Posts Tagged ‘Playgrounds’
Tuesday, October 25th, 2011
Today’s society is all about video games, computers, and electronics. Many kids are couch potatoes, and even those who aren’t spend hours each day in front of a computer or tv. An excellent way to get your kids out is to play old fashioned games with them that speak to any child in any generation. Just make sure that they’re playing in safe areas that are carpeted with grass or rubber mulch surfaces.
Hopskotch is an old girls’ favorite for which all you need is chalk and pavement. Make it exciting by drawing themed hopscotch squares, and funny faces around the numbers. Sidewalk chalk in general is a great activity that allows children to use their creativity, and enjoy the sun and fresh air. Jumprope is also an inexpensive and enjoyable pastime. Kids can play a variety of games with the rope, and the real experts can experiment with double dutch, where two ropes are turned at once. Children will also enjoy playing jump rope with multiple players in the rope at once.
For the boys, there are the classic organized sports like baseball, basketball, and more. Then there are the classics like throwing horseshoes, running races, and flying kites. Just letting them run wild, they’re sure to entertain themselves with the bugs and other creatures that can be found in grassy areas. For more contained playgrounds that have rubber mulch flooring, boys can play line soccer, and use their imagination to have a good time.
Different areas of play will provide varied opportunities in play, but the greatest gift one can give to a child is the ability to use their imagination and the freedom to run free. Free play is an integral part of childhood that no child should be deprived of.
Tags: Playgrounds, rubber mulch, rubber mulch flooring, rubber mulch surface
Posted in Playground Kid Safety, playground mulch, playground safety, Playgrounds, rubber mulch | No Comments »
Friday, August 26th, 2011
Playgrounds are geared for children, and as such, should be child safety proof in every sense of the word. All baby and child geared products, from pacifiers and cribs to building blocks, must be approved by various government appointed agencies before they are allowed on the market. The same should be true for playground equipment. Sadly, this is not the case. People pay little attention to the playgrounds that their children run around in daily. In the last few years, manufacturers have taken a step in the right direction with the selling of rubber mulch.
Rubber mulch is a flooring material that provides optimum playground safety, using recycled tires to produce rubber chips. This flooring looks like wood but is more shock absorbent, dramatically reducing the potential for injury. It also prevents scratches and scrapes, and ensures that children are not at risk of splinters when they fall. Animals and insects are not attracted to the playground flooring, a big pro for parents who are wary of the germs they carry. As rubber mulch is synthetic, the issue of mold and fungus growth is also eliminated. Rubber mulch leaves no dirt or stains on children’s clothes as they play.
Many schools and commercial playgrounds take their responsibility seriously, and ensure that their playground equipment lives up to the highest standards of safety. Virtually all new playgrounds being built today use rubber mulch as their choice of flooring. However, many people with private backyards look to cut costs with more affordable flooring alternatives that can cost them in the long run, as it has to be renewed, and can pose as a danger to their children. Rubber mulch is an option for everyone, not only commercial playgrounds.
From a design perspective, this innovative playground flooring comes in a variety of colors that don’t fade over time. In fact, some manufacturers go as far as to claim that rubber mulch can last for fifty years without any upkeep! It is a fact that the mulch need not be replaced or renewed annually.
Parents are quick to snatch up the latest in child protection locks for their medicine cabinets and lead free toys, but what about the play area their children run around in every day? Rubber mulch may be a considerable investment, but it’s just as important as the bars around the baby’s crib.
Tags: commercial playgrounds, playground safety, Playgrounds, rubber mulch, school playgrounds
Posted in Go Green, Playground Kid Safety, playground mulch, playground safety, Playgrounds, rubber mulch | No Comments »
Monday, March 22nd, 2010
One benefit of using rubber mulch as a playground cover is that it’s accessible and safe for children of all abilities. Take this inspiring playground in McLean, Virginia with an unusual name. It’s called Clemyjontri. The vision for this park is that children in wheelchairs or with other challenges could play there.
They made it so:
- Ramps connect structures
- Swings have high backs, arm rests and special safety features
- Rubber surfacing allows wheelchairs to roll easily
- Lowered monkey bars provide easy access
- Equipment is designed to be sensory rich so all children can participate with peers
- Wider openings allows easy access to play structures
- Has a carousel
Mrs. Adele Lebowitz is the force behind this park and she donated a whopping 18-acres for it. That’s the kind of person she was. The name? It’s a combination of her children’s names: Carolyn (CL), Emily (EMY), John (Jon), and Petrina (Tri).
I recently wrote about another park that used a rubber surface for the same reason.
Tags: accessibility, parks, Playgrounds
Posted in Playgrounds, rubber mulch | No Comments »
Wednesday, January 20th, 2010
As rubber mulch surfaces become increasingly popular, many playgrounds are converting to a safe haven for kids. The benefits are many, including longevity, safety and cost.
How to add:
1. Remove all remnants of the former playground surface materials such as wood mulch, sand or pebbles. These can be reused elsewhere but often lead to instability once a rubber surface is installed. Contrary to what you might think, installing one protective surface over another does not increase the safety of the final resul–in fact, it has a lessening effect.
2. Any obviously dangerous objects (such as trash or rocks) should be removed from the ground where the surface will be applied. The bare soil should be as flat as possible.
3. Take weed-blocking plastic or a similar material and apply throughout the playground surface area. Edges should overlap to prevent infiltration by particularly determined weeds, and to prevent the rubber mulch from settling into the ground below, diminishing the overall thickness of the material.
4. Reinforce with Rubberecycle rubber curbs surrounding the playground area. The rubber playground surface material should be applied at a 6- to 8-inch minimum height, so the border should equal this amount.
5. Apply the rubber surface material in the playground area. Use a rake to smooth it out for even disbursement. Rubber mulch does not require much in the way of maintenance, but regular use will tend to push the mulch towards the edges and away from landing zones (at the end of slides and under swings). Use a rake to smooth the mulch so that protection is available where it is needed most.
6. Wear Mats provide the perfect finishing touch for any playground area that has a loose fill surface. They are specifically designed for potentially high-impact areas such as beneath swings and slides to prevent dispersion. Playsafer Wear Mats also provide an added layer of fall protection.
Rubber mulch is also considered a “green” alternative, both because it is made from recycled tires and because it is a relatively permanent solution. By contrast, wood mulch requires trees to be cut down and must be replaced somewhat frequently. That said, proper application of rubber mulch is essential to maximizing the benefits of the material.
Tags: Mulch, Playgrounds, rubber mulch
Posted in Go Green, playground mulch, playground safety, Playgrounds, rubber mulch | No Comments »
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