The Whole World Is Our Playground - Ravina Gardens

In order to prevent the kids from vegging out in front of TV 24-7 on summer days with me I try and get at least a little time with nature.  Another playground in our area has recently undergone renovation - and now has a brand new splash pad and wading pool, so I packed up the kids and Ted Theodore Logan (our dog) and walked over.

My park review disclaimer: If you don't live in the area I hope you enjoy the pics and can use some of the ideas to inspire and explore in your own city. If you have any recommendations for great playgrounds (or new criteria I haven't thought of) please post a comment on this post or email me at multiplemomstrosity @ gmail.com .

A small but sweet splashpad under shady cover

Park Name:

Ravina Gardens Park 290 Clendenan Avenue

In the West end of Toronto, an 11 minute walk from High Park Station

Parking:

There is some free parking on the side streets, just be wary of the school limited parking hours on weekdays, during the school year. 

Theme of Park:

Shady Oasis

Ground Coverage:

The playground has ample shade coverage and has soft wood chips to cushion any kid related falls, along with wide expanses of grass to play on.

Variety of Equipment for different ages:

Most equipment is designed for younger kids (three to eight years old), with smaller, but interesting climbers.  The splash pad has both a wading pool and sprinkler style water play area (something nearly unheard of in Toronto nowadays) and is perfect for toddlers and little kids alike.  

Enjoying the spinner (not sure the formal thing for this equipment)

Best Parts of the Park:

This park has a variety of equipment under ample shade coverage and so many shaded seats for parents, kids, and picnics (including umbrellaed areas by the splashpad).  There are more benches than I've seen in any park of this size.  There is a station to fill up your water bottle and a Portopotty for kids who need to use the facilities.  The park features several swings, including a wheelchair accessible one, and a clubhouse style play structure.  If you sit near the centre of the park you can view children playing at both the splashpad and the climbers. Molly says her favourite part of the park was the spinner structure, where she and a few kids worked to spin around, while Jack loved the new splashpad, and the ease that he could run from the splashpad to the wading pool.

How Long My Kids Stayed to Play:

We were at the park for just over an hour and left because the kids were hungry for lunch. We could have stayed a lot longer, particularly if we'd brought some other toys to play with (or a picnic lunch). 

Downfalls:

A couple of bigger, more challenging play structures would be good to allow older kids to play with a challenge.  Because this park is on a side street it's not really near any food or convenience stores unless you're willing to walk at least ten minutes away.

Overall Rating:

I would rate this playground a 3.5 out of 5, mostly because I think my kids are going to 'age out' of this park within a year or so (but man would I have loved this place had it been built a couple of years ago).  

Plenty of space for Ted & I to hang out while the kids play

To view my playground review of the playground with the boat (Vermont Square) click here.

To view my playground review of Pricefield Road Playground click here.

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