Playground Review - Jamestown, MA

Jamestown Community Playground, RI

Teacher, Mom, and 3 Boys (under 7) Rating:   * * * * (out of 4)

Note:  Although I'm currently a preschool teacher and no longer a nanny, I still love all things early childhood!  This means taking field trips with my friend and her three young boys (Ages 7, 5, and 4)  and sharing our findings with others.  We especially love free and low-cost outings, so playgrounds are at the top of our list!  When we find ice-cream or other treats nearby, we include that information as well.  

The newly updated Jamestown playground still has that fresh mulch smell and is attactive, clean and spacious!  The pathways are made of compressed rubber and have a nice cushiony bounce as you walk.  The playground is located directly behind the town library (directions below), which might be an additional little stop if you have the time.  

New Mulch and Rubber Pathways at Jamestown Community Playground, RI

Pros:

Two large themed structures are the first things you notice as you approach the white picketed fence playground:  

• Spaceship area and Pirate ship area with multiple covered slides and stairs to climb:  

Climber and Space Ship area at Jamestown Community Playground, RI

Pirate Ship area at the Jamestown Community Playground, RI

You'll also find:  

• Climber: a large netted pyramid-shaped climber between the two.  

• Swings:  a row of swings (including an adapted/safety swing) for children and infants

• Zipline with platforms on both sides and a disc seat attached to a thick rope.  THIS was one of the most popular attractions at the Jamestown playground.  Parental intervention was needed at times to make sure children in line received a turn!  (There is no close-up photo of the zipline, but it is along the back fence in the photo below.)

Swings and Zipline at the Jamestown Community Playground, RI

Bonuses:  

• Fenced in along street/parking areas and latched gate. Children can run around and have fun, but they can't run away faster than you can catch them.

• About three picnic tables and a small grassy area to put down a blanket.  At this stage, there are no benches, which might be a nice future addition.  

Our three boys played for three hours straight before they started getting hungry and realized it was about an hour past their usual dinner time!

Cons: 

Other than swings, there isn't much here for infants or toddlers.  We taked to some grandparents with their one-year-old, and they were disappointed that there wasn't something more her size or speed.



Town Webpage:  Jamestown Parks and Recreation - Community Playground

Location/Map:  Jamestown Library at 26 North Road - Playground behind

Nearby Ice Cream can be found at Spinnaker's, located in the beautiful Ferry Wharf area where the Jamestown Ferry launches.  There are a few outside tables adjacent to a parking lot, and they offer basic food fare for children and adults (nothing to write home about), but the ice cream was a hit. 

Spinnaker's Cafe, 3 Ferry Wharf, Jamestown, RI

 There's also a small beach a few steps away from the wharf for walking, boat watching, and shell hunting.

Beach Near Ferry Wharf, Jamestown, RI 

View of the Newport Bridge from Beach Near Ferry Wharf, Jamestown, RI

Free Petting Zoo - Alderbrook Farm, Dartmouth, MA

Dwarf Nigerian Goat at Alderbrook Farm

Little M and Nanny Rating:   * * * * (out of 4)

Thanks to new friends we met at the Westport Community Playground, Little M and I learned about a free petting zoo just one town over at Alderbrook Farm in Dartmouth, MA.

This family-owned farm has a menagerie of happy and well-cared for animals (the guard goose is an exception, but we'll get to him later).  Some are in fenced-off areas, such as pygmy goats, dwarf Nigerian goats, a peacock couple, a very large rooster, a pot bellied pig, hens in a hen house, and larger pigs in a pen; but many of them will greet you at the fence so you can pet them or at least view them up close.  Painted wooden signs state the animal's name, breed, and date they were born or "hatched."

Note:  A farm employee told us that each day around 4:00 PM - 4:30 PM, the animals are brought into the barn for the night.  This gives visitors an opportunity to pet the animals that were behind fences. 

Male Peacock at Alderbrook Farm

Other animals in the open pasture areas are tethered to the ground so they can't go extremely far, such as donkeys, a sheep, and two very large steers.  My camera battery died half-way through tour, so I wasn't able to capture any of the larger animals. We weren't brave enough to do more than admire the steers from afar, but both M and I were able to pet the donkey and the sheep.  M also learned that everyone does indeed "poop" as some of the animals cared very little that we were standing there petting them as they did their business.



The tethered animals are moved around to new grassy areas each day, but the guard goose always seems to be near a donkey or two.  As soon as someone approaches anywhere near his fenced in area, he runs over honking very loudly and sticks his long neck through the fence in an aggressive way.  Both M and I had our pants nibbled at when we got too close.  M was very upset, and cried that the "goose bit me," which fortunately he did not. We learned that this goose is very protective of the animals and watches over them, so be warned if you hear him honking nearby!

Beware the Guard Goose at Alderbrook Farm

Seeing animals, flowers, and vegetable gardens in a wide open space on a breezy, sunny day was plenty enough to make us happy, but another bonus was found up a small hill off the dirt road (across from the hen house and pig pen) -- a small play area with swings (one baby swing also), a slide, and some climbing ladders.  There is also a riding horse on springs and a little wooden structure with toy trucks (M's favorite things).  We sat in a tiny dirt patch at the bottom of the slide to dig for awhile with the vehicles before heading back down the dirt road to the farm store.

M was a little distracted when he came upon a toy farm, toy tractor and farm animals (similar animals were on sale on shelves above) to play with in the store, but it gave me just enough time to look over the delicious-looking miniature pies and artisan breads from a local bakery in addition to the farm's fresh vegetables and plants.  In the end, I chose two chocolate-chip cookies and a loaf of crusty, sourdough bread while M picked out a pumpkin to bring home.

Another bonus near the parking lot were two rabbit cages containing one very fat rabbit named Bun-Bun and another spikey-haired Lionhead rabbit named Bean. We can't wait to go back!

Alderbrook Farm

Location/Map:
1213 Russells Mills Road
Dartmouth, MA 02747

Phone:  
(508) 636-4562

Hours: 5:00 AM - 5:30 PM year-round

Parents as Teachers

I could be dating myself, but do you remember hearing about Welcome Wagon many, many years ago? When families located to new neighborhoods, a Welcome Wagon representative would visit their home and bring all kinds of information and special offers from local businesses and services in the area.

When I worked for a Parents as Teachers (PAT) program as a parent educator, I often described our program as being a Welcome Wagon for parents. Using the PAT Born to Learn curriculum, I would visit families with children ages birth to five each month and bring parenting information, along with a learning activity just right for their child's age.

PAT programs also sponsor playgroups, family activities and field trips. Parents loved our program and often found it hard to believe it was a free community service! New parents especially welcomed a friendly face offering information on their baby's development and being available to answer questions about early childhood issues.

PAT also conducts ongoing developmental screenings along with vision/hearing screenings to detect any issues early on. PAT parent educators are knowledgeable about local services and school districts, such as Early Intervention and the preschool/kindergarten screening process.

PAT programs are usually grant funded and provided by social service agencies or school districts. For this reason, program size and offerings can vary, and some program may have income level limits. However, most programs are open to all families in the community, and they are a wonderful resource for families with children under the age of five:

For more information and to find a program in your city or town, go to

http://www.parentsasteachers.org/