June 7th, 2010 3 summer places to visit Posted by Melitsa in Articles, Outdoor play, play activities

Your old school

You choose which one. Don’t live nearby? We don’t either. Photographs and yearbooks. But better yet they are likely to be online now. You can give your child a virtual tour. It’s hard for your preschooler to understand that you were their age and that you went to school.  If you are able to visit, take pictures and show them your route to school. Dig up a fun memory. Little ones need to have connections in the past and see how history develops.

An outdoor market

I still smile at, “  3 pound of Bananas for a pound!”. It’s what I grew up hearing as I went through my local market town on a Wednesday market day. Buying my fruit and veg in brown bags. The sights and sounds are amazing. Usually we’re on a mission to get everything and get out. But try one time that the market is the attraction. Meander and wander. It’s a sensory zoo of sensations so not for the faint of heart. Farmer’s markets holds similar promise. Find some strange fruit or vegetable to buy and try.

Photo credit:RKG

Top of a hill

Kids need to experience rolling down a hill. Running down a hill and falling, not like Jack and Jill though.

Grassy verges make for great rolling. The LO this weekend took off after his brothers up the steep hill in our local neighbourhood park. He stood proud as a peacock at the top looking down on me. Then burst into tears, for a short moment. I think he realised how far away we were. His brothers were still running. He was hesitating to come down by running. In fact, he stopped after a few steps and turned around like he LOVES to do downstairs.

Do your children do that? Bump down the stairs on their tummy at speed. Sounds terrible and you have to look every time because it really could be one of the coming down head first.

He lay on the grass. Arms above his head and waited. And instead of the usual whooshing down the stairs he just stayed there.

Alas no camera!

He got up and ran down the hill with a mix of laughter and fear………..hysteria I think sums it up. He made it down smiling, laughing,  crying and clung to my leg. I could feel his little heart beating away as I scooped him up. He wriggled to be down and looked at the hill. He’d conquered it. Looked at me and ran off along the path to the floating blossom.

Where would be your summer place to visit?