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In February, the Rustics Jungle Gyms team installed custom designed metal play systems at the newly renovated Engen Tugela 1-Stops, North and South bound. The Engen Tugela 1Stop operates 24/7 and is centrally located on the N3 between Johannesburg and Durban, 2km from the Tugela Toll Plaza towards Durban. Working with Rene Brett, Director of Viridian Consulting Landscape Architects, Andre Hayward of Rustics Jungle Gyms, designed and installed a state-of-the-art play system at both service stations. The design was based on the Tarantula play system but with a few modifications to optimise the use of the space provided. According to Andre, “The design was the easy part! Installing within very tight timescales on opposite sides of a highway during the storm ravaged month of February was something else.” “The distance between sites meant that we had to very organized at the beginning of each day. If even a bolt was left behind, it meant a round trip of 32kms to deliver it to the other site on the opposite side of the highway. Popping to town to buy another one was also not an option with Ladysmitrh being the closest at 30kms away. Luckily, this level of organisation is run of the mill for our installation teams who often work in extremely remote rural areas. “The weather also played a major part in this installation. Torrential rain fell every afternoon at about 13:30 and flooded the whole site. The area is also prone to lightning strikes, so any sign of a storm meant the teams were pulled off site until it passed. “Despite the challenges, we managed to complete our installation within time and budget constraints with our sense of humour intact.”

Rustics Jungle Gyms worked with Rene Brett Director of Viridian Consulting Landscape Architects to design, build and install a super new playground at Eikestadt Primary School in Stellenbosch. The centre piece of the design is the Tarantula play system; a 10m x 10m metal structure which incorporates four huge arches, a slide, a spiders-web climbing net, a set of straight monkey bars, a set of twisty monkey bars, seven hanging tyres and three hanging knotted ropes and two fireman’s poles. Placed around this structure is a set of four balance beams creating a balance tree and a double wavy slide race over a crawl through tunnel. Lots of space for running and free play complete the adventure. The playground was purposefully designed with no fixed entry or exit points to encourage free play.

As in all things, planning is the key to success - installing a playground is no different. Good planning will result in an exciting well used, playground with a great return on investment. Read our planning tips below. The site How much space do you have for your playground? Is there a slope? - The best places for playground equipment are on level ground, although slope can play an important part in creative designs when it is taken into consideration. Check for drainage conditions – it is important to ensure that there is no standing water on the play area. The Load Work out an average number of users and design with enough equipment to keep all children busy. Decide the age range of the children so you can install age-appropriate structures. See our previous newsletter Safety Make sure to use a qualified, experienced equipment designer, manufacturer and installer to ensure that the equipment installed is designed to South African National Safety standards using appropriate materials (see our newsletter on safety and using appropriate materials Do you need a fence to keep inappropriately aged or unsupervised children off the equipment? The Future • Can you afford to install everything today or will you need to add equipment in phases over time? Make sure you plan the full layout before the first installation. Call us for playground planning advice

"We have installed the Rustics Jungle Gyms’ Baby-T Play System and Eye-X unit at our new KFC Maitland in King Williams Town. This is our Franchise Group’s first jungle gym in the Eastern Cape. Our customers are very pleased to have a playground in the area that is safe and secure for their children. "I would definitely recommend Rustics, we heard about them through word-of-mouth and their reputation precedes them. Everything was quick and easy to arrange. "The owner, Toni is wonderful to work with - she made our experience effortless and really enjoyable. We trusted her to work independently, within a tight timeline, and she and her team managed efficiently without any hiccups." Kerre Rothman Property Development Administrator

How unhealthy is a lack of sleep? Research in children 6-12 years old suggests that children who get less than nine hours of sleep per night have significant differences in certain brain regions responsible for memory, intelligence and well-being compared to those who get the recommended nine to 12 hours of sleep per night. According to a new study led by University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) researchers, such differences correlated with greater mental health problems, like depression, anxiety, and impulsive behaviours, in those who lacked sleep. Inadequate sleep was also linked to cognitive difficulties with memory, problem solving and decision making. "Sleep can often be overlooked during busy childhood days filled with homework and extracurricular activities. Now we see how detrimental that can be to a child's development." Tips for getting a healthy night’s sleep? Establishing a consistent bedtime routine is important. The routine should ideally start at the same time every night. Dim the lights Stop use of electronics/screens at least an hour before bed Limit caffeine Take a warm bath Do a quiet family activity such as reading a short book If your child wakes up during the night, walk them back to their room with as little commotion as possible Set a wake up time for when the child is allowed to leave his or her room. The child can play quietly until that time if desired. Getting enough exercise Exercise can improve your child’s sleep - it helps them: Fall asleep faster because their muscles are exhausted and their mind makes them sleep quickly to relax them. Sleep longer - Exercising and moving muscles result in rupturing of the muscles (which is normal and needed for growth) and fatigue. Thus, requiring the body to sleep longer to get fresher. The longer period of sleep is needed for the children’s body to grow properly Better quality of sleep – exhaustion means sleep is better and more refreshing. Reduced screen time – less time for screens, means less blue-ray exposure which can be the cause of difficulties in falling asleep and affect quality of sleep. Order a jungle gym to improve your child's memory and intelligence Sources: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/07/220730125455.htm, https://paediatrictherapy.com.au/exercise-kids-sleep/

All playground equipment is naturally subject to deterioration through ordinary use, sun, rain, wind, and temperature changes but there are ways to optimse the length of the life of your play system. We have listed a few of them below to help you get the maximum value out of your outdoor equipment. In our experience, the number one rule is to ensure that children are supervised while they play. A Rustics jungle gym is designed to inspire children to use their imagination, but this must be managed to not only keep danger levels within acceptable levels but also to ensure that equipment, accessories and components are only used for their designed purpose. Each swing is designed to accommodate one child in the sitting position. This is how it should be used. Supervision will reduce unnecessary damage to the equipment from overzealous play. A fence around the equipment will prevent unauthorized, larger children from playing on any equipment not specifically designed to carry their weight (or enthusiasm). We have been called to repair jungle gyms that have had the slide broken off from the mounting. This is only possible if the slide is physically lifted from the ground while bolted to the fixed frame. This would not happen if the equipment was being used by the correct people in the appropriate manner. Random checks should be done on all playground equipment to ensure it is in proper working order before allowing children to play on it. For example, any ground that gets kicked out from the bottom of the slide needs to be replaced to prevent a hole forming which will undermine the support of the slide. Carry out routine maintenance as prescribed by the manufacturer. See this link to the October newsletter which discusses the regular maintenance checks which need to be carried out at different intervals to ensure not only the safety of the equipment but also its longevity. If you would like further advice on how to maintain your outdoor play system, Give us a call on 043 748 5880 or drop us an email

Although balance doesn’t mature in children until the age of 12, improving balance and sensory processing skills early in life will help children to excel and will help those with challenges such as dyslexia, Down Syndrome, ADD and ADHD improve dramatically. Research shows that balance skills help children to develop better language, improve reading and writing skills, improve concentration and body control. What is Balance? Balance is the ability to maintain control of a particular body position whilst performing a given task with minimal postural sway. Maintaining control of body positioning requires good static and dynamic balance, reducing the energy required to perform a host of tasks and activities whilst minimising fatigue. Static balance is the ability to maintain control of a position whilst remaining stationary – for example, standing on one leg or balancing while reaching for a fireman’s pole. Dynamic balance is the ability to maintain balance and control of the body whilst moving, such as walking along a balance beam, jumping, swinging, climbing or transferring from the steps to the slide. What if a child doesn’t have balance? Children who do not have good balance are: at a much greater risk of injury. They may stumble and fall as they seek to move quickly without the necessary skills of recovery. more likely to find it difficult to sit still and pay attention. Lack of balance may present with fidgety, restless behaviour and an inability to maintain focus and concentration. This obviously has a big impact on learning.

In today's busy, competitive world, parents tend to fill every minute of their children’s’ day with structured activities—extra lessons, multiple sports practices and matches, chores etc. Sound Familiar? Well you could be doing your children less of a service than you think you are. Medical research is starting to show the importance of unstructured play to the development of our children. Unstructured play allows children the freedom to explore, create and discover without predetermined rules or guidelines. Because unstructured play involves trying out different strategies without particular goals or serious consequences, children get to practice different activities during play and see what happens. This experience results in them being able to react to circumstances in a faster and more flexible fashion. Unstructured play enhances their creativity, imagination and hence problem-solving abilities. If this unstructured play is together with other children, it results in improved self-control, strengthened negotiation and social skills, and better overall emotional intelligence. Who wouldn’t want those skills in their children? Outdoor playground equipment is just one of the many ways we can provide our children with unstructured play opportunities and help them to practice the physical and manual skills, intellectual skills, social skills, and emotional skills required to become successful adults. If you would like to explore the use of playground equipment for your children’s unstructured play, please give us a call, drop us an email

Children are developmentally different in size and ability. Selecting the right playground equipment for your age group is critical to making sure the playground is fun, accessible and safe for the children who will use it. The Dangers of selecting the wrong equipment When children who are older use equipment that is designed for younger kids, they often become bored. The adventurous side of them comes out and they decide to take risks to make the equipment more challenging, thus using it improperly. The end result is almost always either damaged equipment or an injured child. The opposite is true with younger children. When they approach difficult equipment, they can have difficulty reaching and climbing, and are often intimidated. They may attempt to scale the equipment, only to freeze half-way, without being able to get out of the challenge either forwards or backwards. Selecting age-appropriate playground equipment Playground Equipment for Pre Schoolers (2-5 Years) Two-year-olds represent the lower age limit of the preschool group. These children are new to the playground, and like having a place of their own, sized appropriately. These youngsters have a limited attention span. For this audience, the best playground challenges involve climbing over, under and around things RUSTICS RECOMMENDS: Older pre-schoolers enjoy dramatic play and imitating others. Social skills are just developing, and a desire to be like the “big kids” may result in conflicts and exposure to physical risk. Supervision is quite important at this age. Appropriate play areas for children ages 2 - 5 could include: areas to crawl; low platforms with multiple access such as ramps and ladders; ramps with pieces attached for grasping; and shorter slides (usually no taller than 2 meters). RUSTICS RECOMMENDS: Playground Equipment for School Age Children (5-12 Years) Children ages 5 to 12 are learning and building skills rapidly. They are working on fine motor skills, gross motor skills, coordination, strength and balance. Their social skills are becoming more evolved and elaborate games and competitions abound on the playground. Developmentally appropriate play areas for school-age children could include: rope or chain climbers on angles; climbing pieces; monkey bars; and cooperative pieces such as tyre swings, slides and fireman’s poles. RUSTICS RECOMMENDS: Need help selecting the right equipment for your playground? Call us 083 538 5684 or email Caroline@rustics.co.za

When sitting, the neck and back muscles need to work to keep the head and trunk steady. These muscles make it possible to sit still and quietly for extended periods of time. These muscles are called on to work even harder when one or both arms are moved for instance, when holding a book, writing or completing other desk tasks. Try these exercises to assess a child’s core strength and control and hence their ability to take part in, and absorb, what is being taught in the classroom. EXERCISE 1 Ask the child to sit erect on a stool with the hips and knees flexed to 90 degrees. Count to 60 slowly. Top Tip: count with the child, vary your tone and pull faces to keep the child interested and alert. EXERCISE 2 Ask the child to sit erect on a stool with the hips and knees flexed to 90 degrees. Ask the child to lift the arms forwards to level with the shoulders, and to stay in this position. Count to 30 slowly. Read more here

Playing is critical to your child's development and playgrounds offer a variety of equipment such as swings, slides and monkey bars that your child can use to grow and develop their physical and problem-solving skills. Outdoor play equipment can however have the potential to be dangerous if it is not properly maintained and managed. In addition to ensuring that all regular equipment checks are carried out (see our previous blog (Checklist for Jungle Gym Safety), there are other factors which we need to take into account to keep our little ones safe in the playground: Proper Dress Make sure that there are no loose items of clothing such as necklaces, bags, watches, and scarves and tuck in clothing drawstrings and cords that can get caught on playing equipment and result in entanglement causing a strangulation accident or a fall. Jungle gym surrounds Check the area around the jungle gym for anything dangerous or harmful, such as broken glass, and other objects such as backpacks, lunch boxes etc. that children can trip on or injure themselves on while running around. It can reduce the severity of falls if you surround your jungle gym with a shock-absorbing Surface such as sand, synthetic turf, wood chips or mulch. Use only age-appropriate playground equipment Children should only play on equipment that’s suitable for their size (weight and height), motor skills and muscle strength. Make sure children know which equipment they can and can’t use. Children younger than age 5 may not have the upper-body strength necessary for climbing and should only be allowed to climb 1.5m high and school-age kids should only climb 2.1m. Teach safe equipment usage and behaviour It is important to demonstrate how to safely use equipment – especially moving equipment like swings. Teach them: to slide feet first not to climb outside guardrails to use two hands when climbing to be aware of where other people are to avoid collisions to always sit on swings and never put more than one person on the swing at a time to stop a swing completely before climbing off to look out for other people before jumping down, starting to swing or sliding to always slide down feet first and sitting up, never head first on their back or stomach to not climb up the slide itself to only have one person at a time, on the slide platform and the slide to check for a person on the slide before they slide down and to move away quickly afterwards Encourage good manners and explain taking turns and sharing. Teach them not to shove, push or overcrowd equipment because that too can lead to accidents. Actively Supervise Over 40% of all playground accidents occur when a child is not under supervision. Whether in your garden or in the school-ground, children need to be actively supervised when climbing, swinging, or jumping to keep them away from accidents. Pre-schoolers are prone to testing their abilities beyond their boundaries and must be always be supervised on playground equipment. Be Mindful of the Weather Put sunscreen on children every day to prevent painful and harmful sunburn and test the temperature of the swings and slides to ensure that they are not too hot to the touch. Teach them not to use wet equipment as steps of slides and platforms could become slippery. Understanding how to play safely and how to be kind while playing will help your children to develop great skills that they will use throughout life.

The foundational strength children (and adults) need is core strength. It is the platform upon which all other strengths are built. Sadly, children’s core strength is declining as they spend less time on outdoor play. Physical activity takes practice. Children who don’t build strength through physical play will lose confidence and sit out while their peers play and grow stronger, causing a bigger gap between the active and sedentary child. When the core is weak, it is hard to sit still; a child will wriggle and change positions often to get comfortable. All this movement makes it hard to listen to the teacher or complete a task. Often a child who is fidgeting and distracted is simply not strong enough to sit at a desk. A strong core means smooth movement and controlled appendages, affecting both gross motor play skills and fine motor classroom skills. On the playground, core strength allows the arms and legs to move freely for running, jumping, climbing, and skipping. In the classroom, core strength allows children to support their torsos, freeing their hands to work on cutting, writing, colouring, and building. Core strength means children can hold their heads still to read a book or write. They also need core strength to sit comfortably at a desk and attend to a task. How to address the lack of core strength in our children We need to provide opportunities for big body physical play and there is nowhere better than an outdoor playground which provides opportunities to: swing climb cross the monkey bars go up the slide crawl through a tunnel and jump on, off, and over something. By building core strength, we will help build a child’s confidence in their physicality, leading to a continued desire to move, and breaking the cycle of inactivity. Increased activity and gross motor movement lead to an improved ability to attend, focus and LEARN, helping children gain confidence on the playground, in the classroom, and in life.