Regents Park

Equipment by Little Tikes.

Surface: sand. So much sand.

Sometimes I can’t tell if writing all these reviews is making me more open-minded about what makes a good playground, or if it’s turning me into an insufferable playground snob.

Watching my daughter explore Regents Park in Scarborough, I suddenly couldn’t tell if my instincts about the place were too harsh or too generous. One part of my brain would say, “there’s a decent variety of equipment here” and then the other would pipe up and say, “ugh, sand. Who would ever surface a playground with sand?”

“Yeah,” says the kinder part, “but look at the maze hidden under the climber. Isn’t that clever?”

“Look over there,” says the grumpy part, “they even put a wooden border for a sandbox. Why do you need a sandbox when the whole frickin’ playground is covered in sand?!”

“Ooh look! There’s a shady spot under those trees. That would be a nice place for a picnic!”

“Dude,” the grump replies, “do you enjoy having sand in your picnic? Because it sounds like you enjoy having sand in your picnic.”

Let’s quiet the two competing voices for a moment and try to be as objective as possible with the playground at Regents Park. There are two climbers. There are activity panels. There are several swings. There's a ride-on bee and a caterpillar.

There are no water elements or washrooms. No water bottle filling station. There is a fair-sized field and some trees. It’s a quiet, sleepy neighbourhood. And yes, there is lots of sand.

“Come on, this is a perfectly average playground. It’s gotta be an 80.”

“80? How low are you willing to put the bar? Maybe a 75.”

“Seriously? But the pods on that climber are so fun! C’mon, give it an 80.”

“With different surfacing I might be willing to concede an 80. My final offer is 77.”

“Fine. Wanna have a picnic?”

“You disgust me.”