Fun At The Park

I've been trying to think of things we can do with all of the kids that will keep them entertained but won't cost a lot of money. I've learned that even when it only costs $5 to get in somewhere we have to multiply that by 6 kids plus one adult. (That adds up FAST!) My next door neighbor told me about a really cool park not too far away and so today we drove over there to check it out. It's got built in musical instruments (drums, xylophone, etc) that they can play, a castle-looking toy and lots of swings. One of the best things about the park is that it has a pirate ship thing that has a water fountain under it. The kids can run through it and get soaked and then go to the playground part and dry off as they play. The park also feels big enough for all of the droves of children that go there to play. The big playground toys aren't all on top of each other and neither are the swings. You feel like you actually have room to breathe while your kids are playing. I think the only down side is that it's a fairly new park and so the trees aren't really mature yet. We got there early enough to claim the shade of one of the few trees left and so laid out our picnic blanket. I sat down and watched as the kids ran and played. I tried to take some pictures but I couldn't stray too far or one of the other mothers who were hovering nearby would have snatched up my shade!

We stayed for about an hour and a half and then Raistlin (the 11 year old) came and told me he was bored. Then his stomach growled. Ah ha! We'd left the house at 10 am and so I thought we'd have plenty of time to play and then go home for lunch. I think next time I'll follow my neighbor's advice and bring lunch with us anyway.

If anyone else has any ideas on ways to occupy bored kids and pre-teens I'd love to hear them. (At least if it's an idea that won't require me handing over my left arm so that we can get in!)