THE BATAWA LIONS’ NATURAL PLAYGROUND by BARNEY MOORHOUSE
We’ve come a long way from the days when we were out the door to play with our friends at first light and home by dark. As kids we had vast acres of wildlands to explore. A length of rope tied through a car tire made a swing. At the water’s edge a length of rope did just fine as we would hang on, swing out and let go to fly through the air and ultimately land in the cool, refreshing water. At school we had a set of swings, a metal slide, teeter-totters and perhaps a merry-go-round. Bumps, bruises, lumps, scratches, scrapes and slivers were part of the experience. Today? Well, that’s another story. There is even talk of mandatory helmets for playground participants.
In October 2014, the City of Quinte West removed the old playground in Batawa. It had long outlived its designed lifespan of 10 years. One decade. Engineered obsolescence? The Batawa Lions Club and some local residents joined forces with the city of Quinte West (QW) and designed a new, natural playground to replace the old one. It would be the first of its kind in the region to be built with mostly natural materials creating a landscape of hill slides, gardens, grassy play areas, climbing areas, cargo nets, a junior play area and an outdoor classroom for the local school, Sacred Heart, to use for Environmental Studies classes. Environmentally friendly, the planned playground would realize lower maintenance costs and expand its life expectancy from 10-12 years to 20-25 years. A substantial savings to QW. Plans called for construction to begin November 2014 and be completed by the spring of 2015. It would cover one-third of an acre. Earthscape Playgrounds developed the overall concept and carried out the actual construction while QW completed the landscaping, lighting (Did I mention that LED lighting lights up the pathways?) and irrigation. For its part, the Lions club applied for and received funding for the playground from Hydro One PowerPlay ($15,000), Bridge Street United Church Foundation ($3,000) and the Parrott Foundation ($75,000). QW added $130,000. Anyone familiar with applying for such funds understands and appreciates the time consuming process of filling out forms and presenting submissions.
THE HISTORY OF PLAYGROUNDS
Designed for children, many playgrounds help children develop physical coordination, strength and flexibility while having fun. A “playscape” is designed to provide a safe environment for play in a natural setting. During the winter months four natural ice ponds, built and maintained by the Batawa Lions Club, adjoin the playground and add to this outdoor recreation facility. The nearby Batawa Ski Hill compliments the outdoor theme.
Playgrounds originated in Germany where they were attached to schools aimed at teaching children a sense of fair play and good manners. The first public playground was built in 1859, in Manchester, England. Since then, of course, playgrounds have expanded globally. I couldn’t find evidence of Canada’s first playground but the first U.S. playground was built in 1887 at San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park. Recognizing the need for playgrounds, in 1907 then President Teddy Roosevelt said that city streets were dangerously unsatisfactory playgrounds, ornamental grass plots only met the needs of toddlers, and “since play is a fundamental need, playgrounds should be provided for every child as much as schools.”
RESOURCEFUL landscape artist and children’s rights campaigner Lady Allen of Hurtwood introduced and popularized “junk playgrounds” constructed from recycled junk and rubble left over from the WW 2 Blitz. Her illustrated playground books featuring adventure playgrounds and spaces for free creativity stimulated their global growth. Of note, one playground study suggested that a “park that offers multiple play areas is used equally by boys and girls.”
Social skills developed on the playground often become lifelong skills. Independent research concludes that playgrounds are among the most important environments for children outside the home. Play, essential for healthy development and free, spontaneous play – such as occurs on playgrounds – is the most beneficial. Exciting, engaging and challenging playground equipment is important to keep children happy while developing their learning. At the new park in Batawa a young child successfully reached the top of the climbing apparatus —- only to freeze when she thought about climbing back down. Her father patiently went to her and calmly talked her down. He could easily have just grabbed her up in his arms to rescue her but instead took the time to teach her to find personal strength within during adversity.
Such successful experiences foster meaningful self-esteem. And medical evidence suggests that physical activity helps to avoid weight issues, achieve a peak bone mass and encourage mental well-being. Playgrounds provide an ideal opportunity for children to master physical skills such as learning to swing, balance and climb.
As for safety concerns QW adheres to the Canadian Safety Standards’ guidelines. Meaning, in a safe, somewhat controlled environment, children can learn risk assessment. Jessie Faring Williams, known to some as the father of physical education, said that an antiseptic view towards the needs of boys and girls leads to a sterilized program. Meaning, in part, that in playgrounds such as Batawa’s children can meet the challenge of learning to play safely. Perhaps, under these somewhat “controlled” circumstances children can apply what they experience and learn to real time life skills. A completely safe, antiseptic environment does not encourage this.
JUNE 27, 2015 The Official Opening
At the ribbon cutting ceremony members of the Batawa Lions Club and dignitaries from Quinte West talked about the evolution of the park and its importance to the community while a multitude of children swarmed throughout the new play area unwilling to sit and wait one more moment. Quinte West Mayor Jim Harrison talked about the importance of the playground to the QW community and Jeff Moorhouse, the President of the Lions Club, said it was one of a kind in a geographical area bounded by Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal. In fact this is Phase 2 of a 3-phase project. Phase 3 is estimated to cost an additional $100,000 and will include a zip-line, as well as a climbing tower.
One father was overheard trying to pry his kids away from their fun as they “had to go camping.”
The opening celebration featured folksinger Andy Forgie who provided a nostalgic musical background to the happy sounds of children at play, a bird of prey presentation during which anyone who wished could hold a Harris hawk for photo ops and a Lions’ bar-b-que. In fact, future plans call for this to be an annual bar-b-que and welcome-back-summer day event. All entirely volunteer driven. 2016