Parks of the Space Coast: Martinez Park
Junny Rios Martinez Park in Cocoa, Florida.
Nearby the playground there's a very interesting heavy duty teeter totter that has rails like a catwalk and rubber stoppers underneath that cushion it when it falls.
We also came across our favorite modern merry-go-round. There are several of these rope spinners along the Space Coast, and all of them are an opportunity for a practical lesson or two in physics. Here's a link to a lesson we made about circles and force: http://steamma.blogspot.com/2022/02/circles-and-force.html?m=1
Covered Picnic AreaThis park has a large covered picnic area with many big picnic tables.
Large pine trees and oak trees shade this park throughout. While there is a water fountain on the path to the playground, the water was off at the time that we visited, likely because of construction.
This park is located at 2100 Westminster Drive.
(Scroll down for a Math Game!!)
Here is a link to the official website for the park: https://www.brevardfl.gov/ParksAndRecreation/ParksByCity/ParksInCocoa/JunnyRiosMartinez
Playground The substrate for the playground is wood chip mulch. The playground has three slides, steps, climbing stone steps, drums, and even a small canopy.
There were even swings! Two belt swings and two baby swings are located in the shade of the playground.
Facilities
When we visited this park, there was a small building that was under construction beside the parking lot. A concrete sidewalk leads from accessible parking to the restroom, playground, and covered pavilion picnic area.
Benches are scattered throughout the shaded areas of the park.
Part 2: Sporting Courts
Across a small residential street from the playground portion of a park is another section of the park with a small gazebo, tennis court, and basketball court. While there is accessible parking on this side of the park, the sidewalk has large cracks and slopes that make it mostly inaccessible. It appears that the tree roots are pushing up the sidewalk in several places.
We had a great time visiting this little park in Cocoa. It is nestled in a nice neighborhood and easy to find, close to a main road but a safe distance from traffic.
While we were at the park, we met a boy and his dad who lived in the nearby neighborhood. They rode their bicycles to and from the park. They were kind and our children enjoyed playing together.
I thoroughly enjoyed observing a little mental math game that they played with each other, and I was a bit disappointed that my daughters didn't join in, but we did keep playing after they left. I explain how we played it here!
🚨➕✖️ Math Game! ➖➗🚨
A parent asks a child to solve a very simple math problem, then "level up" to harder and harder math problems. Sometimes these problems build on each other, like 1-1=0, 0+5=5, 5×5=25, 25×3=75, 75+75=150, and so forth. Each problem represents a level. What level can you reach? When the child misses one, they start back at "Level 1" with simple problems again. But - to make it fun - the child then tries to stump the parent, and when the parent can't solve the problem, they go back to level 1 and switch back to the child. This game was very fun to watch and then to play ourselves.
Other Parks
This was a lovely visit to a new-to-us park!
Are you planning a visit to the Space Coast? Here are a few more of our park reviews!
Kiwanis Island Park:
West Melbourne Community Park: http://steamma.blogspot.com/2021/04/parks-of-floridas-space-coast-west.html Osteen Park: http://steamma.blogspot.com/2021/06/parks-of-space-coast-osteen-park.html
Pineview Park:
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