Playgrounds across Iowa got a workout over the weekend with beautiful spring weather. One expert says it’s a good time for moms and dads to refresh their memories about playground hazards so they can pass the lessons along to their children.
Heather Olson, operations director for the National Program for Playground Safety, based at the University of Northern Iowa, recommends a free “Kid Checker” program.
Olson says the “Kid Checker” program is for parents and grandparents to go out with their kids or grandkids to teach them about playground safety issues, along with a great guide that can be downloaded free off the Internet.
She says sometimes kids will ride their bikes to a playground and run right onto the equipment without first removing their bike helmets. Olson says that’s a big no-no.
She says kids need to take off their helmets before playing on the playground equipment, as it’s not designed for kids to be wearing helmets and could bring the threat of strangulation.
Olson says parents need to advise their children on a host of other issues. She says kids shouldn’t wear scarves or hooded jackets with drawstrings when playing on playgrounds as those strings could get caught in equipment and cause strangulation. More information is available at “www.playgroundsafety.org”. This is National Playground Safety Week.
Related web sites:
Playground safety site