Click here to watch the video

This is video #5 of the 7 video collections on the process of installing a playground for The Williams Center in Charlotte.  Jon is our videographer and narrator.  We hope you enjoy this particular video where the colored EDPM is being installed.  Click here to learn more about playground safety surfaces.

We top off the rubber safety surface with the EDPM (Ethylene-propylene rubbers & elastomers) colored surfacing.  This project incorporated “Hippos and Alligators” so we used a “Blue Water” colored safety surface to imitate the water these animals live in.  The “water theme” used for this Charlotte playground is an excellent example of how we use our safety surfaces for more than just protection.

Colored rubber safety surfacing has a plethora of uses:

• Add color
• Create a theme
• Add attractiveness to the playground

Jon talks about a delay, notice how we were able to continue working and not delay the project due to circumstances beyond our control.  Our goal is to always stay on schedule and on budget, this is an example of how we can do a “Work-Around” and stay productive.

Listen to Jon mention the weather in this video, it was late May when this video was shot.  Weather does have an effect on when and how we can apply the rubber safety surfacing, but this particular day was perfect early summer temperatures.

#ColoredPlaygroundSurface

Safety Starts w/ Stability!

Kurt Karriker
704-589-7455
Creative Playscapes

The post Charlotte Playground Project – Video 5 Blue Water Colored Playground Surfacing first appeared on Creative Playscapes.

Click here to watch the video

This is video 4 of the 7 video collections on the process of installing a playground for The Williams Center in Charlotte.  Jon is our videographer and narrator.  We hope you enjoy this particular video where we are beginning the installation of the rubber safety surface.  Click here to learn more about playground safety surfaces.

The base of the rubber safety surface is being installed; we use a 1 ½” amount of base to add a more protective level of safety.  Regulations vary, but we typically exceed the required amount of rubber base that is required for numerous reasons, mainly the safety of the kids.

Jon describes the install and mentions the Ethylene-propylene rubbers & elastomers (also called EPDM and EPM); this is state of the art playground surfacing.  EPDM is made of tiny rubber pellets, incorporated on the playground site with a urethane binder to form a playground surface that is “Pliable” or “Soft” in other words it’s very durable but cushiony too.  We also use this top surface to add the color and vibrancy to the playground.  A later video will reveal how Jon incorporated a “train-track” into the surface of this project.

We install EDPM Surfacing in a variety of depths, using a fall guide AKA compliance regulations based on the fall height requirements of the playground equipment we are installing.  Playground safety is a topic we feel strongly about, EPDM is the surface coverage we recommend.

#PlaygroundSafetySurface

Safety Starts w/ Stability!

Kurt Karriker
704-589-7455
Creative Playscapes

The post Charlotte Playground Project – Video 4 EPDM Rubber Playground Surfacing first appeared on Creative Playscapes.

Video 3 

This is video 3 of the 7 video collections on the process of installing a playground for The Williams Center in Charlotte.  Jon is our videographer and narrator.  We hope you enjoy this video series.  Click here to visit our website and view more playgrounds.

In an incredibly productive week, the Creative Playscapes installation team has The Williams Center in Charlotte’s playground equipment erected and tested for durability.  Numerous variables factor into the installation timeframe, especially the weather.  It was a very pleasant week in May, which allowed us to work full time without interruptions and install the Charlotte playground in one week.

We hope you are enjoying this series of the playground we are installing in Charlotte at The Williams Center; we appreciate their consent to record and publish this series.  Jon is enjoying the process and being out of the office and has commented to me many times how he is enjoying the wonderful weather and documenting our process.  We welcome your comments regarding this project or any questions about playground equipment or safety surfaces.

#CharlottePlayground

Safety Starts w/ Stability!

Kurt Karriker
704-589-7455
Creative Playscapes

The post Charlotte Playground Project – Video 3 Playground Installed first appeared on Creative Playscapes.

Video 2

Here we see that the playground equipment has been delivered to the Charlotte site and we are ready to begin installation in the next video.  All of our steel and aluminum playground equipment is powder coated with an environmentally safe (and child safe) coating, this coating not only adds colorful beauty to the playground equipment itself, it is a major deterrent for rust and a positive replacement for paint (especially the old lead based paint).

In the next video of this series, Jon will describe the playground as it has been installed and the arrival of the safety surface materials.

Click here to view more of our playstructures.

#CharlottePlayground

Safety Starts w/ Stability!

Kurt Karriker
704-589-7455
Creative Playscapes

The post Charlotte Playground Project – Video 2 Playground Equipment first appeared on Creative Playscapes.

Video 1

This is video 1 of a series of 7 where we developed the playground site, installed the new playground equipment and finished with the rubber surfacing.  Jon is our videographer and narrator.  We hope you enjoy this video series.

Jon describes the layout of the playground, including trike paths, slides and shade structures.  He also included trees to be planted that will provide natural shade in the years to come.  One aspect we/Jon prefer to include is natural foliage, vegetation and shade.  In this project, Jon added several trees to accent the already existing trees (which Jon will describe in a later video) on site.

#CharlottePlayground

Safety Starts w/ Stability!

Kurt Karriker
704-589-7455
Creative Playscapes

The post Charlotte Playground Project – Video 1 Playground Base System first appeared on Creative Playscapes.

Health was a huge inspiration to me, and a reason why Jon and I entered the playground business.  A playground can be much more than a place to take the kids and let them run off some energy; it is a place to breath in the fresh air and burn off some of those extra calories while having fun.  In fact, research suggests that you can burn nearly 300 calories with only an hour of moderate activity outside.

Even then, there is more to health than just burning calories.  Playgrounds offer wide verity of unique opportunities for children:

1)    Social Skills: Playgrounds offer a chance for kids to govern themselves all while getting involved with the interest and concerns of their peers.  This can build strong leadership skills and a sense of comradery.

Self–Care: A playground allows a kid to test their abilities in a safe environment.  This can help them understand limitations and may lead to safer or less risky decisions down the road.

2)    Problem Solving: Waiting turns, working together, communicating, and learning from others are all beneficial to the problem solving skills a kid will use throughout his or her life.

While Jon and I will never pretend every experience at the playground is positive, (with Bees, Icky Spiders, and messy Toads), it is the overall experience that may help your child grow into a well-rounded person.  Now, total that with the few hundred calories you may lose and, what are you waiting for?  Get outside and go play an hour a day!

Safety Starts w/ Stability!

Kurt Karriker
704-589-7455
Creative Playscapes

The post Getting Outside & Getting Healthy first appeared on Creative Playscapes.

Each year more than 200,000 kids are treated in hospitals for different types of playground-related injuries and many of them could have been prevented if they were being properly supervised.

Adult supervision is vital to promoting a safe experience on the playground.  Kids will be kids and they don’t always see the danger in certain things the way an adult does.  They might think its ok to jump from something that’s too high and then end up with a broken arm or leg.  Older kids like to see just how far they can go, test their limits, and this isn’t always the smartest decision either. 

With playgrounds, you need proper surface, design, and spacing, along with equipment inspections and maintenance.  Here at Creative Playscapes, this is our field of expertise.  We design and build playgrounds to fit every need and make sure it’s done right.  We don’t want kids swinging and accidentally kicking the other kids coming down the slide.

Even with all the inspections, safety surfaces, and proper supervision, it’s important to make sure each child understand the rules of playing on the playground.  Make sure they know and understand what is safe and what is not safe.  Teaching them the do’s and don’ts will play a big role in keeping everyone safe.  Public parks have signs up showing that you must have a helmet on to rides bikes.  Sunscreen is a good idea especially if there are no shade structures to block some of it.  But that’s some tips for getting kids out and playing safely.

Safety Starts w/ Stability!

Kurt Karriker
704-589-7455
Creative Playscapes

The post Let’s Keep Kids Safe first appeared on Creative Playscapes.

The chill of winter is receding and the warmth of spring is quickly approaching, soon our kids will be out for summer vacation and we all know what that means: PlayStation, Smart phones, TV and a whole mess of technology will consume our kid’s time.  So, how do we as parents give our kids a cell phone for their safety without sacrificing their urge for other healthy activity?

Back in the day, when I slammed the door too many times, my mother would yell across the house “It’s either in or out!”  Shortly after hearing that, I would shoot across the living room and dash out the door.  Now days, kids will almost certainly choose to stay inside.  How do we reverse this unhealthy trend?  We must enact the oldest tool in the parenting handbook, Trick Psychology!

“Kids it’s time to go have some fun! “ Secretly, all parents know Playgrounds are a place where kids can exercise and stay fit while having fun outside with their friends; meanwhile, parents get some much-needed relaxation time outdoors.

At Creative Playscapes we have even adopted the phrase “It’s not JUST a playground!”  We are keeping the tradition of the playground alive, be designing and developing some of the safest and most effective playground structures in North Carolina, Georgia and all states in-between. We even specialize in creating Shade & Fitness structures to keep Mom’s day at the park as pleasant and worry free as possible.

Our primary focus is on safety first, fun second.  We work with schools, churches, child care facilities, community centers, public parks and shopping malls to provide fun times for kids.

Safety Starts w/ Stability!

Kurt Karriker
704-589-7455
Creative Playscapes

The post Out to the Playground first appeared on Creative Playscapes.

Spring time is finally here and with the warmer weather starting to brighten up our day it makes it time to get outside and play.  There are so many benefits from keeping your kids active and allowing them to be social!  Do you know or have a child that has been diagnosed with ADHD?  Studies have proved that having free play where children can run and play by using their imaginations play fighting and wrestling actually help develop the deficient area of the brain that has been linked to ADHD. 

Get the kids out ant let them play as much as possible.  This really helps them develop skills that they will continue to perfect and build off of. 

Problem solving is a vital skill that can really be encouraged throughout free play.  It is important to be able to understand situations, think about them, and solve the problem without much trouble.  Learning this skill at an early age really gives kids the upper hand on real life situations at home or at school.  Problem solving often involves taking other people’s feelings into consideration and being able to meet in the middle when there is conflict.  Problem solving can also be critical thinking while playing a game of tag, hide and seek, cowboys and Indians, and any other game you can think of.  It can’t be stressed enough, let’s make sure the kids are out playing and enjoying all the warm weather as much as possible!

Safety Starts w/ Stability!

Kurt Karriker
704-589-7455
Creative Playscapes

The post Spring Time to Play first appeared on Creative Playscapes.

Here at Creative Playscapes, we’re not only able to design playgrounds in Charlotte and Atlanta, to fit all types of needs and areas, but we also work with great product manufactures and with the both of those combined we are really able to offer a service and product that can be counted on and trusted for many years to come.

Just like everyone else, all kids are unique, some like playing in sand, some like monkey bars and stuff to climb on.  Other kids prefer just swing, and I could go on and on with the variety of activities kids enjoy at our playgrounds.  The point is that everyone has different needs, but either way, play is definitely one of them for kids.

It has been shown though Specialist’s studies that kids can actually “play out” their traumas which also help in learning to share their feelings.  There’s a lot of experimenting going on when kids are playing and using their imagination.  This type of activity lets them learn more about their emotions as well as allowing them to step out from their limitations.  Free play helps kids develop skills that build into this self-confidence and promotes self-esteem.  Dealing with other kids and waiting patiently for your turn is sometimes frustrating and this allows them to learn how to handle these situations.

Creative Playscapes have a lot of nice play structures and fitness equipment to choose from.  This is a great way to keep kids in shape and being active without even realizing they are being healthy and exercising.

Safety Starts w/ Stability!

Kurt Karriker
704-589-7455
Creative Playscapes

The post Ways to Play For Every Need first appeared on Creative Playscapes.