Playground construction projects often involve two steps: demolition and construction. Used outdoor playground equipment often features outdated safety panels that can be hazardous to children. Although some companies will try to sell playground refurbishing services such as repainting, the equipment will need constant maintenance once these steps are started. Lead paint and wood playgrounds should generally be removed and not fixed. It is often better for an organization to completely remove an unsafe playground than allow temporary fixes. This is not to say that damaged equipment cannot be fixed, however there comes a point in the age of equipment where the price of a fix is more or higher than a replacement or removal.

Parks, schools and daycares with commercial playground equipment are a great way to bring communities together for pretty much any occasion. Playground equipment can teach children the value of sharing and turn an ordinary playground into a world of imagination. Playground equipment is much different to adults that to children in that the scenarios are constantly changing with the imagination of the each individual. A jungle gym may be imagined as a space ship or a seesaw may turn into a row boat. Children get a chance to be active, improve their motor skills and strengthen their coordination.

For years, playgrounds have been praised as an excellent way for your children to get the healthy and fun exercise their developing bodies so desperately need. And with an ever-increasing popularity of playing video games and watching TV shows, it is becoming more important than ever that children get up off the couch and engage in physical activity. To this effect, outdoor playgrounds equipment and parks are often recognized as helping to fight the battle against childhood obesity and other health problems. However, research shows that playgrounds can also help to improve your child’s grades in school.

Commercial playground equipment is not designed to eliminate every obstacle; it is designed to place reasonable obstacles in the path of children so that they can learn how to overcome these scenarios while interacting with other children. Children become more comfortable with social interactions, sharing, free -play, using their imaginations, physical fitness and much more. Take your children to the park every day and watch the positive impact this time has on their development.

Playgrounds not only provide your child with an opportunity for physical development, they also offer a unique environment in which your child can develop his/her creativity. Children can expand their skills, try out new ideas, and seek new challenges. They can be free to invent new games and interact with peers their own age.

Because children develop their minds through the help of movement and exploration, it is important that playgrounds offer a variety of challenges. The playground should be able to accommodate children as their skill levels change and grow. The equipment should have a variety of physical challenges for balance, climbing and other essential skills. According to brain development experts, climbing opportunities help to develop motor patterns, which in turn aid a child in reading, writing, and solving math problems. The more variety of equipment offered the more chance a child has to develop his/her skills. However, it is important that concern for safety is always emphasized first and foremost.

Playgrounds are essential to the healthy development of your child’s motor skills. Not only will children reap the physical health benefits of active play, skills essential to everyday activities and lifelong development can be strengthened on playgrounds. This, in turn, can help to better prepare your child for the academic world.

Mr. Principi and his father flew to Cap-Haïtien on Saturday, Jan. 16. Cape Haitian is about 80 miles north of Port-au-Prince, the area hit by the quake. They returned last Sunday and were in Florida earlier this week.

Mr. Principi had some customers worried he was in Haiti when the quake struck, but Mr. Principi said from Florida on Tuesday that he is safe and the experience in Haiti was eye-opening and powerful.

He and his father went with a religious organization called Tilt-a-World, building outdoor playground equipment for orphans. The trip was preplanned and Mr. Principi worried it would be canceled due to the chaos caused by the earthquake.

“They had rejected any commercial flights in and out of Haiti,” Mr. Principi said. “We were able to enter under the humanitarian aid umbrella.”

Mr. Principi said the confusion caused by the earthquakes in the other part of the country were obvious upon landing and U.S. troops were at the airport when the Principis arrived.

“There was little coordination and direction and the earthquake worsened that,” Mr. Principi said.

Though Cap-Haïtien wasn’t affected by the earthquake, survivors were being transported to the area.

“We were part of a larger group of about 50 people,” Mr. Principi said. “About 30 to 40 of those folks were medical technicians and since there were 50 buses a day coming out of Port-au-Prince with survivors, those people were a big help.”

Mr. Principi said the medical technicians in his group were overwhelmed at first but put to good use.

“Broken limbs, you name it, they saw it,” Mr. Principi said.

The group had expected lumber delivery from Port-au-Prince to build the kids playground equipment but since many roads were impassable, they received less than expected.

The group planned to build two jungle gyms but were able to only do one with the supplies.

“We weren’t going to be deterred, we forged ahead,” Mr. Principi said. “No one in our group backed out.”

Group members, including Mr. Principi, are making plans to return and build the second jungle gym they promised the children.

The experience was an eye-opener, Mr. Principi said. Once its project was complete, the group had to teach the children how to swing on the swings and how to use other parts of the indoor playground equipment like the rope ladders and monkey bars.

“It’s hard to put into words the impact that this jungle gym will have for this community,” Mr. Principi said. “We had the inaugural ribbon-cutting ceremony on Saturday morning and the kids were out there from 8 in the morning to 11 at night... For what it’s worth, it’s an escape and allows them to forget about the destitute conditions they live in and just have fun and be kids.”

Mr. Principi said that seeing the international support pouring into the country for areas hit by the earthquake was heartening.

“It’s comforting to see that when times get tough, the U.S. steps up to the plate. As we saw in New Orleans, it can be tough to run everything smoothly but the effort and the good will are there and these people certainly need it.”

He also left with a strong impression of the people of Haiti.

“It’s seemingly a hopeless place but the Haitian people are good people and godly people,” Mr. Principi said. “Their faith is what keeps them going day to day.”

from:acorn-online

Tacoma, WA (PRWEB) January 28, 2010 -- Adding to the excitement and energy of the 2010 winter Olympics in Vancouver, BC, will be KOMPAN’s ICON digital playground equipment. Throughout the 17 days of the Olympics, ICON will be featured in the O Zone, a free-access Olympic destination in the neighboring city of Richmond.

"Interactive environments, such as commercial playground , are important in allowing children to experience the benefits of physical literacy," says Krista Popowych, Manager of Program Services at the Oval. "We are proud that the Richmond Olympic Oval provides the environment, programs and people that can inspire all ages and abilities to achieve personal success."

Tom Grover, President of KOMPAN, Inc., added, “We’re excited to be a part of the Olympic experience and showcase our latest innovation at the O Zone in Richmond. ICON represents the future of outdoor playground equipment by providing a dynamic, exciting and interactive play experience to a digital generation.”

ICON combines the award-winning play design of our product line, GALAXY, with the excitement of electronic gaming. ICON does not come with instructions. Kids are encouraged to explore the system and discover all of its innovative features on their own or with their friends. ICON’S games and display were designed to be intuitive for the user, regardless of language. ICON games energize kids playground equipment with more competition and interaction than ever. High scores are saved and kids will come back day after day to make sure their scores have held up against other kids scores.

“One amazing feature is that by remotely accessing the server on the playground site, KOMPAN can provide an owner with valuable feedback as to how many and which games are being played,” noted Susan Crawford, Manager of RecTec, KOMPAN’s local distributor in British Columbia. “ICON will change what kids and customers expect from playgrounds and the Richmond Olympic O Zone is the perfect place to introduce it.”

Outdoor Learning Environments are natural playgrounds that extend the classroom into the outdoors where children can play with and among natural elements such as sand, water and living plants. Through natural learning, these outdoor classrooms enhance and reinforce the lessons students learn in every subject from math to the arts. They range from vegetable gardens, to slides built into grass hills, to stages where pretend play capitalizes on natural surroundings to stimulate young minds. More elaborate natural playgrounds include science labs, greenhouses, ponds, dirt trails, trike trails and mazes and reading amphitheaters. They often include local plants and boulders, contributing to the authenticity of the natural environment.

Playscape is term used by landscape architects and designers who specialize in designing and building playspaces that look and feel like a natural environment.

For a playground to be considered a "playscape" the space should be as natural as possible, with as little man made components as possible. Using native plants, rolling hills, lots of trees; playscapes represent a natural place such as a forest. Playscapes are designed with the intent of bringing children and people back to nature. Playscapes offer a wide range of open-ended play options that allow children to be creative and use their imagination. Playscapes offer a wide range of developmental benefits to children, rehabilitation programs and all people in general.

Playscapes are designed to eliminate fall heights. Playscapes have rolling hills and fallen logs rather than a central play structure with monkey bars. Playscapes have much lower injury rates then standard playgrounds (Fjortoft and Sageie, 2000). By eliminating fall heights playscapes offer a safe alternative to play structures.

Playscapes have a fraction of the number of child injuries compared to standard playgrounds with play structures. The most frequent injury to children on playgrounds is a fracture of the upper limb resulting from falls from climbing apparatus's (Fissel, 2005). The second most common cause of injury to children on playgrounds is falls from slides (Fissel, 2005). Fall heights are the largest safety issue for most safety inspectors.

Playscapes combat the issue of fall heights by using topography changes for children to climb and experience changes in height. Companies in Canada have made strides in reducing fall height by using topography as a main feature in their designs. Topography changes allow designers to be creative when placing components in the playscape.

Playscapes offer a wide range of benefits such as increasing physical activity, fine and gross motor skills & cognitive development. They are also used in horticultural therapy for rehabilitation of mental and/or physical ailment. They increase participation rates and decrease absenteeism, decrease bullying, decrease injury rates, increase focus and attention span and help with social skills in schools (Fjortoft 2000, Wells, 2000 and Malone, 2003). Playscape have shown to increase children's level of physical activity, and motor ability (Fjortoft and Sageie, 2000). Playscapes are found to be very beneficial in the growth and development of children both mentally and physically. Cognitive development, focus, attention span and social skills are all improved (Wells, 2000 and Malone, 2003).
Playscapes are not intimidating regardless of ability or fitness level. Playscapes have no central location, or prescribed area of play. They are open-ended spaces that entice children to use their imagination and creativity. Playscapes do not prescribe in an area that encourages a physical hierarchy thus, reducing bullying and competition based on physical strength and ability (Herrington and Studtmann 1998).

Playscapes are not limited to public parks and schools. Select hospitals in Sweden and North America have playscapes on their facility. Hospitals use playscapes for horticultural therapy, which has proven to increase emotional, cognitive, and motor improvements and increased social participation, quality of life and well-being (Soderback et al., 2004).

Since 2006 Landscape Architects Adam White and Andrée Davies have pioneered the Playscape approach to play space design in the UK. They have won a number of design and community engagement awards each year for their work, these have included: RHS Gold Medal and BBC Peoples Choice Award, Landscape Institute Communication & Presentation Award, Horticultural Weekly Award and Children and Young Peoples Services Award for genuine community design engagement.
In 2009 they have won the award for the 'UK's Best Play Space' at the Horticultural Week Awards and have been short listed for Decembers BALI Construction Awards and the UK Landscape Architects Design Awards. In 2007 and they were reported as ‘ahead of the game’ in their profession by the Sunday Telegraph and in June 2009 they were profiled in The Times for their recently completed Lyric Theatre Roof Terrace Garden in Hammersmith, London

"The name Playscape aims to emphasize that the total environment can have play value, not just a corner of a park or garden. Think grassy mounds, innovative planting, timber decking, trees, water, bridges and boulders complemented by modern well designed play equipment and you've got Playscape: an exciting and challenging space to play with unlimited creativity and imagination." Adam White CMLI
"Natural playgrounds" are play environments that blend natural materials, features, and indigenous vegetation with creative landforms to create purposely complex interplays of natural, environmental objects in ways that challenge and fascinate children and teach them about the wonders and intricacies of the natural world while they play within it.

"Natural playgrounds" are play environments that blend natural materials, features, and indigenous vegetation with creative landforms to create purposely complex interplays of natural, environmental objects in ways that challenge and fascinate children and teach them about the wonders and intricacies of the natural world while they play within it.

from:wiki

Empower Playgrounds, Incorporated is a US Registered 501(c) company that designs, builds, installs, and maintains playground systems designed to extract a fraction of the energy children exert while at play and store it in a battery. The energy is then transferred into portable LED lanterns that can be taken home by students in rural Ghana. The primary application of this patent pending technology is in rural third-world settings.

An electricity generating merry-go-round has been installed at Golden Sunbeam Montessori School in Ghana. EPI will install five more merry-go-rounds in 2008 near and around Accra, Ghana.

An electricity generating zip-line has been raised in Empower Playground's workshop in Ghana. Plans for installation are set for 2009.

An electricity generating swing-set is being designed at BYU-Idaho. A prototype will be built in the workshop in Ghana for 2009.

Empower Playgrounds, Inc. was founded in March 2007. The initial idea was devised by Ben Markham. a retired chemical engineer former vice-president of engineering for ExxonMobil Research and Engineering, while serving as a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Accra, Ghana.

EPI founder and Chair of the Board, Ben Markham, lived in Ghana for eighteen months while working as a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. While visiting rural schools, Markham observed poor conditions--namely poor lighting in classrooms, and no outdoor playground equipment for the students. An innovative and viable solution to the two needs was developed —build playground equipment that generates electricity from children at play. Markham registered the organization as an official 501(c)3 public charity and has dedicated countless time and resources to the project.

Sarah M. Hall and Solomon Tenadu registered the organization as an official nonprofit in Ghana, developed a business plan, worked with student interns in public administration and sociology, researched existing educational programs in Ghana, and developed a model for school selection during the summer of 2008.

Hall served as an LDS missionary in Botswana and South Africa. She has a BA in English with a minor in African studies and an MPA, both from Brigham Young University (BYU). Hall has previously worked with such organizations as the Human Development Fund, Ascend Alliance and MicroBusiness Mentors.

Tenadu holds a masters degree from the University of Ghana, Legon and a BS degree from Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in agriculture. He has been a project manager with the Ezra Taft Benson Agriculture and Food Institute and wrote a book on finding a job.

Tenadu has pointed out another benefit to the project. By showing the children the conversion of power to electricity it provides a effective demonstration of scientific principles.
Several teams of Brigham Young University students assisted in developing the merry-go-round and zip-line as power sources. Five Mechanical Engineering Technology (MET) students traveled to Ghana to build and install the first rural merry-go-round in the village of Essam. JJ Campbell, a physics intern, traveled to Ghana in the summer of 2008 to assist in modifying and building the first zip-line in Ghana. Two BYU sociology students are in the process of performing impact assessments of the playground equipment and lanterns in the rural villages. Students at BYU-Idaho are currently designing an electricity generating swing-set.

Kweku Anno at K.A. Anno Engineering in Accra, Ghana, works to modify the US designs to fit the availability of materials in Ghana. He manages the Empower Playgrounds shop and trains Ghanaian apprentices to construct the playground equipment. His shop, based out of Osu, is where the playground equipment is constructed and tested.

The educational aspect of the equipment is EPI's current major focus. BYU professors Joan Dixon, Steve Shumway, and Val Hawks traveled to Ghana for a week during summer 2008, and are currently creating a science lab specific to the age and culture of Ghanaian children, in conjunction with technology teaching students at BYU.

Undergraduate students from the Mechanical Engineering Department of Brigham Young University developed the initial proof-of-concept prototype as a capstone project.

from:wiki

Sometimes the safety of playgrounds is disputed in school or among regulators. Over at least the last twenty years, the kinds of equipment to be found in playgrounds has changed, often towards safer equipment built with modern materials. For example, an older jungle gym might be constructed entirely from steel bars, while newer ones tend to have a minimal steel framework while providing a web of nylon ropes for children to climb on. Playgrounds with equipment that children may fall off often use mulch on the ground to help break their falls. Rubber mulch is gaining popularity due to its added ability to break falls.

A study done by the Canadian Institute for Health Information found that playground injuries were responsible for 23 visits a day to emergency rooms in Ontario, Canada. The largest proportion of these visits were for orthopedic and head injuries (51% and 22% respectively.) In the United States, approximately 200,000 emergency room visits occur each year because of accidents on commercial playground and residential playgrounds..

In the United States the Consumer Product Safety Commission and the American National Standards Institute have created a Standardized Document and Training System for certification of Playground Safety Inspectors. These regulations are nation wide and provide a basis for safe playground installation and maintenance practices. ASTM F1487-07 deals with specific requirements regarding issues such as play ground layout, use zones, and various test criteria for determining play ground safety. ASTM F2373 covers public use play equipment for children 6-24 months old. This information can be applied effectively only by a trained C.P.S.I. A National Listing of Trained Playground Safety Inspectors is available for many states. A Certified Playground Safety Inspector (CPSI) is a career that was developed by the National Playground Safety Institute (NPSI) and is recognized nationally by the National Recreation and Park Association or N.R.P.A. (Some information sources offer interactive examples of outdoor playground equipment that violates CPSC guidelines.)

European Standards EN 1177 specifies the requirements for surfaces used in playgrounds. For each material type and height of equipment it specifies a minimum depth of material required. EN 1176 covers playground equipment standards. In the UK playground inspectors can sit the examinations of the Register of Play Inspectors International at the three required levels - routine, operational and annual. Annual inspectors are able to undertake the post-installation inspections recommended by EN 1176.

The risk aversion of prioritising safety above other factors, such as cost or developmental benefit to the users, is often forgotten. It is important than children gradually develop the skill of risk assessment, and a completely safe environment does not allow that. A playscape or forest kindergarten are steps towards a balanced approach to risk.

Playgrounds were an integral part of urban culture in the USSR. In the 1970s and 1980s, there were playgrounds in almost every park in many Soviet cities. Playground apparatus was reasonably standard all over the country; most of them consisted of metallic bars with relatively few wooden parts, and were manufactured in state-owned factories. Some of the most common constructions were the carousel, sphere, seesaw, rocket, bridge, etc.

In the 1990s, after the breakup of the USSR, many items of playground apparatus in post-Soviet states were stolen by metal-thieves, while relatively few new playgrounds were built. However, there were so many Soviet playgrounds that many of them still exist and are in a relatively good state, especially those which were repainted.

"Natural playgrounds" are play environments that blend natural materials, features, and indigenous vegetation with creative landforms to create purposely complex interplays of natural, environmental objects in ways that challenge and fascinate children and teach them about the wonders and intricacies of the natural world while they play within it.

Play components may include earth shapes (sculptures), environmental art, indigenous vegetation (trees, shrubs, grasses, flowers, lichens, mosses), boulders or other rock structures, dirt and sand, natural fences (stone, willow, wooden), textured pathways, and natural water features.

from:wiki

Northern Leisure Group / Kiddy Rides to launch new Peppa Pig ride and 3 Seater Carousel at the EAG Expo for 2010.

Peppa Pig is just one of the new coin operated rides that Northern Leisure / Kiddy Ride will be showing on stand 360 at the EAG Expo, 26 – 28th January in London’s Excel Exhibition Centre. The gel coated ride is able to seat 2 children, and features the characters Peppa and George, interactive push buttons, and crystal clear stereo sounds. With theme tunes and voices from the popular TV show, the ride also comes with the option of video from the series, displayed on a 10.4” LCD screen.

The long awaited small 3 seater carousel will be another ride launched at the EAG Expo. The “Runaway Train” ride features a small toy train with 2 carriages. The train and centre console boast colourful displays, push buttons with sounds, and flashing LED lamps. The bright and attractive carousel only measures 1220mm (4ft) in diameter making it one of the smallest 3 seat carousels available, enabling it to fit into those sites with limited space.

Kiddy Rides will be exhibiting many more of its products at the EAG. Some of which include LazyTown, which has been very successful throughout 2009, and a range of “Mini Rides” too. Be sure to visit stand 360, or log on to www.kiddyrides.uk.com for more products and services.

Indoor Climbing Wall is an increasingly popular form of rock climbing performed on artificial structures that attempt to mimic the experience of outdoor rock climbing but in a more controlled environment.

The first indoor climbing walls tended to be made primarily of brick leaving little scope for interesting routes, as the steepness of the wall and variety of the hand holds were somewhat limited. More recently, indoor climbing terrain is constructed of plywood over a metal frame, spray-coated with texture to simulate a rock face.

The most common construction method involves screwing resin hand holds on to wooden boards. The boards can be of varying height & steepness (from completely horizontal 'roofs' to not even vertical 'slabs') and have a large variety of holds (such as very small 'crimps,' slanted-surfaced 'slopers,' and 'jugs,' which are often large and easy to hold) attached. This variety, coupled with the ability for the climbs to be changed by attaching the holds onto the wall differently, has resulted in indoor climbing becoming a very successful sport.
Indoor climbing has also seen an increase in popularity in areas with rainy climates where climbing outdoors is sometimes difficult. Besides offering an alternative during inclement weather, many working adults find that they can get to the gym after work and still climb even though it is too dark outside. In order to improve in any sport, consistent practice is crucial. With the advent of indoor climbing, weather, seasonal difficulties, and busy schedules are less of an obstacle to consistent improvement, and enjoyment of the sport.

The proliferation of indoor climbing gyms has increased the accessibility, and thus the popularity, of the sport of climbing. Since environmental conditions (ranging from the structural integrity of the climbing surfaces, to equipment wear, to proper use of equipment) can be more controlled in such a setting, indoor climbing is perhaps a safer and more friendly introduction to the sport. In fact, birthday parties and youth teams are common at many rock gyms.

This sense of security has a downside- a new gym climber may head to the cliffs and find they do not have all of the necessary skills for climbing in a setting without preplaced anchors, and explicit route finding.
Indoor rock climbing is also continually described as an alternative and secondary option to outdoor climbing. Although this may be true for a range of climbers, many climbers see outdoor climbing as an excursion from the gym, and much less usual than indoor climbing. For this reason, indoor climbing should not be classified as a secondary sport, as it is a competitive sport, governed by many local, national and international organizations throughout the world, and therefore quite different from outdoor climbing.

Holds come in different colours, those of the same colour often being used to denote a route, allowing routes of different difficulty levels to be overlaid on one another. Coloured tape placed under climbing holds is another way that is often used to mark different climbing routes. In attempting a given route, a climber is only allowed to use grips of the designated colour as handholds but is usually allowed to use both handholds and footholds of the designated colour and surface structures and textures of the "rockface" as footholds.

The grade (difficulty) of the route is usually a consensus decision between the builder of the route and the first few people who climb the route.

Many indoor climbing walls have people who are assigned to set these different climbing routes. These people are called route setters or course setters.

from:wiki

At a nickel a whirl, a Mr. Potato Head wagon isn’t exactly a money-making machine. It is, however, an excellent way to make friends. Many grocery stores, for example, still vend the rides for a penny. “While the golden age of kiddie rides as vending equipment may be passed,” says Carson, “they still allow business owners to provide a little fun and goodwill at their locations.”

But not all of Carson’s rides go toward charming the children. Some are used as marketing vehicles by major corporations. A rail company, for instance, may purchase a miniature steam engine and pay Carson’s team to paint a custom exterior that promotes the company’s brand.

According to Carson, his rides are also gaining steam in the private sector among avid collectors, and even parents whose stock tends to rise when their basement becomes a fun park. Combine the two (a collector with children) for the ultimate incentive: “We had one Ferrari fanatic,” says Carson, “who purchased a Ferrari ride for his children, thereby satisfying two main interests.”

Kiddie Rides USA also stocks a unique array of parts for rides that break down. In fact, nearly 20 percent of the company’s business comes from selling these parts to keep rides merrily whirling across the nation. For some parts, says Carson, the pressure is on because Kiddie Rides USA is the only company in the nation that provides them.

from:compass

Indoor Climbing Wall is an increasingly popular form of rock climbing performed on artificial structures that attempt to mimic the experience of outdoor rock climbing but in a more controlled environment.

The first indoor climbing walls tended to be made primarily of brick leaving little scope for interesting routes, as the steepness of the wall and variety of the hand holds were somewhat limited. More recently, indoor climbing terrain is constructed of plywood over a metal frame, spray-coated with texture to simulate a rock face.

The simplest type of wall is of plywood construction, known colloquially in the climbing community as a 'woody', with a combination of either bolt-on holds or screw on holds. Bolt-on holds are fixed to a wall with iron bolts which are inserted through the hold, which will have specific bolt points, and then fixed into pre-allocated screw-threaded holes in the wall. Screw-on holds are, by contrast, usually much smaller, owing to the nature of their fixing. These holds are connected to the wall by screws which may be fastened anywhere on the wall's surface.

Other types of walls include slabs of granite, concrete sprayed on to a wire mesh, pre-made fiberglass panels, manufactured steel and aluminum panels, and textured fiberglass walls.

The proliferation of indoor climbing walls has increased the accessibility, and thus the popularity, of the sport of climbing. Since environmental conditions (ranging from the structural integrity of the climbing surfaces, to equipment wear, to proper use of equipment) can be more controlled in such a setting, indoor climbing is perhaps a safer and more friendly introduction to the sport. In fact, birthday parties and youth teams are common at many rock gyms.

This sense of security has a downside- a new gym climber may head to the cliffs and find they do not have all of the necessary skills for climbing in a setting without preplaced anchors, and explicit route finding.

A playground or play area place with a specific design for children be able to play there. It may be indoor playground equipment but is typically outdoor playground equipment , and when it is the latter, it may be occasionally referred to as a tot lot by some people or in some regions.

Modern playgrounds often have recreational equipment such as the see-saw, merry-go-round, swingset, slide, jungle gym, chin-up bars, sandbox, spring rider, monkey bars, overhead ladder, trapeze rings, playhouses, and mazes, many of which help children develop physical coordination, strength, and flexibility, as well as providing recreation and enjoyment. Common in modern playgrounds are "play structures" that link many different pieces of equipment.

Preschool playground equipment often also have facilities for playing informal games of adult sports, such as a baseball diamond, a skating arena, a basketball court, or a tether ball.

"Public" playground equipment refers to equipment intended for use in the play areas of parks, schools, child care facilities, institutions, multiple family dwellings, restaurants, resorts, and recreational developments, and other areas of public use.

A type of playground called a playscape is designed to provide a safe environment for play in a natural setting.

Recognizing the need for such, former President Theodore Roosevelt stated in 1907,

    City streets are unsatisfactory playgrounds for children because of the danger, because most good games are against the law, because they are too hot in summer, and because in crowded sections of the city they are apt to be schools of crime. Neither do small back yards nor ornamental grass plots meet the needs of any but the very small children. Older children who would play vigorous games must have places especially set aside for them; and, since play is a fundamental need, playgrounds should be provided for every child as much as schools. This means that they must be distributed over the cities in such a way as to be within walking distance of every boy and girl, as most children can not afford to pay carfare.

from:wiki

From my point of view, a good Kiddy Ride needs an attractive design, that is the base of a good children frequency and therefore for a good high income. Secondly interactive features, to keep the Kids well entertained during a relatively short period of fun. That could be also Video Games, interactively controlled by the children, using gas pedal, break pedal and steering wheel. Our children simulators series are most successful and unique in the industry. Also our educational children’s touch screen computers “Happy Kids” have highly interactive features. With all those different products we get access to a wide target group of children, but also to a wide group a various locations beneficial for our customers.

Euclid Beach Park closed in 1969. It was one of many parks that closed in that period: The Forest Park Highlands in Missouri burned down in 1963, New Jersey's Olympic Park closed in 1965, and Riverview Park of Illinois shut down in 1967.

Like these parks, Euclid Beach closed because of the changes in the times; white flight, the advent of television and the growing popularity of malls all contributed to less in ticket sales. Euclid Beach also had to deal with racial tension, especially after the riot (see above). Perhaps, too, the Humphreys' "family values" seemed a bit quaint after all these years.

Some other rides or pieces of rides and attractions from Euclid Beach Park remained in operation or circulation in the Cleveland, Ohio area. Many of the Kiddy Rides, such as the Euclid Beach Chief, were sent to Shady Lake Park in Streetsboro, Ohio.

    * The Great American Racing Derby, a Kiddy Ride which simulated a horse race, still runs today at Cedar Point.
    * Laughing Sal, the animatronic nightmare that greeted patrons of the Surprise House, still haunts Cleveland, and is rented for many occasions such as parades and Home Days in some suburbs.

from:wiki