![]() ![]() Just make sure that the wood is sanded and finished to minimize the possibility of scratches and cuts.Ī wooden playground border may need extra care from time to time. Sometimes a rustic, unfinished look is excellent for a particular park. Now, when we say you need woodworking skills, we do not mean expert skills. On the other hand, wood is easy to trim and fit precisely to your desired measurements. You may also need some woodworking skills to install the border properly. Make sure the wood is smooth and strong enough to withstand a few kicks. If you do not properly varnish or treat the wood, it could cause splinters and scrapes.ĭo not skimp out on decent wood if you are planning a wooden playground border. Children may trip and fall over the border and hurt themselves on the hard wooden surface. You do have to be careful with wood because it is not the most forgiving of playground materials. Some parks may have a nature theme, or the equipment is wooden, so wooden borders fit in with that theme. Wood also provides a more understated appearance, blending in with the mulch or woodchips inside the playground. You often see this in older parks with more traditional playground equipment or when the park is smaller. Wood is probably the most old-fashioned of all playground borders. Each one has specific benefits, so let us go over those now. You have probably seen a couple of playground borders in your neighborhood. Your children can imagine it like a tightrope at a circus or a vine in the jungle. The border itself might even be a source of play if it is wide enough to walk on. Even with the border in place, where do they think the park begins and ends? In some cases, you can use park borders to teach children about boundaries. When you see a border surrounding a park, you can assume that whatever exists outside that border is not an official part of the park. Playground borders sometimes designate where children are supposed to play or even where the park's boundaries are. ![]() For example, without mulch or woodchips scattered on a playground's edges, a cleanup crew can focus on cleaning the equipment itself instead of trying to straighten out the border beforehand. If a park has a cleanup crew, borders help make that job easier. Borders make sure that rain and weather doesn’t carry your mulch off to the storm drains while letting the rainwater flow right through. Containing Mulch is Cost-Effectiveĭepending upon what surfacing you use at your playground, replacing the materials may not be something you want in your annual operating budget. ![]() Plus, there is something satisfying about a clean line between playgrounds and the surrounding grass. If the park is next to a sidewalk or woods area, a playground border keeps playground materials inside the park's borders. Without borders, the park might look like a bunch of swings and slides on a pile of mulch, which does not always look appealing. The mulch and woodchips stay inside the border, and you can tell when the park begins and ends. They Keep Everything Orderlyīesides the fantastic playground equipment, you might notice that every playground with some edging looks clean. Playground borders keep the mulch in place for the children who need it when (not if) they fall. Letting your mulch just spread out without being contained by a border will greatly reduce the cushioning effect when you most need it. This measurement is the maximum distance a child would fall from the equipment – you’ll want to spec your surface materials to cushion for that height. All playground equipment have a “maximum fall height” in their specifications. The whole reason you installed mulch at your playground is so that you’d have the infrastructure in place to soften a fall. Here are just a few reasons why you should consider adding a border to your playground. Still, we want to look at the benefits of playground borders, what materials you can use, and what ultimately makes the best playground border. Every playground is different, so one playground border might not work for yours. The good news is there are all kinds of materials and ways to make a playground border. Without a properly made border, the mulch or woodchips could all tumble to the ground and make everything messy. Your playground border is what helps keep everything intact. While planning out your own playground is exciting (think of all the swings and slides you can add), there is one thing you need to keep in mind: what will your playground border look like?
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