Churches play many important roles within a community. One of those roles is as a place for families to gather and spend quality time together.
Given that churches often host people of all ages—from the very young to the very old—it’s important that their facilities are designed for such duty. To cater to the younger set, the inclusion of a playground is a great choice.
Learn more about the playground design process below.
MANAGING A BUDGET
Perhaps the first thing you will need to think about when planning a church playground project is funding. Most churches don’t have huge reserve funding sources available for such tasks, so you may need to take up a special collection for the job.
And, of course, picking out playground equipment that provides great value for the money is going to be important, as you strive to make the most of the money you do have available.
GETTING THE MOST FROM YOUR SPACE
Early in the planning process, you’ll want to analyze the amount of space you have available for your playground. If you have plenty of room to build, you can consider bigger pieces of equipment like long slides and large swing sets. Those with less room to work with will need to stick to compact play structures in order to maximize the usefulness of the area.
SERVE THE LITTLE ONES
It’s pretty easy to find church playground equipment that will be fun and exciting for kids in the grade-school age range. However, you want to make sure that younger children also have a spot on the playground to have fun in a safe environment.
This comes down to picking the right pieces of equipment and placing them where they will be easy to access for little ones. Not only will the little kids have fun playing in the space, but their parents will appreciate the presence of equipment that is able to accommodate children of various ages.
INVEST IN DURABILITY
While it’s obviously necessary to stay within your budget for the job, you do want to invest in equipment that can be expected to hold up over the long run. If you buy cheap equipment, you shouldn’t be surprised when that gear starts to fall apart in short order.
The cost savings you enjoy upfront when buying low-cost playground equipment will quickly be lost when you need to spend money on repairs or replacement equipment only a short time after the initial installation.
It’s likely that your church playground is going to see plenty of action week after week, so make sure it is up to the challenge.
WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN THE BEST PLAYGROUND EQUIPMENT SUPPLIER
Picking the right playground equipment supplier is one of the most important choices you’ll need to make when trying to create a new playground. With a good supplier on your side, you should be able to get the equipment you need for a price you love.
Here’s what to look for in the best playground equipment supplier:
IT STARTS WITH QUALITY
Again, you simply don’t want to sacrifice with regard to the quality of your playground equipment. If you are going to go through the trouble of creating a playground in the first place, it only makes sense to ensure you use quality equipment that will stand the test of time.
You don’t want to be shopping for replacement equipment after just a couple of years, because the first items you purchased were made to a low standard.
And, even more importantly, you don’t want any children to get hurt because you opted for low-quality equipment. Make sure you find a supplier that has a reputation for producing excellent equipment and go from there.
APPROPRIATE PRICING
While we can’t stress enough the importance of quality in this process, you will obviously have a budget to consider, as well. The best way to determine what is a reasonable price for the equipment you need to buy is to look around at the various options on the market.
Comparison shopping should give you a good idea of what the going rate is for different pieces of equipment. Remember, while you don’t necessarily need to buy the most expensive equipment on the market, buying the lowest-priced gear may leave you disappointed in the end.
A HELPFUL PARTNER
One piece of the puzzle you don’t want to overlook is the customer service you are going to be offered with your chosen equipment supplier. This is a bigger purchase than something like buying a shirt online. You will want to know that your supplier is going to be there to support you if any issues come up along the way.
For a good indication of what kind of customer service you will receive, take a look at the overall reputation of the business. A playground equipment company that has been in busy for many years and has a solid reputation in the industry will almost certainly provide you with excellent service.
WARRANTIES
Be sure to take a look at what kind of warranty coverage comes along with the equipment. Considering that you’ll be investing a significant amount of money in this project, you’ll want to know that you are covered in case any problems come up.
This information is courtesy of American Swing Products, which sells quality playground components to replace your worn swing set parts at reduced prices, www.americanswing.com.
