Playground Guide - 2021 - 10

As summer of 2021 kicks off and
people spend more time outside of
their homes, it's important to provide
play and recreation solutions that
help individuals of all ages stay active and healthy.

Destinations for
Communities
Creating thoughtfully designed play
spaces helps bring children, families
and entire communities together. Today's playgrounds offer modern design
aesthetics and can be complemented
with vibrant color palettes to make truly unique destinations. Incorporating
geometric designs and playful pods
that form an interconnected matrix of
fun and challenge can encourage kids
to invent and reinvent routes, games
and imaginary environments.
Additionally, preconfigured playground designs are available to give
park and recreation departments innovative and iconic choices at afford-

able price points. Many of these designs incorporate subtle themes that
encourage imaginative play while
building physical and mental strength
as children navigate through bridges,
climbers, tunnels, slides and more.
If more traditional playground designs are a better fit for your environment, there are a plethora of options,
such as time-honored post-and-deck
structures, towers, climbers, overhead events, slides and play panels.
By incorporating a modern color
palette, traditional designs can feel
fresh and unique.
Including freestanding play components in a playground design is a great
way to expand existing play spaces
and freshen up the play experience.
Placing a selection of outdoor musical instruments together can create
a fun music zone for smaller groups
of visitors. A playground design that
includes nature-inspired climbers or
balance beams can encourage sen-

sory nature play. In addition, playgrounds may offer a thrill zone filled
with individual spinners, playground
ziplines or a variety of swings.
Customized playground components can help to craft a one-of-a-kind
play experience for kids. For instance,
Lowcountry Celebration Park in Hilton Head, South Carolina, features a
1,400-square-foot ship-themed playground structure that mimics The
Adventure, the ship of Captain William Hilton for whom Hilton Head is
named. Playground climbers inside
and outside of the ship deliver challenges and fun for users. This completely custom playground design
celebrates the heritage of the local
community, but this concept also can
be accomplished on a smaller scale
by incorporating logos, native flora
and fauna, or by personalizing various
playground components.

Experiencing Play in
Different Ways
While children safely resume outdoor
play during the COVID-19 pandemic,
each child will experience the playground in their own way. It's important for park and recreation professionals to remember that for kids with
special needs, regulating their bodies
and emotions through play and socialization may be even more critical.
In order to create a play environLowcountry Celebration Park features a
1,400-square-foot ship-themed playground
structure that mimics The Adventure, the
ship of Captain William Hilton.

10 Parks & Recreation

| 2 0 2 1 P L AYG R O U N D G U I D E | PA R K S A N D R E C R E AT I O N . O R G

Playground Guide - 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Playground Guide - 2021