Kerrisdale’s Play Palace – cheap, summer fun for kids

 Playgrounds
May 242011
 

Kerrisdale Play Palace Bouncer  Kerrisdale Play Palace Bouncer  Kerrisdale Play Palace Bouncer  

I’m happy to say that, my beloved Play Palace is open for business. Every year around May, they remove the ice from the Kerrisdale Arena and start inflating…some FUN!

This venue is the perfect place to beat the heat (or get out of the rain…depending on how the summer goes). This year, a new array of bouncy fun has been added to the menu. No longer do kids have to jump on equipment that is skilfully held together by the almighty duct tape. Four new pieces of bouncy equipment “light” up the space. An obstacle course with slide, a pirate-themed bouncer with slide, a super duper slide structure with a central staircase and 4 slides, plus a very cute bouncer for the preschool area…another pirate theme (I guess there was a sale on pirates…what’s a princess to do?). The changes are fantastic.

I wonder if they will rotate any of the older items into the line-up (supposedly, they’re still in storage). The only item I will miss is the big, yellow, tube-like apparatus. Kids would climb up a tube, enter a transparent “bubble” and slide out the other side. Now that’s fun and unique (and reminiscent of a gerbil habitat I had as a kid). If bouncers don’t do it for your child, direct them toward the foosball tables, PlasmaCars or playhouses.

After an energetic play session, you can head to one of the Little Tike plastic picnic tables near the entrance to eat your packed lunch or…do what I do…walk out the front door and veer left 20 paces and go to McDonalds…shameful but true.

If you are thinking of making the Play Palace part of your routine, consider purchasing a “10 ticket strip“. It will save you $8 on 10 visits for a preschooler.

Thank you Play Palace and my very, very fair son thanks you too…we’ll be seeing you a lot in August!

Play Palace Drop-in Schedule
Open 7 days per week between May 2-September 1, 2011

All Statutory Holidays – July 1 (Canada Day) & Aug 1 (BC Day)
Open from 9:30-1:30pm only for all ages play

Kerrisdale Cyclone Taylor Arena
5670 East Boulevard Vancouver, BC
(Corner of East Boulevard and 41st, behind McDonalds)
Phone: 604-257-8121

Richmond playground unexpected in more ways than one

 Playgrounds
Aug 232010
 

Things did not start off well on Sunday.

As we walked along the new seawall towards the Richmond Oval, I realized I’d left my beloved cup of coffee on the bumper of the car. Drat! Let it go, Andrea…breathe.

I’d never explored this part of Richmond, not even during the Olympics. Even though the seawall was unfinished (paths still gravel, construction equipment ready and waiting nearby and landscaping incomplete), the path was surprisingly neat, clean and inviting.

Overhead a variety of float planes, standard planes and helicopters made their decent into Vancouver International Airport. The constant stream of planes was a hit with Caden as was a little playground we stumbled upon.

This gem is along the seawall right beside the UBC Boathouse at 7277 River Road.  I’ve never seen play apparatus like this. It looked like a tug boat and when you got close enough to trip the sensors it made noise: seals, whales, bells, a horn, and seagulls. How cool is that?  There were 2 nifty slides plus 2 ever-important steering wheels. We liked playing here…this little tug definitely fired our imaginations.

Eventually, we continued on to the Olympic Oval, wandered around the exterior and then entered through the front doors. The lady at the desk gave us a handout so we could take a walking tour around the outside of the building. We could have taken a 45 minute walking tour of the inside of the building ($7 per person) but alas nap time was upon us.  You can explore the building yourself for free before 9:00am or after 3:00pm daily. What an amazing facility with lots of programs for kids. The fall schedule looks pretty cool (martial arts, basketball, skating, etc…).

Upon returning to the car, I found my coffee sitting on the bumper waiting for me, so I took a swig. Ahhhh….the perfect temperature…well…no, not really, but cold coffee is better than no coffee. Looks like it turned out to be a pretty good morning after all.

Mosquito Creek Park: much better than it sounds

 Playgrounds
Aug 182010
 

   

Ok…so the name isn’t going to win any prizes but the park is nifty. You’d never guess that this lovely little park with woodsy trails is just a “hop, skip and a jump” from Capilano Mall and Marine Drive in North Vancouver. The locals were friendly and our new playmate helped us make a mud-pie birthday cake with stick candles. The playground is mini and geared towards younger kids that like to climb, but is was fun.

So, if you find yourself drving around North Vancouver one day with a kid strapped in your vehicle pushing your buttons (it’s the shrieking that sends me). You can pull over, open the door and let your little one expel some of that pent up energy by running around Mosquito Creek Park.

P.S. I love these quaint little seats…they’re so civilized…this is where you can plant yourself. Hopefully with latte in hand.

Mosquito Creek Park
Corner of Fell Avenue and West 17th Street
North Vancouver

 Older Entries