Yard swing sets can draw kids outside
In the late 1970s, my parents bought my first wooden swing set. It was basic – just monkey bars with four swings beneath them and a metal slide that would heat up to rival the surface of the sun by midday.
And even though it was nothing fancy, often inflicted scalding slide-burns and sometimes gave me what seemed like stump-sized splinters, I loved it.
The National Program for Playground Safety offers checklists for parents to help keep children safe on playgrounds:
— Supervision is present, but strings and ropes aren’t: Adult presence is needed to watch for potential hazards, observe, intercede and facilitate play when necessary. Strings on clothing or ropes used for play can cause accidental strangulation if caught on equipment.
— All children play on age-appropriate equipment: Preschoolers (ages 2-5) and children ages 5-12 are developmentally different and need different equipment located in separate areas to keep the playground safe and fun for all.
— Falls to surface are cushioned: Nearly 70 percent of all playground injuries are related to falls to the surface. Acceptable surfaces include hardwood fiber/mulch, pea gravel, sand, some rubberlike synthetic materials and rubber mats or tiles. Playground surfaces should not be concrete, asphalt, grass, blacktop, packed dirt or rocks.
— Equipment is safe: Check to make sure the equipment is anchored safely in the ground, all equipment pieces are in good working order, S-hooks are entirely closed, bolts are not protruding, there are no exposed footings, etc.
Today’s backyard swing sets have come a long way from the tippy, somewhat dangerous, contraption of my childhood. Families now enjoy a range of options, and safety is considered far more than with my own 1970s set.
And many kids continue to love having a big contraption for climbing and swinging right in the backyard. It can be a big incentive to get them to go outside and play.
That can be particularly important these days. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, one in three children are overweight or obese, with national statistics showing childhood obesity rates more than tripling in 30 years.
In response to this growing epidemic, the U.S. Department of the Interior and the American Academy of Pediatrics started the “Let’s Move” campaign – publicized by first lady Michelle Obama – which encourages at least 60 minutes of active, vigorous play every day, especially outside. According to the website letsmove.gov, “Regular exercise in nature is proven to improve children’s physical and mental health. Outdoor activity helps kids maintain a healthy weight, boosts their immunity and bone health and lowers stress.”
These aspects of outdoor fun are exactly why nurse Judy Riley of Buzzards Bay decided to purchase a swing set four years ago for her then-4-year-old daughter, Kaitlyn.
“Our country has a very big obesity problem. Kids spend way too much time in front of the TV or video games,” says Riley, who likes to run for exercise herself. “A swing set was a great option for encouraging Katie to enjoy the outdoors and challenge herself physically and mentally while building self-confidence. To this day, she and her friends use the swing set frequently.”
For Amy Swift of Cataumet, a swing set in her own backyard has made fun for her sons, now 11 and 8, readily available.
“For us, physical exercise was already a part of our lives, being surrounded by the woods and hiking trails. But to use those outlets – to bike and hike – meant that I had to accompany the kids. Having a swing set in the backyard (for the past nine years) meant that they could get physical without the need to go somewhere,” she says. “That ability to open the door and … (have) a wonderful time right in their own backyard is invaluable to me. The set has paid for itself many times over.”
Swing sets are built with various materials. Metal, wood and plastic are often combined into imaginative designs to keep a child amused for hours.
Dennis Caron of Walpole Woodworkers in East Falmouth helps many families from Provincetown to Rhode Island choose a swing set for their own backyard. “We carry Woodplay swing sets, which are made of redwood. Redwood is an excellent choice for playground equipment because it requires no maintenance and gets smoother the more you touch it,” he says.
While swing sets made out of pressure-treated lumber can last a long time, Caron warns that such a hard wood can crack and splinter over time.
For Riley, durability and safety played key roles in choosing her swing set.
“My set is made out of wood, but encased in vinyl. Each swing chain is also encased in a rubber material,” she says. “What sold me on our swing set was how well it was built and the fact that I could add to it, even years later. Kids get bored quickly and often certain parts of a basic play set rarely get played with. I wanted a set that I could design and this was it.”
When picking her options, Riley thought long and hard about who her child was and what she would like, not just as a 4-year-old, but as she grew. She opted to have several options added, including a rock wall, sandbox and playhouse. The entire set was a huge hit with her daughter, who still plays with it frequently four years later.
Caron agrees that the adaptability of any set should play a key role in making the most out of your swing set dollars.
“Buying a set that is well-made and changeable means that you can have a set that lasts for more than one generation. It means that your grandchildren could be enjoying the set someday,” Caron says.
He advises parents to get the most use out of their set by purchasing when the child is young. “Swing sets are mainly used by kids anywhere from 2 to 12 years of age or more. Buying a set when your child is young ensures they will enjoy it for at least a decade. I see 2-year-olds climbing all over our sets and enjoying the swings, the slides – everything.”
Jodi Perry is owner and director of Cataumet Preschool and Childcare. She recently decided to upgrade her play area to include an industrial-grade steel playground from Playworld Systems at a cost of nearly $15,000.
“I chose steel because it can be sanded and repainted over the years,” says Perry, who also wanted the ability to add on to the set eventually. “They had so many amazing add-ons and customizable sets. I chose one that was pre-designed, but the things they offered were mind-boggling.”
Like many professional-grade playgrounds, Playworld, which has an office in Uxbridge, offered such features as interactive panels, bridges, twisted crawl tubes, rock walls, giant slides, aerial seesaws, monorails that glide over the ground and even a device called the Sky Surfer that simulates snowboarding. With so many options available to consumers, many parents can go swing set-crazy with add-ons.
Caron, however, doesn’t think it is necessary. “Parents come in with their children and see all these extras – periscopes, ship wheels, chalkboards, bubble tubes – and they want it all. But the kids are completely happy with a basic swing set. All the children really want are swings, slides and some climbing areas.”
Another financial caution: Although she is spending a small fortune on her new playground, Perry acknowledges that she believes most backyard playgrounds are a waste of money.
“I am installing a new playground so the children have the opportunity to use it and parents are pleased to see it. It is a business decision,” she says. “But children get bored quickly. I am sure the kids will be thrilled with this new playground, but within a few months, the novelty will wear off and they will go back to the sandbox and the toys.”
The reality, Perry says, is that kids need change.
“These big, beautiful playgrounds cannot be easily changed. That is why we have so many smaller plastic pieces that we can change out of the play area on a regular basis. The variation when we change out items is what pleases the children, not the same slide, same swings day after day.”
Rather than investing in a large, backyard play set, Perry advises parents to buy smaller pieces that can easily be changed or take their children to public playgrounds.
“There are big, beautiful, public playgrounds out there that cost thousands of dollars but are completely free to play on. Those are the real money-saving deals,” she says.
If you do decide to stay in your own backyard, there are aspects to consider when siting the swing set.
For Caron, potential pitfalls can be avoided with good planning.
“Many people don’t realize just how much level, cleared land a swing set can take up because many people forget that there must be swing-out space,” he says. “Some of our sets need spaces as large as 17 feet by 26 feet, which is a substantial area.”
In addition, Caron often sees homeowners place the swing set on grass, rather than lay down a ground cover to soften a fall.
“Grass is not a good ground cushion – it compacts over time, which means a child who falls can break a bone, even on their lawn. Manufacturers recommend 1 foot deep of mulch or 4 inches for rubber material, like shredded tires, to help soften a fall.”
Falls and injuries often worry parents considering a backyard swing set. Indeed, due to injuries and deaths from having monkey bars built over swings, the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM), which oversees product safety, banned the design more than six years ago.
The National Program for Playground Safety (NPPS) is a national nonprofit organization that educates parents and professionals about playground safety. The program estimated an average of 218,851 preschool and elementary-school children were injured on playgrounds between 2001 and 2008. While the majority of these injuries do happen on school playgrounds, roughly 20 percent happen on backyard play sets.
Perry believes, however, that many of these injuries can be avoided by common sense and adult supervision, no matter what you buy.
“Don’t let your children try crazy stunts, lay down the correct materials beneath them and keep an eye on them,” she says. “And take the time to pick a good swing set – one that will last, that is safe and that will grow with your child.”
Mike Parody, president of Ultiplay Parks & Playgrounds Inc. in Uxbridge, designed the Luke’s Love Playground in West Barnstable and the Wood Boundless Playground in West Dennis. As a playground expert, Parody explains the best ideas for different children based on age, with the goal being a “perceived risk” that appeals to the child’s sense of adventure but is actually safe.
— 2- to 5-year-olds: “Low elevations with raised areas safely contained are essential. Full, enclosed infant swings and low slides are also excellent options to help build confidence. Crawling tunnels, activity panels, like giant puzzles and steering wheels, are all appealing to the younger child.”
— 5- to 12-year-olds: “The older child wants challenges that get harder with age. This age group is looking for rock walls and lots of lateral climbing with higher slides and elevations. Swings are also a must. Rope ladders, more complex interactive panels, monkey bars and forts are all great options for the older crowd, though the possibilities can be endless.”
— National Program for Playground Safety: www.playgroundsafety.org
— Let’s Move: www.letsmove.gov/
— Cape Cod public playgrounds: www.capecodkidz.com/page3.htm
— New Bedford public playgrounds: www.newbedford-ma.gov/commserv/parks&beaches.htm
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