I am new to the area and was wondering if anyone has suggestions on fun things to do this summer with the kiddos (ages 6, 4 and 4 months). Any suggestions would be helpful since I don't know the area that well. Thanks!
Not really... I have a pool in my neighborhood, but with kids young (like Op's) it's hard and dangerous to go. My kids are around the same age, it's hard to keep your eyes on 2 that can't swim and need to be held. That's why I never go unless I have another adult with me. I too am looking for some fun things to do with the little ones, so I'm curious as well. FYI: you can do free movies mid-week in Garner if your kids will sit still that long. My 2 yo won't, so not sure if we'll attempt it or not. But that's always a hit with my older 2.
DMJ, You bring to light a most important point..CHILD SAFETY and POOLS. If you can't find a child, check the pool FIRST. If the neighborhood kids think of your private pool as the community pool, you have a problem. That falls into what PI attorneys call an "attractive nuisance", and you have the responsibility to ensure that it is safe. Make sure the fence has a lock high enough that toddlers and little ones can't open gain entrance. Do NOT allow kids to swim with ADULT supervision. 12-14 yr olds can't appropriately supervise younger kids. If they can't swim, they should not be near the pool. If the inside phone rings, take the kids in with you IF YOU HAVE TO ANSWER IT. If you don't, let the recorder get it. The time it takes for a child to get into trouble in the water is minimal. And the accidents bring about unwanted tragedy. No doubt, that at some point this summer, we will all read about a child drowning in a family pool, which will have always been completely preventable. Child Safety should always come first!
Yes - love Pullen Park! Loriana - I didn't think you were being a downer, but sometimes if people don't have little ones they don't think of things like that...My 2 yo almost drowned when he was 10 months old, so I am very cautious now around water. And my 4 yo is terrified of the pool, so that makes it even harder...
Going to a pool with more than one child is definitely hard without someone else to help you. My DS is 7 now and swimming but has always been afraid of the water. We got him a life jacket and that made him feel a little more confident. This past summer he started swimming on his own. My DD is 4 and fearless. She'll just jump in regardless of how deep the water is. She sometimes wears the swimmies but prefers to jump in without them. So when they were younger it was really hard to keep an eye on both because they wanted to be in different areas of the pool. Other ideas for the summer: Marbles Kids Museum & IMAX movies - good for rainy days Pullen Park Free movies at White Oak and $2 movies in Smithfield (links are posted on the money matters section)
Life Science museum in Durham, Natural history museum downtown (free!), Pullen Park, Tucker Lake (or any lake with a sandy beach, we like Beaver Dam at falls lake it is a little quieter without the speed boats allowed on that part), camping at numerous state/county parks (our kids have always loved camping, dirt, rocks, sticks, bugs, flowers, walks, playgrounds, picnicking, it is all there with camping. Even flashlights!), Durham Bulls baseball games, esp on Friday nights they have fireworks, Putt-putt but plan on following the little ones own customized rules, walks/bike rides at Lake Benson or Lake Johnson (and you can feed the ducks and sit in the rocking chairs there).
Mom of 3...those are all great ideas. But unfortunately can't do a lot of them with little ones either, unless you get another adult to go with you. I can't wait until my 2 yo is older (4 would be nice) but i know I dont' want him to grow up too fast! Just hard to do things while lugging diapers, strollers, things like that. And he likes to run...we do go to Lake Benson a lot, that's a great idea! There's a lot of room to run, there are 2 playgrounds, and you can go look at the lake and not worry about anyone drowning...We also love pullen park, as someone mentioned before. I do think I'm going to invest in a little kiddie pool this year, one of the nice ones with a slide, my kids just love being wet! The movies are great too, but don't think we'll make it there either. Unless I can find someone else to tag along...
When I was a SAHM years ago, our playgroup went to the Lake Johnson pool. They have a wading pool there for the little ones, as well as a water play area with fountains that shoot out of the ground. My daughter had a blast. HTH!
Lake Johnson Pool - never heard of it...? Another thing my kids love to do - go to Petsmart and look at the animals. It's like a mini zoo. Also, I know Chuck E Cheese isn't a favorite among adults, but we do go about once over the summer. If you get there when they open at 10, they have tickets either on the floor or coming out of the games already for anyone to take. And I mean tons of tickets! If you get their coupons you can usually get a lot of tokens for not much. We usually spend $20 (excluding lunch) and stay for about 1.5 hours, then go home and they're happy with their "prizes"! Not bad considering it's for 3 kids, and takes up a morning. Another thing kids love - when they're not looking fill up a ton of water balloons. If you do it while they're watching, they break them all before you're done filling them. But take out a big bucket of them and let them have a water balloon fight. It's fun, I usually do it with them! We also have indoor picnics on hot days, lay out a blanket on the floor and pretend we're at the park. 2 years ago I made up a schedule for our days, and on Fridays I'd let one kid pick a paper from a hat with different places we could go that day: park, ice cream, lunch, library, things like that and that would be our special trip for the week.
Bob on G105 was talking about this on the radio this AM. A little far away, but an inside waterpark is the ticket! http://www.greatwolflodge.com/locations/williamsburg/
I wish my neighborhood had a kiddie pool - we'd be there all the time! The great wolf lodge looks really cool, but it is far away, and expensive from what I've heard. But friends go there and say it's worth it. Maybe someday...
Lake Johnson public pool, through the City of Raleigh: http://www.raleigh-nc.org/portal/se...ols/Cat-PG-2006130-172143-Seasonal_Pools.html
Don't forget the malls have those softplay areas. In the winter when it is cold and yucky out, I will take the girls to B & N for storytime, walk around, grab lunch, and then go to the softplay. A cheap date! When my son was little, we would go to Crabtree and hang out in the train store (they had a train table set up for youngsters) and grab some food.
In case you missed it in the Money Thread - the free summer movies listings are up for both Garner cinemas. The link is posted on the money thread. I'm trying to come up with some more great ideas for summer fun, so if anyone else thinks of anything for little ones, please post for us!
The property looks gorgeous from the outside. At least I know that if I'm ever able to go, I already have a place to stay. My inlaws live in Newport News.
