Shade a Necessary Playground Ingredient

Thursday, 30 June 2011 | by Pat's Picks

There’s a good story in USA Today about the need for shade at playgrounds. Experts say kids are most susceptible to skin cancer when they are young, making it dangerous to spend all day under the beating sun. They also say access to shade may work to fight obesity. Studies have shown kids stay more active, and play longer, when they have some respite from the hot sun. We’re lucky in New York that a lot of the playgrounds are surrounded by mature trees. But not all of them. And it can be expensive to build canopies to protect kids from UV rays.