A Day In the Life of a Playground Without Rubber Mulch
9am: Moms with young children who like to be pushed on swings start to arrive at the playground. Not much to report here, as these children are too young to run about on their own and moms’ have eagle eyes on them
11am: Slightly older kids arrive at the playground – hyperactive toddlers! They obviously run about a little more and are harder work for parents to keep an eye on and prevent any falls. The worse injuries these young ones get are grazes on knees and elbows. After a little cry, they get up and start running about like loonies again
1pm: It is now lunch time, and the playground starts to fill up with children of all ages. Some kids are playing on equipment meant for toddlers and get grazed knees from where their legs are too long for the springy elephant playground toy. But this doesn’t bother them. Then one of the kids starts trying to doing acrobatics on the see saw and lands awkwardly on the ground. He limps away sheepishly with his mates.
3pm: Some of the younger kids finish from school and stop off at the playground to have a game of chase, dodging in and out of the playground equipment and leaping from swing to swing. One poor soul misses their footing and end up on the ground with their arm in awkward position. It’s a broken arm. The impact of bone on asphalt surfacing made sure of that and a hospital visit is required.
5pm: The older kids finish school and stop at the playground. By this time most of the younger children haft left, as have mothers with small children. They have free reign to do whatever they like and they do. More acrobatics on climbing apparatus, results in a fall for one boy who gets a nasty gash to the head and is knocked unconscious. An ambulance is called. He will be fine – a couple of stitches and a dented ego.
