School playgrounds

In addition to the three park playgrounds that Rensselaer has, there are also three playgrounds associated with schools that are open to the public. Van Rensselaer has a fairly large playground. It is fenced in, but I am confident that the fence is meant to keep the school kids in and off the street, not to keep the public from using the school grounds. (That assumption is based on a lack of fencing at the Monnett School) Columbia Park is only a few blocks away, so the kids in the neighborhood have the choice of two playgrounds.
St. Augustine's School has a small playground prominently marked with warning signs. They realize that they cannot keep area kids away, but they do not want to be sued if the kids have an accident. Of course, if you have an accident on this tiny slide, it probably will not be very serious. (Unless a kid climbed onto the roof and fell from there--but that would not happen with adult supervision, would it?)
There are also some swings and climbing bars. Although it is small, for a lot of people in the center of Rensselaer, this is the closest playground.
The playgrounds by Monnett School are more impressive. You can see Staddon Field just south of these swings. The fact that the park and the school are next to each other make each of them bigger and better than if it were alone.
This set of playground equipment is closer to the school and further from the park. For most people south of the Iroquois River, the Monnett playgrounds are easier to get to than is the playground at Iroquois Park.