4.20
Rated by 5 users
- Overview 95%
- Service 95%
- Pricing 95%
Reviews
Love Junk Playground!!
My daughter has been going to summer camp here for three summers now and loves her time at The Yard. It's full of tools and materials, risk and experimentation. Aside from trained playworkers, there are no adults allowed in the space at all. The hardest thing is trying not to stand at the fence so I can watch her play with joy, unfettered from adult guidance.
This is an interesting concept, but the people who work here are militant and won’t respect differing views. My kid turned five last month and we headed over to try out the playground. Our son is very confident and not risk adverse. We decided that the area designated for older kids was not right for him yet; kids were chucking sheet metal and hammers off the side of a one and a half story scaffold with only a thin rope or metal bar running around the sides. We also have a 5 month old. We were chatting with friends and tending to the baby when our son crossed over to the older kids’ section. We saw him go and tried to go after him to bring him back to the younger kids’ area. He immediately headed for the scaffold, grabbed a hammer and headed to the top. We were not comfortable with this and politely asked staff if we could retrieve our child. The staff said no, we weren't allowed. I then politely asked if a staff member could get our child for us. The staffer said no, she wasn’t comfortable infringing on our child’s freedom in this way. I told her I was concerned for his safety and she told me that was my issue, not my son’s and I shouldn’t punish my son for my hang-ups. By this time, he was leaning head first over the scaffolding and I was worried. I again asked if someone could let him know that I wanted him to come out of the play area and again, I was told no, that the staffer would not “do that” to my child. At this point, my husband walked past the staffer and over to our son, asked him to get down and walked him out of the play yard. The staffer followed us out of the playground basically telling us that we were disrespectful, that we made her feel that she was doing a bad job and that we are, essentially, bad parents. We apologized, said she was doing a fine job, but that this just wasn’t for us. She kept at it telling us our son was perfectly safe and that my husband and I were the problem. We essentially agreed with her, again apologized, and tried to leave, but she would not let it go. At this point it got comical. Bottom line: it’s not for everybody, and if you don’t think it is for you, don’t try it. They literally refused to give me access to my 5 year old! Ironically, you have to sign a waiver (even though it is perfectly safe and we are apparently paranoid nutjobs). Also, we were bad parents because we weren’t watching our son closely enough to keep him from running to the dangerous area…except the whole point is to encourage kids to be independent and free from the watchful eye of the helicopter parent. Head over to the awesome slides and ropes playground instead. It is still an adventure and you won’t feel judged and shamed...and your kid won't leave Governor's Island with a concussion.
My nieces and nephews love this place. No adults getting in they’re way, just the freedom and willingness to build and interact playfully with others. I have recognized a positive growth in the kids. We come back as much as we can!
The Yard is the only adventure playground in NYC! A wonderful space for kids to experience self-directed play with reasonable risks. A team of trained Playworkers are on site at all times. Kids can use tools and their imaginations to create their own play spaces, or simply discover what is already available on the site. Open to all age groups, but must be between 5 and 18 to enter the adventure play area. A separate space is open to all ages and parents.
