FERGUS – It was a tall order for Ryley Waite to visit 50 parks with playgrounds over the summer, rate them, and post his ratings on Instagram.
The seven-year-old Fergus resident had set his sights even higher, hoping to visit 100 parks over the summer.
But 50 parks was a good start, his parents convinced him.
So Ryley and his family visited all 28 parks in Centre Wellington, plus parks in Arthur, Rockwood, Marden, Alma, Guelph, Collingwood, Goderich, Parry Sound, Tobermory and Wiarton.
The best park was in Collingwood, he said, because it had a lighthouse in the playground with a big slide.
“It got a perfect score,” said his mother Kendra Waite.
Ryley started with a list of features he likes to see in parks and added washrooms as a beneficial feature after it was suggested by other moms following their Instagram journey.
Ryley’s criteria for a good park include:
- a good slide;
- swings;
- climbing things;
- different levels at the play structure;
- good ground (Ryley prefers rubber chips to wood chips);
- musical instruments (bonus for instruments that make animal noises);
- features for all ages;
- good space in and around the structure;
- shade; and
- washrooms.
His top three parks in Centre Wellington include Stait Park on Garafraxa Street in Fergus, O’Brien Park at Clyde and Water streets in Elora, and Westminster Highland Park off Riley Crescent in Fergus.
Westminster Highland Park “is the first park he ever went to,” Kendra said.
In this park Ryley enjoys what he calls “the beer store slide,” because it has rollers rather than a solid surface to slide down.
Kendra said the family generated a following on Instagram and received suggestions for other parks to visit.
Many also visited Ryley’s top picks.
Ryley thought it was a good experience and thinks he might like a job in the future where he gets to judge things.
“It was fun,” he said.
Check out his journey on Instagram at ryleysparkadventures.
