Adventure Playground is 31 years old !

   Adventure playground information at the Berkeley Marina

   Directions to the Berkeley Marina      
   Adventure Playground is one of the Marina Experience programs   and   has been written up as a top 10 playground in  National geographic. It was  voted the Best Creative Play space in Diablo magazine.  YELP has rated us 4 out of 5.  We have been written about in the Chronicle, the Boston Globe and Newsweek as one of the Top 5 play spaces in the country. 
To get back into more  Marina Experience web pages click here    
CLOSED:if it is raining.
   Open:  Saturday and Sunday 11 a.m.- 5 p.m. 
Summer hours end Aug 20th. Monday- Friday 9 a.m.-5p.m.  
    Summer programs- Check this link for our Marine bio and boating classes.
Adventure Playground August activity calendar here! 
Fees: FREE for four  children or less if they are accompanied by their responsible adult . Every adult must sign in on the waiver at the entrance for themselves and their children. Small individual families are invited to play without reservations.

PLEASE- Multiple families and friends who plan to meet and play in the playground, need prior reservations if together the total number of children they bring is 5  or more -you are considered a group.  Weekend days are very popular and the only way to keep it safe  is to limit the numbers.  Supervise your children carefully and ask staff how you can help. Please, No groups from daycare programs, you need reservations and to pay the fee.( see below) Scholarships are available.
 Please review this whole page then scroll to the bottom of the page for group reservations information and costs . 
            
History and background 

The Adventure Playground at the Berkeley Marina was opened 31 years ago in 1979.  It is a wonderfully unique outdoor facility where staff encourage children to play and build creatively.  Come climb on the many unusual kid designed and built forts, boats, and towers.  Ride the zip line or hammer, saw, and paint.  By providing these low risk activities Adventure Playground creates opportunities for children to learn cooperation, meet physical challenges and gain self confidence. - Pictures of a fort building project.  The concept for Adventure Playgrounds originated in Europe after World War II, where a playground designer studied children playing in the "normal" asphalt and cement playgrounds.  He found that they preferred playing in dirt and lumber from the post war rubble.  He realized that children had the most fun designing and building their own equipment and manipulating their environment.  The formula for Adventure Playgrounds includes Earth, fire, water, and lots of creative materials. 

 Who should come?
Adventure Playground is designed for children seven years old and older, however younger children are welcome as long as they are within arms reach of a participating adult.  Parents of older children are encouraged to participate  (see below) and help out with safety for all children.
Everyone needs to sign the walk-in waiver when you come in.

What should we wear?
Everyone must wear sturdy shoes like tennis shoes, not flip flops, sandals or clogs. Wear clothes that can get dirty, wet, painted on and you may consider bringing a change of clothes for wet or muddy days. Warning-Our playground paint is water based tempera (school paint) and it may not come out of clothing even with pre treating.

How can I as a parent or adult help when I am there? 
When you are here, watch your child. Use good judgment and if what they are doing is destructive and dangerous- please stop them and clean-up. You need to help us watch out for safety issues for all the children as you play with your child. Remember children build these forts. Staff are making sure the playground is safe, you need to be sure your child is safe. If you see things that might be dangerous, please tell the staff-  so they can fix it .   If you have the time and skill they need your help.

Adult helper cards- We have 5 X 7 job task cards for adults to learn about each job that they can help with, just ask at the desk. Jobs include:
1.  Small wood helper- Assisting kids with clamps and picking out the soft woods for them to learn to saw and hammer on.
2. At the base of the trolley we need help shoveling sand at a 45 degree angle so the children slow down and stop. 
3. We do ask that you do not help children onto the wooden seat at the top. If they cannot do it themselves, they are not ready to ride yet.
4.  We always need people to assist staff behind the tool counter passing out tools to the children. Please clarify that job with staff so you know which tools should not go out.

We are always looking for volunteers to help in the playground- must be 14 or older. Students can get community service hours helping on weekends or in the summer. If you are  interested you need to call us and we can give you info on how to get a current T.B. Test and where to get fingerprinted with the Berkeley Police.

We welcome DONATIONS of scrap materials that stimulate creative play: fabric, sturdy old wooden furniture, 8D, and 16D nails, washable tempera paint, large 3/4" or 1" thick plywood pieces, 2 by 4's, or very small blocks of wood. Please do not leave any materials that you would not want a young child to handle with bare hands- no metal, sharp, splintery wood or house paint. No old or thin wood please, we have plenty of that. Call first, if you are planning on dropping items off . 510 981-6720

.Can I drop off my child?. Yes, Children seven years and older may stay in the playground without their parents for up to three hours. A current registration form must be on file and parents must check with staff show them their receipt or playment card and sign their children in and out. The fee is $10 per child (for kids over 7 yrs old without an adult) who are registered drop ins. Here is the new summer drop in registration form.This is payable in the Nature Center Once you pay, you bring your receipt or playment card to the playground for admission for your drop-in and check in with staff. Playment cards allow you to pay in advance for multiple days and Sundays  Pick up time is no later than 1/2 hour before we close.

What about if my child wants to be dropped off with a friend? Have their parents download the form, fill out this registration and the waiver and bring it with you when you come. Pay the fee in the Nature Center and bring the receipt  to the playground. No waiver, no drop off. Everyone fills out a new form for the summer regardless if you filled one out for the school year.  New school year forms available August 21st. 

GROUP RESERVATIONS- For safety reasons, any groups with 5 children or more who show up without paying for reservations, will be asked to leave. Only confirmed paid groups will be allowed to enter. Once your reserved group time is over, we ask that your whole group exit the playground for the remainder of the day. 

• For weekend  reservations- please call three weeks or more ahead, dates fill fast. A.P. is open 11-5
  The weekends time slots are 11a.m.-1 p.m. , and 1:30a.m.-3:30p.m. 
  
• Groups of five or more children must make a reservation and pay a fee. For 5-10 children $66 per 2 hours,11-20 children $94 per 2 hours, 21-30 children $133 per 2 hours. 31-40 children is $158 per 2 hours. 
  
• Mid week school year reservations can be available  for groups depending on the availability of staff .
  
  Your reservation is not confirmed until all three steps are complete: 

1. You have spoken to us in person or on the phone and we have penciled you into our calendar.  510 981-6720. 
2. We  receive a completed reservation form group reservations and full payment.   We do not take credit cards.
3. Payment must be made prior to the date of the trip.
4. You receive a written or email confirmation from us which we send  to you once we receive payment.

5. The confirmation  and playground information needs to be read by the adults who are going to be supervising before they come into the playground so they know what to do. 
   If you want your receipt, we can mail it to you with your confirmation, otherwise it will be stapled to your confirmation form.

If you have to cancel your reservation, Please do so promptly as we have waiting lists for dates. In order for you to get your money back you need to cancel no later than 2 weeks before your date. Rain dates can be rescheduled or if you need a refund you need to send the receipt and a letter explaining why you need to cancel to the Nature Center office.

Listen to the sounds of Adventure Playground on National Public Radio. 

For more information about Adventure Playgrounds see this website: http://adventureplaygrounds.hampshire.edu

We do not have any JOB OPENINGS for summer at this point . We might need help during the school year you would work on a weekends or weekdays , must have at least two years experience working with children, and or a specialized talent working with carpentry. Must be 18 years or older. Job is out of doors, fun in the sun. Pay  is $16.25 per hour. Please down load the application information below or call now for an application to be mailed to your home. Detailed job description & Application & AdventurePlayground Supplemental Questionnaire  Please mail it to the Shorebird Park Nature Center. 160 University Ave. Berk. 94710