Playgrounds and children go hand in hand. What kid doesn’t ask for trips to swing, climb monkey bars, and go on the slide? You know how to keep them safe on the equipment, but have you considered the playground surface? Loose playground surfaces such as wood chips and sand can be uncomfortable and can hide everything from broken glass to trash, while stray cats and other animals may use it as a litter box, too. Wouldn’t it be nice to enjoy a pleasant, grassy surface instead?
Dangers of Loose Playground Surfaces
Sharp Objects
Broken glass, sharp rocks, and other dangerous objects can easily become mixed in with wood chips and shredded rubber, or buried in the sand. Hidden and unexpected, children who sit, tumble, slide, and fall onto these surfaces can be cut or bruised by landing on them, and you won’t even know they’re there.
Throwing
Many children enjoy throwing loose wood and rubber chips around and at each other. Imagine picking up a handful of wood chips and finding out you’ve grabbed a shard of glass with it! Flying chips and sand can also injure children.
Litter Box
People often drop trash in playgrounds, and it can easily become mixed with loose surfaces, leaving a sticky, germy, and potentially dangerous mess hidden just below the surface. Animals, too, can turn a playground into be a litter box, leaving unpleasant, messy surprises lurking in the sand.
Discomfort and Mess
Wood chips can splinter and poke uncomfortably into sandals, making walking unpleasant. The small bits find their way inside clothing, into hair, and everywhere you don’t want them. Rubber mulch is just as troublesome, plus it releases toxic gases in the summer heat and can leave difficult-to-remove black marks on children and clothing.
Benefits of a Grass Mat Surface
Grassmat’s landscape mats are a fantastic way to reduce or eliminate these problems.
REAL Grass
Grass mats allow real, natural grass to grow up through their openings, but protect its roots from being torn up and leaving a muddy mess, so you keep a soft, grassy surface. Grass stays cooler in the summer heat and can be kept neatly mown so you can easily spot trash and debris.
Protection
Grassmat’s surfaces have been laboratory-approved to help prevent injuries from falling and provide additional traction when the grass is wet for even safer playtime. It’s not much fun to pull up grass and throw it, and grass can’t be kicked up dangerously when children land from a slide. Animals won’t find them particularly appealing as a litter box, either. They are perfect for park playgrounds, school playgrounds, and backyard playgrounds.
Changing a playground surface from hot, dirty rubber, sharp, splintery wood chips, or messy mulch to comfortable, flexible Grassmats is a great way to make your playground safer, more comfortable, and attractive. Contact us today to see how we can make your grassy playground a reality.