Park Day for Dummies

Do your kids love going to the park? Do you dread it like I always have? Yeah, I'll admit it. I didn't love following them around as toddlers and now that they are big it's even worse. Yes, I could take a book, and I have, but I usually I end up feeling like everyone is looking at me like I'm a loser.

Enter "Park Day for Dummies".
 
 
During the first week of summer I made a new Facebook Event. "Park Day #1". Since I wasn't sure how it would go over I made it private, but have since made them public. I chose our local park, central to everyone that I knew with kids-and as a bonus, my kids could ride their bikes there themselves. Our start time is 10 or 11. I always mention to Bring Your Own: drinks, snacks, lunch, whatever. I also make sure to say to stay as long as you wish so that no one feels obligated to stay forever. Like we did the first time. Ahem. The first week was on a Wednesday, the second week on a Tuesday. Mixing it up helps to accommodate most schedules.

So far the response has been great! We grab a shelter with a picnic table near the sandbox so the moms with little ones can watch them easily. Us moms get valuable gab time, meet other moms in the neighborhood, and get our kids out from in front of a screen. Kids get fresh air, exercise, and there is no one whining that they haven't seen any of their friends all summer. Since everyone's schedule is different, the group of kids is always changing, (with a few exceptions.)

Now that it's going well, I won't mind letting someone else plan it for a week that I'll be out of town. Some of the other families have even offered their pools and water slides!

My kids have already come to expect it, which I adore because if they don't have a few 'routine' things on the calendar each day/week during the summer they kinda go crazy.

What is your "______ for Dummies" summer activity? The one that your kids always love and it's so easy it's 'stupid?'

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