Standardization News

When George Weinhardt, a teacher at Garnet Valley Elementary School in Glen Mills, Pa., began a problem-based learning unit on creating a proposal for a new playground layout, he reached out to several companies who could help give the students a better idea of how much thought goes into constructing a playground and what the students should consider while planning.

Weinhardt's request to ASTM International resulted in a virtual meeting with ASTM staff to introduce the students to the world of standardization and to review the available ASTM technical standards on playground equipment and playground surfacing.

The students' project involved researching information, interviewing other students and adults, analyzing data and writing a persuasive piece on the types of equipment they would recommend. Students will use the information they gained from the virtual meeting to write a persuasive paper about having one piece of equipment installed or a piece removed from their current playground.