Kids are being encouraged to head outdoors and play during school hours more than ever before, thanks to the benefits of activity and interactive social play. While this might lead to healthy, happy kids that are ready to focus in the classroom, it can wreak havoc on your play areas. Once the grass begins to wear, it may not grow back — particularly in high traffic areas. Learning more about how activity impacts your playground can help you determine what steps are needed to ensure your school playground stays appealing and safe for all.
Playground Maintenance
When your playground grass has worn away, and the dirt below is exposed, your kids are more likely to slip and fall during normal play. Even a small rainstorm can turn your play area into a pile of mud that lasts for days — creating more risk and a lot of mess. Your playground, and by extension, your school itself, will look more like a battleground, even if you work hard to keep up with maintenance and safety tasks.
While you can re-seed and then prevent the new grass from being walked on, it means your playground will need to be closed for at least a month as the new grass takes hold. This prevents your play area from being used for its intended purpose and means you will have to find other options for recess; those options may not be as safe or well constructed as your playground area.
Investing in Child Safety
For schools that charge tuition, a messy, bare play area looks like you are not invested in keeping children safe or entertained; you may find parents seek out other options if they spot your bare playground during a tour or open house. You can eliminate this issue by choosing a protective covering for your grass that boosts both safety and the aesthetics of the space.
In any grass covered playground, kids will dig, scoop, slide and kick up pieces of turf. Once the dirt is exposed, your playground looks less than appealing — and your grass may not recover unless you close off the area for weeks. You can avoid this by covering your existing ground with a surface that lets the grass grow naturally — but protects it from harm. Grass mats were created with this issue in mind and are designed to enhance the look and the safety of your play space.
Contact us to learn how easy it is to make your playground look its best and to mitigate safety risks at the same time.