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Ben Franklin Park Splash Pad Opening

The Ben Franklin Park Splash Pad ( 188 Knoxdale ) is officially opening tomorrow, Friday July 12, 2019 at 3:00 PM.

Counsellor Keith Egli posted on his twitter and his website about the splash pad opening, but I like his friendly tweet to the mayor inviting him to spending time at the splash pad for the long weekend.

We haven’t personally had a chance to check out this splash pad yet, but we’re looking forward to going sometime soon.

To be perfectly honest, the Ben Frankin Park splash pad wasn’t even on our radar until recently. read more

Splashpads are Open!

Hi everybody!

It’s splash pad season! Summer is here and it started to be boiling. Pools are closed because of Covid-19.

Luckily, splash pads here in Ottawa opened on Fri June 12, 2020.

The city of Ottawa said splashpads are fully operational by Thu June 18, 2020. They recommend if you’re using the splashpad…

still maintain physical distancing
bring lots of hand sanitizer so you can use it a lot
make sure to not use your hands to activate splash pads, and instead use your elbow or foot. (Don’t use sticks or stones to push the button.)

Some splash pads are closed for repairs:

Anisha Park
Calzavera Park
Citiplace Park
Elmridge Park
Fawn Meadows Park
Fairlea
Glebe Memorial Park
Mark Yakabuski
McCarthy Park
Pioneer Plains Park
Seiveright Park
Water Dragon Park
WC Bowes
Whitehaven Park read more

Under Construction

Today, Daddy and I went to the Devonian splash pad at 171 Escarpment Crescent, but, it was under construction.

We saw where we think the splash pad is going to be because there was a silver button on a green post. We also saw a Zone de Construction sign and red fencing, so clearly the park was still being worked on.

We step up a 360 camera on a tripod and took a picture. Check it out! If you’ve never seen a 360 photo before, you can see in different directions by using your finger to swipe around. And, if you want to zoom in or zoom out, just pinch with two fingers. It’s funny when you zoom out a lot because the picture turns into a funny hole!

We’re starting to work on our Ottawa Splash Pads website again, fix up mistakes and checking out new splash pads that we haven’t visited yet!

Just go to OttawaSplashPads.ca.
Just above the map, you’ll see the words Water Play Structures, and Splashpad Regions.
Tap the box under Water Play Structures, and you’ll see a list of different water structures like whales, flower and leaf posts, and water guns.
Click on the option “Unknown” and you’ll see all of the parks that we haven’t been to, yet!

So, this summer, we’re going to work on getting to all of these splashpads!

Don’t forget to like and follow us on FaceBook! See you next time!

Ottawa WE Day

Today I would like to talk about WE Day!

My dad and I went to WE Day. WE Day is a time where lots of people gather around in the Canadian Tire Center and see people who are talking on stage about how the world could be different if you made a change into anybody else’s life and yours.

It was really fun. Like how we got to see lots of people who were changing the world. Like how my family and I are raising money for Ecuador.

Not only grownups but kids too can change the world.Today I saw lots of people who were cheering everybody and to me, it felt like if all these people worked together we could change the world. read more

Sprint to the finish

We just finished visiting nine splash pads in four hours. Four hours, I tell ya. (And there were some cool ones.)

Our little trooper is singing Laurie Berkner songs in the back as we drive home from Nepean and downtown Ottawa.

“What’s your favourite song?” I ask, after she’s requested “Goodnight” for the fourth time in a row.

“This one.”

“Why do you like it so much?”

“Because it says, ‘little kid,’ and I’m a little kid.”

We love our little monkey. We’re getting close to the end of our splash pad adventure. In just two more splash pads, we’ll have visited every water park in the city. Not bad.

“Can we listen to it again,” comes the fifth request.

Sure.

“Hey guys,” clarifies our three year old daughter, “I don’t just love this song I like all of the songs.”

That’s good, because we weren’t sure how much we liked the Party DVD at first, but it’s grown on us. Toddler crack.

“Hey guys,” continues to clarify our little girl. “Actually I don’t just love this CD, I love all of Laurie’s songs.”

I love how she’s on a first name basis with Laurie now. And, just a few weeks ago, our daughter didn’t realize she was a real person. We’re heading down to New York in October, so maybe we’ll get a chance to meet her in person.

1. Bearbrook Park Swimming Pool (Splash Pad)

I’m not sure if the splash pad at Bearbrook Park should count as a splash pad.

Sure, it’s a nice modern splashpad with aqua domes, ground sprinklers and a red fire hydrant, but the splash pad is part of the outdoor swimming pool.

You have to pay to get in, and the splash pad is only available during pool hours.

That’s why we snapped the photos from outside of the fence.

The splash pad does make Bearbrook Park a nice outdoor swimming pool. We’ve been swimming here before, but it’s too cold this morning.

There’s a wading pool for toddlers, a bigger pool for lane swimming, and a nice gradual pathway that winds around the splash pad for your little kids to play in.

The gazebo with the picnic tables is a nice touch, so it’s a nice way to spend an afternoon.

[splashpad_headline_card id=418]

2. Kilreen Park Splash Pad

… is a wooden post.

A reader commented and told us this was a sad looking splash pad. And she’s right.

“Back in the day, this is what they were like when I was a kid and we had fun,” explained Mommy.

And, today, we have giant splash pad monstrosities like Diamond Jubilee and Chapman Mills Main Street Park.

We read some Dora, we slid on some slides, and off we go.

[splashpad_headline_card id=464]

3. Morrison Park Splash Pad

The splash pad at Morrison Park is simple, but modern: a couple of ground sprinklers and a giant red post that sprays water.

It took three pushes on the start button before the pressure built up enough for the red post, but eventually it worked.

I think we had more fun going down slides on the play structure. All of these Nepean splashpads are pretty close to each other, so it’s off to the next one.

[splashpad_headline_card id=475]

4. Leslie Park Splash Pad

Wow. There’s a dragon at the Leslie Park splash pad. Or, maybe it’s a giant purple snake.

Either way, it’s cool.

And, unexpected. The only other splash pad that we’ve seen with a dragon was Chapman Mills Main Street Park.

Leslie Park is a great place to spend the day.

Nice high powered splash pad – you’re going to get soaked.
There’s a little kid structure and a play structure for bigger kids
A lot of trees, but no gazebo or picnic table
Field and green space to run around
Easily accessible from surrounding streets

“What a little treasure,” says Mommy as we drive away. “Easily accessible from surrounding streets.”

With four splash pads down, and only seven more to do, we knew we could finish off all of the splashpads today. Challenge accepted.

[splashpad_headline_card id=468]

5.Banner Park Splash Pad

Three old red metal posts sit at the splash pad at Banner Park.

There’s some drainage near the splashpad which kind of suggests that at one point, there was a lot more water going on here, but right now, it’s only a trickle that comes out.

Overall, the park has some character – it’s a lovely park. But, if you’re looking for a splash pad, just drive a few minutes to

Leslie Park splash pad read more

Goodnight: 100th splash pad party

“We’re not playing here for long. We’re going to the last one to have a party.”

It’s best to forewarn our little girl before we get to the splashpad that she won’t get a chance to play on the play structures. We’ve already had a busy day hitting nine splashpads and everyone is feeling a little tired.

But, we’re only two splash pads away from completing our summer goal, so we’re making a final push in the evening to visit the last two splash pads on our list.

(We told our little three year old that we could go to her favourite restauraunt once we finished visiting all of the splash pads. She’s been hard at work pressing start buttons, soaking her baby doll, climbing play structures, and patiently waiting for Daddy to take photos.)

As it turns out, when we arrive at the splash pad at Cummings Park, we don’t even bother taking our daughter out of the car. There’s no parking on the side street that we’re on, so Daddy hops out to snap a few photos while Mommy and monkey wait in the car listening to Laurie Berkner CDs.

Cummings Park is a basic splash pad with four ground sprinklers. It’s a perfect toddler splash pad because of the low predictable water pressure. And, just like that, we’re on the road to Whiterock Park.

Happy One Hundredth Splash Pad

Tonight, we visited our hundredth splash pad.

I’m not sure how many families in Ottawa can say that, but we did it. We’ve visited all of the splash pads in Ottawa. We started last year on a whim in the middle of July and we crossed off Whiterock a few hours ago.

Whiterock is an older splash pad with a simple metal post. And, even though it’s a one-star splash pad, I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Sure, it might have been nice to end at a modern splash pad with all of the bells and whistles (or perhaps dumping buckets and dragons,) but sometimes it’s nice just to share a quiet moment with family.

We ate chocolate cupcakes, drank Orangina out of fancy plastic glasses, and drew circles in the air with sparklers.

Goodnight Splashpads

“I can’t believe we did eleven splash pads today,” said Mommy as we drove back home.

It’s been a busy day.

Splash padding across the city has been a great family adventure. Oh, we’ll still continue to splash pad with our friends, but today marks a nostalgic milestone.

The Laurie Berkner Band Party Day CD has been on repeat and it’s strangely apropros. Our favourite little girl loves the last track, Goodnight.

“I’m a little kid and my Daddy loves me, I’m a little kid and my Mommy loves me, and when they tuck me in to say goodnight, they say, Goodnight honey.”

We told our little girl that when we go down to see Laurie Berkner in concert in Ithica, New York, we should make a giant sign that says, “We love you Laurie!”

Our little monkey comments from the back seat, “Everywhere we went, we took Laurie with us. So, we should take pictures and put it on the poster so she could see where we went.”

I’m not sure if a hundred photos would fit on the sign, but we’ll see.

Goodnight splashpads. See you tomorrow.