Projects to plant trees, build shade structures and reduce the amount of pavement around schools have become high-priority as schoolyards become dangerously hot.
Seriously clickbait headline, WaPo. Schools are installing playgrounds where there were previously just open stretches of pavement that kids played on because they had no other choice.
Headline is misleading. They’re not destroying playgrounds, they’re ripping up pavement and planting trees.
Personally I’ve never seen a paved playground. Mine usually had sand or woodchips.
The schools I went to as a kid in the early 80s had paved playgrounds. Skinned knees were just a daily thing.
I think ours was filled with tiny bits of chopped up rubber from tires and stuff.
“Rubber mulch,” it’s very common these days because it doesn’t break down as fast as wood chips and it’s better at preventing injuries.
It’s also an excellent way to get your recommended daily value of microplastics.
Most of the ones I’ve seen are similar to asphalt. Not quite straight concrete, almost rubbery, kinda fibrous in texture/appearance?
I see a good amount of paved playgrounds, even at new schools, which always seems bonkers to me. Kids are rambunctious and get into lots of scrapes. Why would you want to put in ground that is more expensive and makes that worse?
Mine in the 90s was a mix of open field and gravel. Although the school it replaced because a semi ran into it had a paved playground.
