More Outside Fun Ideas

To go with this week's topic of "Outside Activities", I'll give you a list of the things we do on an almost weekly basis. When I say "outside" - I don't just mean outdoors, but things to do to get us out of the house.

1. Our local library. We walk to our library about 3 times a week. They have a great play area and fun games to play. We don't usually go to storytime because it is CRAZY - like 30+ kids AND their moms. This is a great way for Samuel to make friends (and me too!).

2. Our neighborhood park/playground. Our park is at the end of our street and we love to walk down there and run around together. It is a great way for Samuel to have some unstructured free time to just run and play.

3. Gymnastics class. Samuel started his gymnastics class about a month ago and he absolutely loves it. We joined a local gymnastics academy that offers classes starting at 2 (a mommy & child class). The classes work out to be cheaper than Gymboree and Samuel is learning basic tumbling skills.

4. Starbucks. I know, a strange one, but we go to Starbucks about 4-5 times a week. Ed loves to take the boys up. We usually bring a few small toys and sit around and play while we drink coffee.

5. Walking. We walk on city streets as well as in the woods for variety.

6. Riding the train. One big perk of living in Chicago is easy access to public transportation, including the El Train. Samuel loves riding the train down into the city.

7. Menards. Yes, you read that correctly. Menards has a huge playground set up in their garden department that they leave up year-round. It is made of all the playground sets they sell. (FYI, if you don't have a Menards - sorry! It is similar to a Lowe's or a Home Depot, but I don't know if either of these have play equiptment). It is in a sheltered area, so this is a great place to go on a rainy/snowy day to burn off energy.

8. Volunteer. This is a great way to get out of the house and do something for others. We visit a nursing home once a week with some other friends. The kids play on the floor or chat with the residents. We just stopped by our local nursing home and asked if we could start coming once a week. They were happy to have children up to visit. I'm sure there are plenty of other volunteer ideas out there.

9. The zoo. We have an annual membership to a 365-day zoo. We go down once every 2 weeks or so. We pack a lunch and take things slow so Samuel doesn't get frustrated. If he wants to just wander around, we let him. Once we didn't see any animal exhibits (they were all still indoors at that point) because Samuel was content running in the grass and digging in the dirt! He had a blast!

10. Local farmer's market. We like to go to a farmer's market that is next to a preserved farm. We stroll through the goods, and then head over to check out the chickens and cows. We don't usually even buy anything more than a little snack, but it's fun to walk around and they usually have live music.

I think that's about it for our typical outside the home activities. There are always special trips to museums or friends' houses. Please share some ideas of things you like to do to get you out of the house.