December 2022

Outdoor playgrounds are wonderful for children, giving them an opportunity to move, imagine, and socialize. But what about teenagers and adults?

More and more cities are incorporating outdoor fitness centers targeted at teens and adults. Outdoor fitness spaces can include a variety of options for health and wellness activities, including spaces for various sports (e.g., basketball courts, tennis courts), running/walking paths, or exercise equipment like TrekFit’s climbing walls, fitness circuits, and trampolines.

These outdoor fitness centers provide an accessible and inclusive space for exercise surrounded by natural beauty. The wide selection of equipment means that teens and adults will find an activity they enjoy and work toward meeting their physical activity goals. The CDC notes that most adults do not meet the recommended physical activity levels, so incorporating outdoor fitness equipment can lead to myriad health benefits for community members who use it, including improved heart health, bone health, and coordination.

Beyond the health benefits of providing space for exercise, communities with outdoor fitness centers also experience greater social connectedness. One study found that older adults, in particular, experienced benefits from both physical activity and social engagement in outdoor gyms. Creating opportunities for social connection is an invaluable contribution to any community!

Finally, outdoor fitness centers allow people to experience the benefits of being in the natural world. The U.S. Department of Agriculture notes that being outdoors can alleviate stress, improve mood, reduce depression and anxiety, and strengthen our ability to focus. Furthermore, people are more likely to stick to an exercise routine if it is outside.

For all of these reasons, we are excited about our newest partnership with TrekFit, a leader in aesthetically pleasing outdoor fitness equipment. We would be delighted to help you design the perfect fitness space for your park or school so that your community can reap the physical, mental, and social benefits of outdoor fitness!

Midstates Recreation designs, supplies, and builds community-enhancing recreational play and site structures. Midstates Recreation offers a variety of playground equipment in communities located in Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky, and Michigan. Our emphasis is not only to create play and recreation spaces for all but to also provide a truly valuable and inclusive addition to your community! Contact your local sales representative to learn more.

Midstates Recreation has been committed to designing and building custom play spaces for over thirty years, completing over 1,000 projects. Our longevity is due to our exceptionally caring staff and their genuine dedication to providing the most innovative and inclusive recreational and play spaces possible. We are proud to be a trusted designer of recreational spaces for communities across Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, and Michigan.

Innovation

Our team is the heartbeat of our operation. We have 28 talented professionals working with our clients to develop the ideal recreational spaces for their locations and communities. At the beginning of the process, our Recreation Consultants and in-house Computer Aided Design (CAD) Specialists use their creativity combined with the latest technology to design a layout plan and 3D rendering of your space. When designing, we consider the natural environment and how/if it can be incorporated into the space. We assess and plan for the diverse needs of the children and adults who will want to use the space. And of course, we keep safety standards, access, and compliancy at top-of-mind when finalizing a design. Our team has a wide array of tools at their disposal because Midstates Recreation partners with industry-leading manufacturers to provide the most expansive and diverse product offerings on the market. To see some of our innovative designs, check out our project map.

Inclusion

Our eight Inclusive Play Design Specialists ensure that we have a design for every ability. No child should be left off the playground because they can’t enjoy the equipment. Midstates Recreation staff ensure that children can’t only access the equipment, but can engage with it meaningfully regardless of mobility, sensory, or social limitations. This inclusivity is the core of our mission. When the Midstates Team designs a playground, we look at the specific benefits of the various types of play (e.g., spinning, tactile, cooperative), and then we consider our long list of available products that facilitate that type of play. Our careful process of matching the recreational equipment to the needs of those who use the facilities leads to a product uniquely beneficial to all members of a community.

Safety & Compliancy

A safe playground is a fun playground! Our seven Certified Playground Safety Inspectors ensure that every element of design and construction is planned with great care for safety. From the quality of the equipment to the type of playground surfacing, we leave no stone unturned in inspecting the safety of the recreational space. All play equipment in our recreation spaces pass rigid compliancy and safety testing set forth by the American Society for Testing and Materials. Furthermore, we can provide guides to help local managers keep their new equipment in good shape and compliant for many years of enjoyment!

The Midstates Recreation team is proud of our work and committed to a detailed process of designing and building a playground perfect for your kids and your community.

Midstates Recreation designs, supplies, and builds community-enhancing recreational play and site structures. Midstates Recreation offers a variety of playground equipment in communities located in Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky, and Michigan. Our emphasis is not only to create play and recreation spaces for all but to also provide a truly valuable and inclusive addition to your community! Contact your local sales representative to learn more.

Play structures and play equipment bring children of all ages together. They are an integral part of each community. As fun and inclusive as they are, they need some maintenance to stay in good shape. That’s true of any kind of equipment that gets used by many people, such as a basketball hoop or a slide. Keep reading as we share four ways to keep your playground in great shape:

1. Regularly inspect the playground for loose or broken parts.

One of the most important things you can do to keep your playground safe is to regularly inspect it for loose or broken equipment. Look for loose bolts, screws, or other hardware. Check for cracks in the equipment, missing or broken parts, and the hardware connections of mechanisms with movement.

Contact your Sales Rep at Midstates for any replacement needs for your playground.

2. Check your playground’s surfacing.

As you inspect your playground, be sure to take note of the condition of your surfacing. Do you notice any wear and tear starting to show? Are your sidewalks and pathways still level and clear of uneven cracks and debris? Does your loose fill surfacing, such as wood fiber or rubber mulch, need raked or replenished? Pay close attention to high use areas such as under and around swings, spinners, and slide exits.

3. Routinely clean the playground area to remove any debris or foreign objects that may be harmful.

This can include trash, stones, glass and other sharp objects that have been dropped on the ground by adults or children. Make sure you check around the entire playground, including under equipment and in play areas for harmful materials. Be aware of hazardous materials such as broken glass or nails while sweeping up litter from the surrounding area.

4. Check that the playground area is free from drainage problems.

Drainage problems can look like pooling water in low spots of the surfacing (see point 2) or around the perimeter of a play area. Proper drainage is crucial to ensuring that your safety surfacing maintains its safety value.

The key to proper playground maintenance is vigilance! The best way to keep your community safe is to make sure the equipment is always in good working order, properly maintained and thoroughly inspected throughout use. Following the steps shared will help ensure that everyone has a safe and enjoyable playground experience!

Midstates Recreation designs, supplies, and builds community-enhancing recreational play and site structures. Midstates Recreation offers a variety of playground equipment in communities located in Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky, and Michigan. Our emphasis is not only to create play and recreation spaces for all but to also provide a truly valuable and inclusive addition to your community! Contact your local sales representative to learn more.