For the last couple of years my kids and I have had a ritual of spending our mornings at the park. It’s the best. The slides have yet to heat up to the point of burning little tushies, hardly anyone is there, and the ducks are still hungry. Nothing is worse than going to feed the ducks, only to find them stuffed :). For some reason I had yet to make it this summer until this morning. Probably due to the fact that I don’t have a park within walking distance as we have had in the past. But then I realized I have around 10 different parks within a 15 minute drive, so really I have no excuse. It’s really the best way for us to start our day. We take an easy breakfast, a blanket, a book (for mom), and we’re set for at least an hour or more. So if you long for picnics in the park but find the summer afternoons too hot, try breakfast in the park. I forgot how much fun it was, and how much better ours days went when we did.
Here are a couple easy breakfast ideas you can bring:
- Cereal or granola in little baggies
- Fruit – bananas and grapes seem to be the least messy
- Freeze yogurt or Gogurts to take along
- Muffins
- Something to drink
A few ideas for things to take along to make it more fun:
- Books for the kids
- Sand toys
- Wipes to clean dirty hands
- A ball, Frisbee, or favorite dump truck
- A little bag to gather “treasures” on a walk
Last year I wrote about our tradition, and it shares some tips with starting the day off right, and balancing the day a little better. I needed to read it again. I have a little bit of a different routine now, but it was a great reminder to prioritize my day.
Oh, and I wrote about fun ideas for field trips and I wanted to mention that Lowes has a kids workshop too and tomorrow they are building a tow truck, thanks Michelle! Also I forgot to mention another great post on the subject Steph at Modern Parents Messy Kids had her top 3 resources to get out and about with her kids, great ideas I had not thought of!
So how about you, do you have any routines you can’t live without, or that you forgot about from last summer? Please share, I would love some new ideas!
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{ 8 comments… read them below or add one }
I remember reading about this tradition last summer but I had forgotten. Thanks for the reminder…we’re going to do this next week :)
We have weekly playdate with a good friend and her kids every Monday morning at a park. It’s a great way to start the week and the day. ;)
we have been starting our mornings with bike rides around the lake or a trip down to our local leisure centre that has set up 5 HUGE bouncy castles on one of the ice rinks!!! My boys love it, they run off steam. Sadly I never seem to get to enjoy a book or a coffee… I either have to play ping pong (I am terrible) or hockey (even worse).
We then follow up by going home albeit not every day, via the local ice cream store to which people flock for MILES to have a taste of one of their 30 flavours of ice cream or 5 flavours of yoghurt….
today we had:
Spotted Cow: vanilla and chocolate ice cream swirled together with white and milk choc drops,
pistachio and almond (that was my eldest son’s choice!!! See food items to see why I was AMAZED) and I had strawberry. Now close friends will know that I only do strawberries in their original form. i.e. strawberries but this ice cream is SO good that for the first time in my life, I ate strawberry ice cream. (I don’t even do B&J’s or hargen daz strawberry!!) so this says something.
McKays is its name and it is in Cochrane, Alberta…. but don’t tell too many cos I don’t want to be joining the queue round the block ok!
I live in a very green state (Oregon) which is big on parks. I have two within walking distance and probably 15-20 within a 20 minute drive or less. I, too, sometimes avoid the park because it gets so hot after 11 AM and some of our parks with spray decks are chaotic. Trying to watch all three of my kids (ages 5,3, and 1) and keeping my one year old from colliding with the bigger kids can be crazy. I LOVE this breakfast idea and I am going to try it. There is something so peaceful about being outdoors before everyone starts their lawn mowers or the traffic heats up. This is one of the reasons I try to run in the mornings…I love the solitude! Thanks for the fabulous idea.
Thanks so much for the mention – this sounds like such a lovely way to start the day!
What a lovely idea! Nothing like getting the day started right!
I totally love this idea. We don’t have any parks near by, but we do travel once in a while and this is a great way to work in a relaxing beginning to the day. Thanks for sharing!
I remember your post about this last summer….what a great tradition. I usually go to the gym with the tot after breakfast but we could hit the park before then and maybe I wouldn’t feel so guilty for dropping him off in the madness of the childcare center at the Gymapalooza.
As for routines: wakeup, drink coffee, dress, eat breakfast, work out, go to the pool, come home and talk myself into making dinner.
Sheesh! I am a lazy so-and-so this summer!
Best,
Tina