Heat-Smart Playgrounds: Shade Structures, Cool-Touch Surfacing, Protecting Kids From Record-Setting Heat Waves

As the planet continues to warm up and summer gets hotter every year, schools and parks are looking for ways to make sure kids can still play. After all, some days during spring and fall almost feel as hot as August. To make sure kids can still enjoy their playgrounds, playground designers are coming up with solutions to burning surfaces and sweltering spaces. Here are some design tips to help protect kids in outdoor play places.

There’s simply no denying it: every summer seems to come with heat waves, news alerts of record highs, and more kids staying indoors. Sure, there are some indoor play spaces parents can take kids to for physical movement and social time. But those businesses charge fees, and most families can’t afford to go every week, much less every day. The same goes for movie theaters, museums, and other air-conditioned retreats. One of the great things about parks is that they’re free.

The alternative to going out is staying in, and that usually means kids are staring at the television or their electronic devices. Or they’re driving mom or dad crazy from boredom. So you’ve got kids and parents, both hot and bothered, both inside and outside. It doesn’t make for an ideal summer. The situation is even worse at many schools, where blacktop and hot structures seem like danger zones on hot days more than fun retreats during recess. The time for heat-smart playgrounds is clearly overdue.

The first and easiest solution to the heat is shade. Of course, you can’t grow trees and plants overnight. Even trying to transplant older trees can be a trial. What you can do is install man-made shades over commercial playground equipment and sandboxes. These can, at the very least, keep kids’ vulnerable skin protected from the hot sun. They can even create a refuge for kids to take cover under on rainy days, so they serve a dual purpose.

Many ways to install shade in parks and schools exist. You could construct a canopy to stretch over the entire playspace. Poles could rise from the corners of each “box” and act as a sort of tent roof for anyone playing under it. You could also opt for smaller shades that sprout up from the play structure itself. These can be giant plastic flower petals or leaves on plastic palm trees. They could even be plastic sails on a “ship.” They can match the theme of pretty much any playground and keep kids protected from the sun.

Of course, the problem isn’t just the direct sunlight that can burn precious skin. It’s also the fact that the sun heats up the ground, which then increases the temperature of the entire play space. Plus, it’s tough to walk, run, and fall down on. Hot surfaces like black rubber or asphalt can then heat up the play structures even more, which makes everything too hot to even touch. On many super-hot days, you can drive through a city and see empty playgrounds for this reason alone.

In the past, playground designers didn’t have a lot of options when it came to the ground surface of playgrounds. Also, the days weren’t so unbearably hot on so many occasions. Fortunately, innovations in playground design make it easier than ever to keep the ground cooler. Poured-in-place rubber or soft tiles can be made in reflective colors that allow kids to play without melting down. You can also consider astroturf to mimic nature, which can create a soft, cool surface.

If you’re thinking in the longer term, you can consider getting more creative with your landscaping. Virtually any outdoor space can grow tall trees that offer shade and big, bushy plants that absorb and contain heat. These options also offer a more natural environment that kids and parents can benefit from in a number of ways. Indeed, the more flora you have in a space, the calmer and more relaxed people tend to feel.

You can work with a landscaper to bring young trees into your park or school. Weeping willows and red maple trees are just two varieties that will grow more than 10 feet per year under the right conditions. These provide shady refuge for families looking to escape the heat. In some schools, teachers even bring kids out into groves on campus to learn about plant varieties or practice meditation. So kids can keep cool and get an education at the same time.

In the end, designing a park that can stay cool and allow kids to play even on the hottest days is a good long-term plan. It will help the kids have fun today, yes. But you’re also allowing them to have more outdoor experiences that can benefit them for the rest of their lives. Kids who get access to nature and physical activity outside tend to:

• Perform better in school.
• Be more mentally well-adjusted.
• Have better long-term health outcomes.

You could potentially be setting kids up for a happier, healthier adulthood, as well as making play available now. And that’s great for everyone.