Berkeley Adventure Playground

http://www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/contentdisplay.aspx?id=8656



http://www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/contentdisplay.aspx?id=8656 

The Adventure Playground at the Berkeley Marina was opened in 1979. It is a wonderfully unique outdoor facility where staff encourage children to play and build creatively.  Come climb on the many unusual kid designed and built forts, boats, and towers. Ride the zip line or hammer, saw, and paint. By providing these low risk activities Adventure Playground creates opportunities for children to learn cooperation, meet physical challenges and gain self confidence. Pictures of a fort building project. The concept for Adventure Playgrounds originated in Europe after World War II, where Lady Marjory Allen, a landscape architect and childrens advocate, studied children playing in the "normal" asphalt and cement playgrounds. She found that they preferred playing with parts that they could move around and manipulate to make their own makeshift structures.  The formula for Adventure Playgrounds includes Earth, fire, water, and lots of creative materials.

Who should come?Adventure Playground is designed for children seven years old and older, however younger children are welcome as long as they are within arms reach of a participating adult. Parents of older children are encouraged to participate (see below) and help out with safety for all children. Everyone needs to sign the walk-in waiver when you come in. What should everyone wear?Everyone must wear sturdy shoes like tennis shoes, NOT flip flops, sandals, crocs or clogs. Stepping on a nail is a possibility and sturdy shoes protect feet. Wear clothes that can get dirty, wet, painted on and you may consider bringing a change of clothes for wet or muddy days. Warning: Our playground paint is water based tempera (school paint) and .( red) may not come out of clothing even with pre treating. The other colors actually have soap in it but that makes for slippery painted surfaces when wet. How can I as a parent or adult help when I am there? When you are here, please, watch your child, respect our staff and our rules. Keep your cell phone in your pocket. Be present for your child. if you need a break from supervising them, register your child as a drop in and we will watch them. Please, Don't read a book, or get caught up in your phone. You children need your attention and we need your help. Do not let your children under the age of 6 ride the zip line, even though you  think they can. Teach them to use good judgment and if what they are doing is destructive and dangerous- please stop them and cleanup. Remember children build these forts. Staff are making sure the playground is safe, you need to be sure your child is safe. Pick up the wood on the ground ( which is a trip hazard) and put it in the wood racks. If it is naily wood put it in the red zones. If you see things that might be dangerous, or if your child gets hurt, please tell the staff- so they can fix it  and help you. Before you leave, if you didn't finish your project, take it apart and put the parts back in the wood racks or take it with you. Please have everyone return all the tools ( including paint, brushes and clamps)  back to the shed and put all unnaily wood to the racks, and any naily unsafe wood to the red zones.   Adult Helper Cards We have 5 X 7 job task cards for adults to learn about each job that they can help with, just ask at the desk. Jobs include: Small wood helper-Assisting kids with clamps and picking out the soft woods for them to learn to saw and hammer on. At the base of the trolley we need help shoveling sand at a 45 degree angle so the children slow down and stop.  We do ask that you do NOT HELP children onto the wooden seat at the top of the trolley platform. If they cannot do it themselves, they are not ready to ride yet. We always need people to assist staff behind the tool counter passing out tools to the children. Please clarify that job with staff so you know which tools should NOT go out .

We are always looking for volunteers to help in the playground- must be 16 or older. Students can get community service hours helping on weekends or in the summer. If you or your child is interested, please call us for an interview and to fill our our paperwork.

Adventure Playground is one of the Marina Experience programs and has been written up as a top 10 playground in National Geographic.
 It was voted the Best Creative Playspace in Diablo Magazine. YELP has rated us 4.5 out of 5. We have been written about in the Chronicle, the Boston Globe and Newsweek as one of the Top 5 playspaces in the country. 

 “Drop-ins”Children seven years and older may be signed in by their parent/guardian to stay in the playground without their parents for up to three hours.
All “Drop-ins” mush have a waiver on file and pay the Drop-in fee.
No Drop-ins on Sundays unless fee is paid in advance.

Every adult who enters the playground must sign in on the waiver at the entrance for themselves and their children. 

IS THERE A FEE?  Individual FamiliesFREE for individual families: parents/guardians who accompany 4 children or less. If you are a large family, call please.
 Groups

• 5 children or more, regardless of how many adults/parents you have
• Organized programs of any size (daycare programs, summer camps, church groups)
• Multiple small families who meet at the playground with 5 children or more -
  including individuals coming in from gatherings (like birthday parties) happening outside Adventure playground in Shorebird Park.

All groups must make reservations and pay the group fee ($73-$174 depending on group size).
Summers and weekend days are very popular with the public. The only way to keep the Playground safe is to control the numbers by limiting groups. So, if you come in a group (5 children or more) without reservations, you will be asked to leave.