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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The Whole Worls Is Our Playground - Park Review Lithuania Playground

It's summer time!  This hopefully means less work and more play for everyone (me included), which will also mean more kid focused content in the coming weeks!  

This weekend we decided to explore a park near our home that has just been redone.

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 .

Park Name:

Lithuana Park

In the West end of Toronto off of Keele Street, just a short walk from Keele Subway 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:

Big Green, Play Machine

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 kids between 5-12 years old, but there are smaller play structures designed for smaller kids.  

This was the favourite piece of equipment for both Molly and Jack

Best Parts of the Park:

This park has a variety of equipment under ample shade coverage.   There are a fair number of swings including an accessible swing.  The park has a brand new splash pad which is nice, although very basic.  As a parent my favourite part of the park is that there is a great vantage point if you have multiple kids who want to play in other areas or structures.  There are some picnic benches. Both Molly and Jack agreed that their favourite part was climbing the tall spiderweb climber.  In the winter this park has an excellent toboggan hill.

How Long My Kids Stayed to Play:

We were at the park for an hour and 15 minutes, and we, the parents were the ones to pull the plug.  The kids would have easily stayed another half hour.

Downfalls:

Call me old fashioned but I miss some of the old fashioned wading pools, even though I know they require staff from the city.  This splash pad was basic, but nice for cooling off quickly  There is no washroom at this park.

Overall Rating:

I would rate this playground a 4.0 out of 5.  The kids loved all the different structures to play on, and the shade of the trees was perfect for picnicking together.  In addition to being subway accessible you are also walking distance from a Tim Hortons so you can have a coffee while your kids play.  If you want to take your kids for a treat to cool off there is also a Dairy Queen just east along Bloor, as well as a 7-11 for Slushies.

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.

To get access to the newest posts from Multiple Momstrosity and more on Facebook click here and follow today

Follow Multiple Momstrosity on Twitter @Sarabethbug

The Whole World is Our Playground: Exploring Lithuania Park

I've been fortunate enough to have a lot of time to explore the city with the minions this summer and last week was no exception.  We've been driving by Lithuania park for years, often admiring the perfectly kid sized toboggan hill there, and even though it's summer time we decided to go check things out.

The secure (yet wobbly bridge)

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 .

Park Name:

Lithuania Park

155 Oakmount Road (Keele and Glenlake, just north of Bloor)

Parking:

This park has a lot of local street parking and is also just an eight minute walk away from Keele Subway Station according to Google Maps, but I think it's even a little bit closer.

Theme of Park:

Classic playground, with ample green space for non-playground activities. 

Ground Coverage:

The playground itself has a dirt ground covering and the surrounding area is quite grassy.

We're slowly growing confident little climbers!

Variety of Equipment for different ages:

This playground is another one that is specifically geared to younger kids with one climber in particular dedicated to kids aged one to five.  There are some big kid swings, a see-saw and a variety of slides.  There is also so much space around in the valley (between the road and the playground equipment) for older kids to play a variety of sports. 

Best Parts of the Park:

This park itself has great shade coverage and has ample room to play away from the road.  It also has a basic wading pool that kids can enjoy on summer days.  The line of sight here for parents watching kids of various ages is fantastic and means lower stress for caregivers who want to enjoy some shade and a little coffee.  Molly liked the bridge and sandbox best while Jack (as usual) loved the wading pool.

An easy way to cool off on a hot day!

Downfalls:

This park is geared towards younger kids, but this can be easily remedied by bringing some sports equipment for older kids to play with on the ample sized lawn.  Part way through our play the local camp came by and took over the playground, and things got a little crowded.  There is nothing innovative or new here to play with, but not every park has to have a gimmick.

Molly frolicking in the field around the playground

Overall Rating:

I would rate this park a 3.5 out of 5.  It's local and would be a wonderful place to attend if I were better prepared with a picnic and a soccer ball or other games to play nearby.  I am going to have this location on the top of our list for tobogganing come winter 2016!

To find 10 more free splash pads around the city to beat the heat click here


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The Whole World is Our Playground: Chestnut Hills Park

We drive past this playground every time we visit my parents.  In the colder months the minions began to ask about it and we promised them we'd take them when it was nicer outside.  

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.

Park Name:

Chestnut Hills Park -  Islington Avenue and Dundas Street West

Parking:

There is street parking nearby available on Chestnut Hills Parkway (which runs parallel to Islington avenue).  This Park is a 20 minute walk from Islington Subway station, or you can take the Islington bus to the corner of Islington and Dundas Street and walk from there.

The Climbers at Chestnut Hills Park

Theme of Park:

Traditional suburban playground.

Ground Coverage:

Wood Chips surrounded by grassy areas.

Variety of Equipment for different ages:

There is some great equipment for older kids here with limited stuff for very young toddlers.  This small park is situated, without fences, very close to a major roadway so you'd particularly have to watch little ones who tend to wander.

Best Parts of the Park:

Molly really liked the "castle" with the bridge play structure, where Jack was drawn to the giant mouthed cat for hiding and playing.  

The "castle" bridge

Downfalls:

This park is only convenient to us because of it's proximity to my parents house and has very limited shaded areas on the physical playground - bring sunscreen.  As we were leaving my parents house to head to the park my mom mentioned that she had visited a few years back with my niece and my brother.  She said that the park was fun, but they ended up in a battle of wills over hand holding on their way to the playground, as it's near a very busy road, and that it was twenty minutes on site before my niece would hold hands and was allowed to go to the park to play. On our way to the park Jack ran towards a car while we were walking over and spent the majority of the time we were visiting in time-out, watching Molly play from the sidelines.  Apparently bad behaviour at this park is somewhat of a family tradition.  The wood chipped areas means that it isn't a very accessible playground, there is a drinking fountain but no splash pad.

Jackie's favourite part of the playground.

Overall Rating:

This park is a nice treat to anyone who it's convenient to get to, however I'd never go out of my way to travel here.  I'd rate it 3.0/5.0, but if it were around the corner, we'd probably picnic and play here very frequently during the warm weather.

To read a review of a west end Toronto playground with a splash pad click here.

To get access to the newest posts from Multiple Momstrosity and more on Facebook click here and follow today!

The Whole World is Our Playground: Perth Square Park

On the long weekend we decided to explore a park a little closer to home, in hopes of avoiding some gridlock and getting more time at the park.

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.

Park Name:

Perth Square Park (Junction Triangle) -  Four blocks east of Dupont Street and Dundas Street West

Parking:

There is street parking nearby at no cost.  The 40 Junction Bus (which often runs every eight to ten minutes) will drop you four blocks away from the park.

Theme of Park:

Traditional playground.

Ground Coverage:

Sand and cement surrounding by grassy areas.

Variety of Equipment for different ages:

There is some great equipment for kids of all ages here.  On the other side of the playground is Perth Avenue Junior Public school which has a schoolyard featuring permanent hockey nets for anyone who wants to play a game of pickup instead of regular playground fare.

Best Parts of the Park:

This park is a little off the beaten path and has been somewhat forgotten, meaning it's not overcrowded and your kids will have the choice of whatever equipment they want.  The playground also features an "old school" spinner that I haven't seen anywhere since I was a kid.  There is good shade coverage and a basic splash pad.

 Jack on the spinner.

Playing at the Splash Pad.

Downfalls:

This isn't the prettiest playground, but it has a wide variety of different activities for any kids.  The older equipment and sanded areas means that it isn't a very accessible playground.

Overall Rating:

This park was a surprising find.  I had very little expectation for this great hidden gem that I was almost reluctant to share (cause I'm greedy like that), but parks are for playing and this one is a find! I'd rate it 4.0/5.0 - mainly because there was a lot of variety of things to do and the kids had their pick of any item on the playground with no waiting.

To read my review of a park in Roncesvalles Village click here

The Whole World is Our Playground: Fairfield Park

It was a beautiful weekend and we were fortunate enough to get a lot of outdoor time with the little ones.  On Saturday, as a break from some errands in the west end of the city, we decided to check out Fairfield Park.

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.

Park Name:

Fairfield Park (90 Lothian Avenue) - Near Islington and Bloor

Parking:

There is limited street parking at no cost on weekends.  This park is highly transit accessible and a 13 minute stroll from Islington Subway Station. 

Theme of Park:

This park was, until recently, a vacant lot that was simply used as a green space.  In 2010 the Toronto District School Board wanted to sell it for eight million dollars.  Thanks to vocal members of the community the park is now a real playground characterised by bright neon colours (reminiscent of Miami Vice). 

Ground Coverage:

Large wood chips.  Surrounded by green area.

Variety of Equipment for different ages:

This is a great playground for younger kids.  I'd say ideal for kids six and under.  For older kids, maybe bring some badminton rackets, a Frisbee or soccer ball so you can enjoy some of the green space around the playground and keep everyone entertained.

Best Parts of the Park:

There are two unique play structures (or castles as Molly likes to call them) both with slides.  The park is also equipped with a small splash pad with a giant palm tree and butterfly that spray water in the summer months.  There is a raised sandbox with a handful of toys, but you're probably best suited to bring your own shovel and bucket.

Downfalls:

The equipment is modern and nice, but there isn't a ton of variety.  While there are very small trees planted in the area there is very little shade coverage anywhere around the playground or splash pad.  Even with re-applying sunscreen I could see little faces turning pink after only half an hour and we had to call it a day.  The kids were starting to get bored (especially with the splash pad not active) and didn't object much. 

Overall Rating:

This is a great local park to unwind at, particularly if you live in the area and have younger kids.  Just remember to bring sunblock and hats, even on an over-cast day! 3.0/5.

To read my review of west end Lakeshore area Marie Curtis Park click here.

To read my review of west end Jeff Healey Park click here.

To read my review from downtown park KEW Gardens click here.

To get access to the newest posts from Multiple Momstrosity and more on Facebook click here and follow today!