Westbrook Park - Westminster 05/29/2018

After finishing up at Countryside Park, we ventured over to nearby Westbrook Park in Westminster.  We enjoyed a little lunch before the playing began.  Here's how the scores played out.

Location: This is a large neighborhood park, which is located next to an Elementary School.  There is plenty of parking.  There is a pavilion with shaded tables.  There is no view to speak of, but the park does border Big Dry Creek.
Dad's Score:5

Cleanliness/Safety:  This is a large, popular park. Because of this, there was some litter scattered about.  There were also some older teens hanging out by there cars in the parking lot playing very loud music.  Normally this wouldn't bother me, but my 7 year old was very curious as to what those kids were doing.  There were garbage cans, portapotties, and a drinking fountain available.  The surface was partially covered by rubber covering, and the other part was covered by wood chips.
Dad's Score: 5

Uniqueness:  This park definitely had some cool equipment going for it.  It looks like it has been recently updated with new equipment.  There was a vertical spinner, which was also a big hit at Quail's Crossing park.  There was also a cool spinner/bouncer that I seemed to think was much more fun than my kids did.  There were plenty of things to climb, as well as the usual slides and monkey bars.
Dad's Score: 6

Age Appropriateness:  This playground had enough to keep both kids busy.  They spent time fighting over the vertical spinner, but each was able to find other equipment to fill their needs as well.
Dad's Score: 7

Fun:  Both kids had a lot of fun.  They seemed to spend more time on the newer equipment, but the old section held their attention for a while as well.
Dad's Score: 7

Final Scores:
Dad's: 30/50

Countryside Park - Westminster 05/29/2018

On this day's agenda was a trip to Countryside Park in Westminster.  We had attempted to review this park previously, but it was overtaken by a school group so we decided to come back at a less crowded time.  Here's how it played out.

Location:  This is a neighborhood park with some nice views of the foothills.  It is located next to a community pool.  There's plenty of parking, but no bathroom facilities.  We didn't venture into the community center to see if there were bathrooms inside, but I'd imagine there are.  There is a small pavilion with some shaded seating for parents.
Dad's Score: 6

Cleanliness/Safety:  This seemed like a pretty clean, well maintained playground.  The surface was covered in wood chips.  There were some garbage cans, but no water fountains that I could find. 
Dad's Score: 6

Uniqueness:  This had a pirate ship and lighthouse theme, and it was more convincing than the Pirate Park in Louisville that we had reviewed previously.  None of the equipment was very unique outside of the theme, though.
Dad's Score: 6

Age Appropriateness:  This park had separate areas and slides for different age groups, although Beckett had no problems reaching even the highest slide.
Dad's Score: 8

Fun: The kids had fun, but surprisingly were ready to leave within 30 minutes.  They enjoyed the tower and slides the most.  This is a good park if you live nearby, but not a destination for those coming from further away.
Dad's Score: 5

Final Scores:
Dad: 31/50

Outlook Park - Broomfield 05/28/2018

The second park we visited on Memorial Day was in Broomfield named Outlook Park.  Unfortunately for this park, the boys were already pretty tired after leaving Quail's Crossing.  They did give it a fair shot, though, and here's how it played out.

Location:  It's a pretty, neighborhood playground.  The scenic views definitely do not live up to it's name, though.  There was parking, and some portapotties.  There was plenty of shaded seating and a pavilion with tables available.  It was close to a bike trail.
Dad's Score: 4

Cleanliness/Safety: It was a pretty clean park, with very little litter scattered around.  There were garbage cans available.  The surface was covered in wood chips.  There was shaded seating, but no shade over the play area.
Dad's Score: 6

Uniqueness:  This park had nothing particularly unique about it. 
Dad's Score: 2

Age Appropriateness:  There weren't any designated little kids areas, but Beckett was able to use just about all of the equipment except for the monkey bars.  Connor liked the monkey bars, but was a little bored with the rest of the playground. 
Dad's Score: 4

Fun:  As I said at the beginning, the boys may have been a bit tired after the first park of the day.  They didn't seem very interested in this playground, and they were both ready to go after about 20 minutes.
Dad's Score: 3

Final Score:
Dad: 19

Quail's Crossing - Westminster 05/28/2018

On this Memorial Day I needed to get the kids out of the house so my wife could sleep in between night shifts.  We decided on new playground for all of us in Westminster at Quail's Crossing Park.  Here's how it played out.

Location: A pretty residential park next to a bike trail.  It's not a very big park, but seems like a great neighborhood spot for fun.  It has limited street parking.  It's definitely not the most scenic of places, but offers a bit of relaxation in suburbia.  There wasn't much shady seating available other than a stone wall.  The picnic tables were slightly elevated and the view was blocked by some bushes.
Dad's Score: 4

Cleanliness/Safety:  It seemed like a safe and clean park.  There was no litter to speak of, and garbage cans were available.  There were no restrooms or water fountains.  The surface was composed of wood chips.
Dad's Score: 6

Uniqueness: This was a very unique playground with the space shuttle theme.  The space ship itself led to some fun slides, and even had a bench at the top that my kids made their "hideout."  The control panel kept Beckett busy with the knobs and wheels.  This was the first park that we encountered the vertical spinner, and it was a big hit.
Dad's Score: 9

Age Appropriateness: Although it didn't have a separate area for younger kids, the space shuttle had different levels to accomodate all ages.  With a little encouragement, Beckett was able to make it up to the hideout on the top level.  The control panel was more interesting for my 3 year old than my 7 year old, but I think it added to the theme nicely.
Dad's Score: 7

Fun: As we all know having fun is the bottom line, and the kids had a blast here.  They loved the theme, slides, and ladders.  The verical spinner was also quite a pleasant surprise.  The boys spent a lot of time in there.  Connor said this was probably one of the top 3 playgrounds for fun since we started this.
Dad's Score: 10

Final Score:
Dad: 36

North Midway Sensory Park - Broomfield - 05/23/2018

Today we were joined by my beautiful wife, Elaine.  We decided to try out a couple of local sensory parks.  Our second stop of the day was North Midway Sensory Park.  Here's the breakdown for how it played out.

Location: This is a large park in a residential area of Broomfield, with plenty of street parking or in nearby lots.  The view wasn't very scenic, mostly of the backs of houses.  There is a small stream running through the park.  There was a shaded pavilion with restrooms and a water fountain.
Dad's Score: 3

Cleanliness/Safety:  The playground was pretty clean.  There were garbage cans available.  The surface was a mixture of rubber padding and wood chips.
Dad's Score: 4

Uniqueness:  There wasn't much unique about this park.  Most of the equipment was pretty standard, except for one blue wave thingy that my kids didn't know what to do with.
Dad's Score: 3

Age Appropriateness:  Sensory parks are not meant for older kids, and today's playgrounds were no exception.  My 3 year old had a great time, but my 7 yr old was bored pretty quickly, and ended up having more fun playing in the stream.
Dad's Score: 3

Fun:  This is a hard category to score, but since I'm taking Beckett's experience into account when scoring I'll score it slightly higher than Connor.  Connor's score would be lower if not for the stream.
Dad's Score: 5

Final Score:
Dad: 18

Arista Sensory Park - Broomfield 05/23/2018

Connor, Beckett, and I welcomed a special guest on today's playground review; their mother Elaine.  We decided to visit some local sensory parks to gauge the experience there.  Our first visit was to Arista Sensory Park in Westminster, very close to the 1st Bank Center.

Location:  Nothing special here.  The playground is located behind a small Children's Medical center, and close to lots of apartments.  There was no view to speak of, and shade was limited.  There were no bathrooms or drinking fountains.  Parking was limited to the street.
Dad's Score: 3

Cleanliness/Safety:  There was a trash can overflowing with dog waste bags, which was a little gross.  Otherwise the playground was clean and safe.  There was a mixture of rubber surfacing as well as wood chips.
Dad's Score: 3

Uniqueness:  This sensory park did have some unique features like the marble wall (for lack of a better term).  Other than a few interesting sensory features, the rest of the playground was pretty basic.
Dad's Score: 4

Age Appropriateness:  This park is definitely better for the younger age group, as well as handicapped.  Connor became bored pretty quickly, and needed some challenges to keep him entertained.  Beckett had fun, though.
Dad's Score: 3

Fun:  As I said previously, Beckett had fun.  Connor did, too, but not nearly as much.  There were plenty of monkey bars and swings, but Connor was still looking for more to do.
Dad's Score: 5

Total Scores:
Dad: 18

Louisville Community Park 05/21/2018

Apparently Louisville is a town with many parks, so after a required visit to Sweet Cow Ice Cream we made our way over to the Community Park.  Here's how it played out.

Location: This park has a good location that is walking/biking distance from Louisville's historic downtown.  It's located right next to a gorgeous dog park with a pond and all.  Parking is plentiful.  There is a pavilion for shade and picnics.  Bathrooms were available.  It's a large park with plenty of area to wander.  It's not particularly scenic, but the park is pretty enough.
Dad's Score: 6

Cleanliness/Safety:  It seemed pretty clean for a large park.  Very little litter was observed.  No safety issues were seen.  There were definitely garbage cans, but I didn't see recycling.
Dad's Score: 6

Uniqueness:  There wasn't much that was unique, but they did have some staples that the boys enjoyed.  Swings are always a favorite no matter where we go.  There was a rather large rock structure with a doorway.  It was a little too difficult for Connor to climb without a little boost to get him started.
Dad's Score: 4

Age Appropriateness:  Other than the rock structure and swings, there wasn't a whole lot to keep Connor entertained.  He did enjoy exploring by the pond, though.  This park seemed more geared towards the younger crowd.  Beckett seemed right at home.
Dad's Score: 4

Fun:  Beckett definitely had fun, but Connor was left wanting more. 
Dad's Score: 5

Total Scores:
Dad: 25

Pirate Park - Louisville, CO 05/22/2018

Our next stop was new for all of us.  It's called the Pirate Park, and it's in Louisville next to the Louisville Middle School.  Read on to find out if anyone walked the plank.

Location:  Not very scenic, unless your idea of scenic is the back of Louisville Middle School.  It was a smaller park, but offered plenty of shade.  There was also a pavilion for picnics.  I didn't see any restrooms or drinking fountains available.  There was street parking available.
Dad's Score: 3                          Connor's Score: 7

Cleanliness/Safety:  There was a pretty good amount of litter considering it's a smaller playground.  Connor also said there was some vandalism at the tops of the slides.  I only say garbage cans, no recycling or compost.  The surface was composed mostly of wood chips, although there were a couple of spots covered by rubber surface.
Dad's Score: 4                         Connor's Score: 5

Uniqueness:  Nothing unique here.  I'm not sure why it's called the Pirate Park other than one sign that references the U.S.S. Polliwag and a couple of small telescopes at the tops of playsets.
Dad's Score: 3                         Connor's Score: 3

Age Appropriateness: There were two different play areas, with one definitely meant for younger kiddos.  Beckett seemed to handle both areas easily, though.  Part way through our visit, some of the teenagers from the middle school came out to play.  They interacted with the younger kids quite a bit.  Connor loved that, me not so much.  Eventually they became bored and moved on.
Dad's Score: 6                          Connor's Score: 8


Fun:  Connor's fun mostly revolved around his interactions with the teenagers.  Prior to them invading, Connor didn't seem that impressed.  Beckett seemed to enjoy himself.
Dad's Score: 5                          Connor's Score: 5

Final Scores:
Dad: 21                                     Connor: 28

Founder's Park - Superior, CO 05/22/2018

Today we set out to hit a couple of playgrounds, and the first stop was off of Highway 36 in Superior.  Set behind the shopping center is a really large park named Founder's Park.  Here's how the scores played out.

Location:  This park has a nice location.  It is walking distance to shopping and restaurants including Target, Costco, Whole Foods, and Panera.  It is also close to walking and bike trails.  There's plenty of parking.  Restrooms and a water fountain are available, as are some pavillions for shade and picnics.  It's a very large park that also includes athletic fields, basketball courts, and exercise areas.
It wasn't very scenic, though.  The view consisted of the backs of stores or suburban housing.
Dad's Score: 6                          Connor's Score: 3

Cleanliness/Safety:  There was a small amount of litter around, but not enough to distract.  There were three different play areas, but each used wood chips for their surface.  There were plenty of garbage, recycling, and compost cans around the park. There were no safety issues observed.
Dad's Score: 6                          Connor's Score: 5

Uniqueness:  There were a lot of activities spread over the three different play areas, but none of them were particularly unique.  Just the fact that they had three separate areas is unique in and of itself.
Dad's Score: 5                         Connor's Score: 6

Age Appropriateness:  There are three different areas, and I can honestly say that both of my boys played in and enjoyed each.  The top area had the biggest playset with slides, while the middle had another playset with lots of things to climb through.  The bottom area had most of the swings as well as a fun rock structure the boys had fun climbing (and jumping).
Dad's Score: 8                           Connor's Score: 8

Fun:  Connor said it was very fun, and Beckett agreed.  It was moderately busy on a late Tuesday morning, but there was plenty of room to spread out.  This is one of the largest parks we've ever been to.
Dad's Score: 8                          Connor's Score: 8

Final Scores:
Dad: 33                                      Connor: 30

Boulder Public Library Park 05/21/2018

Our travels in the Minicoop today took us to Boulder.  After enjoying lunch on Pearl St. Mall, we ventured over to the creek and up to the Boulder Public Library.   Just in front of the library on the south side of Boulder Creek sits a cool little park.  Here's how it scored.

 



Location: It's close to the Pearl St Mall, Boulder Creek, and the library so there are many options to make a day out of it. It has room for picinics by the creek. There is parking, but I believe it is paid. It's also right off the walking/biking path. It wasn't crowded on a Monday afternoon, but I could see the potential for it to be busy on weekends and evenings.

Dad's score: 8                       Connor's score: 9






Cleanliness/Safety: It seemed clean and well maintained. There were garbage, recycling, and compost receptacles. All the equipment was operating. I didn't see water fountains or restrooms outdoors, but I'm sure there are some in the library. The surface was a rubber surface material which was very shock absorbant and looked fantastic. It did get very hot, so barefeet may not be the best option. There were also areas of sand, as well as water/rocks.

Dad's Score: 7                           Connor's Score: 9

Uniqueness: This was a very unique and well designed playground.  Connor and I had never seen water features like these.  There were no swings, monkey bars, or seesaws.  There were some slides, but otherwise it was lots of other things to keep the kids busy.  As a parent I love to see the boys figuring out what to do with water.
Dad's Score: 10       Connor's Score: 10

Age Appropriateness:  It seemed good for all ages.  Beckett got around without any difficulty.  He wasn't able to use all the water features, but could use enough to keep him busy.  There were not separate areas for different age groups.  Connor seems to be in the prime age for this playground.  I'm not sure there's enough to keep older kids occupied.
Dad's Score: 8        Connor's Score: 8

Fun:  The water features and fort with the bridge seemed to be the big winners.  There were 2 slides which are always a stand by favorite.   It's a small park, but feels bigger because of how it is designed.  Every space is used well.  Luckily it's not hard to keep track of kids here, but it is big enough to where they can spread out and play in different areas.   Both boys loved it and were exhausted when it was time to leave.
Dad's Score: 10      Connor's Score: 10

Final Scores:  Dad 43/50            Connor 46/50

Overall, this is a great little park.  If you're in Boulder with the kids, it's definitely worth a trip.