School playgrounds may have shade in all the wrong places

Researchers in New Zealand say many school playgrounds place shade where children don’t actually play. In their first test of a new grading method at a primary school in Christchurch, only 1 of 9 playground areas met standards for shade, comfort and play. Led by Anupriya Sukumar of Lincoln University, the team divides playgrounds into activity zones, then evaluates whether enough of each zone is in shade at the worst time of day—simulated for 1:30 p.m. on Feb. 1. Shade counts only if at least 80% is blocked for about an hour, using UV criteria plus wind and surface reflectance.