Our Favorite Inclusive Play Elements
The power of inclusivity on the playground is what helps bring children together, building great communities. By incorporating different play elements, children of all abilities can experience the same enjoyment during their play time. As Ross Recreation continues to promote inclusivity, the power of play and how best to design inclusive play spaces, our sales team has developed a few favorite components from Landscape Structures.
Ewing Philbin
The ZipKrooz
“The Zipkrooz is an action and fitness component that can be fitted with a molded, therapeutic seat for kids without sufficient core and upper body strength. It offers all kids exhilarating motion and freedom, but for kids with limited mobility, it provides a very special experience. I saw a child in Minnesota with cystic fibrosis use this piece for the first time and it was magical. She was seemingly transported to a different plane of existence, free to experience physical exertion, wind in the face and speed.”
See it locally at River Forks County Park, Roseburg, OR
Jon Bawden
The Roller Table
“Among the myriad of accessible play options located at East Bay’s premier universally accessible playground at Athan Downs Park in San Ramon, users will find a decidedly unique component called a Roller Table. Not just fast and fun, the sensory play Roller Table provides kids with much needed sensory stimulation, through the application of deep-muscle pressure from the steel rollers. The comfortable TenderTuff coated steel rollers help kids develop a “skin map” of tactile sensory receptors throughout their body. Curved overhead hand rails allow for varied arm lengths and abilities as well as side rails for safe sensory play.”
See it locally at Athan Downs Park, San Ramon, CA
Nick Philbin
The Oodle Swing
“Landscape Structures’ Oodle Swing is, in my mind, the definition of an inclusive play element. The large ‘saucer’ swing seat allows people of all ages and all abilities to engage together on this unique play element. As the swing moves with a smooth, arcing motion, kids with sensory or physical challenges can sit arm and arm with their friends or with their parents. There is no worry of the seat flipping or the need to dangle one’s legs in the middle of a seat like a traditional tire swing. The Oodle swing provides full support and stability. Users on the Oodle Swing can sit or lay on the large, stable seat by themselves or with a number of others. Additionally, the seat was designed to be at a level where it is very easy for users to transfer out of mobility devices, like a wheelchair, directly onto the swing. The Oodle Swing is a fun, interactive and inclusive play element like no other.”
See it locally at Harper’s Playground, Portland, OR
Alex Hailey
The OmniSpin Spinner
“The OmniSpin is one of my favorite things that you can find on the playground because kids LOVE it! Every time I go to a playground that has an OmniSpin, I always find it packed with kids and I love to watch how the kids get to interact together on this piece – some spinning around for a ride, others pushing their peers from the outside and all enjoying themselves. The biggest sensory element of this piece is spinning, which helps to engage the vestibular system, providing children’s brains with valuable equilibrium information. This information connects with inputs from their muscles and joints to help them maintain posture and balance in the world. So beyond being great fun, spinning on the playground is actually critical to children’s development. Nothing beats walking onto a playground and seeing all of the kids laughing, enjoying and playing on this piece together!”
See it locally at Murray Elementary, Dublin, CA
Casey Hilbert
“This is one of those things I wish was around when I was a kid! The challenging hybrid of a bridge and a seesaw is a great way to develop balance and coordination while involving multiple kids interacting in a group setting. I find the social aspect of this component to be especially important because it forces children to work with others to cross the bridge while moving in all directions and at the same time trying to navigate their way to the next play component. That group problem solving is something that you don’t necessarily get from swings or slides. It’s one of those important skills that kids need to develop early on, especially in a digital age where face-to-face interaction becomes less and less frequent.”
See it locally at Foothill Elementary, Monterey, CA
