CROSSTOWN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL PLAYGROUND

This playground beautifully matches the bright blue skies above. Hardcore fans might even go as far to say it’s a shoutout the Canucks’ official colours displayed across the street at Rogers Arena. I know, it’s a stretch.

This playground was built in tandem with the opening of the new downtown Crosstown Elementary school in 2017. Although it’s technically part of Andy Livingstone Park, we are identifying it as part of the school and on school grounds.

Unique play features include a spherical “cosmos” net climber and a rope bridge climber that spans the length of the artificially made rubber embankment. The rope bridge incorporates a net tunnel with hoops on one end and springy rubber membranes on the other end. My Japanese brain named these rubber pads, “kombu hammocks”. (Kombu is a thick type of kelp or seaweed).

Built for accessibility, the grounds are spacious and surfaced with rubber or artificial turf lawn. The accessibility ramp that leads one up the back of the rubber hillside is made of concrete. Rubber half spheres provide footing for sloped areas, like beside the embankment slide. More accessible features include a multi-user “we-saw” with bucket seats (the manufacturer’s play on words for what is essentially a 4 seater rocker or seesaw).

Additionally, there are percussion elements for musical play, a pyramid net climber, and an overhead spinner for a centrifugally wild time. During our time there, we saw a handful of kids hold on tight to eventually fly off and ungracefully pancake onto the turf below. They were fine. Ego bruised but totally fine.

Behind this modern playground is a footpath that passes a pond and leads up to the highest point of the park. A rocky stream flows from the reflecting pool with multiple stepping stone paths. This makes it a fun place to explore for kids but simultaneously a stressful spot if your little one doesn’t get the concept of falling into a pond with geese.

If you visit here, please do a safety check for needles and other paraphernalia before your kid takes off to play. A City worker was doing a sweep but this area is a rough part of town so it’s best to always do a quick scan yourself. And as always, call 3-1-1 or use VanConnect to report any hazards to the City for immediate attention.

The adjacent Andy Livingstone Park also has an extra play area that features a lonely, freestanding play structure. Read more about it on our post called Andy Livingstone Park.