The Playground Swing Sets
Playground swing sets have come a long, long way from the popular sets of the 1960s and 1970s, when they were dominated by a tall metal slide, a large metal frame with swings that had heavy wooden seats, and the traditional wooden teeter-totter and merry-go-round. In those days, the contrast between the backyard swing set and the assembly in the playground was considerable; the set in the backyard tended to be much smaller and less sturdy. But as both types have evolved over the years, they’ve grown more and more alike.
The predominant form in both versions now is the wood swing set. This type of set has been found to be safer in many ways and, if made of the right sort of wood and properly treated, is almost as durable as a metal set. The old wooden planks that once served as swing seats have been replaced either by seats of plastic or resin, or by plastic belts that will hold the weight of the child yet not cause injuries if they fly loose. In fact, many of the components of playground swing sets are now made of plastic like those swing seats, so that now, for example, playground slides will be made of smooth, rounded plastic, doing away with the old metal slides.
The modern playground swing sets, like their residential counterparts, also tend to be more compact. They don’t always feature separate, freestanding structures as they used to, with the swings in one location, the slide in another, the teeter-totter in another, and so on. These newer sets are more modular, many having a small central tower off of which different elements branch. So the frame for the swings might come off one side of the tower, while the slide extends from another side and a climbing wall might lead off from yet a third side. The swing accessories, in both the playground and home sets, can be added or changed as the local needs dictate.
What seems to have been dictated in recent years for playground swing sets is extra safety, after accidents with other sets became serious. Designers attempted to soften hard edges, and provide structures with more give. For example, now a children’s swing set often stands on a padded surface made from recycled tires. The merry-go-round, which was sometimes a real source of injury with its metal bars, is frequently eliminated altogether. The ultimate goal is to keep children as safe as possible, yet still retain the sheer enjoyment of playing outdoors on swing sets.
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