Spring Brings More Playground Questions

[originalkat]

This Spring/Summer we will be re-doing our outdoor play area. I really do not have much out there...only one plastic Little Tikes Swingset/climber. The kids do not have much to do and always fight over the two swings. I plan on purchasing this swingset

I also plan to add a bench to sit on, a wooden child size picnic table that I already have. What other things do your kids use on a regular basis outside that I might need to add?

I was thinking of creating an outside supply station with Kleenix, bandaids, a small trashcan or bag, and any other things the kids often need and I cant run in to get. I was thinking of placing them in a water tight container and keeping them outside near the bench or just bringing it in an out as needed. Does anyone else have something like this set up?

Also-- Another play surface question for you all:
WHAT SHOULD I USE? I know we just had a post about this recently. But I really dont know what to do. I cant afford the rubber mulch. It would cost close to $2000.00 for the area I need. I heard pea gravel and mulch are far less expensive. Also is there a difference between mulch and wood chips?
My concerns with mulch are messy (on kids and in the yard) and possible splinters. I liked the idea from the other post about the outdoor carpet, but my husband thought it would look weird in such a large area (25X30). Any advice or suggestion would be great! Also if anyone has pictures of their play area please post them. (There is a Picture Posting Sticky on the forum).I NEED INSPIRATION!

[mac60]

My area is 16 x 25, and really it doesn't look weird and is very easy to keep up, sweep off, and dries quickly. Mulch is a mess and breaks down and an area that big would probably cost you a lot to mulch, and next year you would have to keep adding. Isn't mulch more shredded, and chips more chuncky? Pea gravel too easy to throw. Good luck in choosing....my outdoor carpet works good for me.

[gkids09]

I have wood chips, which, like Mac60 said, are bigger and more like chunks of wood than mulch is. Personally, I hate it... I DO like it a lot better than pea gravel, because the kids don't stick it up their noses and ears. BUT I have to have six inches of the stuff to count for licensing. Needless to say, toy dump trucks full of it get hauled off every once in a while when someone's back is turned, and it gets worn down, so it has to be replaced often. My licensing advisor told me to just get rid of the swingset and then I don't have to worry about it...That's the kids' favorite place, so that's not happening. I would like to do the outdoor carpet too, but I don't think that would count either because it's not six inches of padding..ugh.
As for your box of kleenex, bandaids, etc, I have a first aid kit that I take outside every time we go. I like your idea of an air tight container so that it could stay outside...Might have to look into that.
AND as for other equipment you might need...we have a swingset, bikes and tricycles, sand area, picnic table, and dump trucks.
Good luck!!

[mac60]

When I started daycare over 10 years ago, I actually sold my swingset. I got tired of kids not paying attention and walking in front of the swingers.

[Unregistered]

We use pea gravel, and it seems to work well except for it IS easy to throw. We have to repeat ourselves every few minutes because someone is throwing it (But I think they can be trained not to throw it with appropriate consequences and all. It's the 3-5 yr olds, who SHOULD know better ). Another problem with pea gravel is how it usually ends up in someone's jacket or pockets, so when they come inside, it gets dumped out on the floor. We've just learned to deal with the draw backs to it because there doesn't seem to be too many. There's occasionally a toddler who sticks it in their mouth, but not too often anymore since the youngest is almost 2. The children love using the pea gravel like they would sand, but it's less messy Example: "digging" in it and shoveling it into their sand buckets, burying things in it, etc.

Our playground has a big tree house swingset with 3 swings (Yes, they fight over the swings sometimes, but they also learn to take turns with them)and a slide attached to the tree house part; a little tykes play house, little tykes platform slide (for the toddlers), 2 little ride-in cars; a child sized pic-nic table; 3 or 4 child sized beach chairs; and little dump trucks, sand pails and shovels, and a water/sand table (right now it's filled with pea gravel instead of water ).

[Unregistered]

I have a huge swingset area as well! I have sand boxed in under the entire thing! The kids absoluetly love it!! However it is messy, but I guess that goes along with kids having fun outdoors!! We have just learned that we need to dump our shoes out and brush ourselves off before going inside, no matter what we still have sand! I guess how much fun the kids have with all the sand out weighs the mess for me!! Not only do they have fun on the swingset, they have a blast shoveling, making trucks tracks, castles and all sorts!! The only thing I would change about mine is to end the sandbox before the swings!! I am always chasing kids out of in front of the swings and I think if the sand box part was only under the slides, climbing walls and bridges then they wouldn't be so much in front of the swings!! I told my husband I wanted to enclose the underpart of our wooden swingset and make a little house and make a little fence across seperating the swings from the rest of the play system, this would make the kids have to go around!! : ) As far as things being thrown, no matter what you put under their, kids are going to test you and throw it, it never fails!! I just remain very consistent and with doing so I haven't seemed to have a huge problem!! : ) Hope this helps!

[Chickenhauler]

Inexpensive, and kids think it's the neatest thing ever-a plastic culvert....just set it on the ground (anchored so it don't roll on someone) and they will flock to it.

Can't figure out the fascination with it, but it works.

[toddletots]

Our center has two playgrounds. The Toddler playground has a small area with a climber with woodchips underneith, and we have a sandox, trucks, bal and riding toys. Plus a Little Tikes(?) barn playhouse and large fire truck to play on. The rest of the surface is concrete. I hate it.

Our preschool playground has a large grass area, with a sandbox. We have a equipment holder that has balls, hoops, and we use a plastic tub to store tissues, sanitizer, etc. We have a large climber with 2 swings for 20 kids. They learn to wait their turn, but the hit is the tunnel slide. Undernieth is wood chips.

The woodchips arn't the kind you get at the garden center, but more expensive that don't splinter, and arn't suppose to rot as soon. In the past 5 years, I have never seen a splinter, and they are holding up fairly well. No matter what you get, they will throw it, remove it and they will just have to learn the rules.

[Chickenhauler]

On the note of not rotting so soon (woodchips), get redwood or cedar. It may cost a little more up front, but the cost in the long haul is much less.

Good example-we had a redwood deck around a pool for over 20 years. When we removed the pool, the decking boards (2x8's) were still solid....a little silver in color, but structurally sound. We re-used that planking to rebuild a staircase on the side of my parents house, and it's been up there for over 15 years, and it's STILL rock solid.

[Crystal]

I have cedar playground quality wood chips. It cost me $500 initially, and I add some each year for about $150. I get it at a rock/gravel yard, so it is much cheaper than buying it in bags. It is treated for playground safety: fire retardent, splinterless, etc. It does cost a bit, but it is worth it for the peace of mind that the children are safe, and I'm not going to get sued if one gets injured on a surface that is NOT adequately covered with appropriate materials for fall zones/cushioning.