Friday, April 09, 2010

Magic of the payground picnic




I think we may get to move the big wheels out of the living room today, which, as you might imagine, makes me giddy. It snowed here yesterday-- snowed-- but today is lovely and 60-ish and says "playground picnic" to me. Thank goodness because I am getting sick of cleaning up lunch.

Playground picnic is my one warm-weather trick that never gets old for the kids. Sure, there's lunch on our minuscule deck, lunch in their blow-up playhouse, and lunch on a picnic blanket on the rug, but playground picnic? Kicks all those other nontraditional eating arrangement's asses.

First, there's the playground-- it has tire pieces instead of pebbles or gravel, climbing structures safe enough for Jack and fun enough for Harry, and it's surrounded by a fence. Almost NO supervision required. The only (messy) thing is there's a sandbox, but we just make sure to shake out our shoes, and we're golden.

Then, there's the picnic-- they'll eat anything in a lunchbox or take-out container, and I don't care if they make a big spilly mess or knock it all over the ground. Heaven is a playground picnic.

We just discovered the magic last summer, and we've been taking advantage ever since.






4 comments:

  1. Playgrounds with a fence are the BEST. We only have ONE. We go there a lot.

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  2. I don't think there is even one completely fenced in park around here - humph!

    But parks are very special places. You can get a toddler to do almost anything if you say we will go to the park afterward.

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  3. I love the ground up tire shards! So soft and squishy when the kids fall. The parks in our old town all had pebbles (delightful for eating and throwing say toddlers), and the parks here all have sand. Blech. I want me some recycled tires parks!

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  4. You are so right, playground picnics are the best! We always eat first....what about you? In fact, we like to bring books too. So we'll eat, read (I love reading outside) and then play. And guess what? They sleep like a newborn! I love warm weather.

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