A Park in Park Fairfax

My kids and I visited the playground at Charles Barrett Elementary School recently and it was the perfect place to spend a balmy afternoon. My kids needed a change of scenery from our usual playground haunts and Charles Barrett proved to be exactly what we needed.

Charles Barrett is located right off W. Glebe Road and Martha Custis Drive. There are two playgrounds at the school. We visited the one on the far left when facing the school at the front.

The main playground boasts multiple slides, ropes and stairs, providing the perfect space for burning off energy while adventuring as pirates or captured princesses.

There are two upside thimble chairs (I know there is probably an official name for these, but I don’t know what it is!) that spin when you sit in them. The one problem I found with these is that once your child starts spinning it is close to impossible for them to stop on their own. Keep an eye out for the marathon spinning; you will have a very dizzy child afterward.  

The playground also has swings and even a set of seesaws. The seesaws were actually my least favorite part of the playground. I think that is simply because they seemed rather dangerous for smaller children, but since this is an elementary school playground, I can’t expect their equipment to meet the needs and abilities of my preschoolers. The seesaws threatened to clip the kids in the chin every time they tried to get on and off of them. Visions of knocked out teeth and trips to the emergency room had me telling the kids that the seesaws were closed for business that afternoon.

One of the great parts of the playground area at Charles Barrett is the ample amount of shade offered by the large and beautiful trees strategically placed throughout the yard. This is a great park to visit after school hours when it is time to burn some pre-dinner energy!