Ideas for fun and key elements for safety…
Many agritourism operations have playground areas for children. Because children tend to be curious and many are unfamiliar with farms and ranches, safety in these areas can present a challenge. Creating or improving the safety of play areas is easier when information is readily available: both ideas for play and the key elements needed to help keep children safe.
A Safe Play Area is a location with limited exposure to hazards. A good Safe Play Area incorporates child development principles and safety guidelines to create a “fun” area. Safe play areas can include activities that use a combination of items on the farm, items from the natural environment and/or manufactured play equipment.
Creating Safe Play Areas on Farms is a booklet that contains play ideas and key safety elements for developing and/or improving play areas. While this booklet was created for play areas on farms, it complies with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission public playground standards and can be used on agritourism operations. To access this booklet, as well as several other resources, click on the links below.
Resources
- Creating Safe Play Areas on Farms – Full Edition
- Creating Safe Play Areas on Farms 2010 Mini-Edition – English
- Creating Safe Play Areas on Farms 2010 Mini-Edition – Spanish
- Safe Play Basics
- Child Development and Play
- Fencing Guidelines and Recommendations
- Groundcover Comparisons and Recommendations
- Play Ideas
- CPSC Public Playground Safety Handbook – English
- CPSC Public Playground Safety Handbook – Spanish
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Outdoor Safety