Wil Mara - What Should I Do? On the Playground

Published in the United States of America by Cherry Lake Publishing Ann Arbor, Michigan www.cherrylakepublishing.com Content Adviser: Karen Sheehan, MD, MPH, Childrens Memorial Hospital, Chicago, Illinois Photo Credits: Cover and page 1, Denise Mondloch; page 5, Cheryl Casey/Shutterstock, Inc.; page 7, planet5D LLC/Shutterstock, Inc.; page 9, Monkey Business Images/Shutterstock, Inc.; page 11, vblinov/Shutterstock, Inc.; page 13, Marzanna Syncerz/Dreamstime.com; page 15, Steve Cukrov/Shutterstock, Inc.; page 17, majeczka/Shutterstock, Inc.; page 19, Teresa Kenney/Dreamstime.com; page 21, Ron Chapple Studios/Dreamstime.com Copyright 2012 by Cherry Lake Publishing All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means without written permission from the publisher. LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOGING-IN-PUBLICATION DATA Mara, Wil. What should I do? On the playground/by Wil Mara. p. cm.(Community connections) Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN-13: 978-1-61080-054-9 (lib. bdg.) ISBN-10: 1-61080-054-0 (lib. bdg.) 1. PlaygroundsSafety measuresJuvenile literature. I. II. Series. Series.

GV424.M37 2012 790.068dc22 2011000128 Cherry Lake Publishing would like to acknowledge the work of The Partnership for 21st Century Skills. Please visit www.21stcenturyskills.org for more information. Printed in the United States of America Corporate Graphics Inc. July 2011 CLFA09

A playground is a fun place. There is so much to do there. But a playground can also be dangerous . You can get hurt if you do not follow some safety rules.

Do you know what those rules are? Be careful while you are having fun on the playground. THINK! Take a good look around the playground. Do you see any ways that someone could get hurt? What are they? What can you do to avoid getting hurt?

Playgrounds have many things to play on. You can climb up high or spin around very fast. Other children will often be on the playground, too. It is very easy to fall down or run into something.

You could cut yourself or even break a bone. If you do not sit right on a swing, you could fall off. LOOK Look at your clothes before you go to a playground. Make sure they are not too loose. Loose clothes can get caught on things. Also make sure there are no strings hanging anywhere.

Tie your hair back if it is long.

Always make sure an adult is watching you. Your parents or a very close family friend would be good choices. They will be able to help you if you get hurt. They can also watch out for strangers . An adult can help you stay safe during a visit to the playground. Make sure you always use playground equipment the right way.

Do not try to run down a slide. Always slide down it the way you are supposed to. Most children get hurt on playgrounds by fooling around. They also get hurt when trying to show off for their friends. Come down a slide feet first to play it safe. Play nicely with other children at the playground.

Make sure you share the equipment. Do not try to hog everything or always be first in line. Everyone will have fun if they use good behavior . Do not play near children who arent behaving. Tell an adult about them. If everyone plays nicely together, everyone will have fun. Do not use playground equipment that is in bad condition.

Avoid rusty equipment. Stay away from equipment that has loose or broken parts. Watch out for sharp edges and pinch spots . Be careful around old wooden equipment. It can give you splinters. It would not be safe to play on this old swing! The safest playgrounds have soft surfacing on the ground. The best kinds of surfacing are wood chips, pea gravel, and tiny bits of rubber.

Rubber mats are also good. Avoid playgrounds that have hard surfacing such as dirt or concrete. You will fall sooner or later. You do not want to fall on anything hard. Surfaces such as the rubber mats on this playground help keep you safe . You should always check to make sure there is no trash or other junk lying around.

Be careful of things such as broken glass, nails, and rocks. Also avoid playgrounds that are slippery because of rain, snow, or ice. Empty soda cans and other trash make playgrounds unsafe. CREATE! Make a list of all the playgrounds near your home. Then ask your parents to bring you to each one so you can look for dangers. Cross the most dangerous playgrounds off the list.

Only go back to the safe playgrounds.

There are times when you will get hurt on a playground. Bumps and scratches are a normal part of being a kid! Make sure you tell an adult when this happens. Do not try to treat any scratches or cuts by yourself. Playgrounds can be dangerous. MAKE A GUESS! What should you do as soon as you get home from a playground? Wash your hands! It doesnt matter how clean a playground might seem. MAKE A GUESS! What should you do as soon as you get home from a playground? Wash your hands! It doesnt matter how clean a playground might seem.

You will still get dirty. You might even need a bath or a shower if you get extra dirty.

behavior (bee-HAYV-yuhr) the way someone acts dangerous (DAYN-jur-us) potentially harmful equipment (ee-KWIP-ment) playground items such as slides, swings, or jungle gyms pinch spots (PINCH SPOTS) parts of playground equipment that can catch your skin and pinch you