Playground Shade Structures, Sails and Canopies

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Benefits of Playground Shade Structures

Playground safety needs to go beyond basic safeguarding from bumps and bruises while playing; UV rays from the sun can also affect a child’s health. Playground shade structures makes outdoor playtime more enjoyable for both kids and adults while offering critical sun protection to help keep kids safe while they are having fun. 

Applying sun screen before going outdoors is a great first step, but playground shade structures can provide even greater sun protection by creating a physical barrier between the child and the sun’s rays. Playground shade sails or canopies also help to keep playground equipment cooler enabling longer play sessions and healthier outdoor activity. Shade protection on a playground also prolongs the life of playground equipment and rubber surfacing from premature fading and deterioration. 

Beyond increased safety and function, shade structures also increase the aesthetics of a playground making it appealing to more visitors. Through brightly colored and uniquely shaped shade sails or shade cloths, playground shade structures create visually appealing playgrounds that increase outdoor comfort for all visitors. 

Adding Shade to Your Playground

We offer two types of sun protection and shade products that provide cool and reliable shade for any play, rest and activity:

  • SkyWays® offers the largest break from the sun for any environment – playgrounds, parking lots, sports complexes, outdoor seating, pool surroundings and nearby buildings.
  • CoolToppers® can connect to our PlayBooster® playstructures and provide maximum integrated shade coverage for a variety of playground sizes.

Both our SkyWays and CoolToppers playground shade sails and structures are designed to block up to 97 percent of the sun's UV rays and keep playground temperatures up to 30 degrees cooler. There is also a cool misting option available for CoolToppers, to keep kids even cooler on hot summer days.

Playground shade structures can be included in your original playground design or added at any time. If you don’t see the size, configuration or attachment method your playground project needs, contact us and we can create the ideal custom solution to fit the unique requirements of your environment.

Playground products shown in video may not be appropriate for every age group. Playsystems shown in video are for demonstration purposes only. Product configurations may vary.

Video features the different SkyWays shade systems available for playgrounds, outdoor sitting areas, and more.

[video: scene fades into an elevated view of four different brown SkyWays shade systems covering the playground structures, swing set, and ZipKrooz play areas of a park. White text at the bottom of the screen reads: Branford Park Pacoima, CA.]

[video: scene switches to a ground view across the play area to the ZipKrooz zipline gliding bay with its large SkyWays shade overhead. Camera switches to a ground view up as the camera pans from left to right of the SkyWays shades over the playground swing set and ZipKrooz bay. Scene switches to a vertical pan up to the SkyWays shade covering the playground swing set as a young girl swings below. Camera switches back to a full aerial view of the three SkyWays shade systems covering the playground structures at Branford Park. Scene fades to an aerial view of a different park area with large and small SkyWays shade systems. White text at the bottom of the screen reads: Hoover Recreation Center Los Angeles, CA.]

[video: scene switches to a slight elevated view of a SkyWays shade sail covering the playground swing set. Scene switches to the camera panning up to a SkyWays shade sail system above a young girl climbing across the ropes of the Portal Climber. Camera switches to a ground view up to the SkyWays shade above a group of children swinging on the playground swings set. Camera switches to an elevated view of the play area with SkyWays shades as the camera slowly pulls away from the playground. Scene fades to a third full elevated view of a park playground with three different sized SkyWays shade systems. White text fades into the bottom of the screen reading: Julian B. Lane Riverfront Park Tampa, FL.]

[video: scene switches to a ground view of a young boy running towards a Weevos playground with a large square SkyWays shade above. The camera focuses on a man as he helps a young girl spin on a Saddle Spinner next to the Weevos playground. Camera switches to an aerial pan over the tops of the SkyWays shades of the park. The artificial grass and PebbleFlex surfacing make a unique zebra pattern on the ground. Scene fades to an elevated pan over the tops of an outdoor tennis court park with SkyWays shade sails set over the seating area of the court yard and surrounding bleachers. Text fades into the bottom of the screen reading: Festival Ranch Pickleball Courts Buckeye, AZ.]

[video: scene fades to a ground view of a Smart Play Venti playground filled with children as they play in the shade of the large SkyWays shade overhead. Text fades into the bottom of the screen reading: The Vista 1 at Hunters Creek Orlando, FL.]

[video: camera switches to a side view of children playing on the shaded Smart Play Venti playground. The camera pulls back for a full view side view of the large overhanging SkyWays shade over the Venti playground at the Vista 1 at Hunters Creek. Scene switches to a view up to a young girl as she grabs onto a rung of the monkey bars on the playground. Camera switches to an elevated view of children playing in the shade on the Venti playground.  Scene switches to an elevated view as the camera pans away from the SkyWays shade covering the park playground as children play below. Scene fades to an elevated view of a SkyWays shade sail covering a square court yard covered in artificial grass next to a building and large tiki hut. White text appears at the bottom of the screen reading: Epperson Lagoon Wesley Chapel, FL.]

[video: camera switches to a side elevated view of the large SkyWays shade sail covering the square court yard covered in artificial grass. Camera switches to a back-side view of the building and square court yard with SkyWays shade sail as a man-made lagoon with inflatable agility course floats in the background. Scene fades to an elevated view of a dog park with SkyWays shade sails. White text appears at the bottom of the screen reading: Sun City Festival Dog Park Buckeye, AZ.]

[video: Camera switches to the opposite side of the dog park with an elevated view of the four-different free dog run fenced in locations. A man plays with his dog in one of the fenced in zones. Screen fades to white as the SkyWays logo appears in the center. The SkyWays shade logo is made of four triangles skewed into the shape of an arrow head above the text of SkyWays by Landscape Structures.]

Why Our Playground Shade Structures

We work hard to insure each shade structure leaving our facility is something we’re proud of and built to last through this generation of children and on to the next.  We have more control over the final outcome because of our extensive in-house manufacturing capabilities. There’s more room for collaboration, innovation and ideas. There’s more room for better solutions and more room for quality assurance.

In addition to sun protection and reducing temperatures on a playground, our SkyWays and CoolToppers fabrics are also flame retardant and resistant to mildew, fading and ultraviolet rays, making it a long-lasting, great looking addition to your playground.