Preventing Burns from Playgrounds

Children love to play at playgrounds that offer activities that keep their bodies and minds active and healthy. It is a great way for kids to socialize and exercise. Parents need to be aware of burns associated with playgrounds and need to consider shade structures when choosing a playground. Shade structures are a great way to keep children cool and prevent burns.

Sunburns

Sunburns are a common problem in children. The younger the child, the more likely a sunburn is to occur. Most parents remember to apply sunscreen to their children on the beach or while swimming, but it is much easier to forget to apply sunscreen regularly during normal daily activities such as going to a playground or park. Choosing a playground with shade shelters will help parents and children to be able to prevent burns from the sun and will reduce the risk of sunburns. 

It is now widely understood that adults who developed sunburns as children are at an increased risk of developing skin cancer. Multiple sunburns and severe sunburns increase the risk for a child developing skin cancer as an adult. Some skin cancers, such as melanoma, can require surgery, cancer treatments, and are potentially deadly. Parents should closely follow sunscreen instructions for application and reapplication, and select playgrounds with shade shelters that cover playground equipment to prevent sunburns.

Equipment Burns

Children can develop another lesser known form of burns while playing on a playground. Second and third-degree burns commonly occur on playground equipment that is not in the shade. A child can slide down a hot slide or come into contact with the nuts and bolts that secure the playground equipment together and easily develop moderate to severe burns. When metal or other materials such as plastic are exposed to direct sunlight for extensive periods of time, they can heat up well over 120-degrees Fahrenheit. Anything over 120 degrees can burn a child’s skin. Children are not aware of the dangers of hot objects, so we must prevent those objects from becoming hot in the first place. That is why it is so important to choose a playground with shaded equipment. 

Choosing playgrounds with a structure built to shade play equipment is the best way to prevent burns from playground equipment. Equipment and toys that aren’t protected by shade are likely to become hot. A child should always have emergency care for third degree burns. Second or third degree burns can also lead to additional illness if the child develops an infection from the burn. Contact your pediatrician if you are concerned about your child’s burns.

Prevention

Prevention of burns is easiest way to keep your child healthy. When you take your child to a playground, always seek one that has a structure that shades the equipment from the hot sun. Children are very active and constantly touch equipment that can reach very high temperatures. Many larger parks and playgrounds offer shelter structures and shade in order to protect children from equipment burns and heat. If your local park doesn’t offer shaded play areas, speak to the park manager about getting shade structures built.

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Benefits Of Fabric Shade Structures

Fabric shade structures have become a popular option for providing shade while working or playing in place of more “conventional” options, such as canvas, wood, or steel structures. Fabric shades are eye catching, unique and dramatic, which partly adds to the allure of these structures. They are a sustainable, durable solution that requires less material than alternative options. We’ve put together a quick look at just a few of the benefits of custom fabric shade structures:

Reduces Risk of Skin Cancer: The major benefit that a fabric shade structure provides is that it protects people from the harmful ultra violet rays that cases skin cancer. Exposure to prolonged ultra violet rays and sunburns, especially during childhood, increases the risk of melanoma and skin cancer. If left untreated this can lead to serious health problems. Prolonged exposure to sun rays also makes the skin become thick, leathery and wrinkled. Researchers also found out that cataracts are related to exposure of sun rays, so staying under some shade has quite a few health benefits.

Safe Shade: Fabric shade structures are a better option than wood or metal shades, as they are porous. They allow air to escape, which keeps the area underneath cooler and more comfortable. High density polythene fabrics blocks out over 95% of harmful ultra violet rays. It allows cool air to circulate unlike other materials that trap heat.

Durable: When a fabric shade structure is well designed, the life span can range from 10 to 25 years or more. They are highly weather resistant and can be used in extreme weather conditions. They can be designed to weather rain, wind, or snow as required by the climate of the region.

Environmentally Friendly: Fabric shade structures require less raw materials to construct, which results in lower production footprint. They also require less energy to transport due to their lighter weight.

Increase Revenue: Areas covered by permanent fabric shade structures can also be rented out in areas such as parks for office events, birthday parties, anniversaries and more, which can generate additional revenue.

Increases Community Value: An ordinary space can be transformed into a trendy or classy outdoor area with the right use of shading. The aesthetic appeal increases the value of the community, and can be an attraction for commercial investment and tourists. They’re a great way to add comfort to a park or outdoor exhibit, while also serving as an aesthetically pleasing addition.

The above are just a few examples of benefits of fabric shade structures. They are great for regulating temperatures when outside, no matter what activities are going on–from working on a construction project, to playing in a park, to keeping parked cars cool, or even keeping livestock healthy & happy (see our blog post about custom shade structures for cattle). If you’re looking at shade structure options, be sure to contact us to discuss your needs–we’d love to help!

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The Benefits Of Shade Structures

What Is A Shade Structure?

A shade structure refers to any number of structures that provide shade from the sun. Shade structures come in a large variety of shapes, sizes and can be constructed from many different materials. For example, shade structures can be hexagonal shaped, octagonal shaped, square, rectangular and dome shaped.

The shape of the shade structure often depends on the space they will be covering in. Many picnic table pavilions often have rectangular, square or hexagonal shapes to provide full blockage of the sun from all angles. The cantilever shaped shade structure is often a popular alternative to a garage.

The colors of a shade structure can be mixed and matched to suit the environment they are located in. For example theme parks can use colorful shade structures. A restaurant or pool can use more neutral colors. Blending the color of the shade structure, especially the roof can create a more appealing playground, dining setting, pavilion or poolside area.

Materials that shade structure roofs or canopies are made out of include a lightweight breathable fabric, metal and plastic. The lightweight breathable fabric type roof allows air to circulate. A plastic roof or canopy is often an inexpensive solution for pavilions and pool side areas. Metal can be the most costly but is often the strongest material, must durable and aesthetically pleasing.

What Benefits Do Shade Structures Offer?

Shade structures provide protection from the sun’s harmful UV rays by providing shade year round in places like parks, pools, amusement parks and even your backyard. Prolonged exposure to the sun increases the risk of developing skin cancer. It can also cause sunburn. Sitting underneath a shade structure allows you to enjoy the outdoors even when the sun is strongest without having to worry about the harmful effects of UV rays coming from the sun.

Another benefit of shade structures is that they cool the area underneath them. The area underneath the canopy or roof of a shade structure can be up to twenty degrees cooler than an area that is exposed to the sun. A shade structure allows you to enjoy a picnic, read a book or just relax even when it is hot outside and the sun is shining brightly.

Shade structures are an excellent addition to playgrounds. Playground equipment can overheat in the sun. It can become too hot to touch. Kids playing in the open sun for too long can overheat and develop sunburn. A shade structure will help keep playground equipment cool, prevent kids from overheating and protect them against sunburn. Research has also shown that a shade structure increases the amount of time that kids play. This is important because kids need exercise and play to maintain a healthy weight and to develop social skills.

What Are The Things You Should Consider When Looking For A Shade Structure?

If you are looking for a shade structure for a public park or community pool you should consider the layout of the park. You will want to consider the size of the area that needs to be shaded, as well as your budget. Aesthetics and color scheme should also be taken into account. For private use in a home, cost and size should be the main factors taken into consideration.

Stay Cool This Summer

When Natalie Reeder’s two children used to play in their backyard on summer afternoons, the scorching Mesa, Arizona, sun drove them back in the house within ten minutes. They could feel the burning-hot plastic of their playset right through their shorts, so they started going outside only in the early morning hours. Then one day, Reeder noticed a shade cloth covering a neighbor’s patio, and she had a brainstorm. Her husband bought some Easy Gardener sunscreen fabric for $78 at The Home Depot and stretched it over poles on a 12- by 40-foot section of their yard. “That first day we had the structure, the kids played outside for an hour and a half,” Reeder says. “We can all stay out a lot longer now without getting burned or overheated. And my sister, who also has two kids, is always calling us to ask, ‘Is it okay if we come hang out with you guys today?’ because I’m the one who has shade.”

Reeder’s story is a good reminder of an easy step you can take this summer that will enhance your outdoor time and, more important, help protect your child’s skin: Seek shade. Although your family should always use sunscreen, staying in shady areas can reduce your child’s overall exposure to ultraviolet radiation by up to 75 percent, according to a study in the Medical Journal of Australia. The more ways you block the sun, the better. Having five sunburns over a lifetime doubles your chances of developing melanoma, the most serious form of skin cancer, while having just one blistering burn in childhood more than doubles the risk. So smart sun protection now is absolutely essential.

In Australia, which has the world’s highest skin-cancer rate, shade is a key component of a national campaign to reduce the risk of developing it, and many public pools, sports facilities, and playgrounds have been covered. Across the United States, too, community activists have lobbied school and park officials to create shade at playgrounds. The American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) believes shade is so important that it awards grants to more than 30 organizations every year so that they can build shade structures over their outdoor play areas.

After talking to dermatologists, horticulturists, and other experts, we’ve found more than a dozen ways to protect your family with shade.