Play park

[tomtomsthemanforme]

So after another visit to the play park where we waited for 10 minutes to use the only piece of equipment my nephew can use, (basket swing, which he does love,) I started dreaming about an adventure playground that SN children could use and enjoy...
What would be in your dream playground?
I'll start off

1. No uneven surfaces in the same colour tarmac. This is so common and INFURIATES me.

1. Space!

3.Basket swings, more than one, actually let's say 5. Everyone likes a good swing.

1. An aerial runway which you could attach a harness too. We've done this once, travelling miles to get to it, he loved it.

1. Water features to play in, like the water play in Paulton's park

Any other ideas?

We go to a lovely park, it has enclosed fences (so dd2 can't get out), different areas for different age groups (so the big ones don't knock the little ones over), it has a sn swing seat and a sn slide (built on a hill so no steps/ladder are needed. It has water fountains in the summer that children can play in and a basket swing. The only problem is it gets very busy as its the only good park in the area.

What can you get a wheechair on?

Just thought I would say we have had many consultations over play parks in our area. They have underwent major refurbishment where they are suppose to be accessible to both diasabled and non disabled, however I can still see a few tweaks.
Also a new park has just opened which is supposed to be mainly for the disabled, where on Sundays it is only opened to families of disabled children and is staffed, though we haven't been as yet to comment.

My DD likes a hidey hole/cave area she can sneak away too if its too busy, water play, basket swings, the stepping stones that make sounds as you step on them and a decent slide!...A tramploene would be great as our garden is very small but I think Health and Safety would prevent that happening.

.....we go to one at the moment that has a rather cheap mini fair ground...DD LOVES rollercoasters!

Have you been to the Thames Valley one?? Sounds like one you would love. Also for anyone in Herts they are building one in Borehamwood soon.

Fences! Only one exit, preferably manned. Cafe for teenage son who is not interested in play equipment!

hi meltedmarsbars,

i work in special education and we have just had a play park installed within the school grounds,we have swings that wheelchairs fit in, they are like a large square bit of wood
the chains in the 4 corners and a gate/ramp back or front depending what side you open, they fold up and leave hardly any space for the wheelchair to move around quite safe.

we also have a roundabout that is sunk in to the ground level so that chairs can be pushed on and attendent can sit behind it.

myra

Local park now has 2 bucket swings and a wheelchair accessible roundabout. And a big climbing frame with sit-on spinny things ideal for asc dc age 3-4+. Raised Tarmac sections have hi-viz edgings. The heavy gates open inwards so provide vital seconds of delay for any runners. it's really pretty good and nicely done.

The same upgrade programme completely removed the southern section of fence from another local playpark... so any NT toddler, or non-NT older child can run straight into the unfenced nearby duck pond. I presume removal was for aesthetic reasons as it was ugly and it's a posh park in a nice area

Oooh one in Borehamwood, excellent. Any idea whereabouts?

We currently go to the Thames Valley Adventure Playground (TVAP) - it's fantastic!

Our local council and a local mum raised funds for an inclusive playground in an under used council playground in our borough. The supposed inclusive playground has nothing really that is wheelchair friendly - typical! My child went there once and was so bored because nothing was really accesible to wheelchair users and so we don't go there.

Our local hospital and another local mum have just raised funds for a playground in the hospital grounds and guess what it's not wheelchair friendly either (except for the bottom deck of a ship and that's it)-typical!

Whenever we go to a playground or attraction and we find it's not wheelchair accessible we contact the company etc. and suggest they put in wheelchair accessible play equipment.

Often we find that play equipment is updated in playgrounds and nothing or very little of it is accesible to wheelchair users or special needs children, for example lots of playgrounds now have zipwires but with a tyre on or some thing to stand up on, whereas if they had put a bucket seat in instead then special needs children can use it.

We have seen a few wheelchair roundabouts (not many though);
the spinning discs children can sit in/lie in;
basket swing (always increadibly popular with all kids so usually a huge queue for about the one and only piece of equipment anyone disabled can go on, wish those with disabilities had priority);
one park we know of in a different borough has a bucket seat swing but the strap is missing and again it's really popular with all children so usually a huge queue.

If you live near Exeter then apparently an almost fully wheelchair accessible playground exists - I wish all playgrounds were like this or like the Thames Valley Adventure Playground!!!!

www.theplaypark.co.uk/

Myra - her school has that swing too!

There's nothing I can get at home that doesn't cost thousands, and nothing in the park here.

Aldenham Country Park

Our council has spent a lot of money - some of it Aiming High money - re-vamping the local play parks. They have added some wheelchair-accessible equipment, but have done the 'runners' a terrible diservice by removing lots of fences and making extra exits out of parks, plus creating more 'risky' play equipment, for instance putting boulders in the under 5's bit.

It makes no sense at all. Surely the whole point of a play park is relatively risk-free play. The great outdoors offers lots of high risk play - beach, rock faces, roads etc., - and parents generally take their children to a park on the hope that they can relax a bit while their children play.

They have also installed new equipment for older children. I have yet to find any that is wheelchair accessible

The playpark at King George 5th park is not the only one in exeter. Hamlin gardens play park while not as good ( and about 10 years older) has some accessible elements ( roundabout, spinny bucket thing, nest swing IIRC). there are several ground level trampolines dotted about the city play grounds, flat access roundabouts and plenty of basket ( nest ) swings.