Playgrounds for questioning: what to fill and how to arrange?

If you have a cottage or you are the owner of your own home, then it is worthwhile to organize a territory for the active recreation of your children in the fresh air. The best option for this would be a children's sports playground. The ways of its design can be very different.

Children's territory should be bright and functional, but most importantly - safe. This will largely depend on the proper selection of the site for the playing area and the reliability of the installation of its main elements.

When building the site, it is necessary to adhere to the following recommendations.

• The site should certainly be as far as possible from various outbuildings, greenhouses and thickets of bushes with prickles.
• If there is an artificial reservoir in the territory of the dacha, it is desirable that it be fenced off from the playing area, for example, with a hedge.
• The game room should be located in such a place so that you can see it at any time from home, as well as from other places where you usually spend a lot of time - from the gazebo, from garden beds or fruit landings.
• It is important that the play area is as lit as possible, its installation from the north and north-west sides of a residential building, as well as in lowlands and dense shade is not recommended.

• It is best to place a place for games near tall trees, giving a light shade so that it does not exceed a third of the total area of ​​the site.
• Do not install equipment in areas with high groundwater flow - these are wet areas where it will be damp all the time, and after heavy rains the coating will dry out for a very long time.
• It is necessary to take into account the direction of the wind rose on the territory and to protect the playing area from drafts.
• It is optimal to have a sports or play corner on level ground, since even the minimum slope will inevitably lead to the fact that all toys will constantly roll down, and in the summer pool there will be a water slope. If there is no such site, then it is better to equip the site on the veranda or terrace.
• If an inflatable pool is provided on the site, then the place under it should be covered with a strong base, and ideally it is worth tiling the site, otherwise germinating grass will pierce the structure and sooner or later it will lead to water leakage.

• If there are slides and any flight of stairs on the platform, then it is necessary to foresee a place to run on them, and various roundabouts and swings must be separated from the other elements of the gaming complex with a zone of at least 2 meters.
• For the construction of the site should use only environmentally friendly materials, optimally - wood. All parts of the complex should be carefully polished and polished so as to eliminate the possibility of scratches and splinters.
• Try to avoid sharp corners. If possible, it is better to make all edges of the structures rounded.
• Special attention to remove fasteners - they must be of high quality and reliable, always hidden in the wood. If the fasteners go outside, this indicates a poor quality of the assembly of the structure and, accordingly, significantly increases the risk of injury.
• The site should have a soft spring covering with damping characteristics.

Before proceeding with the arrangement of the site, an approximate plan-project should be drawn up, having previously designated all types and parameters of the game elements on it, as well as to consider the options for approaching them. After that, there will be a choice - to buy everything you need in the store or build it yourself.

Arrangement and equipment of a children's zone at a dacha or on a household plot is largely due to the peculiarities of the territory allotted for it, its dimensions and surroundings. In addition, important factors are the age of children, their hobbies and physical characteristics.

As a rule, the traditional structures of the complex are:

• a sandbox is a mandatory design in case you design an area for kids (0-6 years old);
• various swings;
• small roundabouts;
• all sorts of bungee;
• spring rocking;
• slides;

• children's houses;
• trampoline;
• gymnastic rings;
• sports horizontal bars and parallel bars;
• pool;
• other sports equipment.

Many of the items offered are sold separately. And if you have the necessary skills, you can make houses, small sandboxes and slides on your own, creating a platform with a unique design.

The most popular material in the arrangement of the elements of a playground is wood. The tree is used most often, complementing it with small plastic elements. It is an exceptionally strong and very durable material that does not emit toxic substances and radiation. Properly treated wood endures all the vagaries of the weather: temperature changes, high humidity, direct exposure to sunlight.

Slightly less equip platforms from plastic.However, this is not about the material we are used to, but about the highest quality raw materials, which must be supported by supporting documents and certificates. In this case, the product will be safe and durable, which can not be said about the products of little-known Chinese manufacturers.

Inflatable designs, perhaps, can be considered the safest, therefore are optimum for kids. Such mobile complexes can be taken on trips and trips to nature. Usually they are a small trampoline, a hill with a ladder and a dry pool with balls.

Metal is used for the manufacture of sports facilities, as it is a strong and practical material. However, it must be borne in mind that in the heat it overheats, and in the cold, on the contrary. And at extreme temperatures, the stay on metal structures is associated with great discomfort, and sometimes it is simply impossible.

Whatever material for the playground you choose, keep in mind that nowadays there are a large number of unscrupulous manufacturers on the market who use low-grade raw materials. In this case, the site will be far from safe to use. Therefore, try to give preference only to the most trusted suppliers.

The following manufacturers deserve the highest consumer ratings.

• Rainbow - This is an American company that specializes in the manufacture of gaming complexes of the highest quality wood.
• Perfetto sport - This is a brand from Italy, which also offers wooden play structures, but with plastic elements, thanks to which the products are much cheaper than their American counterparts. Typically, the package includes slides, swing swing and "climbing".

• Keter - under this Israeli brand complexes for the youngest users are produced. All components are plastic, therefore are considered available for most buyers.
• Paremo –This is a Russian manufacturer of practical, safe and durable sports and game facilities, the price of which is significantly lower than the imported versions.
• "Dewdrop" - Another domestic company that specializes in the production of high-quality game structures made of expensive wood species.

The age of the child is crucial in the selection of the main elements of the playing area in the country.

For the youngest children, large complexes are not required, they will have enough of a swing, a low slide and a sandbox. If there is such an opportunity, complement the area with a small splash pool, which will give a lot of joy to your crumbs on hot sunny days.

Children of preschool age like low slides, carousels and various types of swings and bungee. If conditions allow, it is possible to arrange a cycle path around the site. The pool, at least inflatable, also will not be superfluous.

Older guys under 12 years old are more interested in solving already more complex game problems, and the equipment should be appropriate: with several slides, strong ropes, ornate labyrinths and complex bridges. It would be nice to stylize the playground under the castle, fortress or ship.As a rule, such installations are easier to buy ready-made, since their production is quite technologically and often impossible at home.

Teenagers better to choose a full sports area - the Swedish wall, various simulators, high and low horizontal bars and ropes, and the former playroom, if there is no need in it, can be re-arranged in the area for "get-togethers" with friends.

If there are several children of different ages in the house, then the best option would be to purchase a ready-made multi-level gaming module, in which all the main components can be easily moved and combined in different ways, as well as supplemented with other structures.

At the design stage of the site, it is important to immediately determine its size. In order for the play area to be as safe as possible for the child, it is necessary to prepare a project in advance that takes into account all the necessary structural elements and options for approaching them.

It is necessary to consider the following basic requirements.

• Around the swings and other dynamic elements a safety zone must be set aside - two meters in all directions in the direction of movement of the structure.
• About any sports horizontal bars it is necessary to provide a reserve of an empty seat.
• The size of the equipment is chosen depending on the characteristics of the child. For example, for a preschooler, it is better to pick a slide up to 2 meters high, and for children of 7-10 years old, shells of up to 3.5 meters should be preferred.
• The size of the sandbox must necessarily take into account the number of children in the family and their age.
• In addition, any game should be equipped with a small margin. Surely friends with their little ones will come to visit you, and it is necessary that all the children can sit on the playground with maximum comfort.

The optimal size of the site, according to experts, is 15-20 square meters, on this area you can safely put a swing, carousel and rocking springs.

A very important component of any gaming area is the cover. Firstly, it must ensure the free movement of the child around the area, and secondly, to absorb the impact when falling from any element of the structure.

To give the most often stop on the sand, lawn or gravel. However, each of these options has its drawbacks.

The sand perfectly absorbs the impact, however, it has the peculiarity of “spreading” around the site, and you should not be surprised if sand will appear on the veranda and even in your house in the near future. In addition, after the rain on such a coating can not rest, but it dries for quite a long time.

Lawn - a natural option, pleasant to the eyes and feet. When arranging such a coating, preference should be given to herbal mixtures resistant to trampling. However, even the thickest grass periodically needs sowing. In addition, it is often inhabited by slugs, ants and other insects, familiarity with which is not the most pleasant. One more minus of a lawn - in dense growth it is possible not to notice stones, sticks and other sharp objects about which the kid can be wounded.

Crushed stone creates a resistant dry coating, but when falling, even from the height of its growth, the child can get hurt.

Slightly less used wood chips.This is a soft material that does not stick to clothing and footwear, and besides, it softens the blow well, however, the chips are quickly distributed throughout the area around the playing area, therefore it requires constant cleaning.

Arrangement of an artificial rubber covering will be more correct. Such material is well springy, does not require complex cleaning and serves for several decades. In addition, in stores you can choose the option of any color, so the coating can be made in the same style with the main elements of the design.

A more costly option is considered to be a self-leveling coating, it also consists of crumb rubber, but with the addition of a polymeric binder. It has all the advantages of rubber tiles, but it adds the absence of seams, and therefore, a more even surface.

Before you install the main game modules, you should prepare a platform for the coating. To do this, it is necessary to clear the area of ​​large debris, uproot shrubs and grasses, remove small weeds.It is advisable to plant a site with green manure a year before installing the equipment to prevent further growth of weeds.

But if you failed to do this, then you should simply enclose the cleaned area with geotextiles.This will protect the coating from germinating grass. After you need to fill the site with rubble or pebbles, so that the coating is as dense as possible, it is optimal to sprinkle it with asphalt chips - in this case the modular covering will lie more evenly and the probability of divergence at the joints will be reduced to zero.

The slide is one of the most favorite designs of children, but at the same time one of the most complex. It is very important to bear in mind that the length of the slide should not exceed 3.5 meters, and the staircase with wide, low steps should be made of anti-slip material. It is also important to include the installation of a railing or handrail. Slope can be made independently of varnished plywood, however, it will not be as slippery as purchased, for example, made of plastic.

When installing any swing The following guidelines must be taken into account:

• the design must be sustainablein order to withstand a sufficiently high amplitude of oscillation;
• there should be no obstacles on the swing trajectory;
• The most preferred rack options are metal or wood.

Many people think that making a sandbox is quite simple; you just need to dig a hole and fill it with sand. Far from it. The sand should always be clean, so a whole range of additional work should be done.

When installing the sandbox actions are performed in the following sequence:

• for a start, the outline of the structure is marked on the ground;
• after the top layer of the earth is removed, and the bottom is leveled with a drainage layer, over which the geotextiles are laid;
• then along the perimeter of the sandbox, wood or plastic bumpers are installed;
• only after that the whole structure is filled up with sand, which is desirable to be treated with a safe disinfectant composition (for example, potassium permanganate) or simply shed with boiling water.

The house is perhaps the most common childhood dream, so a rare playground does without such an element. Given that the design is not intended for permanent residence, you can resort to lightweight technology of frame construction. The foundation is not required here, and supports should be the simplest. All work is reduced, in fact, to the installation of the core and its paneling.

If you plan to install an inflatable trampoline, then you need to align the base under it, it is better to lay out a dense material to eliminate the possibility of damage. But if you get a regular trampoline for jumping, then everything is much easier. It is only necessary to free up the area of ​​the required area and place the installation on it.

Installation at the cottage of the Swedish wall is very popular, it is often attached to the fence or walls of a house.In addition to creating a good mood, this setting contributes to the physical development of the child, improves his dexterity, endurance and coordination of movements. However, in order to make the construction as reliable as possible, it is necessary to carefully prepare the hooks on which it will be attached, and in addition, under the equipment, it is imperative to lay out the spring material.

If desired, in the village or in the country you can arrange for children a good sports or playground. An excellent option can be ready-made complexes of various configuration.

And you can build a fun and functional zone with your own hands.

How to equip the playground in the country with their own hands, see the following video.