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Why not use rubber mulch then? Lots of playgrounds already use it, and it offers the cushioning of wood chips and the "softness" of rubber matting.
by skavi 7y ago
Why not use rubber mulch then? Lots of playgrounds already use it, and it offers the cushioning of wood chips and the "softness" of rubber matting.
- PetahNZ 7y agoI think he means wood chips hurt, so kids don't jump off things from so high, so its less likely to break bones.
- alexhutcheson 7y agoMy understanding (not an expert) is that it's a combination of less high jumps/falls because "wood chips hurt", and reduced long bone injuries for the jumps/falls that due occur due to differences in the way the material responds to the impact. Wood chips slide and absorb some of the kinetic energy, while rubber matting (and probably rubber chips?) stay in place and rebound the energy back.
- robocat 7y agoAs a kid there was gravel under the monkey bars. Not sure if it taught you not to fall (I did fall, a lot!), but it definitely hurt when you did!
- ip26 7y agoI visited a playground made of some kind of rubber mulch, maybe chippered tires. The sun was out in force (hot summer day, 10k ft). You could see the haze of chemicals hovering over the chips as they offgassed, as well as smell them.