Jungle Gyms
Have you seen the jungle gyms and swing sets available to kids today? They're amazing! But dangerous.
Jungle Gym Safety
Curly slides. Climbing walls. Jungle gyms. All fun, and all incorporated into one unit on some of today's swing sets. It almost makes you wish you were a kid again! Jungle gyms can teach kids coordination and dexterity, but they can also be dangerous. Falling is inevitable, so the first precaution you can take is to make sure whatever jungle gyms your kids are playing on have enough cushioning below them. As a matter of fact, the cushioning should be at least 9-12 inches deep. Most jungle gyms don't have this much cushioning under them at all. Remember 30 years ago when monkey bars and jungle gyms were on pavement? That must have resulted in a lot of broken bones! In fact, according to the Consumer Products Safety Commission, even today most playground injuries involved skull fractures, broken bones, concussions and other head trauma because of kids falling off playground equipment and onto hard surfaces.
The best way to ensure your kids are safe at the playground is to teach them about things that could be hazardous, and how playing too rough could result in someone getting hurt. You don't want to scare them, but the reason a lot of playground accidents happen is that kids aren't aware of the results their actions can have. Then again, some kids will ignore what you tell them anyway! That's why adult supervision is imperative.
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