5 Types of Park Equipment
Park equipment helps kids develop social and motor skills, hone their imagination and learn about the world around them. Children often establish friendships with other children and play with a group, fostering communication and group interaction.
A variety of playground structures, including slides, climbers and bridges, are a must for any playground. They help kids build their gross motor skills and improve balance, coordination and strength.
Commercial
There are many different types of commercial park equipment, but a few stand out as the epitome of the best. General Recreation offers a full complement of outdoor shelters, including the most impressively sized, well-appointed, and sheltered pavilions, in addition to a plethora of gazebos and trellises for all your outdoor needs. The most difficult part of the equation is selecting the right product for your needs and budget. The experts at Gen Rec are happy to help you make that selection. Request a free quote today to see how we can best serve your commercial playground or outdoor recreational venue needs.
Inclusive
Inclusive playground equipment allows kids of all abilities to play in the same spaces together. It is a safe, social environment where children with disabilities can build self-esteem, interact and learn in a positive way.
ADA compliant playground equipment lets you stay on the right side of federal laws while still offering engaging play for all. This is especially important in the current age of increasing government regulations and a growing population of disabled youth.
An inclusive playground is a place that encourages physical, cognitive and social development of all children and includes all kinds of activities to challenge each child’s physical and sensory abilities. This type of play space is not only beneficial for children of all ages and abilities, but it also serves the community in general.
The first step is to choose an appropriate location for your playground. Ensure the site is accessible for people of all abilities and consider how to make pathways, parking areas and restrooms accommodate different ability levels.
Next, determine the best layout for the playground equipment. Similar items should be grouped together, and quiet zones can be created for children who prefer to be alone.
It is also a good idea to design the playground with a variety of perimeters and boundaries, which can help define different zones and create shade. Plants can also be used to soften the look and feel of the space and add play value, so make sure to choose plants that will be a good fit for your location.
Another consideration is surfacing. Choosing the correct surface material can be very park equipment important in making your playground inclusive, and it can help reduce injuries due to falls.
Lastly, it is important to have a wide enough route for wheelchair users and parents with strollers or other assistance devices. It is also a good idea to design routes with flush transitions that are not too steep or too short.
At Landscape Structures and General Recreation, we believe in the tenets of Universal Design, which is the concept that environments should be designed with people in mind regardless of their abilities or conditions. We strive to incorporate a variety of inclusive playground equipment into our designs, which allow for a safe, engaging and fun environment for everyone.
Unique
Unique equipment can add an extra touch of excitement and charm to any playground. It can be anything from themed pieces of equipment, to equipment that does park equipment something no one else has seen before. It can also include equipment that is specifically designed for inclusivity, which makes it more appealing to children of all ages and abilities.
Climbers are a staple in many playgrounds, and they come in a variety of shapes, sizes, and textures to cater to kids of all ages and abilities. Dome and curved climbers allow for multiple kids to play together, while vertical climbing nets and panels encourage physical challenge.
Slides are another popular piece of equipment that is found in almost every playground, and they can be found in a wide range of shapes and sizes to fit any age group. Tunnel structures are another fun way to add some creativity to your playground, with a wide variety of themes and shapes to choose from.
These small pieces of equipment can help make your park more inclusive, and they will attract more visitors to your playground. They will also add to the property value of your park, which can benefit the entire neighborhood. This is a savvy investment that will have a long-lasting impact on your community.
Social
Social Park is a new game from the folks behind Doodle World. It is a social game in which you build your own amusement park complete with colorful rides and detailed animations. The game lets you collect money from rides over time, which can be used to purchase more rides and unlock mini-games. This all sounds like it should be a fun experience, but it quickly becomes a chore thanks to a number of minor errors and oversights.
The biggest issue is that the interface in Social Park is clunky and not intuitive. The main quest menu is a large display that fills up the lower left corner of your screen, which doesn’t allow you to close it out and it makes it difficult to access most of the other aspects of the game. The interface also is the source of some major frustrations, such as having to spend minutes pixel-hunting for trash in your park after it has been built.
Fortunately, it’s possible to prevent the worst of these frustrations with the use of a portable camera that can be installed in your park. This will help protect your equipment and prevent vandalism, which could lead to unnecessary repairs or closures of the playground.
