Luis Dasilva - Developing evidence-based design, chapter 9:

In this chapter reading, I observed how important its for children to have a play area that can promote a diversity of activities that can help them to grow healthier and stronger. The reading provides evidences and studies about children health and behavior in different parts of the world. This studies conclude with the idea that children, overall, needs to have their daily physical activity to maintain a healthier immune system and also to help prevent child obesity and/or complications of obesity in their adulthood.
This reading also provides information about preferred playground materials and ideas on how to use then to create a better play area for the children. It explains the importance of having multiple choices of natural as well fabricate playground equipments/attractions so the children could have options of play that can help them to explore their physical and intellectual limits as well their social interactions with other kids. Its clear in this chapter that the environment for the young children needs to be surrounded by a diversity of amenities that promotes physical movement as it says in this quote taken from the Reading, "children learn about the environment and themselves by picking up environmental information and by performing developmental activities such as climbing, balancing, catching, clinging, crawling, hanging, hopping, jumping, leapfrogging, rocking, rolling, running, skipping, sliding, spinning, walking and so on."
Today in the culture that we live in, its very hard to design certain play areas or playground equipments/material that are appropriate and that meets with regulations law for safety. In spite that I too believe that safety must be the priority concern when designing a child care play facility, I also believe that a child needs to experience about everything and be vulnerable to most, but not all, outdoor conditions as long its not a life threatening condition. In this chapter, also talks about the (CPSC) Consumer Product Safety Commission guidelines that are provided for us designer to better design play areas that meets with both licensing and safety regulations requirements. Although, as it says in this chapter, about how designers, educators, parents, owners and safety consultants have different opinions on how a playground needs to be designed and what materials to use, whether natural or not, I have my own opinion and belief that when comes to designing a playground we should truly live the ideals on what to use up for the children, who are the real users. This chapter have a lot to teach us about child care facilities design and certainly I will keep in mind everything I learn from it for future designs.