Denison Park, Cleveland Heights, OH

WHAT: Denison Park, 1015 Quarry Road (accessible from Monticello Blvd. to the north)

What's good: Fresh wood chips. Huge climber with lots of "to do's" on it--slides, bridges, a little rock wall. Good swings. Fenced. Parking is ample and shaded...good for hiding that quick diaper change, plus the car isn't boiling when you load the kids back in.

What's bad: Again, not a tree in sight. Bring the sunscreen. Also, you have to go around the whole fenced area to negotiate the gate, which, when you've got a buggy and a toddler, can be tricky if your three year old pulls a Ghandi and moves towards passive resistance.

Grade: B+

Gearity Elementary School, University Heights, OH

I'm a little biased about Gearity because it's Ellie's preschool. However, the playground is fair game for rating.

WHAT: Gearity Professional Development School, Wrenford Road, University Heights (it's in the cul-de-sac that ends Wrenford).

What's good: Fenced. Picnic tables. Cushioned surface. Shade. Ample equipment, including climbers, hand-eye/fine motor activities, swings, bouncers, lots of slides, and playhouses. Everything on the preschool side is pint-sized.

What's bad: The only bummer is that during the day, even in summer, the preschool trumps the neighborhood for use. Since Gearity has activities most of the year, when the schoolchildren come out for recess, visitors have to vamoose. For safety reasons, this is totally reasonable. Just call ahead or go on a weekend when you won't have to pack up and skedaddle because you went at a bad time.

Grade: A

Tony Brush Park, Little Italy (Cleveland), OH

WHAT: A red, white and green glory on the corner of Random Road and Mayfield Road, across from Holy Rosary Church, Little Italy, Cleveland, OH.

What's good: Brand new! Cushiony surface. Pint-sized and full sized climbers. Ample swings. Open space for RUNNING. Picnic tables. The trains go by to the west, so that's always fun. Also, as far as refreshments go, one word: Presti's. http://www.prestisbakery.com/

What's bad: Parking is sketchy because you have to share Random with residents. You'd better know how to parallel park. No shade...this park is in full sun (or full rain, depending on the day!) However, the equipment is so good, and the park feels so roomy, I'm okay with slathering the kids with sunscreen and hoping for the best.

Grade: A

Noble Elementary School, Cleveland Heights, OH

WHAT: The playground for Noble Elementary School, 1293 Ardoon St., Cleveland Heights.

What's good: Ample parking. Some updated equipment (the blue slide is good). Fresh wood chips.

What's bad: Most of the climber equipment is old lumber and is starting to splinter or feels rough. The layout of the playground is awkward--there's a couple of "centers" on either side of the school building, which means you have to decide which side of the building you're going to be on and kind of park there for a while. No shade to speak of--when the sun is full out, you're sweating. Only one toddler swing--understandable, tho, since Noble doesn't have a preschool.

I heard there's a grassroots effort to update the playground. I hope it happens and would support it, even if my children don't attend Noble. The neighborhood needs a safe clean space for families and the children at Noble deserve state of the art. The whole layout of the playround needs to be reexamined--how best to use the space available to the school without compromising student safety. I would also recommend equipment that really emphasizes motor planning and large muscle skills.

Grade: C-

Turtle Park, Cleveland Heights, OH

WHAT: The quintessential Cleveland Heights playground, also sometimes referred to as the "Tot Lot," corner of Hampshire and Euclid Heights Blvd., about 2 blocks west of Coventry.

What's good: What's NOT good? Good parking. Fenced. Everything is downsized for about the average height of a 5 year old. Fresh wood chips regularly. Good swings. Water fountain (not filthy either). Picnic tables. The side closest to Euclid Heights is shaded. Big sand pit with donated community-shared toys. The eponymous turtle, which is both a climbing structure and a hide-under fun thing. It's also apparently made out of something recycled, I have no idea what. Plenty of kids around, which is both good and bad--you need to watch for the climber getting overcrowded. But overall, this playground is first rate.

GRADE: A.

Fort Liberty Playland, Liberty Township, Ohio

http://www.liberty-township.com/fw/main/Ft_Liberty_Playland-1430.html

WHERE: This playground is located at 6869 Van Gorden Road in Liberty Township, Ohio, which is north of Cincinnati.

WHAT: It is a newer playground in a fort-like set up with swings, a sandpit, slides, and lots of climbers. There are also bathrooms and a snack pavilion.

GOOD: Lots of different activities for kids of all sizes. The fortress is cool because it has a labyrinthian feel. There's a lot of opportunity for pretend play on a grand scale. The slides didn't flatten out too much at the end, so kids slide all the way to the bottom. The sand pit has common toys for digging. The toddler swings are more like baskets, so kids are comfortable. The fort is beautifully built and solid as a rock.

BAD: No shade except for the pavilion. It was 90 degrees at 9:30 in the morning and not a tree in sight near the fort. There's also a steep grade behind the bathrooms, so if your child is a wanderer you might find her at the edge of an incline covered with wildflowers and precariously close to toppling in. Parking is gravel lot only. If you have to keep track of more than one child, the set up of the fort can be daunting--lots of blind spots. And, worst of all, some lousy sponsor was a Steelers fan.

Overall grade: B+

Not Another One!

This blog is devoted only to playround reviews. I will post pictures, of course, when appropriate, but my usual angst or stuff about ASD will be found on one of my other two blogs.

Hopefully, we'll be traveling more and blogging about playgrounds all over, not just in Cleveland and surroundings. And I'll be data mining my friends for their opinions too, in case you think I'm just whistling Dixie over here.

First post soon.