Today's Playgrounds Are Safer and Environmentally Sustainable

When I was a kid I lived in an area of the south side of St. Louis called "Lafayette Square." I lived there back in the seventies and the old neighborhood had deteriorated into a slum complete with housing projects and dilapidated old rooming houses that had once been glorious mansions.

The mansions belonged to the wealthy merchants that traded on the nearby Mississippi River. Today, the area has been rehabbed and brought back to life, the colorful Victorian mansions have been restored to their previous glory.

The centerpiece of Lafayette Square is Lafayette Park, the oldest park west of the river. The 29-acre park was created in 1838 and it too has been restored to a peaceful place to jog, stroll, or just sit by the lake.

The once broken wrought iron fence is no longer in pieces, the lake has been cleaned out, and a neighborhood group takes care of the flowers that surround it. It really is a quaint Victorian park that takes you back to that time in history. You almost feel like you could see a couple of ladies strolling along carrying parasols.

I remember taking a chance and playing on the old playground. If the tough kids from the housing projects didn't get you, the playground would. It was filled with hazards that could do you in with just one slip, never mind the rusty old Civil War era cannon that still had the iron ball in the barrel that was pointed in your direction.

The seats on the rusty old swings could break at any time or a chain could snap sending you hurtling to the cement-covered ground. The other features of the playground included a set of iron monkey bars (try falling off of those) and some concrete forms that reeked of urine from homeless people sleeping in them.

It had been years since I had been to that or any other playground in the city, but things have changed. Today's playgrounds are not only safer with their soft springy surfaces but environmentally friendly as well. According to the Healthy Planet Magazine and the St. Louis Regional Clean Air Partnership :

" Across the nation, going green is becoming child's play as increasing numbers of communities and schools are transforming traditional playgrounds into more natural, sustainable and eco-friendly play spaces. "

Today's playgrounds have become Eco-friendly spaces that are environmentally sustainable. The rusty old jungle gyms have been replaced with softer, recycled building products.

The builders of today's playgrounds have become very creative. Some of the structures have an almost sculpture-like quality about them. The recycled plastic is made from "...items like milk jugs, plastic cartons and bags, and even old flip-flops."

The surfaces of the playgrounds are being changed from the skin-scarring concrete and natural grass into materials made from recycled tires and artificial grass that is maintenance free. Some of it is actually anti-microbial.

The playgrounds of today encourage children to use their imaginations as some of the mazes, tunnels, and slides are actually built right into the playground itself. Almost makes me want to go back to Lafayette Park and try out the new playground there myself. Maybe I can take a couple of my friend's kids.

Source: http://thehealthyplanet.com/2011/07/new-playgrounds-get-a-green-touch/