The safety of children while they are at school is important and something that can always be improved. While more and more schools are realising the importance of outside play instead of keeping children inside all day, they are often running up against how to keep them as safe as possible while they are on the playground. In addition, having a vibrant and bright place for children to play will keep them engaged while they are getting exercise.
One of the best ways to ensure that the children in your school will be safe while they are playing outside is to address the school playground surfaces. Often, the children will be playing on surfaces that may have been safe when they were originally installed but, due to time, the weather, and use from thousands of children, they have slowly deteriorated and become unsafe. Blacktop paving looks great for a while and is a nice hard surface for children to draw on or bounce balls. However, once it begins cracking and plants grow up through it, it not only becomes unsightly but it also becomes dangerous.
One surface that a lot of schools use for their playgrounds is mulch. While this is a great surface not only to protect kids from falling but also to allow them to dig and get dirty, it doesn’t stay safe for long. In order for mulch to keep kids from getting injured, it has to be at a certain depth. It will always be installed at a safe depth but as children dig in the mulch and transport it from one location to another, there will no longer be a guarantee of safety. As soon as the mulch is too thin, children can easily become seriously injured if they fall on it.
The best option for a playground surface is synthetic grass. It is sturdy enough to stand up to children playing on it day after day and won’t fade or lose its safety. One of the perks of synthetic grass is that it can be used in all sorts of weather without any concerns of the children tearing up real grass or slipping on hard pavement. This surface is super-safe due to the rubber underlay that is installed under it. This keeps kids safe when they fall and meets government standards.
In addition to being incredibly safe, synthetic grass has the added bonus of having a crest or logo easily applied to it for extra school spirit or to help with sports. Football fields, tracks, and even baseball fields or tennis courts can all be designed in school colours without the fear of fading.
Being able to keep children safe with a playground surface that is as attractive as it is functional is wonderful news for schools everywhere. Gone are the days of worrying about falls in thin layers of mulch or on rocks. Teachers and parents can rest assured about child safety when synthetic grass is on the playground.