The purpose of the playsapce is to provide educators, students and aprents best practice options that comply with the Australian Standards for playground safety and encourage children's development. 

The Demonstration Safety Playspace showcases gorgeous timber items, boulders and planting, off-the-shelf equipment and a variety of active, creative play opportunities for children.

For further information regarding the renovation (including the concept plan), click on the link below:

Kidsafe NSW Demonstration Safety Playspace Renovation 2013 

Kidsafe NSW would like to thank the organisations, individuals and the NSW Government  for their support of this much needed renovation of a community education facility.

Kidsafe NSW promotes the importance of children experiencing and learning about risk through safe, creative play.  The expert team at Kidsafe NSW provides a  Review of Plans service to assist designers and playground operators to create playgrounds that offer a balance between safety,    challenge, natural elements and sculpture.

Review of playground plans will provide organisations with a report and a checklist. The report itemises identified areas of potential non-compliance and provides practical design solutions.

The benefits:

• Independent review to the Australian standards relevant for playgrounds
• Written report and checklist

Click here for more information

Sandpits

Sandpits are a fun way for children to socialise with others and to build and model objects out of sand.

The sand  recommended for sandpits is washed beach or river sand.  Washed beach or river sand moulds well enabling children to create and build. Builder's sand is not recommended due to the lime content which is not suitable for play.

When it comes to sandpit cleanliness and maintenance,  Kidsafe NSW recommends the following:

• inspect and rake daily to remove debris and aerate the sand
• replenish the sand when the level drops 100mm below the edge
• empty and replace sand annually
• turn over the sand in the sandpit to expose to  sun and fresh air as these are the best disinfectants
• consider installing a cantilevered umbrella to provide shade for the children but allow sun onto the sandpit when not in use
• cover the sandpit with a customised sandpit cover when not in use to minimise contamination

Sandpits are becoming more popular in public playspaces. However, these sandpits present their own concerns such as undesirable litter. Kidsafe NSW recommends that local councils and community groups ensure that public sandpits are well maintained and suitable for children's play. For further information regarding sandpit provision in public playspaces, refer to the article below.

A Sandpit for Foley Park

Sand as playground surfacing

Sand as certified playground surfacing is a valid choice for playground operators however it is important to remember that the sand must meet the requirements of AS/NZS 4422.

Sand must be installed and maintained at an appropriate depth to ensure its cushioning properties and meet the above Australian Standard. Check with the supplier for documentation on specified depths for sand.

Some of the benefits of sand as certified surfacing include:

• Doesn’t deteriorate readily with usage
• Easy to install and replenish
• Looks great

Obtain a certificate of compliance from the supplier of the sand as part of your playground assets records.

For further information regarding sand in playgrounds, click on the links below:

Kidsafe NSW Sandpit Information Sheet

Kidsafe NSW Playground Surfacing Information Sheet 

Sand is Best for Playground Spills Article by Annabel McGilvray

The Planet Ark report found that Australians aged over 30 years are likely to have fond memories of playing in their backyard, climbing trees and participating in backyard games such as cricket, football or soccer.

The report states children of today are likely to have very different memories of play in backyards due to increased urbanisation, limited time and shrinking backyards. Many parents and carers reported that they were concerned about the loss of backyards and are worried about the loss of safe, outdoor playspaces for children and opportunties for children to learn about nature and the environment.

The report recognises that backyards provide opportunties for children to engage and interact with nature. The report recommends that public green spaces that encourage children outdoors are of  great value. As cities become increasingly populated it is important for policy makers to plan for these green spaces ensuring that both safety and challenge are part of the environment.

To find out more please click on the links below:

Missing Trees Report

Planet Ark National Tree Day

In 2012, I was awarded a Churchill Fellowship to investigate how Copenhagen’s play yards address the higher densities and parental fears that limit the outdoor, independent play of children in our cities.

The Current Situation

More families are living in higher density housing.  The 2011 Census found 25% of all Sydney metropolitan children aged 0-13 years were living in apartments, villas and townhouses. In Sydney it is estimated that 60-70% of new residential development over the next 25 years will be medium and high-density housing.

Coupled with this change has been the perceived rise of risk aversive parenting and potential loss of independence for middle years children between 7-13. With fewer children out and about, the natural security gained by playing in a group may have been lost. 

It has been suggested that the two fears at the heart of risk aversive parenting are ‘stranger danger’ and traffic. However, supervising a child in the park everyday eats into the family time budget in a way that dual income households can no longer afford. Therefore some families rely on passive indoor small screen recreation at home.

What is a Play Yard?

Play yards are commonplace in Europe and considered to be backyards for families without their own.  A bounded, family- only space with professional staff overcomes the parental fears of stranger danger and traffic.  In Copenhagen City Council 17 of 129 playgrounds are operating as free, public play yards.  A typical play yard is in a corner of a larger neighbourhood park, close to the primary school, about 4000sqm with fixed equipment.  Features that distinguish a play yard from a typical Australian playground are:

• Staff (usually 2 per play yard):   responsible for creating a safe and enjoyable place for children and families,  not the formal supervision of individual children.  An adult must accompany children under 6.  Children 6 and over are welcome with or without an adult.  Outside staffed hours, the play yard operates as a standard playground;
• Provision of loose parts: such as sand toys, ropes, racquets, balls for games and creative play  activities essential for sustaining interest.  Bikes for all ages are a major attraction;
• Bound by fence or hedge: this is not for security, but to designate the space for children and families;
• Appropriate design for multi-age usage (0-16 years) improves the safety for all and creates the social ‘buzz’.  Large areas of asphalted open space for bike play and ball games are typically provided. Low maintenance, robust, often a messy backyard rather than showy design;
• A simple building: " The House" – for indoor activities such as craft, games and computers as well as toilets, kitchen and staff office.

Assumptions that ‘families don’t live in apartments’, ‘children play in backyards’ and ‘mothers take their kids to the park’, may no longer hold true in urban Australia.  While  new types of public ' backyard'  space for community gardeners, dog owners or men’s sheds have been funded, the needs of urban families remain largely unmet. Sydney has some fantastic regional playgrounds, but these are largely drive-to special occasion destinations.  The challenge to provide a place for the daily, independent and sociable play of urban children still exists and can be met by the re-establishment of play yards.

For the full report, please click on the link below:

Churchill Fellowship Report- Tanya Vincent

AS4685 Playground Equipment

Standards Australia is proposing to publish a new suite of Australian Standards for Playground Equipment AS4685.

Standards Australia has indicated that the draft document will soon be available for public comment period, which is likely to be open from late July 2013.

Individuals and organisations can submit comments on the draft Australian Standard during the advertised public comment period (usually over a period of 8 weeks). All comments are considered and reviewed by the Standards Australia committee CS-005.

The committee aims to have this Australian Standard published by February 2013.

AS4989 Trampolines

The public comment period for Trampolines is now over. All submitted comments will be considered and reviewed by the Standards Australia committee CS-100.The committee aims to have this Australian Standard published by the end of 2013.

To remain informed of when draft documents are open for public comment or when Australian Standards have been published, subscribe to the Standards Australia e-news or bulletin for announcements. For more information about the public comment process, visit the Standards Australia website www.standards.org.au

Entrants are encouraged to set up a fundraising page to raise money for a cause close to their heart.  In 2013 you may wish to consider supporting Kidsafe NSW - a charity aimed and supporting the community to make a safer world for kids.

Visit www.kidsafensw.org for more information about the great work we do to prevent unintentional injury to children.

To support Kidsafe NSW via Everyday Heroes in the 2013 Sun-Herald City2Surf click on the link below.

Everyday Heroes

Alternatively, click on the Sun-Herald City2Surf fundraising link below.

Sun-Herald City2Surf

The messages for the people in the playspace are about playing together and how and why people play regardless of ability or background. Tactile materials, repetitive design features, trails, stories, and communication in a variety of languages and symbols including braille, multimedia and visual pictorials are incorporated into the design of the mural. School students were involved in painting the numerous butterflies.

The added play value of QR codes for smart phones allows visitors to learn about the local community and the value of play. The QR codes link to  YouTube stories of people using the park and also to games or treasure hunts, such as how many butterflies are on the wall. This electronic/online approach allows for games to grow and change over time and enables exploration of the mural through a variety of media.

The judges commended the community involvement and innovation of the project including the use of QR codes, technology and the tactile nature of particular elements of the mural.

Next time you are visiting Five Dock drop into Livvi's Place at Timbrell Park to view this fantastic, innovative mural.

Livvi's Place Fact Sheet by City of Canada Bay Council