There’s only so much that an adult can really tell about a playground. So to find the city’s best offerings, we brought in a guest contributor: my eight-year-old son, Monty. Because who’s better qualified to review playgrounds than a 3′ 10,” 40-pound second grader who loves to jump around? When it comes to playgrounds, you’ll notice that Monty has a few necessities: monkey bars, swings, climbing walls, long slides, and anything that spins. He also thinks playgrounds are prime real estate for playing a game of tag. Below, you’ll find out which playgrounds suit Monty. If the kid missed anything important, I’ve added some comments after his reviews. — Christina Sturdivant
Photo by Christina Sturdivant
ROSEDALE COMMUNITY CENTER PLAYGROUND: This playground is big, fun, and entertaining. My favorite thing about it is the monkey bars because they are the perfect size for me to hang on and climb across. I also like the spinning tub because you can sit in it and it makes you dizzy. This playground also has mirrors where you can see yourself upside down and it looks funny.
It is a great place to play tag because its has long bridges. And there are some benches that you can sit on if you get tired. This playground also has a treehouse—if you climb the little ladder to get to the top, you can write stuff in it.
The most interesting thing about this playground is that you can learn things. For example, there is a wall with part of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech. He is an important person to people like me because he helped people understand that segregation was all wrong and that everyone should be together, whether they’re black or white. This playground also has information about Abraham Lincoln who was the 16th president of the United States, and he signed the Emancipation Proclamation to free the slaves.
Christina’s notes: This playground is designed with a National Mall theme so it also features the Capitol, White House, and other D.C. landmarks.
Rosedale Community Center playground is located at 1701 Gales Street, NE.
MontyPalisades from Christina Sturdivant on Vimeo.
PALISADES RECREATION CENTER PLAYGROUND: I like that this playground has a big climbing wall that is shaped like a mountain. If you climb to the top, you can go down a big red slide.
It has a little wooden bridge, too. I’m glad that the creators made it stable so the bridge doesn’t collapse and you might need to go to the hospital, so they did a good job.
The bridge connects to huts. I like the huts because they used sticks to make them, and they are in the shape of squares. The huts are also really roomy, which is good because if it’s spring or summer, you don’t have to deal with all the heat—you can take a break under the hut without having to sit on a chair or bench.
This playground also has a web that you climb to get to the monkey bars that are above them. It has drums and other instruments where you can make your own music and logs that you can walk on to help with your balance.
It also has a little kiddie slide—it was too small for me, but I like its design. And it has exercise equipment so when the children are playing, the adults can work out.
Christina’s notes: This is one of only two playgrounds on the list with a parking lot. And, as Monty mentioned, it has four pieces of outdoor exercise equipment by HealthBeat.
Palisades Community Center playground is located at 5200 Sherier Place NW.
Photo by Christina Sturdivant
HARRY THOMAS RECREATION CENTER PLAYGROUND: Even though this playground has a very small climbing wall and no monkey bars, it makes up for it with a lot of roped webs for climbing. The webs are my favorite here because I can climb up, down, and all around like a spider.
I like the seesaw because you can go up high in the air like swings, and it can fit four people at a time. This playground also has stepping platforms that let you hop to different parts of the playground, as well as something you can stand on to spin around, and long slides.
It has swings that are for big kids, little kids, and babies. The babies could get strapped up, but big kids don’t have to.
It is amazing for playing tag because it has a lot of space to run around.
Harry Thomas Recreation Center playground is located at 1743 Lincoln Road NE.
Photo by Christina Sturdivant
STEAD PARK: My favorite thing about this playground is that it has a huge climbing wall. The rest of the playground is pretty small, but there are slides, bridges, and ladders for climbing. The slide is red, and that’s my favorite color!
It also has a big round swing and platforms that you walk on to get to higher parts of the playground.
Stead Playground is located at 1625 P Street NW.
Photo by Christina Sturdivant
TAKOMA PARK PLAYGROUND: This is one of my favorite playgrounds because it has big slides, a lot of space to play tag, a spinning tub, and swings.
It also has a brick wall with a linked chain that you can climb up, but it was too little for me. It has some monkey bars, too, but they were too high for me to reach them easily.
For the spring or summertime, it has a big flower that shoots water all over you and it is a lot of fun! And it has a skate park that can help you a lot with learning how to ride a skateboard really well!
Takoma Park Playground 300 Van Buren Street, NW
MontyChevyChase from Christina Sturdivant on Vimeo.
CHEVY CHASE PLAYGROUND: Most of this playground is for little kids. It has a wall that looks like a mountain that you can climb—it’s very creative and it looks like it took a long time to make. It has a small sandbox to play in, too. It looks like the little kids were having fun because the playground has a lot of slides, monkey bars, bridges, and a game where they can learn about fruit and numbers.
There is another side of the playground for bigger kids and it has monkey bars that look cool because they are round and look like they’re made of hard metal. I wasn’t tall enough to climb them, but I really like how they look.
This side of the playground also has swings and a lot of things that spin you around in circles.
Chevy Chase Recreation Center playground is located at 5500 41st Street, NW.
Photo by Christina Sturdivant
GUY MASON RECREATION CENTER PLAYGROUND: I have a lot favorite things on this playground. I really like the web because it has several levels. It also has a big silver slide that goes really fast. There is another slide, too, that is made out of poles—it makes your body vibrate and it feels relaxing. It also has hammock where you can lie down and relax.
It has a huge birdcage—you have to climb a ladder to get to the top. It has swings for all ages and sizes of kids and babies. It has monkey bars, too, but I couldn’t really reach all of them.
It also has a circular seat that spins you around—it’s really fun. And it has a place where you can make your own music and three big chalk boards that you can write and draw on.
For the smaller kids, it has a sandbox so they can build castles or other stuff. And it has colorful dots that you can hop on from one to the next.
It also has little tables that you can eat on or have a picnic in the summer or springtime. And it has fake grass so you can lie out on a blanket and eat or chill.
It is perfect for playing tag because it has a whole lot of space to run. I would want this to be my school playground because it is really fun, and I would like to go here every day.
Guy Mason Recreation Center playground is located at 3600 Calvert Street NW.
Photo by Christina Sturdivant
GARFIELD PARK: I like this playground because it has a lot of webs! It has about 8 climbing webs altogether. One of the webs is so high that I was scared. It’s kind of hard to tell how to get down because you don’t want to jump down because you’ll probably have to go to the hospital. I’m glad they made sure that there is really a way to get down besides jumping.
This playground has two slides, but they weren’t the best because the bottoms of them stop curving, and go straight down to the ground. It also has a long, skinny bridge that’s good for practicing your balance skills.
It has monkey bars, too, but the only problem about them is that they are too high for me to reach.
It did not have any climbing walls, but the webs made up for that, and I think they make the playground a lot better!
Garfield Park is located at 148 F Street SE.
Photo by Christina Sturdivant
KENNEDY RECREATION CENTER PLAYGROUND: I like this playground because it has a really big, blue slide. It’s one of the biggest slides out of all of the playgrounds we visited. And when you go down, it goes really fast.
This playground is separated into two sides for big kids and little kids. Each side has monkey bars that are different shapes and sizes, a lot of ladders, and swings. Some pieces of the equipment have little holes that you can stick your fingers in to help you get up.
This playground is great for playing tag because it has a lot of space to run and have fun.
Christina’s notes: This is one of only two playgrounds on the list with a parking lot.
Kennedy Recreation Center Playground is located at 1401 7th Street NW.
Photo by Christina Sturdivant
HILLCREST RECREATION CENTER PLAYGROUND: This playground has a water sprinkler that sprays water on you when you walk past or under it in the spring or summertime.
I like the tub that spins because you can sit in it and another person can spin it to make the people inside feel dizzy. I also like the climbing wall because it curves and goes up and around, but it is kind of hard to tell how to get down because it is really high for me.
This playground also has instruments like drums and bells. I like them because you can make up your own music.
It is a great place to play tag and run around because the playground is big and it has a lot of space. It has a field that you can run on, too, which is also good for playing football.
It also has a slide made of poles, and it feels like a massage when you go down. I would love to come to this playground again!
Hillcrest Recreation Center Playground is located at 3100 Denver Street SE.
Photo by Christina Sturdivant
FORT GREBLE PLAYGROUND: Kids who love slides will enjoy this playground because it’s mostly made of slides—there are six of them. Three of them are little, two are bigger, and one is really big. I like the big slides because they are more fun than the little ones.
You can get to the biggest slide by climbing up a wall that looks like a mountain or running up the fake grass.
The swings at this playground are only for babies and infants. But I think babies would really like them. It also has a ladder that goes up to a tree house. And I like the tree house because it has enough space to play around, chat, and relax.
This playground also has a bridge on a hill. It’s good, but it is not really useful because it isn’t high enough off the ground. There is also a web on that hill that you can climb up like a spider, and that is fun.
It is a great place to play tag and run around because it has a lot of space, especially at the bottom of the hill.
Fort Greble Playground is located at Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue and Elmira Street, SW
