Photo by MICHAEL GALLACHER/Missoulian
Praise for the long-awaited playground equipment at Pineview Park near Rattlesnake Elementary School keeps pouring in. Praise and – well, not criticisms, exactly. More like concerns.
My family recently had a chance to check out the new playground, which includes more traditional equipment like a slide and swing set in addition to the fancy space-age climbing stuff pictured in this post.
Also, the playground now has a lot of things that spin in circles, but most of them seemed aimed at kids older than my 5-year-old. The “sit-and-spins,” as I overheard one parent dub them, were certainly too intimidating for my fearless daughter, although I did see a slightly younger boy use one with no trouble.
The new playground has inspired a lot of discussion in my neighborhood. One neighbor told me that while her family really likes the new playground, it does not seem to be set up in a way that encourages group play. But all in all, the playground seems popular and Pineview is an even more fun place to hang out because of it.
Anyway, what with the ongoing discussion and comparisons of playgrounds sparked by Pineview, I’m thinking it might be a good idea to pay a visit to various playgrounds in the area and post periodic reviews of them here, on Missoulamom.com. I’m no playground expert by any means (the outdoor rec equipment of my childhood consisted of rocks, sticks and Devil’s Club), but I can tell when kids are having fun – and that’s the hallmark of any good playground, right?
- MM