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The playground facility 02: playground devices and their surroundings

Music -- seating accommodations and dividers -- bollards -- water - playground devices mediating fantasy - fairytale-like playground devices - figures and sculptures -- shelters and food  -- playground castle

Music 02: bottle xylophone on the farm "Eco Truly" in Lluta valley near Arica in Chile [2]		Playground under big trees, Schützenmattpark ("Rifleman Meadow Park"), Basel [4]	Water 04, a water pump in an old style on the playground of Luebeck Path (Lübecker Weg) in Krefeld-Uerdingen, Germany
Fantasy 02: a volcano snake as a bench around a palm tree in Brazil Park (parque Brasil) in Santiago in Chile		A wonderful animal sculpture made of hedges, a butterfly 02 with it's wings, can be found in Legend Park (parque de las Leyendas) in Lima in Peru	Shelter 02 in a mosaic tunnel in Oberharmersbach, BW, Germany

1. The facility - concept and psychology on the playground --
2. The playground devices and their surroundings --
3. Trees and shrubs on the playground --
4. Extension possibilities for an amusement park -- the raft at the lakeside or riverside --
5. The sand box in the house -- Important: Warning from sand digging

Analysis by Michael Palomino (2012)

Playground devices and their surroundings

In short words the task for installing a playground is the following: The playground should support a bodily and mental development so the child loves the playground.

Therefore the playground devices are the first factor: They should give joy to the children and creating of new play situations should be always possible. Rocking horses or little spring riders are only for children from 2 to 5 years old. But then roundabouts, climbing nets or big slides are devices stimulating children's fantasy who are 5 to 11 years old. And trampolines should not be missed either. Two table soccer in a pavilion for rainy times could also be imaginable. Add to this children should learn caring the devices, curing them and not overloading them.

And the second factor on the playground is the mental factor, are the mental elements, therefore music, order, seating accommodations for relaxed conversations, waters, fantasy elements with playground devices and figures or sculptures, shelters, food or also a castle. In this way a playground is also transmitting
1 wisdom about nature
2 different possibilities of order, and
3 is also a little bit a fairyland.

Music on the playground
Aside of little concerts which can be performed everywhere one can install music devices in the playground like carillons for jumping people, dendrophones or bottle xylophones. When the playground is in a certain distance to residential areas children also can bring a portable radio and can play with a little music or can listen to fairy tales on the playground having more outdoor fun. Big loudspeakers should be only for closed discotheques.

Music 01: dendrophone in the Mill Valley (Mühltal), Germany [1]

Music 02: bottle xylophone on the farm "Eco Truly" in Lluta Valley near Arica in Chile [2]

The surroundings of playground devices
The trappings are as important as the device. A good device in a boring lawn surrounding is killing any fantasy, but a normal playground device in a well ordered and proper park is a mental enrichment for the child and for the parents.

Boring surrounding with a seesaw and a swing, Buochs, Switzerland [3]

Playground under big trees, Schützenmattpark ("Rifleman Meadow Park"), Basel [4]

Seating accommodations and dividers
Seating accommodations like benches or stony walls can also divide playing sections so little children of 2 to 5 years are not bothering elder children etc.

Divider 01, sitting wall on a playground in Brechten, Germany [5] The big fault here are the missing trees - and this fault is made very often.

Divider 02, sitting wall around a children's castle at Gutenbergplatz ("Gutenberg Square") in Wuppertal, Germany [6] In the background a fenced soccer field can be seen. On the playground big trees are missing for giving natural shadow to the children.

Bollards as seating accommodation - and as a jumping occasion
Bollards for sitting are a cheap seating accommodation for a short time. But when these seating accommodations are installed in groups, then children and youths like to use them also as a jumping exercise.

Bollards for sitting 01 in Lima-Miraflores in Kennedy Park [7]

Bollards for sitting 02 prepared for the playground on Uetliberg ("Uetli Mountain") in the region of Zurich [8]

Water source next to the playground
Very good is a little fountain next to the playground or next to the field or court, with drinking water, not only for drinking during rests but one can also wash the complete head there, and it's also possible to drown the cap into the water putting the wet cap on the head then as a protection against a heat stroke.

Water sources on the playground
Water 01: a little creek next to the playground in Thun, Switzerland	Water 02: a little creek next to the playground of Dreirosen Park ("Three Roses Park") in Basel Well, this creek at the border of the playground is more an "alibi" creek. One could do much more with it.
Water 03: a water source in Schützenmattpark ("Rifleman Meadow Park") next to the playground in Basel	Water 04: a water pump in an old style on the playground of Lübecker Weg ("Luebeck Path") in Krefeld-Uerdingen in Germany
Water 05: a fountain on the school playground at school Schanzengraben ("Redoubt Ditch") in Zurich
Water 06: pond near the playground at Wall Park (parque Muralla) in Lima in Peru Water 07: pond near the playground at Wall Park (parque Muralla) in Lima in Peru, zoom with geese A water playground Water 08: water playground in Frasdorf in Bavaria, Germany, with channels, mill wheel and channel sliders This photo shows a "water playground" where children can manage channels and waters using channel sliders and can see with their proper eyes how "irrigation" is working (+) or how a mill wheel is working (+) and what for it's working (sawmill, grain mill etc.). Add to this the channels are of different materials and have different shapes (+). And this playground is in the shadow or in the half-shade of big trees and the children are protected from strong solar radiation (+). The crocodile in the center of the photo is giving also some humor (+) - and there could be more humor here yet! This water playground of Frasdorf in Bavaria receives (+++++) FIVE plus. The only one what is missing is an instruction board communicating more wisdom about irrigation system (-), because a big part of mankind are not at all appreciating these irrigation systems because they don't know anything about agriculture.

Playground devices mediating fantasy - fairytale-like playground devices
Playground devices should be connected with a certain fantasy. Some color and some fairytale-like forms are wanted and not only a squared sand box with two gray metal swings and with a gray metal spring rider aside, this is really boring. Precondition of all fantasy is also teaching fairy tales to children by the parents. When parents are not teaching fairy tales or fantastic stories to their children then children will also develop only a little fantasy themselves.

But when children are not told fairy tales, then the playground and their friends on the playground will be the only source for fairytale elements. Therefore it's important that a playground for 5 to 11 years old children contains also some fairytale-like elements. That means that a playground which is only a salad of poles is not a good playground yet because the mental stimulation is missing. Therefore there should be also painted surfaces, respectively designs should be integrated into the playground devices.

All in all - considering the playground devices in general - then one can see that the potential of fantasy is not used - above all not with the swings.

Fantasy on the playground
Fantasy 01: volcano slide with a smiling face and with a snowy top, Brazil Square (plaza Brasil) in Santiago in Chile		Fantasy 02: a volcano snake as a bench around a palm tree in Brazil Park (parque Brasil) in Santiago in Chile
Fantasy 03: play car of wood on the Hari Krishna farm "Eco Truly" in Lluta Valley near Arica in Chile		Fantasy 04: flying ship on the playground of Zurich Wiedikon
Fantasy 05: bench in form of waves with mosaics in the Park of the Being In Love (parque de los enamorados), Lima-Miraflores, Peru There is a disadvantage of this construction: The mosaics on the bench are partly destroyed fast. Therefore mosaics should be only on some parts of the bench. And some passages are missing.		Fantasy 06: bench in form of waves with mosaics in the Park of the Being In Love (parque de los enamorados), Lima-Miraflores, Peru, zoom of one of the mosaics in form of a flower One can use all possible designs in mosaics for a playground. Children can also help and then they have a great experience of "handicraft".
Fantasy 07: benches in form of crocodiles in Wall Park (parque Muralla) in Lima, Peru		Fantasy 08: Living room suite in form of bent benches in form of leaves, with a table in form of a flower, in Altmockritz, Dresden, Germany

Fantasy: figures and sculptures on a playground or in an amusement park

There is the possibility to make figures or sculptures of hedges or plants giving a special atmosphere. Nature (plants) is representing nature (animals).

Animal sculptures of hedges in the Park of Legends (parque de las Leyendas) in Lima, Peru
Animal sculpture made of hedges, butterfly 01 in the Legend Park (parque de las Leyendas), Lima, Peru
Animal sculpture made of hedges, butterfly 02 in the Legend Park (parque de las Leyendas), Lima, Peru	Animal sculpture made of hedges, butterfly 03, front with proboscis in the Legend Park (parque de las Leyendas), Lima, Peru

Animal sculptures of hedges in Sinchi Roca Park (parque Sinchi Roca) in Lima, Peru
Animal sculpture made of hedges in Sinchi Roca Park (parque Sinchi Roca) 01, dolphin, Lima, Peru	Animal sculpture made of hedges in Sinchi Roca Park (parque Sinchi Roca) 02, elephants, Lima,Peru
Animal sculpture made of hedges in Sinchi Roca Park (parque Sinchi Roca) 03, hippos, Lima, Peru Animal sculpture made of hedges in Sinchi Roca Park (parque Sinchi Roca) 04, birds, Lima, Peru Animal sculpture made of hedges in Sinchi Roca Park (parque Sinchi Roca) 05, Lamas, Lima, Peru

Human sculptures in playgrounds

Human sculptures made of hedges in Sinchi Roca Park (parque Sinchi roca), boy and girl, Lima, Peru

Human sculpture made of strong tree branches on Hari Krishna farm of "Eco Truly" in Lluta Valley near Arica in Chile

Surroundings: shelters and food

A shelter on a playground is a little house or a tunnel or a castle. Or when the playground is under a big bridge, then the complete playground will be a shelter protecting from rain and sun. Drinks should not be too far away because children are thirsty from time to time.

Shelter 01, a low house in Wolfurt, Austria The problem with this class of super cheap houses is that nobody can sit there upright. And the wood has to be protected every year with a varnish - better painted in different colors.

Shelter 02 in a mosaic tunnel, Oberharmersbach, BW, Germany The colors are remembering certain elements on Earth: -- yellow for the sun -- red for dawn or sunset -- bright blue for the sea with the beach -- dark blue for the sky or the deep sea.

Shelter 03 in a tunnel with an artificial hill with a slide, Egelsbach, Germany Well, here big trees are missed again.

Shelter 04: food stands under a bridge in Wall Park (parque Muralla) in Lima, Peru

Shelter 05: skate park under a bridge, here Kornhausbrücke (Corn House Bridge) near the Letten area in Zurich

Castles on a playground - the playground castle

A playground castle is a center and focus for certain fairy tales which eventually are partly repeated there live. For other children a playground castle is simply "like a big house" where one can perform gymnastics or plays.

A playground castle should not be a castle only, but should also be multi functional and should have different entries, therefore not only one stairs, but also some climbing possibilities. Roof constructions and crenels are not so important. What can be is a little playground flag on one of the little towers. And of course there should be a little view, that means a playground castle should have two floors or should have it's sight on a little hill which can also be a little artificial hill.

When the castle is made of wood then the wood has to be maintained well with a varnish protecting the wood from the weather. The castle can also be painted in different colors giving more fantasy to the children. Plastic parts are splintering soon by the effect of wind and weather so they have to be exchanged because children can hurt themselves. Therefore slides of plastics are vulnerable and principally cannot be suggested.

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