What Did She Say

McLennan Park – known as Mount Trashmore to anyone who’s from Kitchener-Waterloo – has gone through a major facelift. The old dump site has been a large hill for years, being used as a forbidden toboggan hill. This year the plans for its revitalization have come to fruition. And they did it right.

The park spans from Block Line to Ottawa with entrances at each end and ample parking.

There is truly something for everyone.

The playground is grand. It is spacious, but not so spread out as to not be able to see your offspring as they go from spot to spot (Victoria Park, I’m looking at you). You can see through the structures so you can keep an eye on your kiddies. There are a gazillion things to do. The wee ones will be entertained on a smaller structure and the older ones have things that are a bit more challenging.

And there’s a SPINNER! Remember the old-school merry-go-rounds where you were whipped around until you flew off – or were dragged along – feet flying, head crashing, finally landing and walking away with various bruises? There’s a nice, big, safer version of this. Complete with a spider-web rope to help keep bodies inside. They can also climb this, but kids will find the most challenging and dangerous things no matter what. And at least now, as opposed to when we were younger, the kids land on the spongy, protective layer rather than the dirt or – who thought of this one – gravel. The spinning web thing is a HUGE hit.

I have a digger in my family. He loves the sandbox. He loves the dirt beside our driveway. He would – and does – dig for hours. He was in HEAVEN when he saw there was not one, but two diggers at the park. They’re placed on either side of a sand/gravel pit. He could – and would – spend hours and hours just digging and digging.

A great feature of the park is washrooms! Nicely placed near the play area, splash park and sports zone.

That brings me to the splash pad. A nice, big expanse with various devices that spray, shoot and dump water awaited us when we visited McLennan Park’s newest addition. Again, it’s an easy place to keep an eye on your kidlets (provided they want to be in the same general area at the same time, which can be an issue with all the awesome stuff to do.)

The last time I was at the splash pad there were a few boys filling their mouths with the water (ew) and spitting it at each other (double ew) and, of course, getting it all over the splash pad where all the little kids were running (ew ew ew). I watched for any sign of an adult there with them and finally had to go over myself and tell them to knock it off. (Did I mention, EW!)

For the older kids there is the sports zone with a variety of basketball and volleyball courts.

And if you’ve got a daredevil or two, you may be interesting in the skate park and bike park. These are (as far as I know) well-designed and well-used features of McLennan Park. I love there is another place for kids to go to safely skateboard and do stunts and such.

And if you have kids that are a variety of ages, you can take your wee ones to the playground and splash park while your older ones enjoy the skatepark. Perfect.

There is also a dog park for those of you who have short, fuzzy, four-legged creatures in your family. And if you’re feeling like having a sit-down picnic, there’s a covered pavillion/gazebo for you, too. Or you could bring a blanket and use a small piece of the expanse of grass that is in the park.

McLennan Park is a welcome addition to Kitchener and I love that it was done right.