Nature’s Playground
Few things are as indispensable to parents living in small spaces as playgrounds. They offer the chance for children to safely exhaust themselves in the outdoors, offsetting their homes’ dearth of indoor space. Late last year, Prospect Park, one of NYC’s largest parks, opened the Donald and Barbara Zucker Natural Exploration Area–a playground (of sorts) made from the wood of trees that fell during Hurricane Sandy.
Splinters notwithstanding, there’s something cooler about having your kids jump and climb on wood rather than one of the ubiquitous molded plastic playgrounds that most kids frequent nowadays. It’s not just big hunks of wood that provide stimulation. “Natural elements such as sand and water encourage unstructured free play, allowing children to exercise their minds as well as their muscles,” according to the park’s website.
Because the wood isn’t pressure treated, they consider the area temporary. They park service plans to observe how the area is used, then put pressure treated wood in place and make it permanent.
Unfortunately, the park is blanketed in snow at the moment. But with a high of 47 degrees in the city today, this small-space dwelling parent, for one, is dreaming of warmer, dryer days when he can run his kid ragged at this awesome looking playground.
Via Red Tricycle
Images © Julie Seguss