Sail island to island of fun on the Mauna Loa obstacle course. Older children are often “too cool” for more traditional house-shaped play structures. The panels are often designed for much younger children and they aren’t physically challenged anymore. With the Mauna Loa system, they will feel challenged as they work their way around the equipment. While there is a clear layout, children won’t feel compelled to work through each part of the system. A large oval shape is formed by the array of climbing equipment. In that ring, Overhead Curved climbers, Vertical Curved Nets, PlayShell Climbers, Firefighter Climbers, and Inclined Climbers create a clear course. In the center, a smattering of equipment awaits. PlayPod Pedestals are scattered at different heights. Log Climbers create an island unto itself and even a Curly Climber is on the edges of the inside. Children are sure to spend hours happily playing and socializing here.
When choosing a playground it is important to consider where the components have come from. Conditioned wood or recycled metal posts are both opportunities to take part in environmental stewardship. Wood was once a staple of playground design, but as time has continued, it has become less common. But, wood and natural materials make for natural learning environments that can be important for children’s development. Several teaching methods use nature and natural tools as ways to reach children. On the other hand, the recycled metal used comes from items that would otherwise rust away in dumps. The recycled plastic comes from specifically milk jugs. As Americans, we tend to drink a large amount of milk every day. This results in millions of used milk contains every year. Even if the play set purchased only uses a few thousand of those milk jugs, its that many more that didn’t end up in a landfill. Your playground purchase can be part of the solution that limits waste.
For a similarly sized system, check out the Quadrant. For smaller systems take a look at the Rainier, the Ascend, and the Criss Cross.
