Getting outside

[TempestTiffy]

Considering the latest blog post, how are people going to get their families outside?

 

It's Autumn here in Australia and the southern part where I live it's cold and raining right now! What's your favourite outside activity when it is miserable outside so play grounds are a no-go? (no one wants a wet bum from the slide!) The plus side is all the snakes will be in hibernation by now ha ha ha

[Anaticula]

It's spring where I'm at, but we also get a lot of rain. I don't mind still going for walks in the rain, as long as it isn't lightening. The children on the other hand do not like going out in the rain. They love going out afterwards to play in the mud though! 

 

For me as it's coming up on summer time, I'm thinking of getting an inflatable pool for the back yard. We get the girls on the weekends, and it'd be nice to have them play outside as opposed to inside on the weekends (I'm still scraping glue and paint off the kitchen table from last weekend, lol). The issue we're facing is whether we want to get a deeper pool I can swim in while we don't have the kids, but then we'd have to constantly hold the 4 year old as she is very timid around water, or a much shallower one that's only a couple feet which she could stand up in, but I wouldn't really be able to swim in. Most likely we'll end up going with the shallow one just to be safer. 

['Down Under' Dan]

Hey, thanks for reading the blog post (I'm the one who wrote it) and bringing it up here to discuss.

 

Also, I'm from South Australia, so I know how much it sucks when the weather turns and we can't get the kids to the playground.

We've just bought a few pairs of gumboots from Kmart and like to go 'jump in muddy puddles' like Peppa and George Pig, which they love, gets us moving and tires them out. There is a bit of mess, but that's all part of the fun, so just put them in some 'trakkie dacks' (I love being able to use Aussie terms on this forum) and some warm gear and you're good to go. I keep a few towels in the boot of my car, just incase we do get the urge to go to the playground, we can wipe down the slides/swings/etc and they can have a bit of a play.

 

If you have a flowing creek or river nearby, take them there after some rain and have some 'boat races', we make 'boats' out of gumleaves and sticks. Chuck them in the river and watch them go, that generally keeps them happy for a while. Just be careful if you have really little ones about falling in.

 

If it's a darker day, just give them a torch and go for a walk, they love spotting things and seeing what they can find. It also breaks up the monotony of being 'just another walk' for them. If they're a bit older and it's a windy day, try flying a kite, be patient though, I find it really frustrating, but once it's up they're pretty fun.

 

When it's really crappy weather (if you're from SA, VIC or TAS you'll know what I'm talking about), there are options like kindygyms or indoor playgrounds, you will generally have to pay, but it still gets them physically active and out of the house, so that's another option.

 

Hope this helps, always feel free to give me a yell if you're looking for ideas.

 

Also, how old are your kid(s)? Any particular topics you'd like to see covered in upcoming blog posts?

 

Thanks for reading.

[TempestTiffy]

ha ha of course a towel XD i never would have thought to bring one! what a duh moment! I have a three year old who is FULL ON and a 6 month old who is so chill. I'm in Melbourne so it's become winter quite quickly (although i was in Radelaide last weekend and it was such gorgeous weather!). I think it's def time for peppa and george jumping up and down in muddy puddles. I might even do that when I get home tonight.

 

 

 

On 4/6/2016 at 4:33 AM, Anaticula said:

It's spring where I'm at, but we also get a lot of rain. I don't mind still going for walks in the rain, as long as it isn't lightening. The children on the other hand do not like going out in the rain. They love going out afterwards to play in the mud though! 

 

For me as it's coming up on summer time, I'm thinking of getting an inflatable pool for the back yard. We get the girls on the weekends, and it'd be nice to have them play outside as opposed to inside on the weekends (I'm still scraping glue and paint off the kitchen table from last weekend, lol). The issue we're facing is whether we want to get a deeper pool I can swim in while we don't have the kids, but then we'd have to constantly hold the 4 year old as she is very timid around water, or a much shallower one that's only a couple feet which she could stand up in, but I wouldn't really be able to swim in. Most likely we'll end up going with the shallow one just to be safer. 

Even a shallow one be super careful about supervising kids and making sure they can't get to it.  we had a few child drownings here over the summer and it is just heart breaking. But enjoy the pool time fun!

['Down Under' Dan]

Glad I could help. If you don't feel like carrying a towel or two around, you could even go out and get a "Sham-Wow" knockoff (I think I got mine from the Reject Shop) for a few bucks, they're great for wiping down slides. 3 year olds are definitely a handful, glad to hear the little one is a bit more relaxed though. Mine are 4.5, 2, and one due in May.

 

Glad to hear you caught what seems like the last of the great weather we had in Radelaide, I was in Melbourne for work a few weeks ago and I was surprised at how wintery it was already. Good luck jumping in muddy puddles.

[Anaticula]

12 hours ago, TempestTiffy said:

Even a shallow one be super careful about supervising kids and making sure they can't get to it.  we had a few child drownings here over the summer and it is just heart breaking. But enjoy the pool time fun!

Oh yes, definitely. We've went to several water parks last summer and make sure that an adult is always near her. We are planning to get her one of the swim vest that help them learn to swim and are going to see to it that she wears it when she's in the pool. For the 7 year old,she should be okay as she can swim a little, but we're not letting her in the pool without an adult near by. As I love to swim (even though I'm not very good at it) I'll be in it with them most of the time. We wanted to get them swimming lessons, but decided to hold off until we can find a different place that offers them because the one we found charges $150 a child per week and we don't have that kind of money.

[Elennare]

I just found a list of kid-friendly hikes in my area.  I intend to read it over and try some of them out this year.  And I also want to take the boys camping this summer.  I took my older one on a super spur-of-the-moment overnight trip last year and he loved it, so I really want to get the whole family out for a bit longer this year.

[Trixie Falsae]

Sometimes I just throw my kids outside regardless of the weather, barring heavy rain. Mud can be washed off.

[Estrix]

I live in the UK so weather here can be pretty terrible most of the time (or at least it feels like it). But my daughter will insist on trips to the park regardless of weather. I just make sure she's well bundled up and head outside. The weather isn't really the problem, it's just making sure you both have the right clothes for it. And she seems happy enough to just charge around the park in the rain just as much as in the sunshine. She's also just discovered leaping into puddles lol.

[PrincessHeather]

I'm in Alaska, and my plans for my soon to be new walker this winter is to buy an Oakiwear suit and layers to deal with the rain and snow to prevent it it from keeping us inside.