To a child, an outdoor playground is one big adventure. Come rain or shine, the fun and imagination never ends. Throw in some amazing rides and activities, and you have an adventure playground that’s impossible to tear kids away from.
As Spring finally arrives families are beginning to think about getting out and about in the UK and for many with young children a good outdoor play area is high on the list of facilities available when considering where to go.
Whether you’re a parent or a park warden, you’ll want to know which outdoor rides are the most kid-friendly. You’ll want to know which rides and activities will keep them entertained for hours. Here, we take a look at 5 of the must have rides for the best adventure playgrounds:
Zip wire
Kids of all ages have dreamed of flying, and the zip wire is the closest thing to growing wings and shooting through the sky.
Image source | License Image Playgrounds Ltd
Whether they’re a few feet or a few meters long, zip wires are now a common feature of adventure playgrounds. This exciting ride is perfect for thrill-seeking children and those with no fear; which, let’s face it, covers most little ones.
Perfectly safe as children are securely strapped into a harness, flying down any length of zip wire provides endless entertainment come rain or shine.
Helta-Skelta
The helta-skelta has been the standout feature of many circuses, theme parks, and community events for decades. In 2013, it has been brought up-to-date and is now one of the most common rides at local outdoor playgrounds.
The giant, swirling slides are a simple ride, but one that really breathes new life into a playground. Remember the joy and excitement or riding the helta-skelta as a child? It’s the same feeling for children today.
It might be one of the more simple adventure playground rides, but it is a timeless classic that will keep giving joy for many years.
Climbing walls
Another retro ride that’s having a revival among outdoor and adventure playground is the climbing wall.
A firm favourite amongst children of all ages, the climbing wall lets kids clamber to the top of the highest mountain, or shimmy down a skyscraper. The only limit is their imagination. Smaller climbing walls are cropping up more and more in parks and playgrounds, but there are larger variations for real thrill-seeking kids.
Indoor climbing walls are much larger, and more of a challenge. This makes them an even more exciting ride and adventure. Again, children are secured with harnesses and full safety equipment. But that doesn’t dampen the adventure.
Mazes
Mazes are one of those rides that never get old. Whether they’re a hedge maze, walled maze, or the new ‘3D’ mazes; kids and adults alike can spend hours getting lost and found in a maze. After all, nothing says ‘adventure’ like finding your way home when you’ve been lost.
For smaller children, adventure playgrounds often have much smaller mazes; but the bigger the playground, the bigger the maze. This is a must-have ride or attraction for adventure playgrounds, as the fun really does last for hours.
Aerial walkways
Our final must-have ride for adventure playgrounds is an aerial walkway. This is another thrill-seeking attraction for kids with an adventurous streak and bucket loads of imagination.
If there is the space, this is a great attraction to include in any outdoor playground. They can stretch for a long distance, or a short one; they can be ridged or rickety; but they are always bucket loads of fun.
These are just some of the must-have rides and attractions all good adventure playgrounds should house. As you can see, kids don’t need computer games to have fun. They just need a few great rides, and bucket loads of imagination.
Article supplied by Core Assets Fostering who specialise in helping vulnerable foster children to lead a happy and healthy life. Find out more on their website.
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