By Molly Peach Matter
As an early childhood educator for over a decade in Seattle, I know a good playground when I see one. I also know that out of convenience, we tend to stick to our own neighborhoods. These six playgrounds, however, are well worth the commute. If you have been dying to know where to find the best swing set, best imaginative play area, or best play equipment, here’s your guide. We truly are fortunate to live in a city that has a playground for every physical and socio-emotional developmental leap.
Key to quality playgrounds:
• Play Structures – Is there play equipment appropriate for multiple age groups? Does it provide opportunities for safe risks? Does it foster creative play? Can my child feel challenged as well as successful as she or he builds large motor skills? Is the equipment built in a way that allows me to guide my child?
• Social Skill Building – Is this an environment where my child can learn how to make a friend and enter a game? Is this a culturally rich environment: Can my children hear another language or meet children who are different from them? Authentic relationships among children of diverse socio-cultural backgrounds strengthen social development.
• Environment – Is it away from a busy street? Can children play freely (with a sense of autonomy and independence) and still stay safe and visible? Is the neighborhood welcoming? Does the natural environment inspire imaginative play?
• Amenities – Bathrooms are a must for quality playgrounds; more than just being open, they should be clean, have toilet paper, working doors, sinks and soap. Are there other amenities nearby, such as a coffee shop where adults and children can rest and recharge?
We’ve rated the playgrounds featured here in each of these four areas, using one to five stars, with five stars being the best rating.
Powell Barnett Park
352 Martin Luther King Jr. Way, SeattleAge range: 2 to 12 years old
Play structures: *****
Social Skill Building: *****
Environment: *****
Amenities: *****This is hands-down the best playground in Seattle. Located in the Central District, Seattle’s historical African-American community, this park hosts large family gatherings on the weekends. Blessed with the best multi-age play structures in the city, a full adult-size basketball court and a mini court with a child-size hoop, this playground is nonstop fun.
Half of the playground is geared toward children 18 months to 5 years old, with swings, springers, spinning teacups, and a fire engine climbing structure. The other half is best suited to 5- to 12-year-olds, with a massive cable spider web, climbing walls, a two-story slide steep enough to inspire screaming, and several spinning gyro toys to explore centrifugal force. Made by Kompan, a Denmark-based playground equipment company, these space-age twisters captivate parents and kids alike.
The playground is encircled by large grassy fields and a bike path perfect for training wheels. Sadly, due to city budget cuts, the wading pool is closed this summer. Collective efforts of community volunteers, neighborhood children and funding from Starbucks and the Seattle Pro Parks levy made this childhood dream a reality in 2006. Bathrooms are centrally located. I highly recommend a short walk to King Creole Louisiana Café on 29th Avenue and East Cherry Street for a slice of yam pie.Mount Baker Playground
2521 Lake Park Dr. S., SeattleAge range: 18 months to 8 years old
Play structures: ***
Social Skill Building: *****
Environment: *****
Amenities: ***For almost a century, through the heydays of the 1920s and the first hydroplane races of the 1950s, Mount Baker Park has been an important public attraction. The highlight of this playground is its environment. Open spaces bordered by rockery and fallen logs support imaginative play, and Douglas Fir, Mountain Ash and Chestnut trees lend themselves to a game of hide-‘n’-seek. A concrete mosaic birdbath serves as a toddler’s cauldron and older children flock to the zip line. There is plenty of shade and places to picnic. A paved bike path from the playground descends into a cool, lush ravine of Japanese maples and ponds, and unfolds into Mount Baker Bathing Beach on Lake Washington. Bathrooms are located halfway down the bike path. Mioposto Pizzeria, conveniently located across the street, offers pizza, ice cream, coffee, baked goods and restrooms to customers.
Salmon Bay Park
2001 N.W. Canoe Pl., SeattleAge range: 18 months to 8 years old
Environment: *****
Play structures: ****
Social Skill Building: *****
Amenities: **Nestled in a residential, North Ballard neighborhood, this playground’s greatest attributes are ample shade on a hot day; a zip line long enough to feel the wind in your hair; an old-school merry-go-round that invites the G forces; and a large, busy sand area full of donated trucks, shovels and pails. This playground is a sandbox lover’s paradise. Down-to-earth neighborhood parents and childcare providers are friendly and fully engaged with their children. Bathrooms are located in the park, 20 yards from the playground. There’s an outdoor produce market on the corner of 15th Avenue Northwest and Northwest 65th Street for nearby snacks.
Karen’s Place
2518 34th Ave. W., SeattleAge range: 18 months to 10 years old
Play structures: ****
Social Skill Building: ****
Environment: *****
Amenities: ****Karen’s Place, located next to Magnolia Playfield, was dedicated two decades ago to the memory of Karen Maleng, who at 12 years old was killed in a sledding accident. The daughter of former King County Prosecutor Norm Maleng and Judy Maleng, was sledding on an inner tube when it went out of control and slid under a parked car. The playground, which has been updated through the years, remains an honor to Karen’s memory.
It is the best playground for a game of “hot lava” with stepping toadstools, climbing ropes, beams, rings, and bars connecting nearly all of the play structures. A child-size ferry powered by a manual crank promotes scientific thinking. Multi-age swing sets and a few of Kompan’s popular spinning tops and teacups feed the need for speed. 1- to 5-year-olds will enjoy a play fort, a toddler teeter-totter, and a sand area full of donated toys. This playground truly fulfills children’s quest for feats of strength, balance and agility. Huge Maple trees border the park, providing shade. Magnolia Community Center, right next door, has restrooms; and a quaint shopping district three blocks away on West McGraw Street offers everything: fresh-baked pies, sandwiches, coffee, children’s books and a farmers’ market on Saturdays.Woodland Park Playground
Corner of Phinney Avenue North and North 59th StreetAge range: 18 months to 10 years old
Play structures: ****
Social Skill Building: *****
Environment: *****
Amenities: **The main attraction of this playground is its swing set – the best in Seattle – and it is not uncommon to have to wait your turn. The playground is spacious and neighbors are talkative and welcoming. It offers four slides for multiple ages, monkey bars, a small sand area, and climbing structures perfect for an almost-surefooted preschooler. A child-size rock shelter supports creative play and a small spiraling mound provides space for endless chasing games. A huge soccer field lies adjacent to the park. Crows and squirrels can be aggressive if snacks are left unattended. There are no bathrooms in the park, but a smorgasbord of stores and restaurants are only a few blocks south on Phinney Avenue North.
Jefferson Park
4165 16th Ave. S., SeattleAge range: Two years to adult
Play structures: *****
Social Skill Building: *****
Environment: ***
Amenities: ****Jefferson Park is located across from Jefferson Park Golf Course on Beacon Hill, Seattle’s most linguistically and culturally diverse neighborhood. Supported by millions of dollars of funding and active community input, this grand playground is slated to open this month, July 2010. It was designed for serious play, with giant climbing cubes, Kompan spinners and twisters, multi-age swings, slides, interweaving bike paths, huge open green spaces, tennis courts, lawn bowling, a driving range, and a state-of-the-art skate park set to open in 2011. The backdrop: sweeping views of downtown Seattle, the Olympic Mountains, and Puget Sound. Once trees have laid their roots, this park will be stunning. Bathrooms are centrally located and there is off-street parking. MacPherson’s Fruit and Produce, a few blocks away on 15th Avenue South, is one of the most affordable produce markets in the Seattle area. Almost any food craving can be satisfied nearby. I recommend that child detectives set out to discover the best Filipino dessert, Leche Flan, in the neighborhood.
Molly Peach Matter is a Seattle child educator and advocate for high quality early learning for all kids.
Playground Confidential: An Insider’s Guide to Six of Seattle’s Best Playgrounds
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Thach Nguyen is the Founder and CEO of Thach Real Estate Group, company that serves people from diverse cultures and communities in buying, selling and investing in real estate.
Thach has written 2238 articles.
