Always buy the best quality you can afford, and always buy from a reputable dealer. Second-hand equipment may be cheaper, but, unless you are buying from a friend you can trust, you cannot be sure of its history or how it has been treated.
Check for sharp edges, protruding nails and screws and unplaned wood which may splinter. Ensure the equipment carries a kite mark to prove it has passed all the relevant safety tests. All countries run their own safety tests and have symbols to signify that a toy or piece of equipment has reached the recommended standard. In addition the European Union has its own safety symbol. Also check for age-recommended symbols as many pieces of equipment are not suitable for under-threes.
Regularly examine and maintain play equipment and structures. Make sure freestanding slides, climbing frames and swings are firmly anchored in the ground and that all nuts and bolls are still tight. Buy hard-wearing nylon rope in preference to traditional hemp, and replace it at the first signs of fraying.
Remember that children are imaginative and unpredictable, so will not necessarily use their play equipment in the way the manufacturer intended. A good general rule is always to expect the unexpected.
In be sure your children have a soft landing if they fall, place play equipment on well-watered grass, safety martins or, even better, a thick layer of bark or wood chippings or sand. It is also advisable to choose a semi-shaded area for any play equipment or structures, so that children are not exposed for long periods to harmful ultraviolet rays.
Water and sand
All children love sand and water. This classic sea-side combination offers endless opportunities to get wet and dirty, both popular pursuits, especially with the under lives. So paddling pools and sandpits will be well used.
If you have the space, a permanent sand play area is worth considering. This can take the form of a pit, or more simply, a box. You can always convert it into a flower bed, sunken herb garden or pool once the children have grown out of it.
For a simple sandpit dig a hole to the desired depth and width, spread a sheet of
Heavy-duty plastic, with holes punched in it for drainage, on the bottom, then fill with children – play sand (not builders sand). Finish the sandpit with a low wall of pressure-treated wooden stockading, stone or brick. For a sandbox spread the plastic on the ground then use four railway sleepers as sides. Make sure dial the sleepers are not heavily impregnated with tar, which will leak out in hot sunshine, making a sticky (and toxic) mess. There are also kits with ready-cut and planed wooden planks which slot together.
If you live near the sea, buy an old, holed dingy and use that as your sandpit. It will be very picturesque and look wholly in keeping with the setting.
Two of the most popular designs among the huge range of ready-made sandpits are the plastic boat and clam shell. These are made in two sections, forming a base and lid, which give much more scope for flexibility, for example, you can fill the base with sand and the lid with water.
Covers are yen important for sandpits. They keep the sand dry, but more importantly keep it clean, preventing animals from fouling it. Use a sheet of fine mesh or oilcloth as a cover for home-made sand play areas, or fit a wooden lid, if the sandpit forms part of a decked area.
As with sandpits, there are paddling pools to suit all ages of children and size of garden – from little ones you blow up, through rigid moulded plastic, to large, soft, plastic pools with metal frames. Remember that regardless of the pool you choose, adult supervision is vital.
Water is such fun on a hot summer s day, so supplement their paddling pool with other water toys, such as bubble machines and water sprinklers. There is a range of random-spray, oscillating water sprinklers which fulfil every criteria for fun. They look bright and cheerful – being disguised as flowers, insects and animals – and produce a refreshing line spray which will cool children down. Yet it is the surprise element which makes them so tremendously enjoyable. Even the most alert child is bound to be caught oil-guard and given a soaking. Move the sprinklers around the garden and your plants will love them too.
Combine a random sprinkler with a water slide and you will find it almost impossible to drag the children indoors at bed time. For a simple slide, spread a large sheet of plastic or oil cloth on the ground and make it good and slippery with a sprinkling of water mixed with a few drops of washing-up liquid. If you want a really last slide, place the plastic on a slight slope.
