About Primos Park

Primos Park is a very special City of Boulder park. While the land, which is on Violet Avenue between Broadway and 19th Street, has technically been a park for years, most neighbors did not know that this unbuilt land was open to the public. In 2023, however, the City kicked off an exciting new project to engage neighbors in reimagining (and eventually building) Primos park. Growing Up Boulder is partnering with the city, neighbors, and local preschools, to learn what families with young children want in the park and how they enjoy exploring nature there.

Piloting "A Year in the Life" at Primos Park

A Year in the Life of a Park is a programming model that supports space activation at various parks across the city. Rooted in community values, A Year in the Life of a Park builds awareness and activation of parks, by hosting activities, modeling programs, and offering on-site training and support to local youth serving organizations (including schools). The model includes a menu of programs offered by neighborhood community-based organizations and coordination support to build partnerships to activate each park. When there is a gap in programming available, Growing Up Boulder will work to develop new programming to fill those gaps, so that all ages and abilities from the neighborhood can be served. 

In 2024, Growing Up Boulder is piloted space activation at Primos Park through implementing A Year in the Life model, with a focus on nature connection. Nature Connection emerged from the community and their values of a “love of nature” and “free play”. There is also a focus on equity, ensuring that the neighboring manufactured home communities, Boulder Meadows and Ponderosa are prioritized in program offerings. The pilot is focused on one age groups: Early Childhood (ages 0-5), and included research into existing programs and an analysis on where gaps in programming exist. There is a known gap in City Parks and Recreation programming for early childhood, so Growing Up Boulder is developed and offered nature play programs for our youngest community members and their families through Picnics in the Park and Walking Field Trips.​

Picnics in the Park and Walking Field Trips
May - July 2024

Growing Up Boulder connected with local preschools, New Horizons Cooperative Preschool and Boulder Journey School, to invite their communities to meet at the park and engage in nature play. The park at Violet Avenue, now named Primos Park, is one of the many parks City of Boulder is remodeling and activating. It will become a neighborhood park that is unique, inviting, and accessible to all ages, cultures, and people. It is located near the North Boulder Branch Library and the Boulder Meadows and Ponderosa manufactured home communities.
​
Growing Up Boulder participated in this project by programming Picnics in the Park and Walking Field Trips that gather the community and promote nature play with children ages 3 to 5. The activities included exploring the creek, painting rocks, making fairy and gnome houses, and playing in the mud kitchen. The observations and discussions Growing Up Boulder had with children, caregivers, and teachers, were then shared with City as community input for the park's design. 

“Many of our families live in the mobile home park adjacent to the new park. It was a revelation to those families that there was a slice of nature right next door to them, and they could bring their children to play in the creek, explore the paths along the creek, and walk all the way to the new library. Many families participated in the lunches, and are now beginning to feel ownership of the new park. Amazing to many of them that their input has been asked for, that Growing Up Boulder expressed an interest in their needs and their priorities. Having a natural place to explore and rejuvenate improves the lives of families immeasurably. Thank you to Growing Up Boulder for inviting us to participate in the creation of the park and the preservation of the creek corridor. Interaction with nature is a sustaining and healing force. Our families who have limited resources and small living spaces are experiencing the joy of access to this gorgeous piece of undeveloped land”.

- Isolde Stewart, Director of New Horizons Cooperative Preschool

What's Up Boulder Engagement
​Oct 2023

Click here to learn more

Growing Up Boulder (GUB) engaged with the City of Boulder Parks and Recreation Department to facilitate a community engagement session aimed at understanding the wishes of the Boulder Meadows Manufactured Home community’s children, youth, and caregivers regarding the future development of the park at Violet, temporarily called Violet Park. The purpose of Growing Up Boulder’s participation in the What’s Up Boulder event was to engage with the Violet Park neighboring community to understand how children, youth, and their caregivers use the park currently (if they do), including learning what they think is special about the space, what their dreams are for the future park, and to observe children and youth play interests using nature play materials and activities. GUB aimed to understand caregivers’ interest in future nature-based programs at the park and ask what they would want to do in the space, including what they might like to celebrate. GUB staff led two stations: a Nature Play Station and a "Park Dream Banner" station at the Storytelling Tree.