Thank goodness the recent trend in playground safety and design is that of accessibility for all! While I am still working on the changes over the past 25 years of playground safety and design, and don't always agree with minimizing the risk users can take, as well as develop problem solving skills, there is a definite shift for new designs and recent products that is enticing and exciting!

Stay tuned!

I hope to share some changes over a 25-year time frame for playground safety and designs. I researched this topic extensively and even wrote a thesis for my first master's degree on this topic. I never published it, yet, it and a final project are done and just need to be updated. I look forward to this research project, as do I to share it. I hope you find it fascinating and well worth the find!

I discovered a new book has been published Design of Childhood by Alexandra Lange. I admit I have not read it yet, however, ordered it for our local public library. The reviews are very favorable and the content is long overdue. Check it out, it is also available as an eBook. Log into your valid library card account and see if it is available for you ti check out. Why buy it if you are unsure if you'l visit it more than once?

Happy reading!
-Sharon

I apologize for the gap in posts. Blogger was purchased by Google and I was unable to view, let alone access to post for an extended period of time. However, I am grateful for the attentiveness to my email plea to revive this Blog. Google rocks!

Sincerely,
Sharon

New, updated information is forthcoming! I apologize for disappearing!

Has anyone  out there been planning new playground projects to share via this blog? Please do! It would be awesome to have a community sharing dialog about those projects; the good, the bad; the  awesome, the ugly,  New standards have been in place and more people need to be aware of these new standards, as well as new products available fore our children to explore safely while preserving the risk-taking, problem solving skill development processes. These skills are mastered on playgrounds, yet implemented throughout life!

Some updated and new resources for playground safety

CDC: Center for Disease Control and Prevention, (2009). CDC Injury Center publications. This source has reports ranging from 2001 to 2006. Retrieved Jult 17, 2009 from http://www.cdc.gov/HomeandRecreationalSafety/Playground-Injuries/playgroundinjuries-factsheet.htm .

National Program for Playground Safety is nearly a one-stop-shop for finding resources. It provides links for training and development, research, standards and etcetera. However, it has not been updated since 2006.
Retrieved July 17, 2009 from http://www.uni.edu/playground/ .

U. S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, (2008). This is the authority for all safety standards. Provided by this site is a well organized matrix containing handbooks, checklists, and other literature in HTML and/or PDF. Retrieved July 17, 2009 from http://www.cpsc.gov/CPSCPUB/PUBS/playpubs.html.

There will be more to come.

Electronic Playgrounds need to be safe, too.

Whether your children, tweens, or teens are outside playing or on the Internet, PLEASE be aware of what they are doing. I recently discovered someone very near and dear posting to MySpace.com and they gave way too much personal information. To prevent a possible disaster, please follow this link to become better equipped and make informed suggestions: http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/tech/tec14.pdf Retrieved May 18, 2006 from American Libraries Direct.

Stay safe!