When it comes to playgrounds, the surface is a major factor to consider.  There’s ADA standards that must be met in order to properly pass inspection and regardless of all the rules and regulations, you would want to make sure the kids are playing in a safe environment where falling down is a little less of a worry so ADA standards are always favored by the public.

Every year there is an annual conference, NRPA’s Congress and Exposition that brings together more than 7,000 park and recreation professionals, industry suppliers, and citizen advocates that go over hundreds of educational sessions.  This also makes for an awesome networking event.  This year’s NRPA Annual Congress theme was called “Great Ideas Start Here”.  This is where the new release of the new surfacing installation and maintenance guide will be released.

IPEMA (International Play Equipment Manufacturer) is the manufacture that we are working with and the NRPA Congress has launched the new guide that provides the proper steps of installing and maintaining all the different types of IPEMA-certified surfacing.  IPEMA is always looking for ways to make play more fun and safer while keeping areas accessible to everyone with correct installation and maintenance.

 Over the long years of kids at play, we have learned from all the accidents and found ways to help lower the risk of injury which is every parent’s number one priority when it comes to their children and it’s our number one priority too.

We don’t just talk child safety, we study it and install it with every playground we build!

Safety Starts w/ Stability!

Kurt Karriker
704-589-7455
Creative Playscapes

The post Rules Keep Kids Safe first appeared on Creative Playscapes.

With winter an afterthought as we enjoy the warmer weather and greener pastures, our forethoughts are toward summer and the season long enjoyment with family it brings.  Nothing pleases Jon and I more than summer time with our families and kids, we love to see them playing at the beach, hiking in the mountains and playing at the playgrounds.

Today’s blog entry is on the enjoyment of the great outdoors, all the while being protected from the elements, specifically the sun.  I promise not to be negative towards the sun, but as with every enjoyable entity it has both positive and negative aspects.  The positive ones are obvious; warmer temperatures, outdoor activities, the beach and more.  The negative is the potential harm from over exposure.

Jon and I provide a way to thwart the negatives while enjoying the positives with shade structures!  We have designed and installed shade structures in Charlotte at various schools and child care facilities.  Jon has also designed shade structures for shopping malls in Atlanta, Ga.  There are numerous, attractive ways to implement shade to protect your park or playground visitors from the elements.

Jon and I were talking last week about taking our kids to the water park this summer, when he commented on how he would love to design an elaborate shade structure for a water park.  He described in depth how he envisioned the structure would enhance the appeal of the park with the variety of colorful fabrics he could utilize.  I love it when he gets these ideas and elaborates on them during our lunch meetings.  I am going to make a concerted effort to find a water park in our area that needs a shade structure, just for Jon.

Safety Starts w/ Stability!

Kurt Karriker
704-589-7455
Creative Playscapes

The post Shade Structures first appeared on Creative Playscapes.

Are you considering adding or replacing a playground for your Charlotte school, church or community center?  Does your current playground create a sense of stress for you and the kids?  Is your current playground too small, with kids lining up waiting for their turn on the swings or slide, children trying to skip in line resulting in arguments?  Well, kids will be kids; however, a lot of these issues could be solved by having the right play equipment.  We design playgrounds with lots of fun equipment, not just one or two the kids enjoy most.

Not only can we install everything, but we design it to fit the needs of the school, church or community as well.  We have play structures for a variety of budgets and all designs are created with safety being the first priority.  Having a playground that can be fun for everyone encourages physical activity and a friendly experience.

Fitness units are in big demand, with much talk revolving around healthy living, diet and exercise are at the core of most healthy lifestyle conversations.  We have designed and installed numerous playgrounds with the focus on fitness, integrating equipment that has the kids stretching and using a variety of muscles while they play.  It’s fitness with fun!

We also have shade structures that can be installed so that the sun isn’t an issue.  Summer sun can make the equipment too hot to play on, our shades block the sun from the kids and equipment, which helps keep them from getting too hot.

If you are considering replacing or installing a new playground, call me for a free consultation and make sure you make it fun for the kids!

Safety Starts w/ Stability!

Kurt Karriker
704-589-7455
Creative Playscapes

The post Make Your Playground Fun first appeared on Creative Playscapes.

Recently, I was contacted for an interview by one of the local shopping malls; they are seeking quotes and design ideas for a shade structure art for a Charlotte Shopping Mall.  The interview went incredibly well, the administrator was very impressed with our website and marketing materials and the previous shade structure art designs Jon has created.

I was granted permission to submit a design, so after the meeting I hurried over to meet with Jon and share the good news, he owed me lunch anyway!  During our conversation about what the administrator of the project had envisioned, I noticed the all too familiar twinkle in Jon’s eye.  Jon is one of those wonderfully emotional individuals that can’t hide his emotions, especially when he gets excited and the conversation of designing shade structure for an art project had him very excited.

By the end of the following week, Jon was texting me like crazy to meet and show me what he designed, lunch on me this time.  Jon arrived literally floating on air he was so excited, my first thought was “this is gonna be good” and he didn’t disappoint.  Jon drew the shade art on an enormous piece of drafting paper that was way too large for our lunch table (frustrating Jon to no end) which had me laughing and in stitches, but when he opened the drawing, my mouth dropped.  Jon went silent (only happens twice a year at the dentist) as I was speechless viewing the drawing.  The waitress walked by and was astonished and commented on how remarkable the drawing was and where it is intended for!

Bottom Line, our follow up meeting is in 2 weeks, Jon and I will be meeting the administrator and the board that makes the final decision.  We are allotted 45 minutes to present our design, provide a quote and answer questions.  I am actually as excited as Jon!

Safety Starts w/ Stability!

Kurt Karriker
704-589-7455
Creative Playscapes

The post Shopping Mall Shade Structure Art first appeared on Creative Playscapes.

Have any of these affected you or a loved one?

There is a lot of talk, print and media reporting on the various adverse effects from over exposure.  Exposure to the elements of nature can be unavoidable at time; those that have to work in the construction industry must address the elements by proper clothing and chemical/lotions protection.  Unfortunately many individuals ignore the potential hazards from over exposure until it is too late and their doctor has awakened them to the dangers they endured.

The small increments of exposure will compile and if not attended to, can cause issues later in life.  Imagine a bucket with 1 single drop of water entering every few minutes, although 1 single drop is minuscule to the capacity of the 5 gallon bucket, every drop has an impact and eventually the bucket will over fill with water.  Over exposure is exactly like the drop in the bucket metaphor.

Shade structures are an attractive way to combat the elements, bringing cool shade, relief from the UV Rays of the sun, and creating an ambience to increase awareness.  Shade structures have quickly become a popular and useful decoration to many shopping malls, entertainment areas, outdoor venues and parks.

Jon designs and creates unique shade structures for many clients, as I have often mentioned, Jon is the creative engineer in our partnership and his ability to envision a custom shade structure is impressive.  Jon never ceases to amaze me with his creativeness and our customers love his work.  I get a lot of credit which should go to Jon, his skillset and training.

Safety Starts w/ Stability!

Kurt Karriker
704-589-7455
Creative Playscapes

The post Shade Structures first appeared on Creative Playscapes.