrounds of schools, restaurants, children care centre etc. According to Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), following incidents were recorded;

According to the statistics, of 2001-2008 an average 218,851 preschool and elementary children got injuries that occurred on playground equipment. Following are some facts about injuries occurred during 2001-2008,

·         51% injuries occurred on public playground equipment

·         19% happened on home playground equipment

·         20% without record

·         1% other

Incidents reported

·         67% falls from equipment and due to equipment failure

·         8% dangers recorded around but not related to equipment

·         7% include collisions among children on the equipment

·         7% setups

·         11% other

Deaths associated with playground equipment during 2001-2008;

There were forty deaths were reported during 2001-2008, which include;

·         Children who died were 6 years of age on average

·         27 deaths occurred because of hanging

·         7 deaths happened because of head and neck injuries

However death rate is increase as compare to years from 1990-2000, during that period 15 cases of death were recorded. In most case of injuries, girl’s ratio is more (55%) than boys (45%).

Climbers, swings, slides and overhead ladders are the common source of injuries on playground. Most common injuries occurred on playground equipment includes fractures, Contusions/abrasions, laceration, strains and sprains, internal organs, and concussions.

The playground injuries are seems to be very dangerous as statistics tell us above, however we can prevent from these kinds of injuries, if we focus on following prevention measures;

·         In order to prevent falling from equipment, the height of the equipment must be reduced at that level where children can easily climb

·         Falling can be decreased through the use of barriers, discouraging climbing, and making upper surface uncomfortable for sitting or climbing

·         There should be flexibility under and around play equipment, so that likelihood of bone breakage can be decreased

·         Adults should actively supervise the children during play time

·         Adults and school officials should insure that all equipment and surfacing in the play area be maintained on a regular basis

Before planning playground following things should be consider,

·         Access and entry to the playground

·         Shade

·         Water hazards

·         Other environment hazards

·         Slope and gradient

·         Drainage

However according to some experts these kind of prevention measures or over protectiveness make the children risk averse which has bad effect on the exploring power of children. Instead of over protectiveness need to allow children in natural grounds (called Playscape) where they can freely move without any heavy restriction. But according to standards of modern world, children love to play in grounds equipped with slides, seesaws, etc. that’s the reason safety measures should be present in order to prevent injuries.