Edging?

[Jason T. Radice]

I think she is referring to the newfangled “natural play” philosphy. You know, kids jumping around on logs and building slides into fake hills with fake “nature” all around them. Things no insurance company would ever insure for a public playground. There are reasons why public playgrounds have evolved into the rubber tiled, bright colored pile of pipe. Mostly due to liability. The whole “natural play” thing seems boring to me, and knowing kids attention spans, it will to them, too. If you want to play in the woods, play in the woods proper.

 

Then again, a simple pile of dirt is the best playground money can buy.

[Mike G]

Easy fella…I guess I haven’t updated my profile in a while. I do have 9 + years of design build experience before and after school and my suggestion to watch the plastic edging is based on that very practical experience and design.  I can say that I have installed and removed thousands of feet of these edges personally.  You are correct gravity works on the playground as much as it does on any parking lot.  But this thread is on playgrounds, no?  My play opinion was purely anecdotal and if you are so easily offended I will not offer any further suggestion on the matter. 

On the topic of edging : I will repeat myself again.  If you dispute any part of this then say so and why:  

In temperate environments frost will heave plastic and metal edging out of the ground.  Edging sticking out of the ground may cause tripping hazard, potential damage by lawnmowers, and looks tacky.  It can happen right away or it may take years to occur, it all depends on the site.  I have always offered this information up to my clients. 

My guess is that this is partly why so many other have suggested a shovel cut edge.

Again…I think this is really a small minor problem but also a very common one.  Has no one else ever noticed this before?

 

[mauiBob]

Yes…but doesn’t everything depend on maintenance, including shrubs and trees? A shovel cut edge looks like the wild forest after time without proper maintenance too. This thread is on edging for playgrounds, not the philosophy of playground design and play structures. Maybe because I almost never designed any projects in these frost environments that I fail to see your viewpoint. I prefer frost free climates! A complete stranger never offends me.

 

 

[Heather Smith]

Because children don’t use playgrounds for what they are planned for. As a previous poster mentioned…children don’t simply use the equipment in the traditional sense. Go to a park and watch children play…often times you will see them playing with wood chips(which aren’t the main deal!)…throwing them in the air or at each other, sliding them down the slides or digging tunnels. This creative use of available materials could extend to the sort of edging that Andrew was speaking of…once a child digs near or under it you could have issues. Playground equipment is static…things that can be dug up…not so much.

[Heather Smith]

I agree…I think concrete is probably the way to go. Or wood edging.

[Dovile Ivanauskiene]

Dear Ilse, look at http://www.plastikiniaibortai.lt. Maybe it will work for you?

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