Clovis schools Superintendent Terry Myers shared the following vision and provided an update on district projects:

Our focus is on student performance in our classrooms. Every child is important and must succeed in our schools. Every child — every time will be our standard.

We also appreciate the continued support of our community. The quality education we provide for our children in Clovis would not be possible without this support. We hope to continue to provide a quality education for our children at CMS. It is our sincere desire to set the standard, in and outside of the classroom for public schools in New Mexico.

We are pleased to continue to honor our construction commitment to our community. Major construction is nearing completion at Marshall Middle School and La Casita Elementary.

A first-day-of-school visit to La Casita Elementary’s ribbon-cutting ceremony represented so well the sheer joy that comes with new beginnings. While much of the major construction is still under way inside blocked-off wings of the main building, student enthusiasm remained undimmed. The ribbon-cutting was to celebrate the official opening of the new playground equipment, installed on a bed of Playsafer rubber mulch, providing a soft and safe playground surface under the equipment, a great use of 21st century resources and frequently used on school and public playgrounds http://www.rubberecycle.com/.

The prospect of the completed new playground was clearly tantalizing for students. As the ribbon was cut, students surged forward, cheering in delight as they charged onto the play area, grade by grade, and attacked the attractive recreational equipment. It was one of those laugh-out-loud moments, watching the utter joy of those students.

Robert Brault said, “Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things.”

source: http://www.cnjonline.com/news/forward-44703-looks-superintendent.html

Do your kids love the outdoors? Do you worry when they spend their days outside? Now’s the time to stop worrying and start enjoying life!  Let your kids enjoy their childhood and be their carefree selves! Lucky for those worriers, there’s an amazingly safe playground surface that will keep your kids safe and let you sit back and relax.

Rubber Mulch is available for community playgrounds and for your own backyard too! Parents are raging about these great rubber flooring and Rubberecycle Rubber Mulch is making its way into backyards all over the USA. Parents are trying to encourage their kids to go from their iPod’s to the outdoors. Making the outdoors exciting is a fantastic way to get them out there.  You can choose from a few different colors to liven up your play area! Unlike wood mulch, Playsafer Rubber Mulch is odor-free. You can also say good bye to splinters! Rubber Mulch is by far the safest alternative.

Worry no more when your kids play outside! The rubber mulch will be there to catch them when they fall. With the bouncy and soft texture, your kids will just get up and go! It’s especially safe for young kids who are just getting to explore the outside world.  Rubber Mulch is simple to install. Just put it in once and leave it alone. It’ll stay in place, stay clean, and look great and neat for years! As a parent looking to keep your kids safe outdoors, Rubber Flooring is the way to go!

Safety technology has advanced so much in the last 50 years such as side impact airbags on cars, which has helped reduce deaths on roads. Another big technological advancement that is starting to gain national attention is rubber mulch. Rubber mulch consists of small rubber granules that are designed to provide extra safety for kids on playgrounds.

With gas prices once again causing major damage on Americans wallets, it’s more important than ever to go green. Rubber mulch is made purely of recycled tires and rubber material, which benefits the environment greatly. Reusing rubber helps decrease the amount of trees cut down in the rainforests of the world each year. With Earth Day and Arbor Day becoming more and more important, it’s necessary to recycle rubber. Another positive impact is the fact that rubber mulch needs only minimum maintenance. This frees up costs and time in the long run.

The most important reason to utilize rubber mulch for playgrounds is because of safety. Recycled rubber has the amazing ability to comfort a fall from up to twelve feet compared to only one foot for asphalt. This means that children in America can play hard and safe at the same time. Specifically, the White House has a playground with rubber mulch because they know that safety and being environmentally conscious is vital for America’s future. Overall, rubber mulch is the leading safety surface for playgrounds.

Each year more than 500,000 children are taken to the emergency room as a result of an accident or fall on the playground. Nearly 70 percent of these injuries are the result of falls, rather than equipment-related. Rubberecycle mulch company, the manufacturer of Playsafer Rubber Mulch, provides tips to parents to keep kids happy and safe while playing in playgrounds during the spring and summer months.

Rubberecycle recognizes findings from a study that again confirms the safety of using recycled rubber for athletic fields and playgrounds. The study looked at children and adults and found no elevated health risks. The announcement from the Connecticut Department of Public Health (CDPH) validates findings from separate studies conducted by five other agencies and that of playground rubber mulch.

The two-year study by the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) looked at fields containing crumb rubber infill, which is recycled rubber. The study was a joint effort between four state agencies – the University of Connecticut Health Center, the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, the Department of Public Health and the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). In addition nine scientists from the Connecticut Academy of Science and Engineering (CASE) reviewed the study.

Recycled rubber is also a safe choice for playgrounds and the same recycled rubber surface used by Little League teams. It has been recommended by those who treat children for playground falls – one of the most common injuries (see this video about playground safety).

“Recycled rubber has been again studied and found to be safe for our children. Rubberecycle notes that this is the surface the Obamas chose to use on the White House playground. Rubberecycle playground mulch is not only sound for environmental reasons but it protects kids from dangerous falls,” said Keith Sacks, Vice President of RubbeRecycle.

Other agencies to report similar findings of the Connecticut study include: the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and other governmental agencies, including the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and Department of Health, the New York City Department of Health, and the California EPA.

Rubberecycle gained national fame in 2009, when the company installed Playsafer rubber mulch on the White House’s first playground. After Barbara Tulipane and Rich Dolesh of The National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA) contacted the White House to emphasize playground safety, staff representatives of the Obama administration contacted Rubberecycle. The company installed the playgrounds surfacing, complete with rubber curbs and wear mats.

“Playsafer Rubber Mulch absorbs more shock impact than any other playground surface material. This is particularly important because more than 550,000 kids end up in the emergency room every year with serious playground injuries. Playsafer Rubber Mulch prevents broken bones and other problems that you get with other safety surfaces,” said Sacks.

The playground surface is the safest product on the market today. This playground surface was made from 1,400 used tires which make it environmentally friendly. It’s a popular safety surface for schools, municipalities, and daycare centers.

Dr. Sommerer states,

As the Safety Director and a doctor, he was concerned. “I see plenty of bone injuries in my practice and felt that we needed a better playground surfacing solution for our kids. We decided that wood fiber was no longer a safe or environmentally sound choice for our children. We chose to use “Playsafer” rubber mulch manufactured by Rubberecycle. I immediately noticed a difference. The surface is unbelievably soft and dry! I feel comfortable knowing that our children are much safer while playing on the tot lot. I see plenty of bone injuries in my practice. We needed a better solution. Wood fiber was no longer a safe or environmentally sound choice for our children.

In over 40 years of EPA oversight and OSHA regulated manufacturing, there has never been an instance of illness attributed recycled rubber on playgrounds or its use for synthetic turf. Instead, recycled rubber is a sound environmental solution. Rubberecycle processes between 10,000 and 12,000 tires a day and is designed to handle 2 million scrap tires annually, so it is part of the solution.

The Connecticut study can be viewed at ct.gov/dep/artificialturf

EPA Recommendations can be found at http://www.epa.gov/waste/conserve/tools/cpg/products/playgrnd.htm

About Rubberecycle:
Rubberecycle introduced top quality rubber surfacing products to the commercial, residential and military markets in 1998. Their playground mulch conforms to all CPSC, ASTM, and IPEMA (The International Play Equipment Manufacturers Association) safety guidelines and is ADA approved. The pioneer in the tire recycling industry, Rubberecycle utilizes the most advanced technology and equipment to recycle tires on site. The resulting playground surfacing is low maintenance, safe for children and comes with a lifetime warranty and is a fantastic “Green Solution” for the safety of our children.

Environmental activists speak a lot about environmental pollution and other harmful activities being carried out. The drastic changes in the global climate are a result of the human actions. Every government is trying its best to encourage the citizens to use environment friendly products and recycle, reuse and reduce.

Rubber mulch is the environmentally friendly way to playground safety surface.    Everyone should consider rubber mulch as a playground safety surface for commercial and residential playgrounds.

Recycling of rubber materials like tires into rubber mulch will add great values and benefits to the environment.  Use of tire mulch for playground surfaces reduces kids from getting injured,  playgrounds that  have rubber mulch installed,  falls will be protected, as rubber mulch absorbs more shock, than any other playground surface will also protect the kids from other playground injuries like splinters and scraped knees.

Rubber mulch is environmentally friendly, as it is made from scrap tires.

The White House has discovered the benefits of rubber mulch for playground safety, as their first playground has rubber mulch installed. They also like the fact that rubber mulch is a ‘green’ product.

And this is what the playground at the White House looks like, with the rubber mulch playground safety surface.

Rubber Mulch Playground at the White House

Are you looking for a surfacing option for your playground or backyard? There are several materials which used to cover the playgrounds for increasing their safety and enhancing their beauty. The most common materials used worldwide are pour in place rubber, rubber mulch, rubber chips and wood strips. Some families prefer artificial glass combined with rubber tiles.

Nowadays there is lot of talk about rubber mulch. There are lots of reasons for the increasing popularity of rubber mulch. Rubber mulch gives better safety. The mulch does not harms the environment around you. Rubber mulch can help a lot in decreasing the injuries in the playground area.

Where to buy high quality and durable rubber mulch? Rubber mulch can be bought from many places. You can visit a local mulch store or you can buy through internet. Internet shopping is getting more and more popular. There are several benefits of online shopping. Internet allows you to compare the prices of different products available. In this way one can make best possible choice. But do not forget to read the testimonials before buying any type of mulch. There are many websites which provide honest reviews about several new products in the market.

When you purchase playgrounds or any type of playground equipment, ensure the pieces meet the safety standards and will ensure your children are completely safe at all times.

Reputable companies or manufacturers will be able to provide you with all the correct specifications required to ensure the playground equipment is well within the safety standards.

Also, reputable companies or manufacturers will be able to provide you with satisfactory answers to any questions you may have regarding the safety of their products.

You can follow these simple safety tips, when you are ready to purchase playground equipment:

1.  Install correctly all equipment. Regardless of  how safe the playground equipment manufacturer claims it to be.  If you are installing the equipment yourself, ensure that the equipment is firmly secured to the ground.

2.  Every year, hundreds of children are injured on the playground due to falls. Although the playground equipment may be completely safe and correctly installed, children are still capable of falling, tripping, or tumbling onto the ground. Instead of allowing your tots to fall on a hard concrete surface or even the slightly softer grass, install a soft surface. These shock absorbing surfaces include shredded rubber, rubber bond, special safety playsafer rubber mats or mulch from Rubberecycle can make the difference in a trip to the emergency room and a minor fall.

3.  Be sure to choose equipment that is appropriate and recommended by the EPA, choose age appropriate equipment and sizes of your children. If you have several different children in a wide range of ages, consider dedicating different parts of the playground to each child. Also, consider choosing pieces that can be upgraded as the child ages, such as swings or rings. Ensuring that the playground surfaces are appropriate like rubber mulch, playsafer rubber bond or Rubberecycle wear mats and rubber curbs that will prevent accidents from occurring.

4.  Cover hardware and all playground equipment that  has sharp, pointy, or hard aspects that are essential in the assembly of the play area. Choose playground supplies with covers that will ensure little ones are not cut or injured on this hardware. This is especially essential when it comes to the s-hooks and chains that attach swings, rings, bars, and other suspended elements.

5.  Constant supervision. The best way to ensure safety on any playground equipment is to properly supervise any children while playing. Just as you would watch your kids playing in the park playgrounds, the same safety precautions should be taken in your own backyard playground.

6. Regardless if you have a metal set or a wooden set, most playground swing sets comes with some type of paint or protective coating. Check the makeup of the paint or sealant to ensure the safety. Furthermore, some types of pressure treated wood contains creosote or other chemicals.

7. Most playground swing sets  has a ladder of some sort. Ensure the child cannot become trapped between the ladder and the guardrails or between the rungs. This is critical to prevent children from becoming stuck or seriously injured. Be sure that spaces between guard rails or between runs should be less than 3.5 inches or greater than nine inches.

Let our kids have fun the safe way.

As seen in the news: Usually when you think playgrounds it referrers to kids playing in backyard playgrounds, it happens to be that in England (U.K.)  they think and do thinks different, like driving on the other side of the road or the hot and cold water  are at opposite side what we have set up  in U.S.A. also they created  playgrounds for adults and senior citizens to stay active, as mentioned in the DailyNews article.

Talk about the swingin’ sixties!

London is opening its first outdoor playground for senior citizens, according to the Associated Press.

“Every park has a children’s playground, very few have playgrounds for adults, and none have playgrounds for the elderly,” says Madeline Elsdon, whose local residents’ association received funding for the new elderly play area planned for London’s popular Hyde Park.

“We wanted something that would be of long-term benefit to people, so we came up with this idea for an older person’s playground,” she explains.

Exercise enclaves aimed at aging baby boomers are already popular in Europe in Asia. In fact, an over-60 playground opened in England two years ago. The Dam Head Park in Manchester features low-impact exercise equipment where seniors can swing their legs and work their hips without injury.

The upcoming Hyde Park playground being built this spring will include six pieces of workout equipment from Denmark, such as a stationary bike, a cross-trainer and a sit-up bench.

The Westminster City Council gave 40,000 pounds ($60,000) to fund the project, which will be called “Hyde Park Senior Playground” – although anyone of any age is welcome to come by and check the place out.

The innovative idea could usher in a new golden age of fitness.

The playground could be a great way to encourage older people to exercise and socialize,” says Michelle Mitchell, charity director of the British group Age Concern, which works to aid the elderly.

A playground for elderly people is great to keep them young in shape fiscally and socialize for the mental health. But after all said and done, older people might have a higher risk of impact if  they fall  in playgrounds, I would highly recommend some kind of safety surfacing  like Rubberecycle rubber mulch tire chips conform to all CPSC safety guidelines and has earned ADA approval, making playgrounds safe for children and adults.

Or there is another playground surfacing solution called  Playsafer Rubber Bond surfacing.  It is created by spreading a thick layer of loose rubber mulch and then applying an additional layer of rubber combined with a high quality polyurethane bond. The surface thus has all the shock absorbency of Playsafer Rubber Mulch, plus an additional layer of protection. Rubber Bond’s unitary surface provides a neat look with minimal maintenance while offering unrivaled safety performance.

Contact:

Rubberecycle

1985 Rutgers University Blvd.
Lakewood, NJ 08701

1.888.436.6846
1.732.363.0600
Fax: 732.370.4247
info@rubberecycle.com
http://www.rubberecycle.com/

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/travel/2010/02/11/2010-02-11_playgrounds_for_adults_help_senior_citizens_stay_active_in_the_uk.html

Talking

Playground safety surfacing, is top priority, it is very important to protect your kids at play area.

Rubber mulch is a wonderful product to use as ground cover for underneath at is highly recommended by the EPA Playground safety Use a shock absorbing material underneath and around the swing set, like rubber bond, rubber mulch with rubber curbs and wear mats. For a safe and effective playground barrier to provide the perfect finishing touch for any playground area .

Cool looking Rubberecycle mulch and rubber bond surfacing inspired products are designed to encourage children to get off the couch and into the outdoors to appreciate the natural world around them.

As mentioned in a blog post from Playground blog:  referring to the recommended rubber bond.  Rubber Bond has raised the bar in unitary playarea surfaces. Although similar in appearance to conventional poured rubber surfaces, Rubber Bond is actually a patent pending breakthrough concept in solid play surfaces.

Rubber Bond surfaces are created by spreading a thick layer of loose Rubberecycle Rubber Mulch and then applying an additional layer of rubber combined with a high quality polyurethane bond.

Rubberecycle gained national fame in 2009, when the company installed rubber mulch on the White House’s first playground. After Barbara Tulipane and Rich Dolesh of The NRPA contacted the White House to emphasize playground safety, staff representatives of the Obama administration contacted Rubberecycle. The company installed the playgrounds surfacing, complete with rubber curbs and wear mats, and was granted a visit to the White House with the President.

Parents want their kids’ to play outdoor games but dread the injuries that accompany the outdoor games. Kids generally forget everything when they are totally engrossed in playing on slides or swings. It could lead to falling down and getting injured.

As a parent, we would definitely want to avoid such injuries as some may have fatal side effects. However, you cannot stop your kids from playing outside for this reason. If you cover your playground with the rubber mulch, then the chances of injuries become much lesser.

Rubber mulch under the play area acts as a shock absorber and keeps the kids away from injuries. Rubber mulch enhances the playground area. It comes in different colors. You can choose from a variety of colors for your landscape and play area.

Apart from providing a good playground safety, rubber mulch has other benefits too. Its long lasting feature comes with the minimum maintenance cost. It cannot be blown away in a storm nor can it wash away in heavy rains. It does not catch dust and keeps the insects away.

Rubber mulch is a very good playground safety measure. Please visit Rubberecycle for more information.