Thanks everyone! I really do love our playground! I purchased all of the playground equipment before I started daycare in anticipation of getting licensed. Licensing requires shade and padding to withstand a 2 foot fall. Since I live in a rental, I could not do traditional padding (sand, mulch, etc.) because it would obviously involve a major alteration to the landlord's landscaping. The awning had to be approved through our hoa first and then I purchased it on amazon for ~$200 (although I looked it up just now and it's not for sale anymore). It's held up to several high-wind storms and Arizona monsoons, so I'm impressed! Besides being very large and awkward, it's fairly lightweight and can be moved easily if you have a second person to help with the other side. I love how it's butted up to the house because it drastically cools the bedrooms on that side due to the added shade.

The mats were purchased from greatmats.com (if I remember correctly). They were very pricey and much more expensive than I anticipated spending. They ended up costing over $1000 with taxes and delivery (they had to be pallet-dropped). They are really nice recycled tire mats and are meant for playgrounds, so they have been tested to withstand a 2 foot fall (and I think they advertised them to be tested chemically and approved for children's playgrounds). They do tend to get dirty easily and it's difficult to remove dirt build-up, but they are surprisingly cool to the touch (I figured in the Arizona sun they would be scorching, but that's not the case at all!).

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