For a play area for kids. SAND

HUGE sand box surrounded by pea rock or river rock. The idea of rubber mulch against the soil leaves me with a bad feeling. I just cannot embrace it. Pea rock and river rock are easy to walk on barefooted or not. Up end a tractor tire and you have your very own "beach", add a cast off garage sale plastic kitchen and you have HOURS of creative play time!! We found ours to be the best catch all for all those plastic "kids meal" toys!!

Sand is great but needs confinement or it will migrate. I'd never suggest any type of rock or gravel for a kids' play area but nothing wrong with rubber mulch as long as it is not used as a plant mulch. It is ideal under swing sets or monkeybars or equipment situations where kids could fall. There is also a great recycled wood product called play chips or playground chips that are essentially tumbled wood/bark chips - no splinters and no rough edges.

FWIW, I do landscape design professionally and have done several playgrounds or kids' play areas using these materials.

We had a somewhat shady yarn when our kids were growing up, and the lawn always looked bad. It would have been ok without all the traffic of children playing, but it was not vigorous enough to stand up to children playing. Now they are grown and gone, and the lawn looks nice.

Not so sure about the sand. It will be coming in the house in shoes, pant cuffs, etc. Also, cats will use it as a giant litter box.

Re sand, or having a sand box: cover it when not being played in to avoid any dangers from animal contamination. A simple frame with tarp stapled to it works well.

Sand has its disadvantages, but it can't be beat for hours of imaginative play, and a handy hose will double the fun and help with a quick clean up before going back into the house.

Martha

I ditto the wood chips. Plus when kids are grown this area easily converts to garden space with rich soil underneath those decomposed chips.

Our kids have grown & our backyard playground now belongs to us again and we've expanded the garden beds, added a paver patio with seating & portable fountains, and a 6x8 cedar greenhouse for puttering around. It's so nice to have our little oasis of peace in our own backyard.

Corrine