Browning Park Playground- Saanich

We haven't been this excited about a playground in ages! Every time we drive up Shelbourne Street during the last two years we have looked over towards Browning Park and laughed at the old old little playground hidden in the long grass. I've always meant to visit there, fully expecting to give it a poor quality review as the type of playground where a child might need a tetanus jab. But those who snooze, lose. Because recently I was driving up Shelbourne, glanced over and almost crashed my car in excitement. Because not only was there a brand-spanking-new playground being built, but the entire park, which frankly had been overgrown and nondescript, was dug up and being redeveloped.

Kudos to the CRD and Saanich here because this is part of the Bowker Creek development project and if this part of Bowker Creek turns out as nicely as, or even nicer than the Oak Bay part then it will be a wonderful place for locals. And even in it's current unfinished state, it's looking amazing. Thanksgiving weekend finally gave us the opportunity to visit the playground and let's just say that when we tried to leave the kids kicked up a big fuss!

Located on Shelbourne Street and accessible from there or from either side of Browning St or from the Bowker Creek pathway that runs on the far side of the Creek, this lovely new park has smooth tarmac trails, a basketball court and a fantastic playground. Parking might be available on Browning St, but this is more the type of park that you walk or ride bikes to, and stop off at for a picnic. It looks like there will be nicely landscaped gardens and grassy areas but for now it's a bit of a mess with dirt and diggers- which hold their own attraction for little ones.


The playground has two main climbing structures, a small one for little kids and a big one for the bigger kids. The small one features various climbing options to a low tower and a double metal short straight slide. There is a double big kid, double toddler swing combo, a climbing frame car, a twiddly stem, and a rock feature for climbing over, under and across.

The larger climbing frame is the most exciting part of this playground according to my kids and my now 4 year old 'A' as the best climbing frame ever. It's a treehouse, and if I had my way this would be known as the treehouse playground- which it may well if it doesn't get called the frog park, but that's a different story. The treehouse climbing frame is built into a tree, and features several routes up which include a 'rope ladder', tree stumps, and tree climbing to the clubhouse up top. There is a long straight metal side down. It's beautifully made, fits in to the environment subtly and has great little touches such as a raccoon and squirrel hidden underneath.


So...the frog. Lastly, but not least, there is a giant frog squatting in the middle of the woodchip base in this playground. Oddly enough, my kids steered a clear path around it and my daughter definitely thought it was real. So whatever the local kids end up calling this fantastic playground, my betting is that it'll be between the frog and the treehouse and that the rest of this wonderful park, the creek and the bike trails will be forgotten in the playground excitement!

Willows School Playground #1- Victoria

Willows School in Oak Bay is not only in a lovely part of Victoria, near the beautiful Willows Beach, near Esteban Village (with every parent's favourite Crumsby's), but it also seems to have three playgrounds! The equipment was pretty popular when we stopped by so we decided to pick them off one at a time and will use our return visit as a chance to eat cupcakes at Crumsby's.

So Willows School playground #1 is a typical school playground with lots to climb, hang from and burn off excess energy, and with not a lot of frills. Unlike many typical school playgrounds this one seems to be well thought out and built on the continuous play type model- meaning that kids old enough to use all the climbing equipment can climb, hang, balance and step their way round the whole structure in a circle.

There are too many climbing options here to list, many of them that are realistically only for the bigger kids. However, there are steps up to the main climbing tower, which has a bridge and a high metal wavy straight slide. On a woodchip base, this playground would probably not wow anyone and is limited for the little ones but it would definitely provide a good challenge for those that like climbing structures. There are no facilities but there is lots of grass and you can park in one of the many streets or back roads that surround the school.

And at risk of sounding like I am on their payroll- when I am not- don't go visiting without stopping by Crumsby's in Esteban Village!

Cecelia Park Playground- Victoria

On Cecelia Road between Jutland and Manchester there is a square of grass with a rather good playground on it. We've never noticed it before which got me thinking that I only ever go down Jutland, not up it- yes folks, that's about how exciting my brain is today! Anyway, after I'd noticed it there in all it's unmissable primary colour glory, we had to return for a play and test out the equipment.

On a bed of woodchips, this new playground is in great condition and offers a thorough play experience for the kids. There are two separate structures, a lower, more accessible one for smaller children and a bigger more challenging one for the big kids. The smaller one has stairs up to the platform as well as a couple of climbing options such as a chain ladder wall and one of those things that looks like a giant pogo-stick on steroids! Although this structure is more accessible, it's not super-low, so smaller kids would definitely need some help though they would really enjoy the short straight metal slide on the way down.

The bigger structure is a spindly-looking affair with a ton of different climbing options to challenge bigger children. This one has a high straight metal slide- one of the higher ones around town which went really fast when I tried it out. What? I know adults are not meant to test the equipment but it was too high for my little 'A' so someone had to try it!

Finishing off this nice playground is the usual double big-kid, double toddler swing sets and a picnic table. There are benches and grassy areas to run around or picnic on. There are not other facilities and street parking is limited but possible. If you're passing, check this playground out- seems like a good once especially for older kids.

Leighton Park Playground- Victoria

Guest review by Suzan

Behind the Safeway at Fort and Foul Bay there is a little park tucked between Leighton and Bourchier with a brand new playground.

The playground is spacious and perfect for little legs of all kinds to run around - in fact, adjacent to the park is a large and lightly treed field for our four legged friends to romp around in. While we were there, there were no dogs, but in the past we have met several lovely and child friendly animals there. Parking is in a residential area, so it's not too busy. To get in to the park there is a path on either side and once you are there, you do not have to worry about traffic or anything. The play area is wood chipped, with some cement sidewalk areas and lots of grass.


Now, on to the fun parts! There are three separate play structures. The first is a typical swing set, two swings for big kids and two bucket style swings for babes and toddlers. The primary plus about these swings is that the toddler and babe swings are in the shade in the early afternoon, which is extremely hard to find in a park in Victoria. (see photo below) The second structure is a toddler size boat featuring a double slide, a chain ladder, a funky whistle device that sounded a bit weak (but not too loud thankfully), plus two steering wheels for kiddos to be captains at.
The third structure is a crazily high fun area - kind of hard to describe. First, it's high. Not for a toddler kind of high. My kid climbed it like a monkey and was WAY over my head- not for a squeamish parent by any means. The three ladders leading up are three different styles requiring different climbing styles (which, of course, my little one HAD to try). These lead to a small platform which is where a wonderfully long and fast slide awaits. Now, I have a thing about slides and let me tell you, this slide is pretty darned good. Slippery, yet has an extended flat lower area to ensure little ones don't go flying off the end. Plus, it is north facing, so little legs and hands don't get that lovely scorching burning sensation because it's in the shade! Now, this is not all! There are monkey bars, an awesome twirling device that us adults can go on without feeling like oversized chimps (like the little teacup thingy at Willows Beach - you know what I mean, admit it), three poles attached to bases to twist on, and two tribalish hand drums tucked under the slide. Last, but not least, there is a great six foot freestanding climbing rock with great handholds for all ages to climb up. We saw three other kids of assorted ages while there, and something about climbing rocks appealed to each of them.


The only negative with this park is that there is just one park bench right now. There used to be more before the renovation, but I'm not sure if they will have them back or not, likewise with a picnic table they had there. There are no washrooms nearby, with the exception of the ones at Safeway and two Starbucks approximately two blocks away.
Overall, we had a great time and look forward to heading to this little tucked away gem for more playtime. Hopefully we'll see you there!

NOTE: At the time of writing this, the structures are complete and playable but the landscaping has yet to be finished, so beware of metal posts and try not to get tangled in the red fencing ;)

Linden and Chapman Park Playground- Fairfield, Victoria

We were droving around aimlessly the other day trying to find somewhere with a breeze to escape the humidity and stumbled across a little park on the corner of Linden and Chapman in Fairfield. Yes, 'stumbled' across another playground...fancy that!

The park itself is really a large grassy field with a few trees that gave us nice shade. There is a picnic table and on a woodchip square there is a nice little playground. There are two big kid and two toddler swings and a ship shaped climbing structure. This is small and probably wouldn't provide much excitement for the bigger kids but our pre-schooler, 'A' loved it. There are a few climbing options up and down including steps onto the ship 'deck' that features two metal slides down. I still maintain that it's a pity that no one seems to have invented metal slides (which are the best) that don't get hot in the sun because these were too hot to use- mind you that's not an issue for 99% of the year in BC! Underneath the deck there is the 'inside' of the boat where the little ones can run about and climb through windows. The whole climbing frame has a pirate theme including a treasure map activity wall in the bow.

This isn't a flashy or challenging, but it is a nice neighbourhood playground that makes a nice stop-off en route to the breezy sea-front.

Ecole Quadra School Playground- Victoria

Ecole Quadra School is a big brick building right on the corner of Quadra St and Finlayson St in Victoria. It's playground is in two parts, one part with two old-school climbing frames, a newer climbing structure and 6 big kid swings in the actual grounds behind the school, and then two newer pieces out in what was probably once Fifth St, but is now a pedestrianized dead-end.


On a base of woodchips the older climbing structures on the school ground are of a similar era to the once at the Sundance Elementary on Bank St, though not as imaginative. They are in good shape and would provide good climbing for anyone. The newer climbing structure is really meant for climbing and hanging but something about it makes it look less exciting than it could have been; it almost looks stretched out. All of these are really aimed at the bigger kids who have climbing down-pat.


The first of the two structures out in the street is also older but in decent shape and offers a wood-log & tire style climbing frame with a double metal slide and a metal tunnel. 'A' wasn't really interested in this one because he was, of course attracted to the newer colourful one next to it....that was until of course delaying tactics for going home set in and he suddenly could NOT LEAVE until he'd tried out all of the equipment. Sigh.

The newer structure is bright plastic & metal and is in two parts. The first offers lower climbing options and activities and the higher of the two offers a climbing tower with a variety of climbing options- a plastic mountain style wall, a metal rope ladder wall, a twisted ladder (not recommended for little ones unless you like performing emergency rescues), and a climbing wall. There is a high metal slide which for some reason seems faster than many, which I know because 'A's normal fear of beetles and ants has been joined by a fear of...well...just about anything including slides, which meant that I had to climb up and slide down with him not once, but four times. Hard life huh?

This is a nice little playground with leafy trees providing shade, easy parking because of course you are not using it during school hours and grassy areas next door to play or picnic on.

Cook St and Hillside Park Playground- Victoria

At the corner of Cook and Hillside there is a ballpark and a really nice playground. I hate to always give the newer playgrounds great reviews but it's hard not to when the equipment is well thought-out, well designed and in great shape.

There are two climbing structures joined in a rough circle by a rope climbing arch on one side and a range of things to climb on or hang from on the other. The whole area is on woodchips. The first side is aimed at the littler kids and features steps, some climbing options and a small tower with a decent length metal slide. The big kid side has lots to climb up onto a higher tower from which there is an even more decent metal slide! It's interesting to note that on this particular type of playground, many of the climbing features are so casually built in that on first inspection the whole structure might appear not to offer as much as it actually does. There are holes or slats to use as climbing aids and handles that would have been added with much more flair in an older design.


The climbing-rope-arch that links the two structures is a real hit with all ages and kids can do very different things on it according to their capabilities; in 'A's case it's to run over, start climbing, slip through, get stuck and holler to be rescued.


There are two gorgeous, in fact maybe the nicest bouncy-things that we have seen and little kids seem to instantly gravitate over to these on arrival. There are also two big kid and two toddler swings slightly apart from the climbing structure.

There are washrooms in this park but they were not open when we visited so I am not sure if they are only open when the baseball field is being used. There are benches, grass and whereas parking on the main roads may be difficult, there is a parking strip to the rear of the baseball field on Higgins Street. Lovely little playground- definitely worth a visit.

Doncaster School Playground- Saanich

I've said this before but many of the best playgrounds around belong to schools. That comes with a down-side of course- they can only be used when school is out and as a result of that there are no facilities such as washrooms, but nonetheless, there are a lot of great playgrounds that can be used by the public during evenings, weekends and during holidays.

Ecole Doncaster is located on Cedar Hill Road at Rowan and for those that have driven past, it has a pretty exciting looking playground out front. This is just one of two playgrounds at the school and it is primarily aimed at bigger kids. There are two log and bar climbing constructions with a huge variety of things to climb up, down and to hang from. They are both original in design which is always nice to see in climbing frames and although there are no slides or other 'frills' here, there is a Rope-cone roundabout and this playground, which is on woodchips would offer a ton of exercise and entertainment to any child.



It was while I was trying to get 'A' to play on this side that he caught sight of the other playground which is down the right of the school and this front playground was discarded to the wayside. The second playground is bigger, more colourful and caters to a wider range of kids. It's a strange mix of old and new, with the older apparatus being wood, bar and tire like the front. There are several of these offering a range of playing activities, mostly climbing options, but they also include a metal tunnel, metal slides, and lots of hang off.

The newer additions to the playground include a decent sized climbing structure similar to some of the newer ones you see around town. It has a curly plastic slide, a couple of towers, a bridge, lots to climb up an some activity wall features.



There is a separate climbing wall and wavy climbing ladder which must be very popular at break-time and I wonder how many times a week an over-enthusiastic climber yells to be rescued from the top. This side is also on a bed of woodchips and there are large grassy playing fields to take advantage of when, of course, school is out.

Banfield Park Playground- Vic West, Esquimalt

Banfield Park is tucked behind the Vic West Y on Craigflower Road. Right on the edge of the Gorge, it's the second of the Gorge playgrounds that we are going to review and it's a blinder. I've been meaning to go there for ages and now that we have been we will definitely go again because it's one of the best play structures that we have come across, even though it might not strike you as that on first glimpse.



We parked a couple of streets over and took one of the trails that runs through Banfield Park, arriving at the playground from below. Split into the usual big kid/small kid mix, the playground, which is on woodchips, is well-kept and well thought out. The small kid side roughly resembles a ship and has really cool low wiggly steps for the little ones to climb aboard. 'A' loved these steps and it's always nice to see new things, although you can now guarantee that they will be at every playground we visit for the next week now that I have said that. There are a bunch of good climbing options on this frame, two tunnels and a short wobbly plastic slide.

The big kid side features high wiggly steps, a whole big bunch of things to climb up, down, hand off and climb across, as well as a higher wobbly plastic slide and a plastic curly slide. It is really this structure that I am raving about- it doesn't look all that flashy...well, okay, it looks kind of flashy, but I am convinced that it's what kids want. 'A' is only 2.5ish and he can't use this structure to it's full extent, but there were things he could do and things to strive towards and he was very excited.



There is the usual double big kid, double toddler swing combo and there is one picnic table next to the playground though I am sure there must be more around in this pretty park. I didn't see washrooms but assume that the Y has some. There are lots of trees to find shade under and lovely rolling grassy areas that would be perfect for those not afraid of renegade beetles to roll down.

Sundance Elementary School Playground

Sundance Elemantary School playground is on Bank Street tucked between Leighton and Oak Bay Ave, and it's awesome. Old-School Awesome. If you don't like old-school, don't even think about going there because I'm pretty sure that there has been no new equipment here this side of the eighties, possibly even the seventies. This playground could be right out of my childhood, except that it's on sand, woodchips and grass rather than concrete.

It may be old, but it's in great condition. It's design and look are outdated but it's not that faded-in-the-sun outdated that you see in the plastic playgrounds around town. before we go any further, this is a playground where you need to watch your little kids more closely because it was not designed with the safety features that we are used to today, and frankly, I am on the fence about whether this is a good or bad thing.



The playground has many features. The ones that immediately catch the eye are the three metal climbing frames- one rocket ship, one dome and one square cube-ish-laddery one. There is also a main log and metal climbing structure- which is probably the newest part of the playground. In my excitement to photograph the other features, I completely neglected to get photos of this one- but it's is plain, solid and has a few frills, climbing bars, a pole and a double metal slide. There are two toddler swings, two big kid swings, a swinging trapeze-like bar and swinging Olympic-style rings.




If that is not enough, there are some odd extras that you don't notice straight away. For a start, there is a long jump feature- a concrete running path with a sandpit at the end which I tried out several times before coming to the conclusion that flat slip-on shoes are not conducive to long jumps. Then, there are the strange little poles with balls on the end that I think must be for leap-frogging. However, there are 8 of them all in an-almost square and it makes me wonder if the school once had a leapfrog team that did mass group leapfrogging displays.



There are no public facilities in this playground but there are good grassy areas to play on, decent shade, nice rocky outcrops to scramble and climb on and if you like the old-school equipment then this is your dream playground.

Beacon Hill Park Playground- Victoria

Beacon Hill Park offers a fabulous collection of things to do and see including beautiful gardens, fountains, a performance stage, a petting zoo and about one million ducks. Right in the middle of the park, where Chestnut Row and Bridge Way meet there is a great playground. Now, it's worth mentioning here that I have avoided this playground until now because like Beckwith and Tulista and the Juan de Fuca Rotary, it is one of the city's favourites and I like to think that I'm on side with the underdogs- hence visiting Beacon Hill's other playground on Cook Street frequently. Well, our trip to Beacon Hill's central playground the other day proved that old theory that favourites are favourites for a good reason.

There are two main structures here- big kid and little kid, all on woodchips. The big kid side has a good assortment of things to climb up and down and a couple of towers linked by bridges. There are two slides; a short curved metal slide and a higher metal curly slide- both of which were almost too hot to ride when we were there- but we can only hope that that stays- right? There is a plastic fake rock wall at one end which 'A' loved climbing up.


The smaller kid side was really hard to photograph because of all the children, but it has two small linked towers and again two metal slides a short double one and a medium height metal one- both straight. There are a bunch of good bouncy things- a metal climbing frame car and two big kid swings/ two toddler swings. Plus.....there is a cement circle that has a water feature- this wasn't on when we were there but I will try to find out the times.

There are fabulous facilities there too: Picnic tables and a covered picnic table, washrooms, drinking fountain, parking nearby and there is even a creepy building behind the playground that might once have been the washrooms but is not all locked up.

Just to show that it is human- this playground is subject to the usual graffiti tags- but in true West Coast style, the tag scrawled on the back on the climbing frame car reads 'Honk for Hemp'.

Bright Angel Park Playground- Cowichan Vally

You can find Bright Angel Provincial Park on the Koksilah Road between Cobble Hill and Duncan. Drive as far as you can get into the park and you'll reach a parking area where there are picnic facilities, washrooms, a suspension bridge and oddly enough, a playground. It's a far cry from the playgrounds that we normally review......well.....for a start it's a far cry from anywhere. But there is a lovely quality about a forest clearing, shafts of sun leaking through the leafy ceiling, soft pad of packed dirt and woodchips under feet and the primal screaming of thirty teenagers playing on the equipment.

Sadly enough, I couldn't get good pictures of anything here except for the climbing frame above. The equipment is pretty old but I wouldn't expect anything else somewhere like here. There is a crazy set of old-school wooden and metal seesaws- four of them in a row joined together. There are six swings, two toddler and the rest big kid and a funny thing about the toddler swings is that they are hung so low that 'A' might of climbed in himself if he hadn't been clinging to us in fear of the teenagers. Because they are so low, they actually have the capacity to swing really high- that's if you don't mind bending down to push them.

There is also....drum roll...a roundabout- which I just found out is called a merry-go-round in Canada (I'm British originally) which sort of negates my entire naming of this site- but I guess it's far too late to change that now. The roundabout is an old metal thing and kept us entertained for a while watching the teenagers spin each other round faster and faster until someone flew off and limped off.

There is a lot to explore in Bright Angel Park and though the playground will never be famed for it's innovative and shiny equipment, I am sure any child would have a lot of fun here.

Saseenos Elementary School Playground- Sooke

Saseenos Elementary School is on the Sooke Road just east of Sooke and the mere sight of their playground sent our preschooler 'A' into a tizzy. "Stop!" he shouted from the car as we drove past "I NEED to play". Never ones to cave to orders from the back seat, we drove on and had to listen to whining for the subsequent couple of hours until we drove back on our way home.

This playground is probably a toddlers dream set-up with it's sprawling landscape of ramps, low-level climbing features and activity walls. I just tried to list an inventory of all the features on this wonderful structure but honestly, there is too much to describe. There is a double plastic slide, a higher metal slide from a tower that has several climbing options for the kids to get up.


When we were there it was completely deserted but I could picture it in action with fifty kids running around happily. There are six big kid swings- no toddler swings and the base is woodchips. There is a playing field next to it and the backside of the playground has thick trees behind it's fence. There is a picnic bench but because it's a school and out of bounds for the public during school time, there are no additional facilities to use on weekends. Of course, there is no fighting for parking when school is out and the only thing that I could fault about this playground would be the proximity to a busy road, but it's well fenced off.

Sooke Elementary School Playground

Sooke Elementary School Playground is located on the Sooke Road between Charters and Church, and as with all school playgrounds is off-limits to the public during school hours.

So...during off hours there is no competition for parking, but there are also no facilities open. The playground itself has four big kid swings set slightly away from the main climbing structure. The structure itself is big and offers many climbing up, climbing down and hanging off options. There is a high metal slide and a lower double metal slide and it's all on a bed of woodchips. There is a bench but no shade for those hot days.




This playground has some nice details on it but apart from that there is nothing extraordinary about it- saying that, it's pretty good, and if, like us you're on your way home from a day out in Sooke, it's a good place to stop and play to ensure your little ones sleep all the way home!

Lafayette Park Playground

The people who live around the tiny little Lafayette Park are lucky. It's a nice quiet area with well-kept houses and the sea is near. There is a country village green feeling to the park which makes me think that if you added a cricket match, cucumber sandwiches and a country pub, everything would be complete. Instead of that dream scenario, there is a sweet little playground.

On a circular bed of woodchips, this playground features one climbing structure that has an assortment of things to climb up and down. It has a fun triple bumpy plastic slide, one bouncy animal and a pudding basin. There are no swings and it's hard to rate a playground like this because it's a bonus to have the playground, which is in great shape, there at all. When rating, I try to look at overall facilities and condition and who it caters to and this little gem is really one of those that everything is right with, nothing should be any different but it just isn't going to score that highly because there's not a lot of it.

There is parking on Hampshire Road, lots of grass to play on, picnic tables and there are even nice details on the underside of the slides. For those that like a good old fashioned explore, there is a hole in the hedge that 'A' was somewhat preoccupied with.....and considering his current fear of beetles, ants, loud noises, quiet noises, tiny little gusts of wind and anything that looks like a worm, I didn't encourage him to go in there so can't comment on what's inside.

Queens Ave Playground

There are two playgrounds alongside of George Jay School on Cook Street. One belongs to them and is in serious need of an overhaul. The other is in the grassy park at the dead end of Queens just East of Cook St. and contrary to what most people think, this bigger playground doesn't belong to George Jay.

The playground on Queens has the usual double big kid, double toddler swing combination and then it has two climbing structures, a sprawling one with ramps ('A's favourite) and a small sort of slide tower with double plastic slides, all over a woodchip base. The larger structure has lots of things to climb up, run down and it spans several platforms all joined in one way or other- and a plastic slide.

And, stop the clocks.......this playground has a roundabout too! It's a bit beaten up and it looks really old-school, but it goes around and around and I get that feeling that I'm about to throw up. The roundabout is about the most interesting thing here, though this playground is near to our house and we actually quite like it. It's worn and although it is almost never empty it never seems to have many people using it either, though during school breaks it is probably covered in school-kids and the poor school first-aid room must get regular casualties who received rope burns from their first and last attempt at using the rope as a fireman pole.

Beacon Hill Park (Cook St) Playground

Beacon Hill Park has two playgrounds, one near the beloved petting zoo and the other on Cook Street just south of Cook St Village.

The Cook Street playground is a prime example of a playground that is much loved, much used but that isn't going to score too highly because frankly, it's worn out. Before I start to get hate mail I should say that Beacon Hill Park is a lovely park and a fabulous resource to have in the middle of a city so I feel bad knocking it.

The playground is split into two parts for big and little kids. The side for smaller children is on a bed of sand and features a double set of swings- toddler and big kid, a climbing structure with two metal slides, a tunnel and a bouncy horse. When it was built, there is no doubt that this was an excellent structure but it's past its best and the slides are worn, the plastic sidings are faded and tatty and the metal has rusty parts. 'A' seems to prefer the big kid side in this playground but he is right on the edge between wanting things his size and the thrill-seeking of a climb on something that is a little too big for him.

The big kid side, which is on woodchips, is an older wooden structure in about the same condition. It features a ramp with rope to climb up, various other climbing places, a bridge, some things to hang from and, believe me here, the most static-y slide you will ever come across. Heed my warning, when you pick up your excited toddler from this rather fast yellow plastic slide, you will hear a loud crack, your child's hair will stand on end and your fingers will go numb for a brief moment.

On the big kid side there are also swings, a frail-looking seesaw and along with the picnic tables, water fountain and grassy areas, this playground, although in need of a face lift is almost never empty.

Beckwith Park Playground/ Frog Pond - Saanich

Funnily enough, you can find Beckwith Park Playground in Beckwith park on Beckwith Ave. This wonderful Saanich Playground was re-done recently and is hard to fault.

The Playground is in a couple of parts. There is a big kid structure that is joined to a smaller kids structure and a separate activity area with lots of things to climb or run through, twist, push, shout into etc. In this separate activity area, there is also a mock ships bow which seems popular with the little kids and 'A' got right on the seat there and started barking out orders to the crew.

The whole playground is brand-spanking new and the main structures feature a ton of climbing options, a double high metal slide on the big kid side, a double lower metal slide on the smaller kid side and lots of activity features scattered throughout. There is also a wavy slide thing, which I am still not sure is for going up or down on. 'A' went up it, but I saw someone come down and it looked painful to me but the child didn't seem to mind. There are lots of other 'things' for which I have no names, for climbing and playing on- far too many to photograph.

There are four swings: two big kid, one toddler and one therapeutic. If I was going to pick faults I would say that for how popular this playground is, there could be more swings. The whole playground rests on a bed of woodchips and there is a lot of grass in the park itself to run around on. If you add in the Frog Pond water park, which is buddied up next to the playground, then this park is hard to beat. There are picnic tables, benches, parking, a washroom block and the whole place has been landscaped nicely.



Frog Pond hours below- click to enlarge the picture.

Rotary Park Playground

Rotary Park is more commonly called the Dinosaur park and you can find it behind the Juan de Fuca Rec Centre on the Westshore. I had received lots of requests to put up some playgrounds that were further afield than Victoria City and so when a friend suggested we go to her favourite playground I leaped at the chance.

I originally gave this playground a 9.5/10 but have decided to change it to 10/10. I don't really see how they could obviously improve it. For a start, there is parking and a multitude of great facilities, including washrooms at the rec centre. Secondly, there is a great grassy area right next to the playground which our children rolled the entire way down and so I got some exercise piggybacking 'A' back up the hill- otherwise I would just have stood gossiping to my friend!

Thirdly, the playground itself is so well thought-out that whoever designed it deserves a pat on the back. It's pretty new but it isn't just flashy. It seems to combine new, good quality features with good old favourites, such as the two-lane track that circles the playground, old school metal digger-machines, and a magnificent tunnel. There are two parts to the playground, smaller and bigger but both halves could suit all ages as we saw in action. All of this is on a bed of good old woodchips.

In all there are eight swings. Five big kid, two toddler and one therapeutic swing. There are four slides on the smaller kid structure, one of which is a double and there are two slides on the bigger structure, one of which also is a double so all in all that makes eight slides! For the picky out there, I think that is three metal and the rest plastic. There is a plastic 'mountain' style climbing wall, a free standing actual climbing wall a bouncy dinosaur and (nice touch here) even a dinosaur fossil underneath the mountain wall. The tunnel is what kids want- long and fat and 'A' giggled his way through it. There are loads of things to climb up, to hang off and oh my, there is even a mini sliding rail though parents beware- I think I need to see my chiropractor after trying that out. What? I know, I know...I am over 12 years old......but if I am doing a review, surely you want me to test the equipment-right?

As a parent I am always trying to carefully balance the need to protect my kids with the need for them to learn for themselves, and this blog really isn't the place to debate how far parents need to supervise their children etc. Rotary Park Playground is surrounded by bushes some of which have pretty steep trails down from. If you had a child that was inclined to run headfirst into things, you might find yourself having to be extra vigilant around some of those bush paths- which may or may not add to your enjoyment of this fabulous playground.

MacDonald Park Playground - 9/10

Yesterday we had our first visit to MacDonald Park which is officially on Ladysmith Street but for the sake of ease I'll say it's at Simcoe and Oswego in James Bay. It definitely helped that it was sunny and after the long winter people were taking full advantage of the chance to get outdoors, but this park scores on the feel of it's location. As soon as we arrived there was the feeling of community - people were happy, smiling and there was a faint buzz of summer in the air.

As I have mentioned before, A loves ramps. MacDonald Park Playground has this incredibly long wooden climbing structure which is low- probably aimed at the smaller children- and has ramps and a funky wavy ramp. A was all a-twitter with excitement and ran up and down for some time before we could even get him to consider the`rest of the playground. When he did, we found balancing beams that connected the two parts of the wooden structure, the second half of which has steps up to two slides- one metal, one plastic curly, which do not patronize their small users as many small kid slides do.

Between the wooden structure and the colourful metal climbing area for the big kids, there are a row of six big kid swings. The big kid area features a ton of climbing options, a tube thing that can be climbed up or slid down and a high metal slide. There is a climbing wall and the whole thing is on woodchips! There are fences to protect kids from the road.

MacDonald Park is well-kept and has a snack bar on the opposite side to the playground and presumably washrooms too, though I didn't see them. So to sum up, nice location, great climbing structures, swings and slides and lots of grass to run around on. You might ask where it loses the point (9/10)....well, if I am being picky- which is what this blog is about, then it lacks any imaginative features- it's good old climbing frames, swings and slides at their best.