To be continued

The first snowfall has come and nearly gone. My wonderful playground testers, the older two at least, were out in the snow for a solid two hours yesterday. They shoveled and rolled and built until their cheeks were like shined MacIntosh apples. The world is their oyster and the snow their canvas to shape, shift and show.

Not as many playground trips on the horizon now. This third season we never really found our rhythm. With so much rain in the spring there was less time to get out and explore. We’ll be back next season though looking for the groove and I think we’ll find it. I can tell from a few fall adventures that our youngest tester Lila who has just turned two will be rockin’ the playscapes next year, a force of her own. Last week in a boomin’ wind blow she went up and down this slide all by herself.

 

On the way up she had a big brother, or big sister right behind her but I still think of it as an epic journey for Lila. This is possibly the highest slide in HRM and the only one I’ve seen to date with a double twist on the chute. This playground has another couple of elements that set it apart and we’ll be sharing those with you in our first posts next spring.

We found a great climbing structure in the west end of Halifax one crackling hot afternoon. More on this spot in next season’s early posts.

 

This season we bid farewell to the Old Wooden Boat Playground next to the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic. At least a couple of generations of kids took this fishing vessel out to sea under the watchful eye of the waterfront’s giant Canadian flag. I’ll probably miss it more than my younger kids. To me it spoke so much of the place. Its age and simplicity of design were alluring parts of its charm. Good-bye Halcyon…

 

There’s a new kid in town where Halcyon used to rest and my testers just can’t wait to get on it. Given there’s a fence there now, it will likely be spring before the orange sub opens. Kudos to the Waterfront Development Corporation for involving kids in the design process.

 

I hope you’ll tag along with us next season when we get the playgrounding on the go. Even better, join us, write a post yourself, or suggest a playground we should visit. Until then, keep active, keep movin’ and remember that play is a powerful enabler as well as just pure fun.

Thanks for visiting PlayGround Chronicles.

Hey Halifax – Lend a Neighbour a Hand – 15 Days and Counting

Vote for Kids and Play
At St. Joseph A. MacKay

Nearly 25 years ago, my oldest daughter went to Grade 1 at St. Joseph A. MacKay. I remember her walking to school on her own – down Almon, along Isleville and then along Russell to the crosswalk. Quite a journey for a six-year-old new to the city.

Well St. Joseph A. MacKay (SJAM) is in need of a new playground for the school and the great thing is YOU can help. Just visit AVIVA here and vote. This is also where you can read more background on the project.

AVIVA – SJAM Page

Don’t hold back, vote as often as you can. In fact, you can vote 15 times in 15 days starting today.

Community members, parents, kids and teachers have been working hard to raise money for the project – yard sales, wine tasting and other activities.

A win with AVIVA could mean up to $100,000. That could buy a little more paint, as well as equipment, planning and landscaping.

READY, SET, GO

Find out more about SJAM’s playground activities on their FB page.

Vote for Kids and Play
At St. Joseph A. MacKay

Brownlow Playground Is a Sweet Summer Treat

If your kids are Bob the Builder fans, or love the construct – destruct continuum then Brownlow Park Playground (map – pink marker) is your kind of place. For a limited time, there’s an added attraction here.

The old Penhorn Mall is being demolished, torn asunder – a 21st century retail demoreno. Mall Makeovers – is there a reality show waiting in the wings? Piles of rubble, exposed girders and segments of wall are on display for the curious. Fencing around the perimeter of the site ensures that no small ones can slip in.

Brownlow Park is a playground for all ages (photos). Little Tikes equipment for the smallest of the small is well located in the centre of the play area about as far away from traffic as possible. It’s the standard climb up, wave to mama and papa, slide down and start all over again set up.

On the north and east flanks are the swings – two for the bigger kids and four for the babies. Baby swings fully subscribed? Don’t worry if it’s a heavy traffic area there are always the big blue whales ready for a swim on either side.

Then there’s the raised plastic pipe, the balance beam with the pressure bandage that doubles as a ‘you’re so far away’ teeter-totter. Nellie and Noah love to try their luck on this, slowly gliding from one end to the other without tumbling after a misstep. Concentration wins the day. They do a little teeter up totter down but it really doesn’t hold a candle to the daring, wobbly, one step at a time, incredible raised from the ground feat.

The center piece for the older kids is the perpetual climb – the up down, across and back again. How many ways cay you hang, swing, straddle and sit. Is it a composite sculpture, a spaceship, an incredible fitness machine, or maybe all of these and more?

This is where you can shimmy, recline, haul yourself up, dangle in the air. It’s a potpouuri of resisting gravity – stay up, stay up, don’t fall.

There’s a little knoll on the north side of the park with some shade trees. Others are parsed out throughout the park. Parking is available on both streets that border the park. If you feel like tennis, there’s a couple of courts here too.

Yes and there are major size rocks to jump from and a fine climbing tree too.

Get out, get active, explore the city and enjoy HRM’s 300 plus playgrounds.

Shannon Park School Playground – Dartmouth

Shannon Park School has two well equipped playgrounds to discover tucked away in Dartmouth’s north end (map). It’s a rare sunny July afternoon when nearly 6-year-old lad in company with nearly 2-year-old girl and I drop in for a play about. Nearly 4-year-old girl is at a birthday party a few blocks away and is a little chagrined that she can’t join the adventure.

Visually, it’s an area in transition with the candy striped Tufts Cove stacks rising to the south. Across Sioux Rd., on the opposite side of the playground located on the west side of the school, are boarded up former Canadian Forces housing units waiting for the wrecker’s ball, for some eventual redevelopment.

The playgrounds (photos) are well maintained and we have a barrel of fun time under the hot sun doing the climbing, sliding, jumping, stretching, swinging, laughing, try it once, try it twice, new place thing. Lila gets in plenty of tongue sticking out practice on the bouncy bridge – note, some caution is necessary with this contraption for younger ones – we had our share of kerplunks.

Noah is back and forth on the ding-dong pendulum walk. He’s got it nailed now, sailing across with the greatest of ease.

Noah is being a helpful big brother with little sis, taking her by the hand when she’ll accept and showing her the ropes on some of the equipment. He’s there for her, mother henning on occasion – it’s sweet to see. He gets a real big kick out of giving Lila her first pushes on a big swing – a big hit for all of us.

The two playgrounds are on the north and west sides of the school. They’re close together but one isn’t visible from the other. It’s a good locale to experiment with a little independence – where mom and/or dad can be out of sight but not really too far away. There is fencing that skirts the northern and western perimeters of the playground areas.

Plenty of parking here, both on school property and Sioux Rd. There isn’t much shade and on a hot day like our romp, this can be an issue. Escape from the sun is possible under the three-lane slide. On the south side of the school there are expansive playing fields, the venue for the Dartmouth United Soccer Fest for the past several years. If you’re heading to that event for the first time with other non-soccer player kids in tow – remember there is a playground for them to have some fun.

Get out, get active, explore the city and enjoy HRM’s 300 plus playgrounds.

The Gazebo – Hawthorn School Playground

Playground bound…

One of the more striking features of the Hawthorn School Playground (map) is its gazebo. I’ve seen plenty of plastic pavilions but this is the first wooden gazebo I’ve come across (photos). The structure provides two levels of shade for kids and parents and is a destination, or departure point depending on whether you’re going up, or down.

This is a great little playground for a burst of afternoon activity. Three slides – a corkscrew, a bump and a double-laner – are ready for wooshing.

There are plenty of climbing possibilities too – scaling ropes, C climbers, a fire pole and bent pipe steps. For those unable to climb, there are two ramps that provide access to the deck level of the gazebo (one accessible, the other has steps leading to it). Note – at its highest point the deck is approximately 4′ above ground level. As there are openings in the perimeter fence, be extra alert to toddler movements.

The equipment is there too for the kids who want to reach for the sky swinging from circle to ring with torso, legs and feet left dangling.

There was steady traffic of playground goers during our visit making for the possibility of running and chasing games with new friends. The equipment is well maintained with the standard HRM pebble infill. My kids really enjoyed themselves here and want to return. They did remark on the fact that there are no swings. It didn’t seem to detract from their fun and enjoyment at all though.

Added bonus – there is a large playing field with well cared for grass. We played a little soccer. Up on the school wall there’s a basketball net for those so inclined. At the rear of the building there is a beautiful shaded grassy area with picnic benches. There is plenty of parking at the school and on surrounding streets.

There is also a lovely mural on the wall facing Hawthorn St. The kids really enjoyed seeing some of their favourite characters. When you get there, check it out and see who you can recognize.

Get out, get active, explore the city and enjoy HRM’s 300 plus playgrounds.

School’s Out

For those of us of a certain age, Alice Cooper had the anthem of anthems for end of school. I can still feel its coursing beat today. Having just wrapped a wonderful year in primary, our lad Noah is kind of young for the sentiments of Alice’s School’s Out. All the same, he’s just made off free as the breeze into his first ever summer holidays.

Even though school’s out, we’ll still be visiting on a regular basis because of the many fine playgrounds located on school properties throughout the city. In Halifax, school playgrounds are under the responsibility and management of the municipality and not the school board. They are open to the public year round – a great resource for children and the broader community.

It’s not like that everywhere you go. In some US jurisdictions, school playgrounds are strictly off limits outside of school hours. In the most ironic twist of all, there are some school boards in the US that have banned recess altogether. That’s a story for another day. The excellent accessibility we all have to school playgrounds in Halifax is something to cherish and to safeguard.

Here’s a roundup, in no particular order, of some of the school playgrounds we’ve already enjoyed. Each links to the original posts.

Oxford St. School

Oxford St, School and here – Brand new equipment within the last two years. The springy bus and x-wave are highlights. Easy access by public transit. Parking available in school parking lot. No swings.

Tallahassee School – Eastern Passage

Ocean View Elementary School and Tallahasse School Playground I and II – Get out of the city and cool off in Eastern Passage. Check out three playgrounds within a five minute walk. Did I hear teeter-totters? They are harder and harder to find in Halifax but can be enjoyed in two of the three playgrounds listed here. If you go out for a visit, on your way home drop in on MacCormack’s Beach and Fisherman’s Cove. About five kilometres in the opposite direction is Rainbow Haven Beach.

Portland Estates Elementary School

Portland Estates Elementary School – This is another case of plenty of playgrounds within a short walk. Two are located on the school grounds (Portland Estates II). Two others are a hop, skip and a jump away. The added bonus here is a small hiking trail that borders Morris Lake. If your kids like monkey bar action and slides this school is for you. Swings and a toddlers playground are at Portland Estates I.

Halifax Independent School

St. Catherine’s Elementary School and Halifax Independent School – Here we’ve got two playgrounds side-by-side and a third across the street in the interior courtyard of St. Catherine’s. The boat at Halifax Independent – one of many in Halifax playgrounds – was a big hit with our kids as were the numerous climbing apparatuses in the St. Catherine’s playground. There are plenty of options here to keep the kids physically active.

PlayGround Chronicles is seeking your input – do you have a favourite playground you’d like to see reviewed? Drop us a line with your suggestions at playground.chronicles@gmail.com.

Finally, I’d like to direct you to a fine article by Shaina Luck on playgrounds in Halifax. I admit I’m a little biased as I’m one of the people Shaina interviewed for the piece. It was published in Our Children – Halifax’s Family Magazine and distributed throughout the primary school system just prior to the end of the school year. Thanks to Shaina for writing us up, to Blair Blakeney and Mara Kaplan for providing their insights and to the publishers.

Eastern Shore Bound – Colonel John Stuart Elementary School Playground

Planning a trip out to Lawrencetown Beach or beyond? On your way out, or back in check the Colonel John Stuart Elementary School Playground (photos) on Colonel John Stewart Drive (map – yellow marker). If you tuned into CBC’s Information Morning earlier this week you may have heard that there’s a bit of a mystery surrounding Colonel Stuart. No one is quite sure about his claim to fame though there was some on-air speculation that he may have been a doctor during the First World War.

Regardless of the good Colonel’s contributions to society, kids are sure to enjoy themselves on the equipment. Our visit was on a crisp spring evening with a dusting of rosy pink in the sky. There was plenty of run, run, running over bridges, under structures and up climbing steps. Surprise, surprise there was also some pretend siren wailing inspired by the big red truck.

The structure has bouncy belt and solid arched bridges that extend at right angles to each other. Watch the articulated bridge. It can be tricky for young ones who haven’t quite solidified their balance. The manufacturers recommend this playground for ages 5 to 12 but we had plenty of fun even though the kids were 2 1/2 and 4 1/2. At this ‘under’age – no IDs required – what’s really needed with smaller ones is more care and assistance to ensure the kids are safe and getting the most they can out of the experience. That means daddy lifts, carrys and jumpers springing into a parent’s arms.

Now we did have a teary mishap here on the toadstool, tinkertoy steps. Three up, three down – difficult for the smaller ones to coordinate their movements while stretching from one to the other. Coming down is a de rigueur helping hand scenario for the under 3s. Going up is another story – “I can do it, I can do it,” said indy girl. She was right. She could do it until she missed her step. Tumble, fall, tears. Hugs, cuddles, back to play.

There’s a corkscrew swirl slide and a doubler for racing with siblings, best friends, or brand new acquaintances. And can you do the monkey, flying through the air with the greatest of ease? There are bars for this to advance hand over hand, feet jangle dangling, kicking through gravity…

Then the swings – no baby ones though – just that leather ‘u’ hooked up to two chain links, the unbearable lightness of rocking through the air. Tic and toc rise and fall to the moon and back to earth. “High in the sky,” shout the kids. “Higher, higher, higher.” I don’t know if it can ever be high enough to slip away into weightlessness.

Finally in the schoolyard itself there is a series of stand up games – dress the frog, The Weather Game and The Matching Game. We haven’t seen anything like it before or since. We’re looking forward to getting back to play these games at some point over the summer. Once we do, we’ll give you our take on how much fun they are.

Note – there is another playground on the school’s property to the southeast. There is also a fenced in basketball court right next to the fire truck playground. Our guys watched with some amazement as the ball swished and swished.

Parking is available on Colonel John Stewart Drive and the area is partially fenced in. There is no shade to speak of and no benches for parents who might need a little sit down.

May the weather be with us over this Canada Day long weekend….

On the Build

The submarine is taking shape at the hands of master shipbuilders.
Photo Credit – A. Smith

The first sub built on Nova Scotia’s South Shore.
Photo Credit – A. Smith, Plan Holding Credit – Noah-David Cordeau Smith

Con tower, fins and tube at our waterfront playground this summer.
Photo Credit – A. Smith

Many thanks to Bruce and Lucas at Tern Boatworks. More photos, video and story to come….

It’s Dry on the Ark

It’s been a challenge to get out and about on the playground beat this season. Our sunshine days over the last couple of months have been limited. When the sun has briefly shown itself we’ve usually been busy with other activities.

If the rain keeps up, we may all be looking for our own personal ark to protect us from the deluge. There are plenty of wooden vessel models to choose from in Halifax. This one, located at the Halifax campus of the Université Ste. Anne (map – green place marker), has red wheel at the helm that flies when you give it a spin.

This is a fine spot for young buccaneers in training (photos) to learn how to board ships à la Pirates of the Caribbean. Scaling the steep incline is a tough proposition for younger children, not impossible but demanding.

Two elephant trunk slides are the escape hatches off the deck and down into the ersatz sea. Instead of walking the plank the junior pirates are forced to scarper across the pentagonal climbing frame.

For parents who want to get into the act too, there’s sure to be a call for a swashbuckling pirate cap’n or a human spider to navigate the climbing web.

There is wonderful shade here from the mature trees on LeMarchant Street and a few benches in the play area where parents can take a load off. Parking is available on surrounding streets.

Kids – Sun – Play

A little bit of sunshine – god knows that’s all we’ve had recently – sure gets the play juices flowing. Occasionally, I’ll post about playgrounds outside of Halifax because they too are a fine spots to run, tumble, balance and slide. Today we went with all the primary kids from Noah’s school to see the animals at the Shubenacadie Wildlife Park. I’ve been there several times but never realized they have a playground.
Click photo for slideshow.

The playground is located in the picnic area a short drive from the Wildlife Park’s main parking lot. During fine days when there are school trips, you can count on plenty of kids. It will become a standard part of our future visits. Be aware, there’s not too much shade. Then again that hasn’t been much of an issue so far this summer.