Playground equipment-Cutest 'experts' in Muncie review parks
Playground equipment-Cutest 'experts' in Muncie review parks
MUNCIE — Casey Reed was a young man on a mission. A space mission. Tucked inside the rocket, he was calling out orders to his crew.
“Drop the shields! Warp speed! The enemy is on our tail!”
Reed, 8, was far too young to man an actual spaceship. But standing on the top level of the rocket-like play structure at the Tuhey Park playground, he was going where no third-grader had gone before.
Playgrounds are more than just metal or plastic structures. They are imagination wonderlands. A place where a kid can be, well, anything. Even an astronaut.
Muncie has more than a dozen playground areas, some little more than a set of rusty swings, others featuring elaborate playscapes with climbing walls and corkscrew slides.
How important are these playground areas to the city and its people? Very, according to a parks plan established by the city in 2009.
In a survey conducted by the city, nearly 100 percent of those who responded (by mail and email) said that playgrounds are important and should be provided by Muncie parks.
“I have been taking my daughter to the playground here since she was old enough to fit in the baby swing,” said Kylie Owens, who was watching her 3-year-old daughter navigate the play structure at McCulloch Park recently.
But playgrounds, according to research over the past 35 years, detailed in the book “The Developmental Benefits of Playgrounds” are more than just places to release energy and develop gross motor skills.
Other benefits include the ability to “make decisions, work and play within a community of others, and to try out ideas and explore, as well as cognitive brain development through pretend play. Studies have also shown that children who spend time on a playground are less depressed and hostile and do not exhibit excessive fear or worry.
And, in a time when obesity rates are skyrocketing, children who play regularly on playgrounds are less likely to be obese, studies confirm.
In order to reap the benefits of playgrounds, however, one has to actually visit them.
Those playgrounds within the city that are seeing the most activity by children are the big four: Tuhey, Heekin, McCulloch and Westside.
“There’s rarely a day during the summer that the kids don’t head over there for at least 30 minutes or so,” said Portia Howard, who lives near Heekin Park. “I try not to let them sit around too long and just tell them to ‘Get up and go to the park.’”
And some, like Richard Ivy of Friends of Conley, have amped up efforts to bring more kids to the parks and playgrounds.
“It’s so important for kids to use our parks and everything they have to offer,” he said during a recent day camp at McCulloch that offered organized activities as well as some time on the playground. “It’s a way to get them off the couch and playing video games and into the parks just playing.”
Some playground areas, though, are better than others.
An assessment of all Muncie parks was completed in 2009 as part of that parks plan, and those who completed the task were honest about the conditions, from missing swings at Cowing Park to “dated” equipment at Heekin.
The city had already put playground areas on the to-do list and new playground structures have popped up at McCulloch, Tuhey, Chambers and Prairie Creek in recent years. Other playgrounds such as Center Township’s Mansfield Park, also have newer play structures, which are predominantly made of durable plastic.
And while the green and taupe structures are similar within all of the parks, there are some interesting variations. There’s the aforementioned rocket structure at Tuhey Park, a fenced in toddler-sized play area at Chambers Park and a large rock structure kids can scale at McCulloch.
New playgrounds are not cheap, ranging from $70,000 to $100,000 for the work already done in town. Much of that funding comes courtesy of federal grants.
But one playground, which many see as one needing a complete overhaul, is still stuck in the dated, metal past.
“I would really like to see a new playground at Westside,” said Gary Sauter, who lives a block away from the busy park. “The main structure is rusty and the paint is coming off. I don’t even let my daughter on it now.”
According to Harvey Wright, superintendent of parks for the city, Westside is ineligible for federal funding because census data showed that income levels of area residents were too high to qualify. The parks department has managed to update a few things here and there; a new tire swing was installed this summer and more improvements are planned as funds become available.
Safety, of course, is a big concern when it comes to playgrounds.
This summer, crews have been busy spreading new surfaces made of recycled tires on the playground areas to cushion falls, the cause of most playground injuries.
But even in the best condition, playgrounds can still pose hazards.
According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, about 100,000 preschool and elementary-aged children nationwide received ER treatment for playground equipment injuries between 2001 and 2008 (this includes school playgrounds). Of those injuries, nearly 70 percent involved falls or equipment failure and 7 percent involved collisions with other children or the equipment.
There were nearly 30 reports of “thermal burn” (metal equipment that is too hot) between 2001 and 2008, with four requiring hospitalization.
Forty deaths were reported over that time, the majority of those from hangings or other asphyxiations.
The most dangerous playground equipment? Climbers, swings, slides and overhead ladders. The most common injury? Fractures.
So it’s no surprise that the National Program for Playground Safety advocates that adults actively supervise the children on the play environment, choose appropriate developmental equipment for the play environment, provide safe surfacing both in the public use areas and at home for playground equipment, and insure that all equipment and surfacing located in the children's play areas be maintained on a regular basis.
Melissa Reed, the young astronaut’s mom, watched as her son piloted his mission to space and back safely.
“We are really fortunate to have so many playgrounds like this in Muncie,” she said. “And the fact that it’s walking distance and available all year long makes it that much better.”
She laughed.
“Yes, he plays here in the winter,” she said. “He loves it that much.”
Kids review playgrounds: Twins Woody and Lucy Rutter, 6, visit five local park playgrounds with some friends to play and offer their reviews of the slides, swings and the Sway Fun.
MUNCIE — Casey Reed was a young man on a mission. A space mission. Tucked inside the rocket, he was calling out orders to his crew.
“Drop the shields! Warp speed! The enemy is on our tail!”
Reed, 8, was far too young to man an actual spaceship. But standing on the top level of the rocket-like play structure at the Tuhey Park playground, he was going where no third-grader had gone before.
Playgrounds are more than just metal or plastic structures. They are imagination wonderlands. A place where a kid can be, well, anything. Even an astronaut.
Muncie has more than a dozen playground areas, some little more than a set of rusty swings, others featuring elaborate playscapes with climbing walls and corkscrew slides.
How important are these playground areas to the city and its people? Very, according to a parks plan established by the city in 2009.
In a survey conducted by the city, nearly 100 percent of those who responded (by mail and email) said that playgrounds are important and should be provided by Muncie parks.
“I have been taking my daughter to the playground here since she was old enough to fit in the baby swing,” said Kylie Owens, who was watching her 3-year-old daughter navigate the play structure at McCulloch Park recently.
But playgrounds, according to research over the past 35 years, detailed in the book “The Developmental Benefits of Playgrounds” are more than just places to release energy and develop gross motor skills.
Other benefits include the ability to “make decisions, work and play within a community of others, and to try out ideas and explore, as well as cognitive brain development through pretend play. Studies have also shown that children who spend time on a playground are less depressed and hostile and do not exhibit excessive fear or worry.
And, in a time when obesity rates are skyrocketing, children who play regularly on playgrounds are less likely to be obese, studies confirm.
In order to reap the benefits of playgrounds, however, one has to actually visit them.
Those playgrounds within the city that are seeing the most activity by children are the big four: Tuhey, Heekin, McCulloch and Westside.
“There’s rarely a day during the summer that the kids don’t head over there for at least 30 minutes or so,” said Portia Howard, who lives near Heekin Park. “I try not to let them sit around too long and just tell them to ‘Get up and go to the park.’”
And some, like Richard Ivy of Friends of Conley, have amped up efforts to bring more kids to the parks and playgrounds.
“It’s so important for kids to use our parks and everything they have to offer,” he said during a recent day camp at McCulloch that offered organized activities as well as some time on the playground. “It’s a way to get them off the couch and playing video games and into the parks just playing.”
Some playground areas, though, are better than others.
An assessment of all Muncie parks was completed in 2009 as part of that parks plan, and those who completed the task were honest about the conditions, from missing swings at Cowing Park to “dated” equipment at Heekin.
The city had already put playground areas on the to-do list and new playground structures have popped up at McCulloch, Tuhey, Chambers and Prairie Creek in recent years. Other playgrounds such as Center Township’s Mansfield Park, also have newer play structures, which are predominantly made of durable plastic.
And while the green and taupe structures are similar within all of the parks, there are some interesting variations. There’s the aforementioned rocket structure at Tuhey Park, a fenced in toddler-sized play area at Chambers Park and a large rock structure kids can scale at McCulloch.
New playgrounds are not cheap, ranging from $70,000 to $100,000 for the work already done in town. Much of that funding comes courtesy of federal grants.
But one playground, which many see as one needing a complete overhaul, is still stuck in the dated, metal past.
“I would really like to see a new playground at Westside,” said Gary Sauter, who lives a block away from the busy park. “The main structure is rusty and the paint is coming off. I don’t even let my daughter on it now.”
According to Harvey Wright, superintendent of parks for the city, Westside is ineligible for federal funding because census data showed that income levels of area residents were too high to qualify. The parks department has managed to update a few things here and there; a new tire swing was installed this summer and more improvements are planned as funds become available.
Safety, of course, is a big concern when it comes to playgrounds.
This summer, crews have been busy spreading new surfaces made of recycled tires on the playground areas to cushion falls, the cause of most playground injuries.
But even in the best condition, playgrounds can still pose hazards.
According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, about 100,000 preschool and elementary-aged children nationwide received ER treatment for playground equipment injuries between 2001 and 2008 (this includes school playgrounds). Of those injuries, nearly 70 percent involved falls or equipment failure and 7 percent involved collisions with other children or the equipment.
There were nearly 30 reports of “thermal burn” (metal equipment that is too hot) between 2001 and 2008, with four requiring hospitalization.
Forty deaths were reported over that time, the majority of those from hangings or other asphyxiations.
The most dangerous playground equipment? Climbers, swings, slides and overhead ladders. The most common injury? Fractures.
So it’s no surprise that the National Program for Playground Safety advocates that adults actively supervise the children on the play environment, choose appropriate developmental equipment for the play environment, provide safe surfacing both in the public use areas and at home for playground equipment, and insure that all equipment and surfacing located in the children's play areas be maintained on a regular basis.
Melissa Reed, the young astronaut’s mom, watched as her son piloted his mission to space and back safely.
“We are really fortunate to have so many playgrounds like this in Muncie,” she said. “And the fact that it’s walking distance and available all year long makes it that much better.”
She laughed.
“Yes, he plays here in the winter,” she said. “He loves it that much.”
Kids review playgrounds: Twins Woody and Lucy Rutter, 6, visit five local park playgrounds with some friends to play and offer their reviews of the slides, swings and the Sway Fun.
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