Taking the wheel in Fleetwood

We all want to be in charge

What is the lure of a steering wheel? Nearly every park has one, including Fleetwood Community Park, we discovered today.

 

 

Address: W. Main St., Fleetwood, PA

What’s there: On one side of the park there’s this great climbing apparatus – it’s for 5 to 12 year olds but Joey managed to find a few things to do.

 

A little too much of a challenge

He tried to climb the rock wall but ultimately used steps to get to two of the four slides. Across the park is a toddler area, which is older and not as alluring. There is a small slide and swings and what I would call monkey bars. they used to have those swinging horses but sadly those are gone. No doubt they were probably deemed an insurance or maintenance problem.

 

Nearby is a creek and a pond with LOTS of ducks and geese. At one point a little boy got a time out for wandering off towards to the pond. There is a gate but even Joey could figure out how to get past it to bridge to the pond.

It was a beautiful fall day. There was a hint of rain coming that made the air feel warmer. It made me think of The Guggenheim Grotto song, “The Universe is Laughing.” (Yes, it has a ukulele.)

October throws herself before me feet
And the sky goes powder blue
Holding her breath for me….

… Cause I want to hold onto it
But there’s nothing left to hold
And the universe is laughing
And all a boy can really do is watch a boy unfold

Watching the boy unfold

Perfect for Parkour (or at least pretending to do it)

 

Parkour!

 

Today Sarah came along with Joey. For her, it was a trip down memory lane. For Joey, it was all a little out of reach without his big sister.

Address: South Cherry and West Smith streets, Topton.

We ended up in Topton at Brandywine Bullet Park. All the years I’ve come here and I never knew its name. Sarah and Billy called it “castle park” – it’s obvious why.

 

Castle park inspires imaginations.

 

And Sarah tells me that it was her favorite because the castle-like wood structures lent themselves to her imagination. She says she thought the planks with names like “Tony’s Pizza” and “Kemp Catering” were names for sections of the playground so she used them as inspiration for her play.  The planks are actually a concrete reminder that it takes a community to build and maintain a park. The memorials were particularly poignant when you know the story behind the name, such as the one for Timothy Breidegam that was on the big steps up to a slide. More later on how Brandywine High School students have contributed to this playground as well.

 

Our chauffeur says "weee" when he drives.

 

 

What’s there: Besides the castles, there are slides and swings (bucket and sling), of course, and a sandbox. There are balance beams and ropes to climb. At one point I was

 

rope ladder

 

chasing Joey and from behind me I hear Sarah exclaim, “Parkour!” as she jumped from one plank to another. (That’s a reference to an Office episode.)

The huge tire swing is gone and so is the hand trolley. We’re hoping they aren’t gone for good and just away for repairs.

 

Joey slides with a little help

 

Sarah helped Joey so he could ride down the slides. I think the narrow steps up into wooden towers seemed a bit ominous to him. She fell once and Joey hit his head but they kept playing.

It was a beautiful fall day so Joey had to wear sneakers, which meant I was constantly chasing and tying his shoes as he wiggled away, not caring if his feet were cold. I read somewhere that Velcro shoes were not a good choice for toddlers because they undo them but I’m not sure that tie shoes are a much better choice. I’ll be glad for barefoot weather again.

Nearby: Basketball courts and a creek! Though the drought has left the creek to a trickle, it’s nice to know it is there. And just around the corner is the famous Herman’s Drive-In – where you might want to get ice cream or other fast food.

Kudos to the Brandywine High art students who rejuvenated the old pictures of kings and queens. Boo to the kids to spray-painted over some of those new paintings.

 

We especially liked the dog painting.

 

Does Oley Dairy count as a playground?

Probably not. That’s the new place we went this week. And Joey loved it. He quacked at the ducks, gawked at the goats and tentatively touched the hot wooly side of a sheep.

Not sure this deserves placement on the map or the full playground treatment. Here are some pics

 

Donkey meets Joey. 10-10-10

 

 

Oley Dairy: Joey meets the ducks.

 

 

Cow. I just like this picture.

 

 

Testing the fence

 

West Reading playground (back in the bucket)

Joey swinging in West Reading

Address: Playground and Parkview Drives, West Reading

What’s there: Two sets of swings, a nice really solid climbing apparatus with two slides and a couple of different ways to climb. I like how one of the ladders has railings. Joey wasn’t into that but it was still cool. A week of rain left puddles under some of the swings. The ground cover is wood chips so probably a little fill would remedy that.

One of the slides is bumpy and the other is a corkscrew. Joey has been hesitant to go down the corkscrew slides but today he sat at the top saying “weee, weee” and then, after coaxing, he came down backwards.

Joey heads up the bumpy slide in West Reading

Ofcourse, he got cheers from me and the mom of the little 3-year-old boy who happened to be there. I lifted the swing ban because I liked these baby bucket swings. They seemed deeper and had a lip on the back that made them a little more chair-like. Joey was very calm in it – probably because he had just awakened from a nap. So good times today in West Reading.

Nearby: This playground is at the end of a larger park (ballfields, courts, pavilions, walking track and open space) that stretches from the West Reading pool to the fire station. Bonus is that you might get to see a fire truck. And the shopping district in West Reading is nearby as is Third and Spruce sports bar.

Sturdy and climbable in West Reading

(Almost) Happy Hollow

Toddlers enjoy their play area at Happy Hollow in Wyomissing

Address: 1100 Wayne Avenue, Wyomissing

Joey and I met our friend Susie and her children Ethan, Edward and Emily at Happy Hollow playground in Wyomissing. It was late morning and the playground was bustling. It seems the way to enjoy this place is to meet up with friends because everyone kind of kept to themselves.

My only complaint is the gnat infestation left nearly every adult I saw waving madly. I saw one woman spray herself with insect repellent so at least one parent came prepared. I’m guessing the wooded area, wood chip mulch and last night’s rain made it prime for the gnats.

So, anyway …

Credit: Susie Foote

What’s there: This truly is a hollow, a playground surrounded by hills and woods (there’s a path along which Susie tells me her kids find critters like salamanders.) There are benches, a pavilion, tennis courts, a handball court and fields. we were more interested in the two sets of climbing, sliding equipment – one for toddlers and one for older kids, though I think most kids would like to play on both (with some help for the toddlers.)

There are swings – bucket and sling – a squirrel bouncy rider and SEESAWS! The seesaws are set against half tires so that they don’t smack into the ground, which is a nice touch.  Joey actually liked the seesaw more than I expected.

Oops: I think we will be avoiding the bucket swings for  awhile. Joey seems to love them but he is such a gymnast that he starts to turn around. Today he pulled up his legs and fell forward out of the bucket. He landed on his forehead and fell on his back. Or that is how I remember it. I was terrified. All his limbs seem to be working without pain and he is pretty much his old self, though he is still a bit clingy.  I am thankful it was not worse.

Shipshape in Breinigsville

Abacus beneath fort at Breinigsville playground

Address: Breinigsville Road, Upper Macungie Township.

So Earl Adams Memorial Park is in Upper Macungie Township (outside of Berks County) but for us it is just a 15 minute drive, which is worth it for kids 2 to 12.

The attention to different age groups is great and I love how even the areas beneath the equipment have something of interest such as the abacus pictured with Joey above (no, he can’t count yet.)

I love how the playground engages the senses – there are drums and

Equipment leads to imaginative play

keys to bang and make sounds with – as well as the imagination – the play equipment is shaped like ships and forts. (And they do use their imaginations: I overheard a boy exclaim “I’m captain of this ship.”)

My older kids call this “pirate ship park.”

Oh and extra points for the swing for disabled kids. It has a rigid back with a harness like a roller coaster.

What is there: A modern balance beam is at least a foot wide and shifts; bouncy riders, swings (bucket, sling and one for disabled children); walking trails; ball fields; pavilions; fountains; bathrooms; lots of benches and four different climbing and sliding apparatus: two forts, two ships.

When to go: On sunny days I recommend to avoid going in the mid to late afternoon. The trees aren’t very tall as this is a newer park and chasing a little one can get hot. Having gone at different times I found I liked going around lunchtime. I saw other parents and kids there, too.

Another surprise beneath the fort in Breinigsville

Bowers Park (William DeLong Memorial Park)

Not sure we can call this a real visit surrounded as we were with the chili pepper festival with friends but here goes…..

Address: Bowers Road, Bowers, PA, 19522

What is there: Slides, swings (bucket and regular), lots of climbing bars, monkey bars, two bouncy rides (a car and an airplane), benches and a tunnel that goes from one climbing area to another. The equipment seems similar to ones in other playgrounds; it is made by Game Time.

The other stuff: The park has a walking track around it and a stage for events. We heard the Martin Family band for most of our visit. Enjoyed the fiddling.

Nearby: In previous years with my older kids, my husband would find his way to the creek in the woods bordering the park. Just off the path, they would find toads and frogs. One particularly cold spring they “saved” some tadpoles, which we kept in a fish tank until they turned to frogs and were returned to the creek.

There’s an antique shop right next to the park.

I didn’t have the chance to take photos so we’ll definitely have to go back.

Kutztown playground

Address: North Main Street, Kutztown, 19530.

What is there: This park has a real old fashion feel to it. There’s a merry-go-round and a tall corkscrew slide, two sets of bucket swings for young children and one set of seatswings for older children. There is a bouncy dragon and hippo to ride. There’s a metal jungle gym dome and three other slides, one with a wooden/rope  bridge, and lots of trees and ball fields and courts,  picnic tables, benches, water fountains and bathrooms. There are other buildings, amphitheater and a roller rink that is open in the summer.

The sandbox has a canopy. I tried to keep Joey out of it because honestly I thought he might eat the sand. But my 10-year-old son loves the sandbox. Over the years, we’ve seen lots of kids trying to work together… or learning to share a space with others. I like that. It’s not easy as many parents can attest to. And we’ve never seen animal poop in it.

Oh, and there is a cool Keith Haring sculpture near the baseball fields if you venture along the path.

This is our home base and I do like the old fashioned feel. I love the trees, though on windy days you need to watch for falling branches. We saw one crash to the ground. It wasn’t huge and if it hit a person it would have caused scratches at most.

I also love the people who come through here. During our hour-and-a-half visit on a recent afternoon we saw two groups of high school students shooting pictures for what looked like a project. We often see cross country runners. This afternoon we also met two children. Joey had a great time following the four-year-old girl up the climbing bars (with my help.) The little girl liked looking out for Joey; her dad said she was adopted in July and orphanage workers told him that she was known for “mothering” other children. I guess it might come across as bossy to some kids but for Joey it was totally fine. I hope we see them again. We’ll always remember Kendal as the girl who taught Joey to climb the bars to the slide.

What are your experiences in Kutztown?

Hello world!

We hope to visit Bowers park with some friends on Friday during the chili pepper festival.