The little kids already have a playground, and the big kids have the basketball court and area for skateboarding. But what about the in-betweeners at Duboce Park? Starting next weekend, they'll have the Youth Play Area, an area at the southwestern corner of the park that's based on a new philosophy in playground design.

The Youth Play Area, which replaces a "dead" area formerly overrun by weeds, features an "adventure zone" with undulating terrain coated in rubber safety surfacing, along with scattered large boulders, natural logs, a climbing net "tree", and a multi-person rings set. As the Friends of Duboce Park Playground stated in an application for funding last year:

'The Duboce Park Youth Play Area is an innovative project that foreshadows a movement in "playground" design for older children towards imagination and creative play in programmed environments rather than simply stock playground equipment... The proposed Youth Play Area will be the first such project inspired but this innovative movement to be built in San Francisco and possibly the Bay Area.'

The Play Area's grand opening will be held next Saturday, May 19th, from 10am to 2pm. There will be a jumpy house, refreshments, live music, and kids activities, plus a few guest speakers to help mark the occasion. The event is free, but they're requesting you RSVP if you plan to attend so they can prepare accordingly.