“Come on, grandma!” hollered Julian Wong, 4, as he waited impatiently for the next pitch. Grandma is Ellen Wong, 70, a retired teacher who strongly believes in organized sports.

As the days grow shorter and the summer air gets cooler, grandmas and grandpas in Windsor Terrace take to the local parks to spend quality time with their progeny.

Windsor Terrace and surrounding areas, like Sunset Park, are known for their family-friendly neighborhoods, with the U.S. Census Bureau reporting 15% of the area’s population under age nine, slightly above New York’s 11% average. For many of these families, outdoor recreation is a central part of the neighborhood’s strong sense of community.

Four-year-old Julian had just finished his first day of Kindergarten, he said, before eagerly running back to home base, his bright orange baseball bat in tow. His grandmother politely excused herself to oblige the young slugger’s request.

Julian’s form may have been imperfect, but his focus was laser-sharp as his small fists wrapped around the bat, ready to take on grandma’s fierce underhand throw. The pitch, the swing, then the crack of the bat, which you could surely hear from a few blocks away. “Way to go buddy!” she exclaimed, as Julian ran across the courtyard to chase the ball.