childminders: outdoor safety surface

[killashandra]

Hi,
I am in the process of having my garden totally revamped.
I have hardly used it with the mindees as it is so awful had it off my registration for years !

Anyway I want to do things properly but have been looking at woodchip prices and it seems quite expensive, have any childminders here got woodchip or can anyone recommend a different type of safety surface for under swings & slides?
Thanks

I have woodchip under my slide/swing etc. Smells lovely but is horrible to keep in one place (I find) and it needs replacing/topping up every year.

we had decking put down
drys really fast

also put playmats down (ELC £10 for 4)

We have decking and just good ole grass in the back garden. Anything else would be far too much maintenance! I have enough to do/keep clean/organise!

Wood chip does sound so lovely. They also have these foamy mat things are our local playground that works well.

You can get special matting to go under the equipment that grass can grow through. It cushions their landing if they fall and doesn't get as slippery as plain lawn when its wet. Don't know what its called though.

I've just looked up the matting that grass grows through, looks like a good option for low maintenance and has 'bsen' safety. be a bit to pay out but would hopefully keep children safe and ofsted happy!

whats the stuff called killa? please, we're about to redo our garden (or should i say do, never done anything to it since we moved in!) and it'd be nice to be safer.

Hi eleanorsmum,

there is this website
www.fitness-sports.co.uk/garden/outdoor-playing-surface.html

but this seems the same stuff and a lot cheaper
grass mats

hope that helps