bethanybob

Asher turns 2 on the 21st. Today, he slid down slides (by himself!) that were so high, the feat gave Grammie Bob and I gray hairs!

• Oxford-Cumberland Canal School
• Saccarappa School
• Prides Corner School

The Wescott Junior High School is located next door to the Congin School, with the playground between the two. The Junior High also houses a community center with a pool and gym. I didn't bother going inside for more information or to take pictures.

We attempted to stop by for pictures, again, but it looked like a summer recreation group was there. I didn't even bother getting out of my car. Upside: at least the playground is seeing use? Out of about five playgrounds we visited today, only two were occupied.

Ooo! I like their style! :)

What do kindergartners and entrepreneurs have in common? The same reason why many adults are unhappy with their jobs. Ash Ambirge of The Middle Finger Project discusses all of the above: http://www.themiddlefingerproject.org/entrepreneurs-show-me-your-black-lace-thong-tell-your-story-like-you-mean-it/ (Warning: some profanity may be found on this website. Well, what did you expect from a site called The Middle Finger Project?)

Hi! I live in your neck of the woods and would love to learn more about what you're doing with the Town Farm Park. Welcome to Kaboom!

Yaaay! Love it!

It's been a sad, rough week in the 'Bob family, so we took a break and headed to Old Orchard Beach with GrammieBob. O.O.B. is your typical(?) beach-front vacation town, complete with a pier, bars, fried food, an amusement park, and... a playground!

The Veteran's Memorial Park has a little bit of everything: plenty of open space, a gazebo, a dog park, basketball and tennis courts, a playground for smaller patrons and a playground for more adventurous souls. In fact, we met a young patron who asked us just how anyone was supposed to be able to use the big kids' playground. A passer-by demonstrated by climbing up the structure in question. We stuck with the smaller kids' playground, which had a bouncy see-saw, play boat, spinner, slide, monkey bars, and climbers.

The dog park was clean and occupied by several dogs and their humans. The tennis court's chain links have rusted over time, and no one was using the court. The basketball court, however, was very busy.

The grounds are beautiful, but we were better able to appreciate them when we met Jay the Gardener -- the groundskeeper. He pulled up in a John Deere workcart and told us about the children's garden by the playground (kids are given seeds to plant so that they can come back and watch them grow) and that he often has plants and things that he gives away to locals. He is a quintessential Mainer ("Mainah") and exceptionally friendly.

Parking is at a premimum -- there is metered parking on the street, a municipal parking lot, and several nearby lots offering parking for $5 until 5:00PM. The Amtrak Downeaster stops at a platform between the park and Palace Playland amusement park. There are public restrooms next to the dog park; food, shops, and the beach are just down the block.

Overall, I really liked this space and I hope we'll be back again! (Hopefully next time we won't burn to a crisp...)

This is a time machine!

(And I need to remember to sign in, first.)

Hey, have you read Jeffrey Freed's "Right-Brained Children in a Left-Brained World: Unlocking the Potential of Your ADD Child"? It's a bit old, but the information is still relevant: kids are becoming increasingly visual and right-brained, while teachers and administratives remain left-brained and convinced that there is only one way to learn, one way to teach, and play is irrelevant. (Well, at least that's what I gathered from it. :) I really love this book and I talk about it with anyone who will listen.

I checked out your blog, but a quick search for "Kaboom" yielded no results?

So! How do you support Kaboom? :)

I went to add photos to my hard drive and realized that today is my KaBOOM-a-versary! One year ago, I packed the kiddo (about 10 months old) into the car and set out to map the state of play in my community. We stopped at the Sacopee Valley Schools and Cornish Elementary School.

Today, we revisted Blake Memorial Fields in Limington. My biggest complaint last year was that they had a sign saying "Playground" when it was just a bunch of baseball diamonds. They have since added a set of slides. While it is an improvement, Asher (now 22 months old) ran around for five minutes and then went back to the car. :)

True to form, he fell asleep while I searched for more playgrounds. I discovered the Hollis Sports Complex on our ride home. It's a cute little place that needs to be added to the Playspace Finder.

I'm looking forward to participating in the 2011 Park-A-Day Summer Challenge! We're off to a great start!

Yeah, I never much liked monkey bars. I've never had the upper body strength for them. :P

Hooray! :) A positive response from local communities is awesome!