Our team has been tasked with designing and constructing an outdoor sensory playset for a child with developmental needs, with a focus on fun and safety; it will have many amenities in-line with the child’s interests and needs, and will ultimately need to last a long time in line with the request that it be able to age up with him until the day when he grows out of it, inevitably.
Our team has been tasked with providing a solution to a problem for a family with a 2-year-old, Harvey, in which the goal is to develop a playset suited to his needs. Harvey has developmental needs and actively needs certain items to keep him interested and down-to-earth. His mother, Meghin, said that he has lots of energy, that he is relatively big for his age, and that she would like the playset to age up with him. Discussing the topic with Meghin, we got a number of ideas to incorporate (outlined in more detail under Design specifications) based on his interests and personality, that will ultimately serve to enrich his experience as he grows up. While the specifics of the amenities are important and will be a focus as we further flesh out the design, our primary goal will be stability and safety in the long-term, in line with Meghin’s request that the playset be able to age up with him.
To comply with this request, we will need to do detailed analysis on the final proposed structure and ensure that it will have some longevity throughout the engineering process. For example, it will need to survive outside in the elements and will need to withstand fatigue and the stresses of normal play over many years, which will need to be reflected in our chosen materials, architecture, joints, etc. In creating a playset in line with these criteria, we hope to create a fulfilling and long-lasting impact on the child and create an environment for him to flourish and expend that excess energy.
– Ramp: allows for ease of access onto main part of the play center. Ramps are a better design choice when it comes to younger kids, as stairs/steps may be more imposing for them. A ramp would allow them to have a continuous, non-deviating surface to walk up without issue.
– Rock Wall (Low walls for ease): The clients of this project mentioned that he loved fidget items and things such as pegs. A rock wall, albeit small for a child play-set, would provide a tactile element to the play-set for them to remain interested with and climb up time and time again for purely the sensory feeling along the hands or just for fun.
– Slide: A classic choice for any play-set. Is it really truly a play-set without a slide? No, no it is not. There will always be a slide.
– Interchangeable swing (if possible): Attached via rope/chain with clips or some form of link that will allow for the swing to be changed out at will for items such as a hammock to rest in or something else.
– Big enough for full body/cocoon option(s): A sensory item that can be wrapped carefully around the arms, shoulders, legs, and feet in a fabric that can provide deep pressure stimulation, acting as a sort of calming blanket. With enough space for one to be placed or stored, it would prove quite useful.
– Mat for safety: No parent wants their child falling off a playground set and getting hurt. Using mats or tiles made of rubber would be a solid choice. Solid, easy to place and combine, durable, and resilient to weather conditions. Rubber ensures solid footing when walking upon it.
– Potential safety features:
– Stepping stones for balancing
– Gear-shift: Just like one you’d find in any car/truck that still uses manual. Shifting from one gear to another, clicks and all. Both physically and audibly satisfying.
When designing, modifying, or building anything it is important to make sure you do an appropriate amount of research on the topic at hand. Our group did a lot of studying on playsets and the designs of playsets as well as the interests and necessities of children with developmental needs. We looked at many different design styles and different ways to incorporate fun activities that children would enjoy such as slides, rock walls, swings, and many more items. In our research we made notes of different safety precautions such as different ways to anchor the playset to the ground, different materials around the playset such as mulch or rubber pellets, and different styles of railings around the set to make sure there would be no falling injuries. When we looked into research for the interest of children with special needs, we found a lot of information around sensory activities such as different textures, items that made different sounds, and items that moved differently such as something that rocks or something that swings. Although we were learning a lot from doing our own research the most important information we learned was from the family. We learned his likes and dislikes and what they would like to see come out of this experience.
This design is our first design, in which we tried to implement most of what our initial suggestions and ideas were for a sensory playset. It includes: a ramp that the kid would most likely want to climb up and down; a hammock or swing that would safely support the kid and most likely enclose him in some way; a racetrack for small car toys, and other common playset features such as a slide, rockwall, and sandbox.
Our second design is based on an existing playset, in case we may need to simply take the playset and our own features. This concept was made to add on to the existing set, but realistically, we can create it entirely on our own as well, meaning that it is a good design to have if we are struggling with deciding whether to make one from scratch or not. The playset includes a rock wall, swings, rope ladder, slide, Tic-Tac-Toe game, a pretend driving simulator, and more additions if we want.
This conceptual design incorporates both the team discussion and the meeting with the client family. The playset features an interchangeable full body swing, a slide, a rock wall and a ramp. We decided to include some railings for safety and ease of use. The center home will feature multiple fun features such as a car race track and pegs for engagement and sensory activities. This design is cost efficient with a simplistic design for constructibility and sturdiness while also implementing core client needs and necessities.
Ultimately we decided on renovating an existing playset. We chose a different one than the original design concept 2 was based on, but it will still have many of the same ideas employed; backyard discovery was kind enough to give our team a fine discount on the playset, and this helped majorly in this decision.
To see the playset before any modifications, please visit:
Our plans for the modifications to the Backyard Discovery playset are as follows:
Taken together, these modifications transform the standard playset into a customized sensory-rich environment that prioritizes safety, encourages developmental play, and is engineered with the durability to grow with Harvey for years to come.
Walkway Extension: On the playset, we will be adding an additional section of walkway for play and activities next to the rock wall and the ladder. To accomplish this, we will need to build the section independently in a statically determinate manner before connecting to the playset to maintain the integrity of the intended design and prevent safety failures as a result of adding unintended stresses on the frame. For reference, A, B, and C only exist to represent contact points, but the playset and the additional structure are independently stable and only attached to prevent separation, not for structural support. Additionally, we will remove the railing from point A to point B and instead wrap that railing around the perimeter of the new section. The platform will be approximately 54.5″ x 47.06″ when viewed from above, and without the railings, will be 59.625″ tall.
Ramp: To provide easier access to the main deck, the existing rope wall will be replaced with a custom-built ramp. Following the same safety principle as the platform extension, the ramp will be constructed as a statically determinate structure with its own ground supports, ensuring it is stable on its own and not relying on the frame of the structure for support. The final design given below will be a total of 59.625″ high, with each ramp being approximately 24″ wide. The ramps themselves will be 122.92″ long with each ramp respectively having an incline of approximately 14 degrees.
Full-Body Swing: The center trapeze handles on the swing-set will be replaced with a full-body swing as requested and will have stronger hardware and chains to reflect the additional load being applied for an entirely different task (higher dynamic loads associated with swinging vs that of the trapeze mechanism).
For our first analysis, we assumed all points touching the ground were fixed, created a mesh, and applied a 250 lbf force directly to where the two main swings would be. The individual components of the play set are rated for 150 lbf, but we used 250 lbf to stress test it and assure it stands up to all that could be thrown at it. The analysis concluded that the design was extremely safe, given that the maximum physical deflection was less than 2mm, indicating the structure is very rigid.
For our second analysis, we had the same assumption as simulation 1 that the ground connections are fixed, and we applied a 300 lbf load to our additional platform. Much like simulation 1, we added additional weight to stress test the design and ultimately found the resulting stresses and displacements to be negligible, showing that the structure is rigid and safe.
For our third and final analysis, we again assumed that all ground connections are fixed, and ran a 150 lbf load along the top ramp; we found that again all stresses and displacements were negligible for the purposes of this model. The displacement plot showed a slight, widespread motion across the entire structure. This is an expected artifact of analyzing a simplified, single-body model and is not representative of the final bolted assembly, where joints would prevent this type of rigid motion.
Use Constant and Engaged Supervision:
Create A Safe Environment:
Surface and Placement
Place the play center on level ground.
Ensure the surrounding area is free of sharp objects, rocks, or hard surfaces. Grass or soft ground is recommended.
Check Before Use
Inspect for loose screws, splinters, sharp edges, or broken parts before each play session.
Make sure water, sand, or other materials are clean and safe.
Storage and Maintenance
Emergency Preparedness
The hardest part for getting this project off the ground initially was deciding on how to go about a potential design. This design could be made entirely from scratch or started from an existing playset design and giving it alterations to fit the needs of this project at the cost of procuring the extra materials.
Meghin and other clients involved had been absolutely wonderful at keeping up with communication and providing insight as to what they would love to see with the final design of this project.
It has been an odd time getting more work on this project wrapped up due to most of the group being stationed at Tennessee Tech while one of us is at ETSU, so the distancing issue was something that both sides had to work around. It has not been much of a hang-up for getting designs worked on, models made, and notes being made/taken during calls with the clients or calls amongst each other just to get some material cleared up and straightened out. After the initial call with Meghin regarding their wants out of this project and any questions we had about Harvey and the property we had to work with, we spent several calls over Teams discussing potential concepts, debating on to use materials to construct it from scratch, or to use a set that came with already existing materials to modify. We did come to the decision to modify, as it would mean there would be a base to go off of and add to as needed, as not everything from the initial set is going to be used. Our calls between each other would last for several hours and primarily consisted of discussions about concepts, designs and constraints, as well as matters along the lines of “is this feasible?”
After finishing up our presentation in class and showing off our CAD Model, as well as our stress test using Solidworks on the design proposed, we were able to solidify the design and concepts we wanted to put forth in this project and finally cracked down on ordering the necessary materials to make it a reality. The playset we were planning to use as a base showed up about two or so weeks after placing the order and getting a deal for a reduced price.
Tristan lives in Kingsport, TN, which is several hours out from the home of the clients and means that it would be almost 6-7 hours per day just to drive to and fro, on top of the work being done at the site. To remedy this, he was assigned to help construct the project page, work with CAD modeling and other, smaller miscellaneous tasks. Other members of the team have worked on their respective parts and will be more readily available to construct the playset when all materials have been gathered up and a design has been finalized.
