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BAKER LAKE - A new indoor playground has become a huge hit with young kids in Baker Lake.

The playground officially opened earlier this month at the site of the old Baker curling rink.

Richard Aksawnee became the acting recreation co-ordinator in Baker on Jan. 1.

He said the indoor playground is a hamlet project that's been in the works for a little more than a year.

"I don't have the exact cost of the project right down to the penny, but it is my understanding the playground cost the hamlet in the neighbourhood of $100,000," said Aksawnee.

"It's been very, very popular with the young kids here since the first night it opened.

"We've been very busy every night and it doesn't show any signs of slowing down."

Two members of the recreation department are always on site to supervise the kids using the playground.

The new facility offers a number of different fun-filled activities for the kids, and it's hoped it will also create more leisure time for parents in the community.

The supervised playground will be an attractive spot for parents to let their kids play while they attend special events hosted at the community centre.

In addition to providing more extracurricular activities for the kids, it's hoped a new playground in the community may also lead to more moms getting involved with female hockey once the ice is ready at the arena for the season.

"We had the arena open for a while, but we shut it back down again this past week to put new lines on the ice," said Aksawnee.

"The playground got even busier after we had to shut the arena down, because the kids who were spending time on the ice went there to have some fun while they were waiting for the arena to reopen.

"We're hoping the availability of a supervised indoor playground this year will encourage more moms in the community to get involved with female hockey.

"They should be able to enjoy their time on the ice knowing their kids are able to play safely in a supervised area."