Outdoor Living & Lifestyles - Swingset + Ohio winter = MUD! Suggestions?

Hey -- been a year since I've posted here -- we're now renting until this summer, so improvements are off the table...we have a swingset outside that has the usual "dirt pit" under each swing from feet hitting the ground; what would anyone recommend to put down on top of the mud or mix into it or whatever to reduce the amount of gunk that ends up all over my kids??? I hate to tell them not to swing, it's their favorite thing to do -- but the mud is killing me!!! I'm going to need a new washer by the end of winter, and washing snow pants is NO FUN!! Sawdust? Pea gravel??? Chips? I need a quick fix -- we're not staying beyond the summer, and it's not my property, but I don't want to make it much worse either...as it is, the plastic netting from the sod are sticking out now...

How about carpeting. It does not have to be outdoor carpeting. Even indoor carpet will last for a season outside. Get cheap leftover pieces from Lowes or Home Depot or just check out houses under construction or being renovated. You just need a couple little scraps.

Carpet is a great suggestion. You should be able to pick up a piece easily. You can stop by a carpet store and ask for a piece that the installers bring back from ripping it out of someone's house. Or, you can purchase a carpet remnant or a few feet of inexpensive commercial carpet in brown to match the soil. If you want to get fancy, some green indoor/outdoor or the green plastic porch carpet that looks like grass.