On Rue de le Petite Nation just east of Vanier this park has some of the more unique looking equipment and structure I've seen in Aylmer. The main structure has a couple of rope nets for scaling, monkey bars and a slide. The structure leading to the slide was easy to navigate for my 20 month old and both kids had fun on it. About 15 minutes in though they were done as the structure doesn't offer a lot. There was a three way teeter tooter but that didn't last long either. Come to think about it I've never seen these used for any amount of time or success, there must be a trick to them, but they do look fun.
It was the smaller area across from the main structure that the kids spent the most of their time at. It had some sand activities like sifters and sand wheels. There was even a scoop chained to the structure so you didn't need your own but bringing your own would avoid fights over the one there and then you are not restricted by the one foot chain. One of the other highlights were the two spinners. One was a bucket seat you'd sit on and it would spin. I was surprised my oldest didn't like this but insisted I sit in it. I did fit and she was able to spin me. I'll admit, it was actually a blast. If I lived next to the park I'd be sneaking out at night for a spin. She did enjoy the other one where you stand up on it and hold a vertical handle. Both units are designed to take advantage of physics meaning you'd only have to lean into them a little once they are going to keep them going and going fast!
About half why into our time there I finally realized where the park got its name. I thought is was from the name of the street it was on but soon realized the Small Nation it was referring to was a nation of Sand Burrowing Wasps. I noticed a few when we got there, but soon realized there were dozens and dozens. Now stinging bugs in a playground are never good things but what made these ones worse for a playground was that they burrowed into the sand. Which meant a few things: One, while I could see dozens who knows how many were in hiding and Two, it made the playground a landmine for the kids. It was only a matter of time before one of them stepped on a wasp hole and got stung.
We didn't stay long enough to find out which kid would get it first as my daughter eventually also noticed them and made her way to the top of the large structure declaring she could not go down because of all the wasps.
I was reminded of one of the parks in Brazil a bit of a drive from our house which had a 6 foot diameter and two foot high Biting Ant hill 6 feet from the bottom of the slide of the main play structure, and I'm talking bigger ants than you've ever seen in Canada. I kept picturing someone not watching their kid there and the next moment he or she is being dragged into this ant hill by an army of the nastiest looking ants of the like I never hope to see again.
Much like we did in that park in Brazil we retreated from Parc de la Burrowing Wasps and went for a slushy.
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