Underwater Video Inspires New Playground Equipment In Tulsa

Compared with the size of the park, the newest additions to the Chapman Adventure Playground are tiny.

But on the ground, up close, the "river giants" are huge. The paddlefish playhouse is the first one ever built. It's 40 feet from snout to tail.

"The kids can crawl up,” explained Gathering Place representative Jeff Stava. “You'll see kids crawling up and over. Inside there's a little stair so kids can walk up and pop up out of the top."

The paddlefish is the first piece installed in the river giants section, but two herons are next; they look like metal but they’re wood, and they too are built for easy access and a towering view.

"They'll go up, tower 21 feet and kids can climb up and there's a metal structure between them,” added Stava. “Kids can crawl through to get to one heron and then back."

The herons will stand in tall grass, and over the next couple of weeks, the team from Denmark will finish installing their unique play sets in the middle of other construction.

Everything in the playground is designed for adventure, much of it overhead, almost all of it connected.

The towers will have a view over the tree tops.

“One of the things about play equipment in the United States is that everything is 16 to 20 inches off the ground; there's no risk and reward,” said Stava.

The smallest children will start at the fairyland forest, filled with miniature shops and playhouses and a wooden bear.

This playground, with the slide shaped like a banana and a snake that kids can crawl all over, is taking shape as one of the main attractions for young children who visit Gathering Place.

You’ll be able to see their progress in person in less than a year.