Category: Washrooms (seasonal)

Portage Park

7/22/2018

Area: South Whitby

Age Range: infant and up

Parking: small parking lot off of Portage Trail (intersecting with Channel Drive)

Ground Cover: mulch on the larger playground, rubber surface for the toddler playground -NEW as of 2018! (previously they were both sand)

Main Equipment:

5 slides
5 swings (1 saucer swing)
2 infant swings
4 teeter rockers
2 sitting spinners
1 inclusive spinner
2 accessible stations (1 arm bike, 1 vehicle station)

Accessibility Features: saucer swing, inclusive spinner, sitting spinner, accessible stations - NEW as of 2018! (previously there were no accessible features)

Facilities/Other:

see Portage Park Splash Pad post
1 Baseball Diamond (lit)
1 Soccer Pitch
1 Basketball half court
seasonal washrooms (portable - from May to first week of October, 9am to 9 pm) in the parking lot

Surrounding Park Area: green spaces, fields, and large shady trees

Seating: three benches facing the playgrounds and splash pad in the shade pavilion, two benches at half court basketball, bleachers at ball diamond

Shade: none over the playground, shade pavilion over the three benches, some shade in the surrounding trees

Overall assessment: Enjoy a day trip to this park complete with splash pad, plenty of picnic spots (bring your own blanket), and seasonal washrooms. There is more than enough parking to meet up with friends, play tag through the trees, half court basketball, or baseball. 2018 UPDATE: this is now one of our favourite toddler parks because the smaller playground is all on a rubber ground covering! I am also excited with the new accessible features that have been added to the playground. The kids love spinning themselves on the inclusive spinner (the big green 'thing' that you will see a video of below). We hope you enjoy this newly renovated park as much as we do now!

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Vimy Ridge School Park

7/9/2018

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Area: North Ajax

Age Range: infant and up

Parking: some street parking on Bellinger Drive and off of the nearby side streets
weekends: Vimy Ridge public school parking lot off of Telford Street

Ground Cover: mulch

Main Equipment:

3 metal slides
4 swings
2 infant swings
2 rock climbing walls
2 small animal rockers
1 log roller
1 circular monkey bars

Accessibility Features: none

Facilities/Other:

1 soccer pitch
seasonal portable washroom

Surrounding Park Area: A soccer field with a bit of surrounding green space and some smaller trees

Seating: 3 park benches facing each other under a shaded pavilion, 1 park bench facing the larger play structure, 1 picnic table hiding in the middle of the trees

Shade: none over the playground itself, but some under the shade pavilion, and some in the surrounding trees

Overall assessment: We like parks that have a lot of climbing apparatus and this one delivered for our kindergartner. The log roller though posed a challenge as her arms aren't quite long enough to grasp both sides, and going it solo was a bit too scary (she almost face planted). Circular monkey bars always look so fun to me, but not when I am still helping the kiddo reach them. This park also has a bike rack which is convenient for older kids using the field.

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St Patrick's Park

7/9/2018

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Area: West Ajax

Age Range: infant and up

Parking: some street parking on Tufriff Cres
weekends: St Patrick's school parking lot beside the park off of Griffiths Drive

Ground Cover: mulch

Main Equipment:

2 slides (both on the smaller play structure)
2 swings
3 infant swings
1 bucket swing
1 small rock climbing mountain
1 large climbing obstacle course

Accessibility Features: bucket swing (note it is does not have straps or an overhead bar)

Facilities/Other:

2 soccer pitches
1 softball field
1 smaller soccer field (behind the school)
seasonal portable washroom (behind the soccer pitches by the softball field)

Surrounding Park Area: A lot of fields and green space behind the playground

Seating: 1 park bench facing the swings

Shade: none over the playground itself, but some in the surrounding trees

Overall assessment: Want a challenging climbing obstacle course you can time your kids on and have a mini competition at? Try out this park! The seasonal washroom is behind the fields, so make sure you leave time for running across (or around if there is a game going on) the soccer fields. This is another park that has a good little toddler play structure to teach playground safety at, although a little more difficult if they want to follow big siblings up the spider web obstacle course climber!

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Betty Bujold Park

9/14/2017

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Area: North Ajax

Age Range: 18 months and up

Parking:
Weekdays: limited street parking on Old Harwood Ave
Weekends: at Dr Roberta Bondar public school

Ground Cover: mulch

Main Equipment:

4 slides
2 swings
2 infant swings
2 rockers (1 motorcycle, 1bulldozer)
1 rock climbing wall
talking tubes
1 hanging zip line

Accessibility Features: none

Facilities/Other:

washroom (seasonal portable)
1 softball diamond

Surrounding Park Area: A small green space beside the playground

Seating: 6 park benches!

Shade: no shade over the playground, some shade in the surrounding trees

Overall assessment: There are more than enough benches at this park! And how great it is to see a seasonal washroom right beside the playground! Try out the zipline, monkey bars, or climb around the playground for a great afternoon.

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Kirby Park

8/24/2017

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Area: East Whitby

Age Range: infant and up

Parking: street parking on Kirby Crescent

Ground Cover: mulch

Main Equipment:

4 slides (1 is a toddler slide)
2 swings
1 infant swing
1 bucket swing
1 saucer swing
fireman pole
1 music station (see video below!)
1 mulch 'kitchen' station (must see the video below!)
1 car track (built into the toddler play structure)
multiple climbing apparatus

Accessibility Features: bucket swing, saucer swing, toddler music station, toddler mulch station

Facilities/Other:

1 softball diamond
seasonal washroom (a portable beside the softball diamond about a 2-5 minute walk away from the playground)

Surrounding Park Area: a small green space behind the playground with a trail leading to the softball diamond and seasonal portable washroom

Seating: 3 park benches facing the playground (NOT there when we visited August 2017, but the foundations for them have been poured), plus concrete wall with built in seating facing the larger play structure

Shade: no shade over the playground, plenty of shade in the surrounding trees

Overall assessment: The toddler structure here is AMAZING! There are so many hidden features that we loved taking our time to explore them all. Bring your car or ball to this park as there is a hidden track around the top of the toddler structure that you can drive or roll things along! We have included two videos below, but the rest of the features of this small play structure you will have to explore on your own. The bigger play structure is great for climbing, hanging and balancing. The tall slide with bumps was a huge hit for our preschooler (although a little tough to get to as there is only one ladder type climber and some toddlers will find it difficult). With a seasonal washroom just a short walk away, this is a good park to spend a couple of hours exploring and we will definitely be back to show off the toddler structure to our friends!