How Is Climate Change Affecting Children’s Play Areas?

Children’s play areas are mostly outdoors, helping children get the fresh air and exercise they need, but with the recent adverse weather at the end of 2012 and the beginning of 2013, what is the future of outdoor play?

Leicester (I-Newswire) January 18, 2013 - Recently the UK has been hit by weather which has taken everyone by surprise. The BBC recently reported 2012 as the second wettest year on record, with rain falling throughout the Christmas period. Now in early 2013 the UK is being hit by widespread snow and freezing temperatures, causing news broadcasters to warn drivers of adverse conditions on the road, as well as causing schools in Norwich to close.

Children’s outdoor play areas have been affected by the weather, with flooding causing parks and fields to be covered in water. The high level of rain and snow has also lead to many outdoor areas being too muddy for people to navigate through, making those areas useless for outdoor play or even short walks. To parents around the country this has meant that taking children to the park is no longer possible, and alternatives to playing outdoors must be found to keep their children active.

House Of Play is encouraging parents to take their children to indoor soft play centres, a Customer Service Representative commented, “With outdoor play areas being flooded or too muddy to play on, parents need to come up with alternative ways to keep their children active. Playing in the snow is great, but when it melts away the parks and fields will still be muddy and flooded. Indoor play centres are warm and dry and, most importantly, safe areas for children to come and play in, whilst parents sit down at the café and relax.”

The long term effect of adverse weather conditions on outdoor play areas will be that many of them will be unusable, as they will be too wet for anyone to even walk on. Parents will need to find new places to take their children to play in the future as climate change means adverse weather like that being experienced in the UK currently will become more frequent.

House Of Play is the UK’s number one manufacturer and supplier of indoor play equipment. They have a wide range of goods, all of which they offer to indoor play centres around the UK and in Europe.