Chapter Four
Creating Safe Outdoor Environments
Read Time: 42 mins
Importance of Impact Absorbing Surfaces
Outdoor Equipment – Safety Considerations
Using Zones
Age Appropriateness equipment
Playground Hazards
Riding Toys
Helmets
Keeping Children Safe by Monitoring
Other Considerations for Outdoor Safety
Sun Safety
Hydration
Weather
Protecting Children from Heat-Related Illness
Protecting Children from Cold Weather
Protecting Children from Insects
Water Safety
Preventing Poisoning Outdoors
Safely Storing Outdoor Toys and Materials
Safely Transporting Children
Car Seats
References
Chapter 4 Learning Objectives
By the end of this chapter, you should be able to:
- Illustrate why outdoor play is essential to health and well-being.
- Describe elements of a safe outdoor play space.
- Recognize the importance of impact-absorbing surfacing under equipment.
- Explain what use zones are.
- List age-appropriate outdoor play equipment for each age group.
- Identify hazards on outdoor play equipment
- Develop a safety checklist to monitor the safety of the outdoor space.
- Outline ways to protect children from the weather, the sun, insects, drowning, and poisoning.
- Discuss how to keep children safe as pedestrians, in motor vehicles, and while on field trips.
Introduction
There are countless benefits to outdoor play for children. Research shows that children who play outside regularly have healthier body weight, improved vision, and immune function, reduced stress, better sleep, and improved motor skills. There are substantial immediate and long-term health consequences for children who aren’t able to play outside or get enough physical activity such as increased obesity and chronic diseases. The research also shows that children who play outdoors have increased school readiness because outdoor play contributes to better social skills such as cooperation, increased attention span, improved school attendance, and improved brain development and cognition. Physical activity plays a critical role in supporting health and learning.
Educators need to be aware of the benefits of outdoor learning as they relate to overall health and school readiness so that they remember that the outdoor environment is an essential extension of the indoor environment. All the learning that takes place indoors can also take place outdoors. Anything programs do indoors can have an outdoor component.
Consider for a moment how a program can increase the benefits of outdoor play while also minimizing injury. Reducing risk does not mean limiting play equipment or enforcing rules that restrict children’s ability to move and explore their environment. An ideal playground is one that encourages children to challenge themselves while also posing little risk of injury. In fact, studies show that playgrounds that are high challenge but low risk are the very best at promoting the goals of outdoor learning. Children get more physical activity, develop better physical, cognitive, and social skills