(no subject)

[conuly]

So, a kid was seriously burned on the playsurfacing in NYC.

I am *not* surprised.

Ignore the comments - they're all "Oh, well, nobody should ever go barefoot ever ever ever", and not only is that, I believe, a flawed view but, really, it's entirely beside the point. It's a playground. The mats are there so that when children slip and fall, they don't get hurt. But if the mats burn them, when your kid slips and falls, your kid is gonna get *very* hurt.

Worse yet, most playgrounds go directly from sprinkler to mat to sand to mat with no space in between. Well, it's not reasonable to keep your shoes on in the sprinkler or sandbox - and that one second, you blink, and the kid has gone from one area to another without putting their shoes back on. Whoops.

Now, as I understand it, playgrounds have to be resurfaced regularly. Some playgrounds we go to often (in wealthier neighborhoods) are resurfaced pretty much yearly - maybe ever 18 months or so instead. It shouldn't be that hard to simply get a different type of mat to cover the ground when you go through your required fixing-up.

Comments

[wodhaund.livejournal.com]

All of the playgrounds I grew up near (in Mississippi and South Carolina) were well shaded, with the exception of the occasional school playground. I'm still rather surprised when I see playgrounds that don't have at least partial shade.