Our go-to guide for deciding which parks we will visit is the fab site NJ Playgrounds.  We have a copy of their Playground Guide which rates playgrounds from 1-5 stars, provides great pictures and park features and is slim enough to throw in your bag. The guide also makes a great birthday or “welcome to the neighborhood” gift.  My daughters have earmarked the parks they would like to visit this summer and have a great time reading the guide together.   For example, we just found the C.O. Johnson Park in Byram Township that has a gondola ride! (see photo above)

Another way to find out the latest and greatest news on NJ Playgrounds is to like them on Facebook or follow them on Twitter. Plus, you can become a roving reporter for NJ Playgrounds!  If you find a playground that’s not already listed on their site you can submit your review and earn FREE passes to great places like IMAGINE THAT!!! a children’s museum in Florham Park or Asbury Splash Park or Asbury Eighteen.  For full details visit: http://www.njplaygrounds.com/4202/be-a-roving-reporter/

Like many other moms I have worshipped NJ Playground’s site for a while so I was super excited to have the opportunity to interview founders Sheila and Amy and ask them the burning questions posed by some of my local park mom friends.

1.  Amy, what is the best playground in Northern NJ in your opinion?

Sheila, my business partner and founder of NJ Playgrounds says Van Saun Park is her favorite and it is an amazing playground in a beautiful park. Having the zoo right there really makes it worth the trip too; you can easily make a daytrip there coming from anywhere in Northern NJ. Two of my personal favorites are Kidstreet in Bridgewater which has really cool structures for imaginative play, a great toddler area, lots of sand and zip lines and tires that keep older kids who have out grown some of the typical playground equipment really entertained. I also really like the new Imagination Station in Roxbury.  My kids always have fun there and get into some really cool pretend play and it’s a relaxing setting with super cool paintings and murals.

I really believe there is no “best” playground though. It really depends on the age and temperament of your kids, time of year and sometimes even the time of day. Maybe it’s the “witching hour” prior to dinner and you’ve got a 3 and a 5 year old and you just want to get them outside for a little bit and need a small playground with two swings and a slide. Or maybe your kids are bored silly, you've got half a day to kill and you need a really big place to play with tons of action. Or maybe you have twins who are 2 and since you can’t be two places at once to keep them safe you need toddler equipment, rubber matting because they’ll eat the mulch and something that’s completely fenced.  The best playground is the one that’s perfect for you and your kids.

2. What are the latest trends in playgrounds?

My kids love the new “spinning cups” that are popping up everywhere. Little one-seaters that are shaped like a teacup and the kids sit and spin in them or spin each other. There are great “spider web” like climbing structures showing up on most of the new playgrounds and some other cool climbing structures that look like real boulders with fossils and lots of nooks and crannies for little feet and hands. Another cool thing that I’m seeing more often now is what I call a “conveyor belt” slide that’s made of rollers instead of a single flat surface.

3. What is your family's favorite post-playground treat?

Ice cream, frozen yogurt, Italian Ice, Rita’s Ice, Slurpies… anything along those lines seem to be the favorites. There are tons of new frozen yogurt places opening in Morris County so of course we have to test them all out!

4. Do you personally visit every playground?

Sheila and I have personally visited at least 80% of the playgrounds on NJ Playgrounds, if not more...  I’ve been to every single one in Morris County and many of the ones in Sussex, Warren and Bergen Counties.  We have a new program we call our “Roving Reporter” program where we accept guest posts about playgrounds. If someone submits a playground to us they can also earn free passes to IMAGINE THAT!!! Children’s Museum in Florham Park or the Asbury Splash Park or the Asbury Eighteen.

5. What is the best indoor playground in northern NJ?

I think about indoor playgrounds the same way I think about outdoor playgrounds. It’s hard to say which one is really the “best.” I think it depends on what you are looking for.  A place like the Funplex in East Hanover is awesome if you are looking for a wide variety of activities and pretty high stimulation (and a Mommy Poppins favorite!) Their foam frenzy is a riot and my slightly older kids are nuts about Magic Quest. However, you might prefer pretend play in which case a place like KidzVillage which has locations in Woodbridge and Kenilworth and has mostly imaginative, pretend play might be more up your alley.  Or again, you might have pre-schoolers who need something a little more tame in which case you may prefer a Cutie Patooties in Englewood, Monkeydoodles in Lake Hopatcong, Play Your Way in Riverdale,  or Clown Around in Flanders.

6.  Best spray park?

I actually haven’t been to any myself! It’s high on the list to explore some of them this summer. Sheila’s favorite is The Dorbrook Recreation Center in Colts Neck She says they make a trip there at least once a year. It is very crowded but they have an awesome playground too, which gives it a nice balance.  The water table there is a huge hit according to Sheila, so make sure you bring a pail so your kids don't feel left out.  Sheila also says that she goes to Lyndhurst Town Park often, which is smaller but still lots of fun for the kids and also has a terrific playground.

7. Are there any natural playgrounds in NJ?

We haven’t run across any yet that have been purposefully designed to only include items of nature and create opportunities for “natural play” or that strictly follow the trend towards “playscapes.”  However, we definitely see many designs making considerable effort to be as environmentally friendly as possible while still being safe and durable and incorporate landscaping and objects of nature thoughtfully.  The “Flat Rock Nature Center” in Englewood has a playground that comes a little closer to what you might consider a natural playground.  

8. What are some of your favorite must pack items for a trip to the park?

I try to keep a bag in the trunk with a towel, wipes, sunscreen and bug spray, extra water, some sidewalk chalk, bubbles, a car or two and a bouncy ball of some sort. The towel is a must have for early morning dew or leftover rain water and the wipes come in handy for far too many reasons and if for some reason one or more of the kids get antsy all the other stuff is sure to keep the occupied. We’ve had tons of matchbox car races at playgrounds; they offer so many cool ramps and tracks.

9. What is the most interesting object you have ever found at a playground?

That’s such a great question! We’ve found lots of little toys, beads, glasses, jewelry and clothing items and I always make my kids leave anything we find right where it is because I tell them you never know if another child is going to come back and look for it. I think some of our more interesting finds have been really unusual looking mushrooms or unique flowers we’ve never seen before. I’m going to ask my kids too in the morning and see what they remember finding…

Now it's your turn! Have you ever found an interesting object at a park?

We will pick a comment by random.org and the winner will receive a NJ Playground Guide! Winner will be announced in our newsletter on Thursday, May 3, so make sure you subscribe--it's completely free!

To be entered to win:

1.     Like NJ Playgrounds on Facebook.

2.     Like MommyPoppinsNJ on Facebook.

3.     Leave your comment below.

Many thanks to Amy and Sheila and their awesome site, NJ Playgrounds!