Sof’Fall works hard to make sure that your children have a safe place to play. Playground safety is important because getting outside and playing is so important for our children’s learning. 

considerations for cancelling recess in the cold weather?

Schools will evaluate many things before calling off recess when it’s cold. First, they’ll consider if the air temperature. If it is too cold outside to begin with, they will call recess off. Most schools that experience cold or extreme cold climates will cancel recess when the temperature is at 32 degrees. The 32-degree marker is the freezing point. This is when most people can start to develop frostbite. The risk of frostbite and hypothermia for children increases at this age. Since schools are always concerned about a child’s safety, they will cautiously send their children out in the chilly weather.

Wind Chill

The wind chill will also factor into a school’s decision to send kids out to recess. When the wind blows on a cold day, it could easily cause the temperature to drop to an unsafe level. They know that blowing wind chills will cause kids to lose their body heat at a faster rate. Allowing kids to run and fall onto a rough playground surface could be similar to kids falling on a hard, rocky surface. Safe playground surfacing is very important in cold weather. Soft playground equipment is also considered for its ability to hold up in cold weather conditions.

Other Considerations For A Cold Recess

Schools will also think about things such as the condition of the playground area and how it will impact kids. A playground surface will usually be freezing and very hard when it’s cold outside. Even soft playground material will also be hardened by cold weather. Freezing temperatures do impact soft playground surfaces because most of it is made of metal. Even if the equipment is made of soft playground material such as rubber, foam or plastic; the cold can make it hard. If the temperatures are really freezing outside, a child’s skin could even stick to some of the material. So, schools also consider safe playground surfacing and equipment before sending kids out in the cold

Sof’Fall has so many other uses outside of being a safe playground surfacing material. There are seemingly countless uses for high quality wood bark.

great uses for rubber bark

Rubber mulch is made from recycled old tires after they are stripped of their metal parts. The mulch and bark are durable, long-lasting, stays in place, won’t decompose or decay over time, do not attract insects and termites, battles mildew and mold, discourages weed germination, does not fade as fast as wood mulch, won’t blow away or float during high winds and heavy rains, allows fertilizer and water to pass through to the soil, is environmentally friendly, and is EPA-approved, IPEMA-certified, non-toxic, and ADA-compliant. It is perfect for playgrounds that require the highest rating for protective surfacing and continues to grow in popularity for a variety of reasons in gardens, landscaping and park projects.

In addition, rubber mulch in the winter requires little maintenance and can last for ten years or more compared to wood mulch, which usually requires replacement every year. Another winter use is to make your bare and slippery walkways and footpaths slip-proof with its beneficial traction to hopefully prevent any accidents from the snow and rain when walking outdoors.

A colorful alternative to add some life

Brighten up the landscape with a choice of beautiful colors in vibrant greens that will create an ongoing “dream” and remembrance of your warm-weather sunny garden. You will feel like you have extended the spring and summer months despite what the weather actually is.

When kids use a playground and eventually take a tumble, the right surface is important to keep the little ones safe and protected against injuries with shredded rubber playground mulch that is safe and resilient rubberized playground flooring.

Rubber mulch is one of the longest-lasting varieties, and more uses include keeping the plants vibrant and healthy, being able to retain moisture and block evaporation, and require only around half the amount of wood mulch, which makes its higher original cost actually cost-effective over time.

Playground surfacing and garden uses in beds of bushes or plants make the rubber alternatives an excellent choice for the many reasons given above, so be sure to check with your garden center, professional landscaping company or construction contractor about all its uses. The recycled rubber of the mulch and rubber bark will not only make for comfort on the playground, which requires the protective surfacing highest rating, but it will also be an attractive addition to your garden and landscape.

We don’t limit the incredible uses of Sof’Fall to just providing the safest playground surfacing material.

It will keep cold air from affecting plant stems and root systems. Rubber material can also be used on or around a compost bin. This will stabilize the temperature. Doing this will make it possible for a garden and landscaping to be available faster when spring arrives.

Freezing And Ice

Rubber material does not absorb water. This means it will not cause a slippery situation or frostbite in a person’s yard. Some moisture can still get to the plants. This is something needed all year and applies to shrubs as well as trees. They are often damaged by the cold ground having a lack of moisture.

Rain And Wind

Blizzards and winter storms can cause significant drops in temperature. This is how a person’s plants and landscaping can be damaged. Rubber material is long-lasting and heavy. There is no reason to worry about this mulch washing away in a rainstorm.

Brighten Landscape

Using brightly colored rubber material can improve the appearance of winter landscaping. Various colors can be used to signify a favorite season. It is a way to extend summer or spring. The yellows and cherry reds mixed with a vibrant green rubber material can remind a person of a sunny garden even during a winter blizzard. Orange and rustic brown accents can provide a feeling of autumn. The possibilities are only limited by a person’s imagination.

Discourage Garden Mold And Mildew

Rubber material is not like organic mulches. Shredded rubber will battle molds and mildews and keep them from causing problems with a person’s garden during the winter. It doesn’t decompose or decay. This means people don’t have to worry about how their garden will look when the winter has gone. Rubber material can discourage the germination of weeds.

Disease-Free Plants

A careless autumn season of not raking leaves can cause problems. Fallen leaves develop into a soaked mat of potential disease that could harm winter plants. Occasional raking is necessary to avoid contaminating plants with diseases and fungi. It will also prevent grass from suffocating.

One of the most popular playground materials is rubber mulch. It will continue to provide benefits during the entire winter season. Unlike rubber material, engineered wood fibers will absorb and retain water when water freezes. It won’t permit adequate drainage and more. Rubber material will provide important protection during the entire winter season

Sof Fall is proud to offer one of the safest rubber mulches in the world. When playground surfacing can mean the difference in a small scratch and a serious injury we are proud to be there to catch children everywhere when they fall down.

Currently, there have been more proof uncovered that points to the rubber mulch not being such a safe playground surfacing material after all. Rubber mulch is made of recycled tires, which is good for the environment, but bad for health. There isn’t an issue with the tires themselves, but the things that they come into contact with. When they are carved into small pieces, they are not cleaned. This means that anything they once touched is still being poured directly into the children’s place areas on the outside of the playground surfacing materials. Heavy metals, oils, lead contaminants from paint on the roads, and petrochemicals are the names of a few of these contaminants. In heated temperatures, they begin to leak out into the air.

In a study by Environment and Human Health, Inc. in conjunction with Yale University, they showed up to 96 different chemicals in the mulch. Some of the names of these items sound more like they should be locked somewhere safe, rather than in contact with children’s skin. Some cause asthma while others could irritate their eyes and lungs when left alone to heat up under the sun.

Safe Playground Surfacing

One man in Arizona was particularly upset by these findings. As a father and maintenance foreman of more than one school himself, he knew that he had to change the way that they were softening the children’s falls. He decided to try out new material, Jelly Bean play mulch. This was a much more safe playground surfacing material as it is latex-free and sterile. It didn’t take long after replacing one school’s mulch for the news to spread which lead to the replacement of all the other schools within the district. After switching to the other playground surfacing materials, they saw great results. The different colored pieces didn’t heat up in the sun like the tire had and there were no more black streaks. It is also soft playground surfacing, meaning that it was just as safe for the children to fall on as the previous mulch had been.

Nevertheless, there is a downside to using the new version of mulch: the cost. While it is the best option for children’s health, most schools have a tight budget that they must stick to. Jelly Bean mulch has proven to be extremely cost-effective, however, as it does not need to be replaced as often. It is also almost completely maintenance-free, as it is only necessary to rake the mulch back into the play area if the children were to kick some of it out