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Tips For Keeping Kids Safe On Backyard Playgrounds

Today, parents want their kids to experience the same fun and exercise they enjoyed while playing in their neighborhood playgrounds. The joy of joining the other kids from the local area while playing. Kids love to swing, climb and slide, enjoying warm summer days and afternoons after school. That fun can still be had and here are some tips for keeping them safe.

Let them play in their own back yard.

The days when a parent could trust their child to go alone a street, block, or few houses away and know they are safe, while they play on the structures of the neighborhood playground, are for the most part gone. However, children can still have the opportunity to enjoy all the things the neighborhood playground offered, and right in their own back yards. Children can now play on their own playground equipment and the parent can watch them through their kitchen or living room windows while they play only feet or yards away.

It no longer needs to be one size fits all.

Backyard playgrounds are now available for all ages. There are plastic seats in today’s playground equipment that will easily hold an infant. High back toddler swings have been developed to safely hold the youngest children. This means kids can interact with each other on playgrounds at an even earlier age. Outdoor playground equipment designed and created for multiple ages are available for today’s children. With equipment designed for even the smallest children, they can begin their playground experiences even sooner.

A safe backyard playground doesn’t need to be expensive.

Safe playground equipment is available for nearly any budget. From one small piece, your backyard playground can continue to grow as the kids grow. The playground may be as simple as a teeter totter, or may include swings, slides, platforms, and climbing walls. Even though you can purchase each item separately, you can also get bundle packages as well. However path is chosen the price for safe playground equipment is surprisingly inexpensive.

You can have a playground designed with both fun and safety in mind.

Playing outside, climbing, running and jumping is a big part of a child’s life. Children are bundles of energy and parents are often looking for safe ways that energy can be vented. And parents know that most children love to climb. Outdoor playground equipment is designed so the child can expend the energy while they climb, swing and slide on a structure that is created with the idea that safety is as important as fun. Quality manufacturers not only test to ensure their equipment is safe and durable but they also test the materials to ensure they are safe as well.

For the most part, gone are the days when a young child could safely wander through the neighborhood looking for friends to play with and things to do. However, we don’t want any child to be denied the opportunities for fun that outdoor …

Choosing Home Playground Equipment

Choosing home playground equipment can be a challenge for a parent, but doing this does not need to make you rack your brain for hours on end because the longer that you think about the project at hand the larger it will become and in turn the larger a project which means a more costly one as well. However, to help you choose the proper home playground equipment you will want to take a couple of things into consideration and here they are and these are the ones that I took into consideration while purchasing mine.

1. Playability

Now by this I mean if your children are under the age of three you will not want to get a playground set that will sit for three years until they reach the age that they will enjoy the outdoor play set that you spent large amounts of money on. However, if they are older then you will want to take into consideration all the available features that it has that will keep them playing on it for years to come.

2. Ease of Use

Ease of use can go both ways because the ease of use can be how you put it together which for the one that my play set for my children the box said it would take ten hours, but little did I suspect it would take what seemed like ten years! In reality it was only three days. However, the other ease of use that you will want to take into consideration is how easy will your kids be able to climb up on certain parts of it and how easy it will be for them to play on the set.

These are just a couple of the things that you will want to take into consideration when looking for a play set for your children. I know that no matter what kind of play set your choose your children will love playing on it.…

A Magical Playground on the World’s Largest Cruise Ship – Allure of the Seas

My invitation arrived unannounced. Just as I was rushing out to a meeting, an email came in from my client, Royal Caribbean Cruise Line (RCCL). I started reading and right at the end of the message, there it was: “I want you to know how much I value your partnership… I’d like to invite you and a guest to join me in November onboard our newest ship – the beautiful Allure of the Seas!!!” Incredible, I thought and kept reading: “You would be my guest onboard for a 2-day inaugural sailing out of Port Everglades, Fort Lauderdale. Please be on the lookout for an email from our Special Events team with the details… “

Naturally, I’d followed the press on Allure of the Seas – world’s largest cruise ship, a first of its kind collaboration with DreamWorks for onboard entertainment, a 3-D theatre, a skating rink, an Aqua Theater, a carousel, a garden, fabulous restaurants – in short, a magical playground on a cutting-edge cruise ship.

I mentally started packing my cruise-wear.

Understandably, I was excited about this unexpected invitation but I must say, nothing could have prepared me for the extraordinary two days that lay ahead. The Allure of the Seas is truly majestic. There was a sense of glamour and excitement from the moment we boarded – “we” being my 28-year old son and myself. But what struck me immediately was the profound feeling of fun in the air.

Everyone was there to celebrate the launch of this amazing ship. And when Richard Fain, CEO of RCCL, demonstrated his surfing skills on the FlowRiderA�, he sent a very clear message.

To understand how this wave riding technology works, think of a thin sheet of water flowing over a static form to simulate ocean waves. It combines the thrill of surfing, skateboarding and snowboarding in the safety of a pool. And speaking of thrills, I had my very first zip-line experience – thanks to encouraging words from my son!

The entertainment was sensational with DreamWorks characters, up close and personal. This was a truly star-studded cruise. And along with all this excitement, the cast and crew of the movie, Jack and Jill, were onboard filming. I had heard about the location shoot but really didn’t think much about it till I stepped into the elevator and saw a man wearing tights, a crinoline and full make-up. Not just any man, but Adam Sandler! Cool guy that he is, he looked at me and said, “Sorry about the dress.”

Hindsight is a wonderful thing because after the fact I thought of all kinds of things I could have said. “I’m an image consultant and this is not your best look.” Or “OMGosh! You’re Adam Sandler – I am so thrilled to meet you.” Fact is, I said and did nothing. A missed moment. But it got me thinking about the protocols of meeting celebrities. Meanwhile, I …

Minimize the Risk of Injuries to Kids by Making Their Playing Environments Safe

If parents could put knee pads and elbow pads on their kids to prevent the risk of injury they would. But unfortunately, as most will tend to agree, wrapping your kids up in cotton wool is not the answer to ensuring their health.

Playground-related injuries are common on all corners of the globe and range from simple scrapes and bruises to more serious injuries like fractures, dislocations, concussions and even death.

From the moment that kids walk out of home for school in the morning, parents are conscious of the injuries that may occur whilst they’re out of their sights. They place their trust in teachers and friends to help prevent accidents from happening. It’s not the potential for classroom injury that worries parents, but the playground – the one place where kids get to release their stored-up energy and express their new skills. It’s here that, up until a few years ago, most injuries occurred.

It’s taken a while, since the days of concrete and grass surfaces in the playground area, but finally schools are now making concerted efforts to put the health and well-being of their pupils first. More and more schools are introducing rubber matting to the playgrounds. This surface is the ultimate in playground safety. It not only cushions the falls and trips of kids, but it also prevents slips from happening when it’s wet. The number of accidents hasn’t reduced but fortunately the playground matting has ensured a rapid decline in the number of injuries – all to the satisfaction of kids, teachers and parents.

Kids are always quick to remind us of their new found skills but the time in which it takes them to develop their coordination and strength is a simple reminder of just how vulnerable they can be to accidents. No matter how wet or cold it is, kids will always venture and explore and by introducing the appropriate safety precautions, there’ll be no need to hold them back from doing what they love.…

Playground Safety for ADHD Kids

Playgrounds and parks provide fresh air, fun, and lots of exercise – which is great for hyperactive children diagnosed with ADHD. But the wrong playground can also pose safety hazards if parents aren’t aware of playground safety measures. Every year, nearly 300,000 children get into accidents on the playground due to improper surfaces, faulty equipment, and careless behavior.

As you’re probably aware, children with ADHD tend to be more accident-prone than the rest because of their impulsive behavior and hyperactive tendencies. That’s why it’s important for you to keep your child safe in the playground. Here are a few things you can do.

Supervise your child

You can make sure your child stays safe by supervising your child or making sure than an adult is around to keep an eye on the kids. Adult supervision prevents injuries by making sure that kids use playground equipment properly and don’t do unsafe activities near other children. This is important because young children have difficulty gauging distances; older children, on the other hand, like to test their limits on playground equipment. Even if an adult can’t prevent injuries, at least he or she can administer first aid immediately or take the child to the emergency room.

Dress your child in play clothes

Make sure that your child doesn’t wear long necklaces or hoodies and pants with drawstrings. They can lead to injuries by catching onto equipment, or accidentally strangle a child.

Evaluate the fall surfaces

Approximately 70% of playground injuries are due to falls. One way to prevent them is to make sure that the fall surfaces of playground equipment are properly cushioned. Make sure that the surfaces around swings, seesaws, and slides are softened using wood chips, sand, mulch, pea gravel, or rubber. Concrete surfaces are unsafe, and so are grass or soil-packed surfaces; regular wear and tear can reduce their cushioning capacities.

Teach your child about playground safety

Safe equipment and adult presence is important, but they’re not enough to prevent injuries. The other half of the equation is for your child to know how stay safe at the playground. Some basic playground safety rules you can teach are:

Use the equipment properly – don’t stand on swings, slide feet first, one child per seat on the seesaw, etc.

Don’t push other kids while on the slides, swings, seesaws, or jungle gym

Before jumping down, make sure that there are no children in the way. Always land on both feet with knees bent slightly.

Don’t use playground equipment after rain; the moisture will make the surface slippery.…