RH11 and RH12

Today we visited two tot lots in River Hill. We went to RH11 and RH12. These tot lots are on either side of Great Star Drive, right where it meets Route 32.

We started at RH11 and I parked on Morning Time Lane. The path was clearly visible from the street, and it was about a 3 minute walk to the tot lot. Here the baby swings and big kid swings are on separate structures. There are 2  baby swings and 4 big kid swings. The big kid swings are a bit high off the ground (at least for a short kid).  There's a small square sandbox. The plastic slide is about 5 feet high and it goes straight down. There's a ramp going up to the slide and a tunnel area underneath the slide. There are 2 benches to sit on. This tot lot is not well shaded. We could also hear the traffic from the road.

This was on the back of the baby swing. It's the first time I've noticed one of these - at least one that was readable!

We walked to RH12, which meant we had to cross Great Star Drive. We didn't have a hard time crossing, but I'm not sure I would recommend doing it with little kids. It was only a 3 or 4 minute walk from the previous tot lot. This tot lot was better shaded. There 2 baby swings and 3 big kid swings - again on separate structures. There were 2 bouncy animals and a set of what my husband informs me are chin-up bars. The chin up bars are definitely for taller/bigger kids. There was also a small balance block. My daughter was quick to point out that there was no slide here! There was one bench to sit on here. The closest parking for this tot lot would be Reedy Song Knoll.

chin up bars

balance block 

HR4 and HR6 (and HR5)

We visited HR4  and HR6 on June 20, 2017. We were going to visit HR5, but it is not there.
We went to HR6 first. The closest parking is on Sunny Spring or on Cricket Pass. There is one baby swing and one big kid swing. The swings are on one side of the path and are in direct sun. However, the other side of the tot lot is shadier. On this side there is a seesaw that seats 4. There is one bouncy car. The plastic slide is about 4 1/2 feet high, and has a couple of bounces going down. There are steps going up to the slide. There are also some 'toys' there. The telephone tubes here worked, which was very exciting for my daughter. There's also some sort of car racing toy that you maneuver by handles, and some other marble toy.  There is one bench to sit on. The ground here also seems to be plastic mulch.

swings

seesaw and bouncy car

HR4 is about a six minute walk from HR6. We did have to cross the street at Sunny Spring, but there's a nice crosswalk there, so it made it easier. You could also park on Bright Plume and take the path from there. This tot lot has a similar design, the swings are on one side of the path - one baby swing and one big kid swing. The swings are also in the sun here. On the other side of the path there is a sand box and two bouncy animals. The plastic slide is about 4 feet high and goes straight down. There are steps going up to the slide platform. There is a tree right in the middle here, so the slide and sand box are pretty well shaded. However, the bouncy animals were still in the sun.
From here we walked to where HR5 is on the CA Pathways Map, but it was not there.

swings

sandbox

bouncy animals

slide

OM15a & OM16

We visited OM15a and OM16 on June 9, 2017.
OM15a is is right next to the Stevens Forest Pool and Stevens Forest Elementary School. It is a very nice tot lot. The swings are in one area, in the full sun. There are 2 baby swings, four big kid swings and one big tire swing. The big kid swings are a bit high off the ground. There are two benches near the swings to sit on.
The other area is much better shaded. There are six benches around to sit on. There are also four picnic benches. The ground cover here is partly mulch, and partly rubber tiles. The tiles are a little uneven, and for new walkers can be a little tricky.
There are a lot of different things at this tot lot. The sandbox is slightly elevated. There's also a sand table, which is kind of high. Not a good height for toddlers, but older kids will be able to reach it. There are 3 different sets of monkey bars - one regular type, which stands alone, and 2 others are which are ring like. There's a wobbly bridge, which is safely surrounded by bars. There are 2 slides, one short plastic slide that goes straight down. The second slide is about 7 feet high and is a tube type slide that goes straight down.  There are a lot of other fun things here - little ladders to climb, telephone tubes, musical chimes.

Sand table

sand box

wobbly bridge

tube slide

swings

OM16 is a 5 or 6 minute walk away on the paths. The closest parking point for this tot lot is Clearsmoke Ct. This is a small tot lot, but has some charm. There is one baby swing and 2 big kid swings. The swings are a nice low-ish height, however, they swing a little crooked.  The swings are also in the shade.  The rest of the tot lot is full sun. There's a sandbox here. There's also a a slide, about 5 feet high, with a couple of bumps going down. There's a nice wooden ladder to climb up to the slide platform.

LR11 & LR12

We visited tot lots LR11 and LR12 on June 1, 2017.

There are 2 paths to LR11. Both are quite close to the tot lot.  One is on Hayshed Ln and the other is on CooperHawk Ct.  This is a nicely shaded tot lot. There are 2 benches to sit on. There's a small square sandbox. There are 2 bouncy animals, which are a little high off the ground. The plastic slide is about 4 1/2 feet high, and has a couple of bounces going down. There are steps going up to the slide, and a little tunnel area beneath it.  There are 2 big kid swings and one baby swing, all on the same swing set. There's also a nice green area with some trees for the kids to run around on.

swing set

LR12 is about a 10 minute walk from LR11. There's not a path to walk, but the streets in this Long Reach neighborhood all have sidewalks, so it was a safe walk with kids. There are 4 entry points to the path to LR12, 3 of them are in the circel of Hayshed Ln, the 4th is off Winddance Way. Be warned, no matter which path you take, you'll be walking up a hill! Not super long, but steep enough, made a bit harder if you're pushing a stroller.  However, this tot lot is worth the hill. It's pretty well shaded and nicely spread out. There are 2 benches to sit on, one facing the slide, the other facing the baby swings. There are 2 baby swings, a small sandbox, and 2 bouncy animals on one side. Across the path is a nice tall slide, about 6 feet high, with a few bounces going down. There are nice large steps going up to the slide. There are also monkey bars attached. There are also 3 big kid swings here. While we were here it was pretty well shaded, but the baby swings were in the sun.

baby swings

sandbox and bouncy animals

fun slide structure

monkey bars