Organizing Playground Equipment Copy

PLAYGROUND EQUIPMENT

The short video below is part of our One Minute Playground Tips Series of Videos.

The topics covered in this video include:

• Consumable vs Durable Equipment
• How to make playground equipment last?
• Playground equipment intended for use.
• Heat and cold
• Hoops are fragile equipment
• Lost or stolen equipment
• How long should consumable last?

If you would like to refer to this video in the future check out the Peaceful Playgrounds Channel, One Minute Playground Tips video called Playground Equipment on YouTube.

MANAGING RECESS EQUIPMENT

One of the most difficult parts of making recess run smoothly is managing the playground equipment. When I give speeches on Peaceful Playgrounds one of the most often ask questions is “how do you keep track of the playground equipment?” I hear how the kids always pop the equipment or kick it over a fence. I hear how equipment distributed to each classroom is lost after the first week of school. I also hear that the school lacks funds for playground equipment. In this section, we will talk about how to manage equipment, what equipment is needed, and realistic expectations for a school’s wear and tear on equipment.

We have found the best method of organizing equipment for most schools is to have an equipment room with a rolling ball cart. The cart can roll out to the playground each recess or stay there locked with a combination lock during the school day. We had a custodian roll it in and out at the beginning of the day and after school each day.

CHECKING OUT PLAYGROUND EQUIPMENT AT RECESS

At the beginning of the year for about the first 3 weeks, we had a checkout system where kids would check out the equipment at the beginning of recess and check it back in at the end of recess. This establishes the procedure of checking out and turning back in the equipment. After about the first 3 weeks we found that the checkout was no longer needed as children began to do this without a reminder. (Upper-grade students checked the equipment in and out on the playground by the ball cart at the beginning and end of each recess.)

It was as simple as “Jimmy” basketball room 23.

Or Janice jump rope room 10.

Children who kick balls over the fence or on the roof lose the ability to check out equipment until that piece of equipment is recovered. (Mark all recess equipment with the school name.)

LACK OF FUNDS

Below is a list of organizations that often provide information or grants on equipment for recess.

• Peaceful Playgrounds School Grants
• Gopher Sports Grants Page
• School Grants for Healthy Kids
• Active Schools
• Partners for Public Health
• CATCH Grant Finder
• Kaboom
• Korkat

Download our School Grants Article called, “Ten Tips for Getting Your School Grant Funded in our Resources section.

HOW LONG SHOULD RECESS EQUIPMENT LAST?

Think of recess equipment like consumable workbooks in the classroom. The projected life of a consumable workbook is one year. The same is true for playground equipment. If you’ve used the equipment for 1 year you can expect that it is time to replace it at the end of every year.

WHAT RECESS EQUIPMENT IS NEEDED FOR AN AVERAGE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL?

We recommend that you have a ratio of 1 -10. One piece of equipment for every 10 students you send to the playground at a minimum. The equipment is often determined by the games and markings you have on the playground. Generally speaking, the following list is a minimum set of equipment for a school of 300 students for recess.

You can download this list of equipment in Section 7 the Resource Section of this course.