Longing for Nice Weather!

As I get glimmers of spring in the future, I am starting to plan all of the stops on the tour for the summer! Similar to last year, there will be a big launch at the beinning of the summer. This year, I am hoping to start the tour as soon as nice weather hits and then those with older kiddos can join us once they are done with school.

For those new to the tour, here is the scoop:

*Each Thursday around 11, we all gather at a different playground on the tour. A lot of people bring blankets, food, etc. Some people stay an hour, others (like myself) make a whole day out of it!

*You do not need to be a part of the group to join us! This is open to EVERYONE! Friends, friends of friends, families, care givers, anyone!

*One goal of this group is to connect people. Maybe you work from home? Maybe you need a babysitter? Maybe you just need some new friends? This is what we want to accomplish. Networking. Last year I feel like we succeeded. I met some friends that I did not know when the summer began and my life if fuller because of it.

*I also hope to post activities that are around Columbus for kids as well. Rainy day activities, fun events, free places maybe you have not discovered yet, etc.

*All of the information can be found on this webpage. If there is rain, weather is too hot, etc. There is also a facebook page:
http://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#!/pages/Columbus-Playground-Tour/109826292432156


I hope to post the summer schedule by the end of the week and then possible earlier dates we can play outside as well!

Thanks and I hope to see you on the tour!

~Jaylene

This Week's Tour

This week's stop on the tour is a new Metro Park- Scioto Audubon. Typically, I don't put Metro Parks on the tour because we are always doing their programming (see below for additional informtion on that!) http://www.metroparks.net/ParksSciotoAudubon.aspx

There is an amazing climbing wall and many other fun things to do in this park. I love the urban feel this park has with it being so close to downtown!

Programming:

If you have not experienced programming with the Metro Parks- I encourage you to do so! They have specific 'Preschool Programs' (all which are FREE!!) and there are more family programs as well. Typically, the Preschool Programs are fine with siblings coming along and I think they are some of the best programs around. Some you need to register for in advance, others are open and you just show up! The entire schedule can be found here: http://reservations.metroparks.net/programs/

As with most activities, you will find some parks that you will prefer over others. Our favs are Inniswood, Battelle, Highbanks, and Sharon Woods. The others are great too- but these parks are a good hour of crafts, songs, nature education and I feel they go a bit more above the other parks.

When making plans to visit- make sure you read what is needed. Some classes require you to wear closed-toed shoes or that there will be a hike involved. Most of the times, these hikes aren't for strollers. And don't think because it is cold outsite you will be inside! Dress like you are planning to be outside no matter what the weather is like! (Speaking from experience!!!)

We try and go to every program we can with the Metro Parks. I hope that you will do the same! :)

Toy Story 'Little Green Alien' Cupcakes on a Rainy Afternoon!

After a couple of rainy and super-hot days, we decided to make the most of our indoor fun! Going with a theme of Toy Story....we watched Toy Story 2 and made 'little green alien' cupcakes!

I used a chocolate cake mix and used foil cupcake holders. I colored the icing green and used the following for decorations:
*Mentos for eyes
*cut up green sour gummi bears (poor guys....) for the ears, antennas
*black gel icing

The boys loved helping and there was plenty in this project each of them can do. Originally, the idea came from Family Fun Magazine, but I did edit it a bit because of the boys ages (3 and 5) to make them easier to get the same look. I iced the cupcakes for them and let them go to town on the decorating. I made one 'example' and let them do the rest. One alien only had two eyes and there were some other differences, but in the end- they looked cute and tasted great!! :)

High of 95 today....

http://www.10tv.com/live/content/weather/weather.html

Today is suppose to have a high of 95 with an air quality alert. We are suppose to be playing at the All Children's Playground in Worthington http://www.worthington.org/services/cityparks.cfm. Please use your own judgement based on how your kiddos act towards heat.

Some alternatives if you would like to stay out of the heat:

Firefly Play Cafe- geared towards ages 2-5- http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=853729874#!/pages/Columbus-OH/Firefly-Play-Cafe/123559237656633?ref=ts&ajaxpipe=1&__a=23, located just south of Morse Rd on High Street. Additional information is provided in the previous post.

Library- Did you know Columbus Metropolitan Library was named the '2010 Library of the Year'? And there is many good reasons for that. They have great summer programming at each branch. Schedule of events can be found here: http://events.columbuslibrary.org/evanced/lib/eventcalendar.asp?Lib=ALL&dt=sd or for the Worthington branches here: http://www.worthingtonlibraries.org/. You can also look for craft books there that offer many 'supplies that you have on hand' crafts and games to do.

Carriage Place offers $1.50 movies: http://www.cinemark.com/theater_showtimes.asp?theater_id=172

Local malls all have indoor play structures



COSI - Cosi.org









Next week we are visiting Huber Village Park in Westerville: http://www.westerville.org/Portals/0/Huber%20Village.pdf. Hopefully the heat wave will be done with by then! Thank you to all who are making this a fun and successful event!

$1 Movies On Tuesdays At AMC

I heard about this last summer, but it was only Easton that did the showings. Then I heard that Lennox was also doing the showings. So, I decided to go today with a friend at Lennox and it was wonderful! The movie was 'Monsters Vs. Aliens' and admission was $1 a person! Plus, there wasn't very many people there at all, where at Easton it was really crowded! I thought I would pass this along to anyone is is interested! We will be planning to go on most Tuesdays as long as it fits in our schedule!

http://www.amcentertainment.com/smc/

Schiller Park- still on!

It looks like the rain is going to stay away! So we will go to Schiller Park! See everyone there!! http://www.10tv.com/live/content/weather/weather.html

Possible Rain Tomorrow???

Well, the weather does not look good for tomorrow- however, I want to stay positive!

However, if it does rain, I am hoping to post by 10 am if we are moving the playground and I will post it on the blog. If there is rain, we will be playing at Firefly Play Cafe in Clintonville. The play cafe isn't open to the public yet- so it will be a fun little sneak peak to what will be offered! I will post details more in the morning if we are playing there for sure.

If we do end up at the playground, tomorrow is Schiller Park in German Village. This isn't a huge playground, but there is a lot of open space. We will bring the soccer ball again and if anyone else wants to bring balls or other outdoor activities, that would be great too! http://germanvillage.com/visitors-center/stroll/schiller-park

Our tie-dye plans were delayed from last week due to no running water, and I don't believe Schiller Park has any either. I do know that Fancyburg (next week's stop) does have running water, so that will be the next time to tie-dye!

Thanks to everyone who is making this successful!!