Playground slide

A playground slide in Japan

Two slide play system

Slide in the Parque de Alcacer in Valencia, Spain

Playground slides are found in parks, schools, playgrounds and backyards. The slide may be flat, or half cylindrical or tubular to prevent falls. Slides are usually constructed of plastic or metal and they have a smooth surface that is either straight or wavy. The user, typically a child, climbs to the top of the slide via a ladder or stairs and sits down on the top of the slide and "slides" down the slide. In Australia the playground slide is known as a slide, slippery slide or slippery dip depending on the region.

Sliding pond or sliding pon is a term used in the New York City area to denote a playground slide.

Spiral slides

A playground slide may be wrapped around a central pole to form a descending spiral forming a simple helter skelter.

Covered slides

A playground slide (and some professional slides) may be covered or enclosed by a sheath of plastic. This allows slide participants to have more privacy and security when sliding.

Amusement park slides

An amusement park slide

Larger versions of the playground slide are much higher with multiple parallel slideways. Participants may be provided with a sack to sit on to reduce friction for faster speeds and to protect clothing.

A variation of a slide is used in waterparks and swimming pools and is called a water slide.

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  An inflatable slide at an air show in England.

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  at a community festival in Australia.

See also

• Jungle gym
• Monkey bars
• Outdoor playset
• Slide (disambiguation)

Sources

• Gold, David L. (Spring, 1981). "Three New-York-Cityisms: Sliding Pond, Potsy, and Akey" in American Speech, Vol. 56, No. 1, pp. 17-32. Retrieved 2007-12-12 from "JSTOR" at http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0003-1283(198121)56%3A1%3C17%3ATNSPPA%3E2.0.CO%3B2-Y.