Playground DesignUsing Sketchup

SCENARIO

• A local school for under-privileged elementary school children has raised enough money for their first playground. Currently they only have a small field of dirt and grass to play on.

• The money they raised includes $1000 to pay a team of designers.

• Playgrounds must meet national playground safety standards.• The school is looking for a playground with a clear theme and

as many fun things to do in a 40’x40’ space. • Teams (including West Tech students) will present their

playground designs to these students and their Principal and they will choose their favorite design.

Playground Safety

• Every year more than 200,000 children go to U.S. hospitals from injuries sustained on a playground.

• Most of these injuries are from falling off of the equipment onto the ground.

Safety Guidelines• Make sure surfaces around playground equipment have at least 12

inches of wood chips, mulch, sand, or pea gravel, or are mats made of safety-tested rubber or rubber-like materials.

• Check that protective surfacing extends at least 6 feet in all directions from play equipment.

• Make sure play structures more than 30 inches high are spaced at least 9 feet apart.

• Check for dangerous hardware, like open "S" hooks or protruding bolt ends.

• Make sure spaces that could trap children, such as openings in guardrails or between ladder rungs, measure less than 3.5 inches or more than 9 inches.

• Check for sharp points or edges in equipment.• Make sure elevated surfaces, like platforms and ramps, have guardrails

to prevent falls.

40’ x 40’ BASE

IDEAS

Swings

Straight Slide

Tunnel Slide

Corkscrew Slide

Monkey Bars

CLIMBING WALL

See SawBridge

• 4 students per team.• Choose a team name.• Decide what playground equipment you will

each design.• Each team member must design at least one

part of the playground.• Refer back to the safety requirements as your

design your part of the playground.

Your Team

YouTube/Sketchup Tutorials

• Straight Slide• Corkscrew Slide (helix)• Ladder• Multiple examples of advanced designs,

including animations of how they were built!

FOUND @ MRJOHNS.ORG

Putting it All Together

• Check each element against the safety requirements again.

• When each element is designed and the team agrees it is finished, select the entire element and lock it as a “group”.

• Create a base in a new Sketchup file and import each grouped element into that file.

• Place each element where you want it.• Save the file with your team name.

Basic

Advanced!

PresentationYou may put your playground design in a

PowerPoint, on a website, in a brochure or on a poster.

100 Points Possible:

-10 points for each safety violation.-20 for each missing play element (4 + base required). -10 for each incorrect or unfinished line or element.-0/10/20/40 for quality of presentation.

+ Bonus points for extra creativity+ Bonus points for extra play elements

Automatic -100 points if any element is downloaded or taken from another designer.

GRADING

A+