Magnolia Park

Magnolia Park is a really fun place if you find yourself in the Tanasbourne area. It is fully-featured and has some unique items that give this park extra personality. I've had a hard time getting many pictures when we are there because Linus runs all over the place!

One way this park stands out is that it has a toddler play structure that is separate from the big kids' area. There's no physical barrier separating the two, but they are on opposite sides of a sidewalk. The toddler structure is easy to access with steps and has several slides and a low set of monkey bars. There is a springy teeter-totter and two baby swings to complete the toddler section.

The big kid's play are has slides that are big and steep, but not so fast that the kids slide off the end. They are all accessible by steps, so even the little ones can get up to the big slides. There's the standard suspension bridge that is always a hit, and several unique twirly structures.

If the weather is warm, pack and extra outfit or put your child in a swimsuit to take advantage of the splash fountain. The pulses of water bring the squeals out of Linus in a big way, and there are fun turtle-like rock mounds to climb on in the water area.


The covered picnic area is a great place to dry off and catch a snack or meal. There's also a big grassy lawn if a blanket picnic is more your style. There is even a grill if you want to make a party out of your trip to this park. For bathrooms, there is only an outhouse, but it is a double-wide roomy one. There is, however, a working drinking fountain.

Overall, a stop at Magnolia park is a great reward for a child who is patient during shopping in the nearby Tanasbourne stores, or a fun destination in it's own right. This is one we'll be sure to visit over and over!

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.