Archive for the ‘Parks’ Category

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Taking Stock of Your Playground

Monday, September 19th, 2011

Autumn is one of the few seasons when injuries in children are at a lower rate. There is no ice for kids to slip on, and no risk of dehydration, drowning, heatstroke, and sunburns. With the weather crisp and cool, many a child revels in jumping in freshly raked piles of leaves and feeling the wind in their hair as they speed down the street on bikes. With other preoccupations aside, it’s the perfect time to take stock of your backyard playground and ensure that it is as safe as can be.

The first thing to consider is playground flooring. The White House has led by example in showing that the most eco friendly flooring option that is also at the top in playground safety is rubber mulch. Rubber mulch playground floors come in many different forms and colors. In fact, the White House playground boasts green Playsafer rubber mulch. With an extra measure of shock absorbency, rubber chips help prevent injuries in children at play.

Do some research to determine whether you require rubber wear mats, rubber mulch bonding, or rubber mulch chips. Each has benefits for specific situations. Rubber mulch will offer your playground a cheerful, fresh look, while keeping your children safe.

The next thing to look at is the age of the playground equipment. Rust can be a cause on infection. Rusty parts should be oiled and cleaned. If the rust persists, it’s time to say good bye. Old toys can also be weak and dangerous to play on. Check that screws are tight, and that the playground equipment easily holds your full weight before allowing your child to play on it.

Although you may not have noticed it, children grow, and their needs change as they develop. You may want to consider updating your playground toys with more age appropriate apparatus in order to further enhance your child’s development. As long as it’s in good condition, you can easily sell your old playground equipment on Craigslist, Ebay, etc.

Playground equipment that has been neglected and broken with time must be gotten rid of, as it poses a safety hazard. You never know when your child may decide to reminisce about his younger years in an old playground toy. This is asking for trouble.

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Posted in commercial playgrounds, Environment, Mulch, Parks, playground flooring, Playground safety, playground surface, playground surfacing, Playsafer mulch, Rubber, rubber mulch, Rubberecycle | Comments Off

Educating Children Through Play

Thursday, September 15th, 2011

Children today are a lot more protected than they were in days of old, but not everyone thinks that’s a good thing. The Post-Gazette states that children today are subject to a lot more structured play and time when they’re told what to do, rather than free time to run around, explore, and use their imaginations. Recess time has been cut down in order to make way for more education and practice for standardized tests.

School playgrounds are used a lot less used than they once were. The flip side of the coin is that playgrounds are a lot safer, with rubber mulch flooring and innovative playground equipment. As opposed to hard blacktop, grass, or wood chips, rubber flooring in playgrounds adds an added measure of shock absorbency, and prevents injuries in children. Experts see it as a waste that schools and cities invest so much effort in providing playground safety, with rubber wear mats and rubber mulch flooring, but the playgrounds are not used to the fullest extent.

Child development experts bemoan the tragedy of children who sit inside pushing buttons on a game that somebody else created, rather than pumping their legs on swings or running around in a game of tag. Adults are all for protein shakes and yoga classes, but where is some good old running in the park with the kids?

In the same vein, the amount of children enrolled in structured sports has greatly increased, with every parent hoping their child will be the best by enrolling them in everything from soccer practice to ballet classes. As important as actual book learning is, music, art, and sports classes where children can allow their minds to expand and be creative is vital. Homework has increased dramatically over the years, with educators hoping to cram in all the learning while children are still young. Developmentally, it is important for children to learn through their own unorthodox means, through exploration and discovery.

With more knowledge available today about vaccines, germs, and other important risk factors, kids are definitely safer. The Playsafer rubber mulch used in playgrounds also contribute to this. But are we raising a generation of safe and healthy adults who will be zombies, with no creative ideas? As important as safety and structure is, it is vital for children to have free time to play and learn naturally.

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Posted in commercial playgrounds, Mulch, Parks, playground flooring, Playground safety, playground surface, playground surfacing, Playsafer mulch, Rubber, rubber mulch, Rubberecycle, Rubberecycle Manufacturer, Schools | Comments Off

Guide to a Beautiful Playground

Thursday, August 25th, 2011

Playgrounds are meant for children to play in and enjoy, but that doesn’t mean that they have to be eyesores. There are companies devoted to designing the most aesthetically pleasing playgrounds for the area, as well as providing the best that playground equipment has to offer.

The first step for any playground is the purchase of rubber mulch. Rather than the wood chips or blacktop of old, rubber mulch is the playground flooring of the future. Constructed from recycled rubber, the chips are made to resemble wood, with an extra shock absorbing quality that makes them the best option for playground safety. Unlike wood, rubber mulch also does not freeze in the winter, maintaining a cushiony softness that is the perfect texture for children’s antics.

From a design perspective, the playground flooring comes in a variety of colors, including green, orange, rust, and many more. Rubber mulch is also odor free, and is non-staining and non-abrasive. The color does not fade over time, maintaining a healthy, vibrant look. It is important to coordinate the color of the rubber mulch with the surrounding fence of the play area, if there is one, and its relation to the rest of the playground gear. Depending on the area, it may be a good idea to cordon off one section of the playground with rubber mulch, and landscape the rest with grass, or vice versa.

Playground equipment is constantly being improved, with more creative ways for children to play, and innovative designs that keep the equipment pleasing to the eye. The options are endless, with jungle gyms in futuristic designs and color codes to match any design specifications. There are playground sets that also come with thematic elements, boasting a wood look, futuristic appeal, and much more. It is important to take into account the wishes of the children who will actually use the playground in question.

If this is an option, it is always nice to design the playground in tandem with the surroundings, taking into account the landscaping. Bushes and natural hedges are a classic way of encircling the play area, with rubber mulch surrounding the center jungle gym.

The options when designing a playground are endless, and as a considerable investment, it’s worth taking the time to do thorough research. Rubber mulch is a staple in any playground, and then the rest will follow.

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Posted in commercial playgrounds, Environment, Gardening, landscape, Mulch, Parks, playground flooring, Playground safety, playground surface, Playsafer mulch, rubber mulch, Rubberecycle, tire mulch | Comments Off

Can We Make Our Schools Safer?

Monday, July 18th, 2011

School is out, and most teachers and school administration are enjoying their brief break. After a few short weeks, the time will come to start thinking about the upcoming school year!  So much goes into the planning of the new school year, and with that, lots of things get overlooked.

For starters, making sure that all the teachers have their curriculum set up early is a great way to avoid last minute aggravation. Plus, the classrooms should be refreshed by taking down all the old posters and charts that may have been hanging all year long. Desks and chairs should be cleaned thoroughly to insure a pleasant learning experience.  Also, double checking that the A/C and heating is working properly before school begins, is a smart move on your part, in order to avoid the hassle once school has begun.

Last but not to be forgotten, is the outdoors!  Making your school look attractive and safe on the outside is a huge plus that teachers, students, and parents alike, will definitely appreciate.  It’s not too pricy, and if you install Playsafer Rubber Mulch, you won’t need to maintain it, which is perfect for the busy school.

When it comes to School playgrounds, it’s important to have a nice size area where the kids can run around freely. It’s the time for the students to reenergize, which makes it very important to have a well done playground. The surface of the playground is just as important and be sure not to leave a bear cement floor for them to play on.

Rubberecycle manufacturers rubber granulated mulch for flooring, special for schools that want to do their utmost to keep their students safe.  It’s safe and ADA approved which is a great aspect for schools. Students will definitely love it; it’s colorful, bouncy, and neat. Parents will love it too, knowing that their kids are safe at school.  So Schools, Daycare centers, and Township, make a safe and smart investment for your playground today!

 

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Free Entrance to National Parks

Tuesday, June 21st, 2011

America’s Best Idea – the national parks – gets even better with several fee-free days at more than 100 national parks that usually charge entrance fees.

Today is the first day of summer and it’s fitting to get in free at U.S. National Parks, as part of the park system’s free entrance program. The park service is waiving fees to over 100 parks around the country.  Find Free Entrance Days – Participating Parks (by state)

With one or several ecosystems not materially altered by human exploitation and occupation, where plant and animal species, geomorphological sites and habitats are of special scientific, educative and recreative interest or which contain a natural landscape of great beauty.

The highest competent authority of the country has taken steps to prevent or eliminate exploitation or occupation as soon as possible in the whole area and to effectively enforce the respect of ecological, geomorphological, or aesthetic features which have led to its establishment. Visitors are allowed to enter, under special conditions, for inspirational, educative, cultural, and recreative purposes.

A national park is a reserve of natural or semi-natural land, declared or owned by a government, that is restricted from most development and is set aside for human recreation and environmental protection.

In 1969 the IUCN (International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) declared a national park to be a relatively large area with particular defining characteristics.

The first effort by any government to set aside such protected lands was in the United States, on April 20, 1832, when President Andrew Jackson signed legislation to set aside four sections of land around what is now Hot Springs, Arkansas to protect the natural, thermal springs and adjoining mountainsides for the future disposal of the US government. It was known as the Hot Springs Reservation. However no legal authority was established and federal control of the area was not clearly established until 1877.

The next effort by any government to set aside such protected lands was, again, in the United States, when President Abraham Lincoln signed an Act of Congress on June 30, 1864, ceding the Yosemite Valley and the Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias (later becoming the Yosemite National Park) to the state of California.

Have a Happy Summer

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