Playgrounds for summer cottages: what to fill and how to arrange?

If you have a summer cottage or you are the owner of your own home, then it is worth organizing an area for outdoor activities for your children. The best option for this would be a children's sports and playground. The methods of its design can be very different.

The children's area should be bright and functional, but most importantly, safe. This will largely depend on the correct selection of the site for the playing area and the reliability of the installation of its main elements.

During the construction of the site, it is necessary to adhere to the following recommendations.

• The site should certainly be as far as possible from various outbuildings, greenhouses and thickets of bushes with thorns.
• If there is an artificial reservoir on the territory of the dacha, it is desirable that it be fenced off from the playing area, for example, by a hedge.
• The playroom should be located in such a place so that you can see it from home at any time, as well as from other places where you usually spend a lot of time - from a gazebo, from flower beds or fruit plantings.
• It is important that the playing area is illuminated as much as possible; it is not recommended to install it from the north and north-west sides of a residential building, as well as in lowlands and dense shade.

• Ideally, the play area is located near tall trees that provide light shading so that it does not exceed a third of the total area of ​​the site.
• You should not install the equipment in places with high groundwater flow - these are wet areas where it will be damp all the time, and after heavy rains, the coating will dry out for a very long time.
• It is necessary to take into account the direction of the wind rose on the territory and protect the playing area from drafts.
• It is optimal to place a sports or play area on level ground, since even a minimal slope will inevitably lead to the fact that all toys begin to constantly roll down, and a slope of water forms in the summer pool. If there is no such site, then it is better to equip the site on a veranda or terrace.
• If an inflatable pool is provided on the site, then the place under it should be covered with a strong base, and ideally it is worth paving the site, otherwise the germinating grass will pierce the structure and sooner or later this will lead to water leakage.

• If slides and any staircases are installed on the site, then it is necessary to foresee a place for a race on them, and various carousels and swings must be separated from the rest of the elements of the game complex by an area of ​​at least 2 meters.
• For the construction of the site, only environmentally friendly materials should be used, optimally wood. All parts of the complex must be carefully ground and polished so as to exclude the possibility of scratches and splinters.
• Try to avoid sharp corners. If possible, it is better to make all the edges of the structures rounded.
• Remove special attention to fasteners - they must be of high quality and reliable, necessarily hidden in the wood.If the fasteners come out, this indicates a poor build quality of the structure and, accordingly, significantly increases the risk of injury.
• The platform should have a soft, springy coating with shock-absorbing characteristics.

Before proceeding with the arrangement of the site, you should draw up an approximate project plan, having previously designated all types and parameters of game elements on it, and also think over the options for approaching them. After that, you will have a choice - to buy everything you need in the store or build it yourself.

The arrangement and equipment of a children's area in the country or on a personal plot is largely due to the peculiarities of the territory allotted for it, its dimensions and surroundings. In addition, the age of children, their hobbies and physical characteristics are considered important factors.

As a rule, the traditional structures of the complex are:

• a sandbox is a mandatory design if you are decorating an area for kids (0-6 years old);
• various swings;
• small carousels;
• all kinds of bungee;
• springy rockers;
• slides;

• children's houses;
• trampoline;
• gymnastic rings;
• sports horizontal bars and parallel bars;
• pool;
• other sports equipment.

Many of the items offered are sold separately. And if you have the necessary skills, then you can make houses, small sandboxes and slides on your own, creating a site with a unique design.

The most popular material in the arrangement of elements of a playground is wood. It is the tree that is used most often, supplementing it with small plastic elements. It is an extremely strong and very durable material that does not emit toxic substances and radiation. Properly processed wood can withstand all the vagaries of the weather: temperature drops, high humidity, direct exposure to sunlight.

Slightly less often they equip platforms made of plastic. However, we are not talking about the material we are used to, but about the raw materials of the highest quality, which must be confirmed by accompanying documents and certificates. In this case, the product will be safe and durable, which cannot be said about the products of little-known Chinese manufacturers.

Inflatable structures, perhaps, can be considered the safest, therefore, they are optimal for babies. Such mobile complexes can be taken on trips and trips to nature. Usually they are a small trampoline, a slide with a ladder and a dry ball pool.

Metal is used for the manufacture of sports facilities, as it is a strong and practical material. However, it must be borne in mind that in the heat it overheats, and in the cold, on the contrary. And at extreme temperatures, staying on metal structures is associated with great discomfort, and sometimes it is simply impossible.

Whatever material you choose for the playground, keep in mind that these days there are a large number of unscrupulous manufacturers on the market who use low-grade raw materials.In this case, the site will be far from safe for operation. Therefore, try to give preference to only the most trusted suppliers.

The following manufacturers received the highest ratings from consumers.

• Rainbow Is an American company that specializes in the manufacture of playgrounds from the highest quality wood.
• Perfetto Sport Is a brand from Italy that also offers wooden play structures, but with plastic elements, which makes the products much cheaper than their American counterparts. Usually the package includes slides, hanging swings and "climbing frames".

• Keter - complexes for the youngest users are produced under this Israeli brand. All components are plastic, so they are considered affordable for most buyers.
• Paremo Is a Russian manufacturer of practical, safe and durable sports and play facilities, the price of which is significantly lower than imported options.
• "Dewdrop" Is another domestic company that specializes in the production of high-quality play structures from expensive wood species.

The age of the child plays a decisive role in the selection of the basic elements of the play area in the country.

For the youngest children, large complexes are not required; a swing, a low slide and a sandbox will be enough for them. If possible, supplement the area with a small splash pool, which will give your little one a lot of joy on hot sunny days.

Preschool children like low slides, carousels and various types of swings and bungee. If conditions permit, a bike path can be arranged around the site. The pool, at least inflatable, will also not be superfluous.

Older children under 12 are more interested in solving more complex game problems, and the equipment should be appropriate: with several slides, strong ropes, ornate labyrinths and complex bridges. It would be nice to stylize the playground as a castle, fortress or ship. As a rule, such installations are easier to buy ready-made, since their manufacture is quite technologically advanced and often impossible at home.

It is better for teenagers to choose a full-fledged sports area. - wall bars, various simulators, high and low horizontal bars and ropes, and the former playroom, if there is no need for it, can be re-registered as an area for "get-togethers" with friends.

If several children of different ages live in the house, then the best option would be to purchase a ready-made multi-level game module, in which all the main components can be easily moved and combined in different ways, as well as supplemented with other structures.

At the design stage of the site, it is important to immediately determine its size. To make the play area as safe as possible for the child, it is necessary to prepare a project in advance, which takes into account all the necessary structural elements and options for approaches to them.

In doing so, the following basic requirements must be taken into account.

• A safety zone must be set aside around swings and other dynamic elements - two meters in all directions in the direction of movement of the structure.
• It is necessary to provide a reserve of free space near any sports horizontal bars.
• The size of the equipment itself is chosen depending on the characteristics of the child. For example, for a preschooler, it is better to choose a slide up to 2 meters high, and for children 7-10 years old, it is better to give preference to shells up to 3.5 meters.
• The size of the sandbox must take into account the number of children in the family and their age.
• In addition, any playroom should be equipped with a small margin. Surely friends with their little ones will come to visit you, and it is necessary that all children can be accommodated in the playground with maximum comfort.

The optimal size of the site, according to experts, is 15-20 square meters, on this area you can painlessly place swings, carousels and rockers-springs.

A very important component of any play area is coverage. Firstly, it should ensure the free movement of the child across the site, and secondly, it should absorb the shock when falling from any structural element.

For summer cottages, they most often stop on sand, lawn or gravel. However, each of these options has its own drawbacks.

The sand perfectly absorbs the impact, however, it has the peculiarity of "spreading" around the site, and you should not be surprised if sand appears on the veranda and even in your house in the near future. In addition, after rain, you cannot rest on such a coating, but it dries for a long time.

The lawn is a natural option that is pleasing to the eye and to the feet. When arranging such a coating, preference should be given to trampling-resistant grass mixtures. However, even the thickest grass periodically needs overseeding. In addition, slugs, ants and other insects often live in it, acquaintance with which is not the most pleasant. Another disadvantage of the lawn is that in the dense undergrowth, you may not notice pebbles, sticks and other sharp objects, which can hurt your baby.

Crushed stone creates a durable dry coating, but if a child falls even from their height, a child can be seriously injured.

Wood chips are used a little less often. This is a soft material that does not stick to clothes and shoes, and in addition, it softens the impact well, however, chips are quickly distributed throughout the entire area around the playing area, therefore it requires constant cleaning.

Arrangement of an artificial rubber coating would be more correct. Such material is well springy, does not require difficult cleaning and serves for several decades. In addition, in stores you can choose an option of any color, so the coating can be made in the same style with the main structural elements.

A more expensive option is a self-leveling coating, it also consists of crumb rubber, but with the addition of a polymer binder. It has all the advantages of rubber tiles, but added to them are the absence of seams and therefore a smoother surface.

Before proceeding with the installation of the main play modules, you should prepare the area for covering. To do this, it is necessary to clear the area of ​​large debris, uproot shrubs and grasses, and remove small weeds. It is advisable to plant the site with green manure a year before installing the equipment in order to exclude further growth of weeds.

But if this was not done, then you should simply overlay the cleared area with geotextiles, this will protect the cover from germinating grass. After that, you need to cover the area with crushed stone or pebbles so that the coating is as dense as possible, it is optimal to sprinkle it with asphalt crumbs - in this case, the modular coating will lie more evenly and the likelihood of divergence at the seams will be reduced to zero.

The slide is one of the structures most loved by children, but at the same time one of the most complex. It is very important to keep in mind that the length of the slide should not exceed 3.5 meters, and the stairs with wide, low steps should be made of anti-slip material.It is also important to provide for the installation of a handrail or handrail. You can make a slope yourself from varnished plywood, however, it will not be as slippery as a store-bought one, for example, made of plastic.

When installing any swing the following standards should be taken into account:

• the structure must be stable in order to withstand a sufficiently high vibration amplitude;
• there should be no obstacles on the trajectory of the swing;
• the most preferred options for racks are metal or wood.

Many people think that making a sandbox is quite simple, you just need to dig a hole and fill it with sand. Far from it. The sand should always be clean, so a number of additional work should be done.

When installing a sandbox, actions are performed in the following sequence:

• for a start, the outline of the structure is outlined on the ground;
• after that, the top layer of the earth is removed, and the bottom is leveled with a drainage layer, on top of which geotextiles are laid;
• then along the perimeter of the sandbox, boards made of wood or plastic are installed;
• only after that, the entire structure is covered with sand, which it is desirable to treat with a safe disinfectant (for example, potassium permanganate) or simply spill with boiling water.

The house is, perhaps, the most common childhood dream, so a rare playground does without such an element. Given that the structure is not intended for permanent residence, you can resort to lightweight frame construction technology. The foundation is not required here, and the supports should be the simplest. All work is reduced, in fact, to the installation of the frame and its sheathing with panels.

If you plan to install an inflatable trampoline, then it is necessary to level the base under it, it is also better to lay it out with dense material to exclude the possibility of damage. But if you buy a regular jumping trampoline, then everything is much simpler here. It is only necessary to free the area of ​​the required area and place the installation on it.

Installation in the country house of the Swedish wall is very popular; it is often attached to the fence or walls of the house. In addition to creating a good mood, this attitude contributes to the physical development of the child, improves his agility, endurance and coordination of movements. However, in order for the structure to be as reliable as possible, it is necessary to carefully prepare the hooks on which it will be attached, and in addition, the area for equipment must certainly be laid out with springy material.

If desired, in the village or at the dacha, you can equip a good sports or playground for children. Ready-made complexes of various configurations can be an excellent option.

Or you can build a fun and functional area with your own hands.

How to equip a playground in the country with your own hands, see the next video.