Guest Post: Written by Mandee from http://www.nothinbutcrazylove.com
So it has
been a long winter a not a lot of days we were able to play outside. Too cold!!
I have had to get creative and adventurous to keep my girls from severe cabin
fever. Here is a little take on how we survive winter in the Upper
Midwest.
We live in a major
metropolitan area and there are lots of choices of things to do, but not all
are appropriate for us. I did some research on the Internet and also called a
few places and got some more information.
My girls are
4 and 6 and are active and love to be hands on. So being able to touch
everything is a must for us. We love museums, provided they are family friendly,
water parks, zoos and indoor playgrounds. Basically anywhere you can run, touch
things and be loud. Yup, I said loud!!!
One place we
visit frequently is an indoor playground in our area. They have playground
equipment like slides and spinning things. They also have a creative play area
with large foam building blocks, a jumping pillow and a gym as well as an
indoor field area for soccer, football and just running around and being crazy.
Love this place and my kids are so tired when we leave.
They offer
memberships and also play for the day options. I love this because I can sign
up for a membership during the months that we are cooped up and then just do
play by the day at other times.
We have
tried two museums and fell in love with one of them. One is the Children’s
Museum and the other is the Science Museum. I felt like the Children’s
Museum was a bit on the young side for my girls. It was hands on but I think
not stimulating enough for their ages. Check what exhibits they have going on
and that will help you decide if it is a good fit for you and your kids.
Next up we
tried the Science Museum and feel in love immediately. My girls
were so enamored by everything they could do. I love that they have exhibits
that change but also have things that stay forever. They have already been
asking if we can go see the mummy again. Love it!!! I think we are going to
purchase a membership so we can go whenever we like. Our Science museum has an
Omni theater so that is included in the membership price so that is a huge
bonus.
Swimming is
tops on my kids list of things to do all year round. I have to say I kind of
loathe the large water parks for the shear volume of people. It makes me
nervous so we stick to the community centers that have aquatic centers. We have
one close to us that has waterslides and also a splash park. It is great for
all ages and I love that I can sit in the water and enjoy it too.
Another one
of our favorite places to visit is the zoo. We have two close to us and have a
membership at one. I love that we can go for the day or just hang for a few
hours. Our zoo has tons of indoor and outdoor things to do. In the winter we go
and hang out in the tropics where it is warm and humid. Love that it feels like
a mini vacation to somewhere warm. The aquarium area is great with hands on
things for everyone. There is a shark and sting ray petting tanks and that is
where you will find my girls hanging out. We have actually gone and just hung
out there for several hours until there hands and arms are water logged.
When
gathering information about places to go with your kids there are things to
keep in mind when looking on the Internet or when calling. Here is a list of
things to think about.
- What are the hours and are there days that are busier than other? (The zoo we have a membership to does not allow school groups on Mondays so we try and go then.)
- What ages is it appropriate for?
- Are strollers allowed? (I got burned by this one once and learned to ask. You would be surprised by how many places don’t allow them)
- Do they have lockers you can use for coats and other items?
- Do they offer discounts of any kind or have free days? (Sometimes you can show a library card and get a discount or other things like that)
- Location and parking as well as parking fees
- Can you bring in food? (Food at these places can be expensive so being able to bring a snack or light lunch is a bonus)
- If inquiring about a membership to a particular place make sure to ask about parking. Is it included or reduced with a membership? (Parking can be expensive especially is located in a major downtown area)
Here are a
few questions that are specific to water parks…
- Can you use flotation devices? (water wings, lifejackets, pool noodles)
- Do they provide flotation devices?
- If allowed can they be used on water slides and diving boards? (Some place allow flotation devices but not on the slides or diving boards)
Now that you
have some questions to ponder I put together a list of some items to bring with
that will make the adventure fun and easy.
- Even though my kids are older I always bring a change of clothes and leave it in the car. You never know what will happen.
- A few Ziploc bags for anything that comes your way. No one wants to put wet anything in their purse.
- Snacks or lunch if allowed. I always put a few granola bars or something like that in purse no matter what.
- If you are doing the water park make sure to bring extra towels. They do safety breaks once an hour and everyone must get out of the pool for a period of time. In the hot and humid air towels do not dry very fast and no likes a cold wet towel at the end. I figure at least 2 towels per person.
- Another thing I always bring to the water park is shampoo and conditioner so that I can just wash the chlorine right out of my girls’ hair and be done with it. Bonus is their suits get rinsed out to and I can just hang them up to dry when we get home.
Having as
much info as possible will make for a great experience wherever you go.
Remember that sometimes websites do not have all the info you need so don’t be
afraid to give them a call.
Thanks for
letting me share my experiences with you and I hope you have many happy
adventures.
Mandee
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