Bunchland

Robyn Knickle shares stories from Hamilton, Ont.

There are a lot of really great things about Hamilton.  A great arts community, beautifully architectured buildings, and a ton of green space and hiking trails; the list could go on forever.  Some of my favourite things here, however, are the parks.  They are big, historic and so much fun for everyone, especially kids.

We’re within a 10 minute walk from Gage Park, which has two play areas, a splash pad, a band-shell, a baseball diamond, a squash court, a greenhouse and plenty of space for a picnic.  You can normally find us there, but this weekend we wanted to shake things up, so we headed to our amazing waterfront for some some fun at Pier 4 Park.  Read more...

What the cool parents are reading today:

1. Yay dangerous, risky playgrounds! Advocates for a more natural and challenging playground want to address the “increasingly sedentary and risk-averse generation of children disconnected from nature,” and so we need playgrounds with rocks and tree stumps and other things kids might fall and scrape their knees on. No, they don’t want the kids to get hurt, but they do want kids to know that they can get hurt and be aware of their surroundings.

2. Some parents actually camped out overnight for a precious spot at a good daycare the way a superfan might for concert tickets. Today’s Parent wants to know what you’ve sacrificed for daycare. Is it a vacation? A new car? A so-so daycare because the good one is just simply too cost prohibitive?

3. Why would a nine-months-pregnant woman want to do a nude photoshoot? Because she can! And she wanted a little adventure.  Read more...

Naturescape playgrounds are making waves in Canada

So long, plastic, steel, and confined sandboxes. Donnan Park in Edmonton is raising the bar for playground design. It will become Edmonton’s first “naturescape” playground, part of a growing trend in playground design.

Kids will use the good old fashioned modified natural world as their stomping grounds – giant logs and rolling hills will be climbers, a slide will be built into a hill, and a sideways growing tree and boulder spiral will enliven the space. Of course, there will also be plenty of plants, trees and greenery.  Read more...

What we’re reading today:

1. A non-profit organizaton started a contest to find the scariest playground in the States – the derelict, decrepit, and dangerous – so they could find ‘em and fix ‘em. The winner was found in Arizona.

2. Is your kid not getting outside enough? Don’t blame the iPad.

3. Rejoice – trampoline parks are in again! Indoor bouncy parks geared toward kids, teens and adults alike are springing up all over the States!

4. A report by the National Wildlife Federation says that most kids are sleep deprived – and lack of play outdoors is to blame.

5. And now, check out one kid’s reluctant first attempt to use a playground:

Photo by Henghwee! via Flickr

A list of awesomely playable cities from KaBOOM!

Can you and your kids walk to a playground? If you’re in the States, you’re in a very lucky 20 per cent of the population who can. And because that statistic needs some serious work, KaBOOM has released its fifth annual list of playful cities. Is your city playful?

KaBOOM found 151 communities that have “demonstrated creative commitments to addressing the Play Deficit.”

We don’t play enough. It used to be seen as a luxury and something to be done only after all the day’s homework was completed, but we’re seeing more and more that play is essential for learning and physical activity.

Here’s what some of the Playful Cities are doing:

• In Fargo, West Fargo and Moorhead, the tri-city community is throwing a StreetsAlive! festival where city streets in all three cities get turned into playstreets.  Read more...

Megan Pettit shares stories from a new mom

I like to think of myself as a social person. I have no problem chatting with strangers at a party. Stick me at the wedding table with the randoms and I’ll be busting a move to Beyonce with my new friends before the bouquet toss. But talking with other parents while I’m out with my toddler is something I haven’t quite mastered yet.

Some might think that having a child makes you less social because you’ll be staying in a lot more. Sure, you probably won’t be bar hopping with your friends every weekend, but you will be going to the park an awful lot, and you will be talking with other parents.

Jr. loves seeing other children and has no problem going up to them. His version of being social is squealing and flapping his arms around. While this goes on, I talk to the adult that is accompanying the child my son is flapping for.  Read more...

What we’re reading today:

1. JC Penney was selling the above t-shirt in the little girls department. Because it’s always a good to instill the idea that girls only have to be beautiful little fools and nothing else matters. If you click on the item listing, you can see it’s no longer available.

2. Bummed about the end of summer? Us too. Here are some suggestions to beat the end of summer blues.

3. Are traditional playgrounds contributing to childhood obesity?

4. The Guardian looks at the bond between fathers and daughters.

5. Go Planet!