The Green Space Task Force is seeking donations of new wheeled toys for the outdoor science classroom and play area. The items were chosen because they meet one or more of the following criteria:
- teach a concept in physics
- develop upper body strength
- and/or do not require use of a helmet
We can’t put out any toys until we have at least 8. Here are the options with websites that have the best prices:
- Junior Whirly Wheel $49.99
- Classic Row Cart $74.99.
- Plasma car $49.99.
- Pedal roller $64.99,
- Razor A Scooter also available at Target $29.99,
- Trilingual traffic signal $29.95
- Trilingual railroad signal $39.95
If you have another suggestion, please contact Lisa Berman at 773-1995 or lisaberman[at]rocketmail.com before purchasing. You can have your item delivered to the school. We can assemble any item. Thank you for your support.
4 responses so far ↓
Leonie Lloyd // November 2, 2009 at 10:36 pm |
The razor scooter instruction manual clearly states:
Always wear safety equipment such as helmet, knee pads and elbow
pads. Always wear a helmet when riding your scooter and keep the
chinstrap securely buckled.
While some parents may choose not use safety equipment, this is not the same thing as the toy not requiring safety equipment.
I would recommend searching for equipment specially designed for use on school playgrounds.
I believe there may be liability issues for the school if safety is not more closely reviewed. A quick overview of the Public Playground Safety Handbook at http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/pubs/325.pdf raised concerns regarding playground surfacing and equipment.
I don’t know what guidelines a charter school is required to follow, but there are several publications whose guidelines we could adopt, including those set forth in the Missouri Childcare Licensing book. That might make the process of choosing what to do and which equipment to use, a little more smooth.
Carmen Bumgarner // November 2, 2009 at 11:25 pm |
I don’t know much about these other products, but my kids all have razor scooters, and they are definitely things that require protective gear. They all wear helmets and wrist guards when they ride them on cement. Have the legal matters about injury been discussed with this equipment? I know some Parkway schools have opted out of the roller skates because of legal problems. Maybe you’ve already thought of all this, but I felt like it needed mentioning. Thanks for all your work!
Lisa Berman // November 3, 2009 at 12:03 pm |
Thank you both for your concern. Safety has always been a focus of the Green Space Task Force. Although it was not included in the bolg, an original note in my posting said that we would not put out any equipment until we had received enough to be adequately shared. Before the equipment was made available to children, the plan was to send a note home in a variety of ways to let parents know what equipment was available and that they were welcome to send in protective gear for their own child to use on the playground. This is the policy I wanted to go with as it is the same policy used by our family’s day care center which is the Saint Louis Children’s Hospital Child Development Center, so affiliated with Children’s and very up to date on regulations and best practices. This day care center has wheeled toys including scooters (not razor, but still scooters and no less hazardous) and I spoke with the staff there about ratio of scooters to children, how well their system has worked in terms of safety, etc. Our wheeled toys will stay on our roadway as theirs do and students will follow the direction of the roads (there’s a one way section and a short two way section) plus there are crosswalks to teach safety of crossing streets, etc. Students will be taught all the rules of this space and of safety before they will be given access to the area. It will be the work of the Green Space Task Force to periodically check the equipment to make sure it is in good repair. There are few items made specifically for elementary schools since many do not have a wheeled toy areas. Other criteria not listed in the blog posting, but used in final consideration were weight limits, reviews and awards. The special needs market have some that are designed especially for students, but these items cost $300 each or more. The common thread in the education catalogs with wheeled toys is that they are close to the ground so as not to require helmets, as are all the items on our list except the scooters. So, to sum it up, a variety of resources and criteria were used in the selection of these options with optimal safety and educational experience in mind. If you have any other questions, you can post them on the blog since I’m sure others have the same questions or e-mail me directly and I’ll do the best I can to answer the questions.
Carmen Bumgarner // November 16, 2009 at 5:05 pm |
I was wondering if there been any more discussion about this? We would love to know how the TEACHERS (the ones who will have to police this) are feeling about the idea of wheeled toys, as well as the BOARD members. Will there be a vote/ a meeting/ a whole school discussion about this before they are put on the playground? Just wondering where we are at with this. Thanks so much.