Playgrounds: the Nexus generation

Over the weekend, a three-fifths majority of the family took a ride around the neighborhood, a ride that took us past the emerging Walnut Street Park in Cary. As long as I can remember, certainly before the first time I scorched my legs on a metal fry-pan-cum-playground-slide on a 90-degree day, I've been a connoisseur of playground equipment. So when we rode past the park and saw a new breed of playground equipment with a Jetsonian feel, we had to stop and investigate. (Which meant we just looked, kids, since the equipment was still being installed and to play on it would be wrong.)

Turns out the equipment is from a relatively new player in the playground game, Nexus. According to their promotional material, the equipment is geared toward kids "who are more sophisticated and maturing faster than ever before. These 'tweens are often bored by traditional playground equipment and are looking for something different that fits their image and style." Not sure about the "image and style" thing, but it sounds like this equipment may be a bit more challenging than the previous generation of playground equipment, which emerged in the 1990s and seemed to place a greater priority on safety (read: "liability") than having fun.

Paul Kuhn, a park planner for Cary, says the equipment will be the first of its kind on a Cary playground. "With all Cary parks we're looking for unique characteristics for each park. We want people from the other side of Cary to come over here to try out the equipment. That's why, for instance, you find a big climbing boulder at North Cary Park, but not elsewhere.

One other thing that's interesting about the Nexus equipment. Playground equipment is generally broken into two categories: that for kids 2-5 and for kids 5-12. The age range on this equipment 7-14. This is purely anecdotal, but I find that kids generally aren't ready to part with a good playground experience when they hit 12.

Walnut Street Park is scheduled to open in April. I'll report back with a full account — including injury report — on just how much fun the Nexus equipment is.

And if you're looking for a good playground, you'll find a complete list of what's available in the Triangle at our Triangle Mom2Mom Web site.