Camp Rivendale

Camp Rivendale is hands-down a GREAT playground! It is friendly to all ages and abilities. This playground is part of the Jenkins Estate land just west of Beaverton on Cooper Mountain.

A summer camp for disabled children is held here during the summer weekdays, but it's open for the general public on weekends all year and weekdays Sept - May. Sometimes the area is also rented on the weekends in the summer months.

Whatever you're looking for in a park, Camp Rivendale likely has it. The rubberized surface is perfect for toddlers, and the ramps and wide staircases are perfect for early climbing. There are swings for babies and big kids, and even the reclining plastic kind that my son seems to slip off of easily.

Every good park needs at least one slide, and this one has a triple slide. It is steep enough to be fun, but easy enough that toddlers can do it on their own.

One feature I haven't seen in any other park is the sway table area. It's named "Sway Fun," and my child happens to agree with that name. Anytime we go to this playground, we spend about half the time on this benched area that slides back and forth as you shift your weight.

There are a variety of ways to climb at Camp Rivendale. There are many sets of stairs for the simple route. There's also a simulated rock-climbing area, and this green pillar of ledges that it great for coordination.

There is a lot of area and variation in the structures, so older kids can exercise their imaginations as well as their bodies. Last time we were there, and could of kids were practicing riding their bikes on the pavement that circles the playground -- another option for older preschoolers and school-age kids.

For practical considerations, there is a fully-plumbed restroom and covered picnic area up the hill from the playground. There are also a new picnic tables in the grass near the play equipment. The large grassy area would also be perfect for a blanket picnic or a place to toss a frisbee.

OMSI Science Playground

Faced with starting a Spring Break full of rainy forecasts, we accepted a friend's invitation to OMSI. The Science Playground was a bit crowded due to many local schools starting Spring Break on that Friday, but we had a great time! There's a lot to see and do at OMSI, but this review focuses on the Science Playground for two reasons: (1) That's where we spend the bulk of our time when we visit OMSI and (2) This is a Playground Tour, after all.

Here's our take on the features, starting at the front and going clockwise:

• Climbing structure: Nice to have something to climb on, but kids expect to see a slide at the top. My son was even chanting, "Slide, slide, slide" as he climbed up, and he moved on to other features when there was no slide. On the other hand, our 14-month-old hostess spent a lot of time on the climbing structure because she's at the perfect age for exploring any kind of stairs.
• Blocks: The blocks area is great, with plenty of blocks for a crowd to play even though they do have to agree to share the supply of blocks. The carpet has roads on it to stimulate creative building.
• The lab classroom: On this day, they had a playdough activity going on. It looked fun and was very popular, but my kiddo wasn't into anything involving tables and chairs on this day.
• The ball shooter: This is a miniature version of a big feature in the main museum. We spent a lot of time here and learned a little bit about taking turns with other tots. Buddy loved to put a ball in the tube, close the flap, and watch the ball move up the tube. He even experimented with partially closing the flap to get different speeds on the projectile ball. Now that's science in the playground!

• Books/marketplace: This is a nice reading area with soft carpet, many books, and a little grocery market area. Buddy showed his usual love of calculators by focusing his attention on the cash register! He wasn't into sitting still, but this is a nice area for Mom to catch a breather while a tot explores some books. According to the website, this area also has puppets, but our stay in this area was too short to notice.

• The Baby Corner: We're officially too old for this corner (the sign says 0-24 mo) so we stayed out, but this was a favorite when he was younger. There's soft padding under the carpet and lots of toys mounted on the walls at crawler-level. One wall has a floor-level aquarium that is also open to the main playground (see photo below), and there's a small ball pit that seems to be endlessly entertaining for the one-year-olds. There are some big foam shapes for small-scale climbing. The area has always been spotlessly clean when I've been there, though there are certainly times when an older kid comes in to try to rule the roost.

• The water area: I've intentionally avoided this area in past visits, not wanting to do the full change of clothes that's needed when my child encounters any splashable water. This time, we were a little more adventurous and took a quick tour of the stream table area. We headed out when he got interested in the tables with deeper pools. There are aprons and boots available to mitigate some of the "damage."
• The picnic area: There's a nice area off of the carpet for eating snacks and sack lunches.
• Nature play: This area allows for a lot of wandering between features. The kiddos can climb into and eagle's nest, explore a dark cave with flashlights, or don a chimpmunk vest for some real pretend play! Against the wall, there is a simple computer that is durable enough to tolerate a 2-year-old's touch, but still a little above his head conceptually. There's a quiet corner where kids can explore animal tracks visually and by touch and wall-mounted toys that make sights and sounds. Finally, there's a table by the entrance that has magnifiers and measurement toys.
• The sand pit: Right in the middle, there's a giant sand area. We almost played here this time, but got sidetracked. The sand is really clean and dry, so it looks like a fun area for my son's age, but we just didn't get to it. Parents can jump into the play, watch from a bench within the sand area, or keep an eye on the kids from over the half-wall depending on the amount of supervision that's needed.

For practical matters, the Science Playground is well-equipped. The rest room has all of the standard changing equipment, and there is a private nursing room separate from the bathroom. Stroller parking is outside the doors to the playground, so a backpack is handy for any gear you want to carry as you play.

The most practical matter of all, of course, is cost and play in the Science Playground does require full OMSI admission. We got in on a friend's membership, but the usual rates are: $11 adult, $9 youth or senior, FREE under 3.