Playground Equipment.

To be fair, they do seem to come up with much more stimulating and challenging equipment these days. Can't fault the ones we go to.

As soon as I saw this thread I thought of The Wtches Hat and the Roundabout [my favourites]; Not sure what they have in playgrounds these days but I know that when we raised money for one in our village everything had to be so that there were no hidden areas [we had a wooden slide with seating underneath and that had to go]. On another playground at the other end of the vilage older kids used to break glass there so no one used it and it was eventually dismantled .

I don't mean that playgrounds these days aren't good. The one near my GDs is excellent . I just wondered what had happened to the items I mentioned.

My sister broke her nose falling off the witch's hat at the age of 4. On reflection, my mum should have been hovering close by - I ran across the park to find her when it happened. I was 7, so not suitable for watching out fir her safety. They were dangerous, I agree.

The park near my grandsons' house is perfect. It has a soft floor and lots of adventure equipment, logs, ropes and nets to climb, a massive tyre to sit in and swing, as well as updated but conventional equipment like swings, slides and see saws. It cost a fortune to provide, and the local community had fund-raising which was matched by the LA.

I'm pretty sure ours has a roundabout - and something like a witch's hat as well as our toddler likes to touch the ball at the top apparently. It has other climbing equipment as well and swings - but no toilets available!

Don't know what a witches hat is.
The playground across the road from DDs house has a roundabout and seesaw as well as the more modern stuff.

There is a brilliant playground 45mins drive away it's a fenced off area of a large park with a lake. It has equipment for toddlers to teens, including a zip wire. It's great for a day out and a picnic.

A small park near where I used to live had three playgrounds. One for little ones with lots of simple equipment to develop physical skills as well as small swings a small slide and climbing frame a roundabout and rocking horses and see-saws. There is a playground for older children and finally one for teenagers. I don't know exactly what the other playgrounds contained as I moved before grandson graduated from the toddlers playground.
I often think my local playground would not have so many beer cans, large plastic cider bottles and broken glass if the teenagers had their own playground. Perhaps on the far side of the all weather ball courts and tennis courts which are next to the existing playground. One can dream.

I put this comment about the lack of see-saws etc onto Facebook to see the reaction from the parents that I know. It appears that the Witches Hat is no more due to safety reasons. See-saws can be found but modified somewhat, again for safety reasons, Also one can still get the odd roundabout. I know playgrounds are safer now, but when I'm told that our 23 month old goes on the BIG slide, not on my watch she doesn't.