24 Jul 2013
Kidsafe NSW Demonstration Safety Playspace Renovation 2013
Kidsafe NSW, with the support of funding from the NSW Community Building Partnership Program and generous donations of equipment and labour from the playground industry, has been able to renovate the demonstration playspace.
The demonstration safety playspace is located at Kidsafe House on the grounds of The Children's Hospital at Westmead.
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.
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Review of Plan Service
The Kidsafe NSW Playground Advisory Unit is available to review your plans. Please call for a quote and once a signed service agreement is received we can proceed with your review of plan. Prices start at $350 and each quote is prepared on an individual basis. Submit your playground plans to the PAU for assessment against the Australian Standards for playgrounds.
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
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Sand for Play
Sand is a universal product that has a variety of uses. Two of the main uses of sand in relation to playgrounds is to fill sandpits and also as certified playground surfacing beneath and surrounding equipment items.
Below is some useful information on selection and cleaning sand used in playspaces.
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
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Missing Trees: The inside story of an outdoor nation
By Planet Ark. In support of National Tree Day on Sunday the 28th of July 2013, Planet Ark have commissioned a report about Australia's relationship with the great outdoors.
Time spent outdoors in nature by children has been linked to a range of health and wellbeing benefits.
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
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Play yards: Backyards for families without their own
Tanya Vincent, Principal Urban Designer, JBA
The staffed public playground, pioneered in Australia in the 1930’s but forgotten over the last few decades, is making a comeback. Play yards for children 0-16 years and their families were last seen in inner city Sydney in 1975. They disappeared as families left the inner city. Urban centres are now becoming denser, and families are increasingly attracted to urban lifestyles. Staffed public playgrounds for our young people to play and be with their friends may be returning too.
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.
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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
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Standards Update
To keep you informed about Australian Standards related to play safety the Kidsafe NSW Playground Advisory Unit provides information in each newsletter about what's happening in the world of Standards.
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
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Support Kidsafe NSW in the 2013 Sun-Herald City2Surf
The Sun-Herald City2Surf, presented by Westpac aims to raise much needed funds for charity. Last year the event raised more than $4 million for charities across the country and you can help us raise even more in 2013.
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
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Playspace Pick- Interactive Mural, Livvi's Place, Five Dock
The Interactive Mural at Livvi’s Place shares stories in a way that encourages open mindedness and communication. The mural was awarded a highly commended in the Kidsafe 2012 National Playspace Design Awards: Innovative Design Elements category.
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
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