7-21-11

palms park

• location: 5 stars (although in lakewood, it's on the eastern part, so just below cerritos; across from artesia hs)
• fun-factor: 5 stars (a different playground set maker...quite cool. read on...)

lots of units that spun, like this one. not sure if this is how you're supposed to sit/ride on it, but this is what the boys did.

[oh. apparently this could have a center piece that you hold onto and spin around. this simpler version probably works for younger kids.]

kind of looks like a satellite dish, don't you think? this netted unit spun around as well. dashiell really liked this one. brennan would go in too, but only for one spin. (same with the above. one spin only.)

this set was geared for 5-12 yrs, so some parts were hard, if not impossible, for these little ones to climb. this one here is a unique slide. not quite like the one at willow (it had ridges and wasn't smooth/slick) and it wobbled a bit!

[aah. not a slide. but rather a 'rocking tube'. supposed to balance on it, standing, all the way down. yep. for older kids!]

beyond the set pictured above, was a more traditional looking playset, with a really fast, twisty slide.

dashiell had fun posing and making silly faces for me today. not sure why he kept giving me the thumbs up. he actually *wasn't* upset here or anything, he was just being silly.

not just any rock climbing wall...but a two-sided one!

as time wore on, dashiell got a bit more daring and tried to climb more on his own

the tot lot area had a gate around it (designed for 2-5 yrs) but we quickly discovered just how ineffective the gate is. the boys rarely went through the opening in the gate; they went THROUGH the gate instead.

while i was sitting with bren in the tot lot, dashiell stayed out on the other side, playing on his own.

see the chain that dashiell is standing on? a picture of it is below...it has these little plastic pieces in between the chains...presumably so you can't get your fingers caught in them and to prevent the chain from twisting/turning too much? quite cool.

[ooh. apparently called 'anti-pinch plugs']

so i noticed the set is made by "kompan" and is made in denmark.

we've never seen this playset at any other park yet. very cool.

this page shows most of this playset.

this is called a 'climber grip' below.

their playsets highlight the addition of 'spinner bearings' to create a whole new level of excitement for the kids.

here's a bunch of pictures, just of dashiell this time =)

7-20-11

we were actually headed over to oak knoll park this morning, but the lawn mowers and leaf blowers were in full force over there...maybe getting ready for football practice to start on those fields in a week.

so we detoured and headed over to cedar glen park, which i took matthew once long ago (when he was 6 or 7 or so, maybe?) it's adjacent to the boys and girls club.

cedar glen park

• location: 4 stars (nice, but right next to moody. too much traffic, too close for my taste)
• fun-factor: 4 stars (the big rope climbing thing was fun for dashiell. kids filed out of there later on, so there were lots of other kids to play with)

i was surprised and proud of how dashiell attempted to climb.

i couldn't stay long though (15 min?) because i had an appointment at the district at 9am.

so mom stayed with them the whole time.

they were supposed to make a stop back at heritage (which was our original choice for the day, but (1) the island doesn't open till 10am, and dashiell said, "i only want to do if we can go on the island" and (2) they were mowing the grass and blowing the leaves). they did NOT make the trip there because dashiell, unfortunately could not be GOOD on the trip from one park to the other. he kept hitting brenny the whole way. =(

7-19-11

passed by this park on woodruff for years and always referred to it (in my head, silently) as the airplane park. dashiell said it needs to be called the jet park, though.

del valle park

• location: 4 stars (close, in a bit from the street, lots of trees and benches. tot lot section has covered section and is fenced off)
• fun-factor: 4 stars (5 rocking 'horses', a giant little tikes fire engine)

the bigger-kid playground
in the tot lot playground

7-18-11

it's been a while since we've been here...

willow park

• location: 4 stars (close, but only street parking)
• fun-factor: 3 stars (for older kids, with the climbing and rope stuff)

a slide with no sides...you have to put your legs on either side then slide down. a little scary!
mommy duck and her ducklings

7-17-11

bowling with nana

serious bowler
checking out the new system

i <3 dad

7-16-11

visiting the new library at pretend city

dashiell found a lego city construction story to read
members-only storytime again...this time it's if you give a mouse a cookie! yay!
dashiell played dress-up a little today =)


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later in the afternoon, we had a tear-free haircut for both kids...actually all the boys. i cut derek and matt's hair when we got home.

7-15-11

playtime once again...but nana stayed home because the house is getting cleaned this a.m. =D

so we headed to the park just south of the one we were at yesterday. It is a little bigger than the other one...with TWO playsets, one for bigger kids, and the other smaller.

Maple Grove Park South, Cypress

• location: 4 stars (shelter with shade and seating right there next to playground)
• fun-factor: 4.5 stars (nice, quiet, excellent rock climbing features, clean)

there's a pair or double sidewinder slides
this rock climbing wall was their favorite. different design, with a plastic coated chain along the middle to help climb. dashiell was fine with it, but it only served to hinder brennan. i had to hold it off to the side a little so he could climb up without it getting in his way.
it wasn't until his 3rd try did he make it all the way up without giving up (the first two times he had the chain, unused, in between his arms and legs. not comfy.)

the two of them raced up and then down the slide about 10 times straight. huffing and puffing at the end, too!
another climber, like at la mirada regional, but bigger, i think.
the smaller play set. still fun!

there was a sand box area on the side, with half-wet sand (from the sprinklers, i think) and they spent at least 15 min straight just playing in it. no sand toys, no shovels. just their hands, digging, scooping, and rearranging.

7-14-11, part 1

the plan was to head to atlantis play park in gg today...but i didn't pay attention to their website that states they don't open till 10am. =/

so we were there at 8:30, and went ahead and just played in the two open playgrounds...

but then it started to sprinkle....

garden grove park

• location: 2.5 stars (not that close, and the sand was pretty dirty)
• fun-factor: 2 stars (an older playground...nothing fancy at all.)

...off to the smaller playground...

notice the hoodies are up...getting a bit wet out there!
so we decided to head home.

but as we got closer, it seemed to subside a little, and mom wanted to stop by and check out this park on orangewood (in cypress) near where someone she knows lives...

we found maple grove north park tucked in the neighborhood...

(maple grove south park is across the street, and a bit bigger playground it looks like...we will head there tomorrow)

maple grove north

• location: 4 stars (far end of cypress, but still close. tucked in a nice neighborhood and clean. shelter with park benches right next to playground.)
• fun-factor: 4 stars (nice rock climbing wall, cool 3-person slide, fun 'netted' ladder climbing thingy)

a slide for THREE people! whee!

(notice i have a baby blanket wrapped around me...i forgot my jacket at home. oops.)


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lesson learned from the last few days...keep pair of crocs in the car for sandy playgrounds.

we already learned from before to just keep sand toys in trunk and to always bring 2 towels to wipe off water/dew before playing. drinks and wipes were always a given. =)

with the cool, cloudy mornings of late, we've had jackets stored in the car too. can't believe it's mid-july and we're wearing jackets!