All things considered, when you have researched every one of the kids swing set accessories around, you will discover one tried and true swing set accessory that’s nearly always a part of every single assembly; the slide. This really is a product that has been a fundamental section of nearly all playgrounds right from the start, and was always either a a natural part of or a freestanding complement to every swing set in the neighborhood back yard for decades.

There’s simply very few things quite as exciting and energizing as clambering to the top of that slide and whooshing all the way to the bottom. The slide is so essential for the overall play experience that you will rarely ever find a swing set system that does not incorporate one.

Liar, liar your pants are on fire!

Recall those ancient metal swing sets with the tall slide that often got so warm in the summer sunlight that you suspected the seat of your pants could actually catch fire if you played long enough? Or maybe your playground included one of those corkscrew metal slides with a tower that contained a strange curving staircase on the inside.

Personally I particularly remember a rather short but steep wooden slide we had in our school yard that the kids – those who where brave enough – used to navigate standing in the winter, when it was covered in ice. (Mental note: Why is it always winter in my anecdotes? )

In any case, I have found that quite a few adults have very fond memories of their local playground slides, maybe that goes for you as well? What if the family goes to a cool water park, could you resist giving one of those long, serpentine shaped water slides a go? I know I couldn’t!

With that being the case it is of course not strange that swing set designers pretty much see the slide as one of their standard add-on components, although they have of course made some safety improvements here and there.

Works great as long as your behind will fit in

What has changed a lot though is the choice of material for the slide. Regardless if the rest of the swing set is constructed from wood or from metal, the slide – just like many other available accessories – seem to almost invariably be made from plastic. The only metal slide I can think of from the top of my head is produced by the company Kettler from Germany.

Plastic of course makes it easier to produce a slide with smooth rounded shapes and corners, as well as long lasting happy colors. In fact, the slides of today are rather seldom simple flat surfaces with rigid angular edges but are rather built sort of like miniature half-pipes that wrap around the child sliding down it. Naturally this is both safer and more comfortable – unless, like you may have seen in a funny home videos show, someone (usually an adult) with a too large a bottom has a go in the slide.

The heat problem some of the old metal slides had is usually not a problem with the resin or plastic slides. And provided that the size of the slider is well suited for the slide, it is actually quite hard for the child to fall off as he or she goes down.

So all in all, I would almost like to dub the slide as the king swing set accessory. Just like the swing itself it represents a great opportunity to play with gravity.