In discussions about the niceties of playground design, I sometimes forget about the places where there isn't any playscape at all. But I've been reminded by Tom McEnaney of International Orphanage Development Programme, who has installed 60 playgrounds for orphanages in Belarus. His playground components are manufactured by a company that used to make tanks for the Russian military (how's that for swords into plowshares...tanks into swings!) so they're virtually indestructible, and use struts instead of chains on the swings. Fortunately, they seem to still allow teeter-totters and merry-go-rounds in Belarus!
See more of his images here: http://www.ammado.com/nonprofit/orphan/photoalbums/2409
Actually, both teeter totters and merry go rounds are perfectly acceptible in the U.S. according to the Consumer Product Safety Comission. They just have to be designed without the pinch points common in the older equipment.
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