What used to be the alternatives to an afternoon of childhood boredom when I was a kid are now listed among the activities of greatest concern for parents and grandparents.

While most parents worry about their kids riding bikes out on the street, walking to a friends house or the store alone or hanging out unsupervised in parks, a new study    paints a picture of parents not realizing the danger in their own backyards.

SafeHome.org  put out a study called the 2021 Summer Home Safety Report showing only about 19% of parents surveyed were concerned about backyard safety despite government findings that 63% of summer-related injuries impact kids ages 2 to 11.

The 5 most dangerous activities for Washington parents to prevent injury:

1) Trampolines:

Both my daughter Kate and her cousins have backyard trampolines.  So far so good and no serious injuries but it turns out trampolines generate the most emergency room visits per year at 3,193.  THE FIX: To avoid injury, check that bolts are tight, install a safety net enclosure, put padding over the frame and springs, and set jumping rules with adult supervision.

2) Monkey Bars:

I loved monkey bars as a kid and so did most every kid I knew.  Risky fun? Maybe, but definitely fun!  Today, climbing accidents lead to the second most emergency room visits per year with 2,804. THE FIX:   To avoid injury, make sure the child has enough upper body strength to swing, place padding underneath to soften any falls, check for loose bolts and wood splinters.

3) Open Porches and Balconies:

For a kid on the go in the summertime, there's no place like home to climb and play which leads to the home structure itself being the number three source of emergency room visits per year with 2,793. THE FIX: To avoid injury, install safety netting or plastic guards to covers spaces between rails. Use safety gates at the top and bottom of stairs.

4) Slides:

Every kid loves to slide and many of us liked to climb up the slide as well as slide down, it's the non-traditional sliding that will get you and it does, making the slide the number four cause of the most emergency room visits per year with 1,618. THE FIX: to avoid injury, do not go down the slide with your child in your lap, teach your child to go down feet first and remove any dangerous debris from the landing spot.

 5) Swing Sets: 

And finally, the swing set...how high can you go, and if you bail out, and we did, how far can you fly?....and as a result, how many emergency visits a rear does it take to rate the fifth most emergency room visits?   The answer is 1,469. THE FIX: To avoid injury, tighten equipment before use, and ignore the pleas from your child to push them too high.

Summer fun is as close as your own backyard but danger can be found there too. Take the precautions SafeHome.org suggests and enjoy the sunshine!

For those who survive the backyard dangers and perils of play and go on to rich full lives, here are the state's where you can expect to live the longest.