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 =)