Would a thick enough ground cover to provide padding, also provide a habitat for ticks and such?

PJ

I'd suggest you stick with the standard list and not try thyme. Imagine falling on those little twigs with your eyes open ...

We've been discussing this at home with my 5-year-old, she is complaining about getting slivers from the bark mulch they use at her school. It's very pretty though. Our local playground uses sand, a lot of which comes home in the shoes. There is no perfect playground surface. Bark is soft, but gives splinters. Round pea-gravel gets in your shoes and is hard to run on. Excellent for falls, however. Ground rubber seems to provide the best compromise between safety, comfort, ease of use and beauty, but it is expensive.

The search continues ...

Here is a link that might be useful: Protective surfaces under playground equipment

you can get away with putting in soft grouncover plants if you buy the black rubber mats that plants grow through to put under places like swings and the foot of the slide. I got mine from a friend that was a wholesale sprinkler salesman so i dont know who carries them- they are like laying floor tiles full of holes is how i can explain it- they keep the kids from pulling the roots of your plants up with their shoes.