Playground swing sets have come a long, long way from the popular sets of the 1960s and 1970s, when they were dominated by a tall metal slide, a large metal frame with swings that had heavy wooden seats, and the traditional wooden teeter-totter and merry-go-round. In those days, the contrast between the backyard swing set and the assembly in the playground was considerable; the set in the backyard tended to be much smaller and less sturdy. But as both types have evolved over the years, they’ve grown more and more alike.

These days, even though the metal swing sets of the past haven’t entirely vanished, play structures of wood are generally more popular. Of course, they can’t be made of just any old wood, and the material must be correctly treated for weather and durability. But with that done, playground swing sets of wood are almost as strong as metal ones, and are in many ways much safer. And components that aren’t made of wood, such as swing seats and slides, are now made of strong plastic.

The modern playground swing sets, like their residential counterparts, also tend to be more compact. They don’t always feature separate, freestanding structures as they used to, with the swings in one location, the slide in another, the teeter-totter in another, and so on. These newer sets are more modular, many having a small central tower off of which different elements branch. So the frame for the swings might come off one side of the tower, while the slide extends from another side and a climbing wall might lead off from yet a third side. The swing accessories, in both the playground and home sets, can be added or changed as the local needs dictate.

Another feature of playground swing sets now is that there is more of a focus on safety. The wooden sets came into vogue after playground injuries became a concern a couple of decades ago, and the newer sets have tried to address safety in other ways too. Many playground designers place these outdoor swing sets on softer surfaces, like pads made of material from recycled tires, rather than on open ground that gets packed as kids play on it. The merry-go-round with its strong centrifugal force and metal rails that could cause serious injury is generally absent now, and if the teeter-totter still appears, it’s now made of plastic rather than heavy wood. The swing sets at parks and playground have evolved to become safer than they used to be. With all the new materials, colors and accessories, it’s still just as much fun as it ever was; just a great deal safer.

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