Children need enough exercise for healthy development, and school and neighbourhood playgrounds provide the perfect environment for such activities. However, playgrounds only improve children's physical, mental, and social development if the spaces are safe and comfortable. Therefore, creating shade over playgrounds is vital to keeping children safe while they run around and play. That said, playground shades come in various shapes and sizes. This article highlights the most popular playground shade structures and their unique benefits.

Hip and Ridge

The first and most popular playground shade is hip and ridge design. Its popularity can be attributed to its simple and functional design. It means that installing a hip and ridge shade is straightforward and does not need an expert. Moreover, hip and ridge playground shades are the most cost-effective of all types; hence, they are ideal for playground providers with a tight budget. Notably, a hip and ridge shade can cover an entire playground, thanks to its traditional canopy cover design. For bigger playgrounds, clients can easily install multiple hip and ridge shades.

Umbrellas Shades

Umbrellas are also another common type of playground shade, and they are quite different from the hip and ridge design. One notable difference is that umbrellas are tiny and only cover specific areas of a playground. For instance, separate umbrella shades can cover individual playground sections that comprise a music garden, playhouses, slides, and swings. Although umbrella playground shades leave unused sections uncovered, they are big enough, and some shade regions can overlap. Installation contractors must position the columns outside of a play area for safety reasons. The columns on most umbrella shades are metallic and can cause serious injuries when positioned incorrectly. However, contractors can still use padding to make the columns safe. Notably, umbrella shades are only suitable for small playgrounds since they are relatively small compared to other shade designs.

Modular Playground Shades

The shade design is perfect for playgrounds looking for something unique and aesthetic. As their name suggests, modular playground shades are gimmicky and allow playground supervisors to incorporate the shades into existing structures. Moreover, they do not require a permit to install, making them low cost. Modular playground shades are also easy to install as long as supporting structures are available. Uninstalling modular shades is also a breeze and can easily be handled by one person. However, the design is only suitable for small playgrounds since the shades do not have an expansive span.

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