Well, it looks like my Georgia project will be short lived. We are moving to Washington State in the next few months. This is a good thing though. I am from WA and I love it there!!! It is exactly where I want to raise my boys.
So, my Georgia project will soon be my Washington project. I will have so much more success with that one because I already know so many of the sites and kid-friendly places in the Tacoma-Olympia area....and the majority of the state for that matter.
August 10, 2010
August 6, 2010
Park & Playground Etiquette
We go to the park quite often. I have made some general observations at the various parks we go to that really make me wonder about people sometimes. This has led me to make a list of park etiquette that I wish more people would observe.
1. Interact with your children. I don't know how many times I have seen parents just sitting off to the side or talking on their cell phones. Sure, some of the older children do not want to play with their parents if there are other kids to play with but when there are no other children around I think parents should interact more. I recently took my toddler to the park to play and when we arrived there was a mom sitting at a picnic table and her girls were standing there. The mom was yelling at the top of her lungs at the girls telling them to go play or they were going to leave. I took my son to a small jungle gym and a few minutes later the little girls came over to play there too. The older of the two (they were probably 5yrs & 2 yrs) said she wanted to play a game with her mom but her mom didn't want to. The little girl had tears on her face. I felt bad for her.
2. Don't dump you pop or juice anywhere near the play ground. News flash -- sweets attract ants, roaches, and bees. These are the last thing I want to see crawling on my son. I don't think people realize when they are sitting in a picnic gazebo that if they pour out the rest of their pop in the grass that it is going to draw ants or other pests. Here in the south I constantly see little ant hills on the edge of picnic gazebo's because people pour out the rest of their drink. Also, make sure to wrap all food items in plastic bags before throwing them in the on-site garbage cans. Otherwise flies will get in and lay eggs....hatching maggots and well, I am sure you can figure out the rest!
3. Pick up trash. Seems like a no brainer right? The parks around my area are usually always clean. Sometimes we find a juice bottle or a pop can that someone probably just forgot. My husband and I try to pick those up if we see them laying around....even though they weren't ours. We like to take pride in the community, even if just a little effort such as picking up a pop can at the park.
4. If you must smoke around the kids PLEASE (I beg of you) put your butts in the garbage. As a former smoker, I know it is not that hard.
5. Don't let your kids be a bully or a brat. Teach them to be nice and play fair early otherwise your kid will not have friends later in life. No one likes a bully or a brat.
Does anyone else have any park pet peeves?
1. Interact with your children. I don't know how many times I have seen parents just sitting off to the side or talking on their cell phones. Sure, some of the older children do not want to play with their parents if there are other kids to play with but when there are no other children around I think parents should interact more. I recently took my toddler to the park to play and when we arrived there was a mom sitting at a picnic table and her girls were standing there. The mom was yelling at the top of her lungs at the girls telling them to go play or they were going to leave. I took my son to a small jungle gym and a few minutes later the little girls came over to play there too. The older of the two (they were probably 5yrs & 2 yrs) said she wanted to play a game with her mom but her mom didn't want to. The little girl had tears on her face. I felt bad for her.
2. Don't dump you pop or juice anywhere near the play ground. News flash -- sweets attract ants, roaches, and bees. These are the last thing I want to see crawling on my son. I don't think people realize when they are sitting in a picnic gazebo that if they pour out the rest of their pop in the grass that it is going to draw ants or other pests. Here in the south I constantly see little ant hills on the edge of picnic gazebo's because people pour out the rest of their drink. Also, make sure to wrap all food items in plastic bags before throwing them in the on-site garbage cans. Otherwise flies will get in and lay eggs....hatching maggots and well, I am sure you can figure out the rest!
3. Pick up trash. Seems like a no brainer right? The parks around my area are usually always clean. Sometimes we find a juice bottle or a pop can that someone probably just forgot. My husband and I try to pick those up if we see them laying around....even though they weren't ours. We like to take pride in the community, even if just a little effort such as picking up a pop can at the park.
4. If you must smoke around the kids PLEASE (I beg of you) put your butts in the garbage. As a former smoker, I know it is not that hard.
5. Don't let your kids be a bully or a brat. Teach them to be nice and play fair early otherwise your kid will not have friends later in life. No one likes a bully or a brat.
Does anyone else have any park pet peeves?
August 4, 2010
Yahoola Creek Trails and Park
Yahoola Creek Trails Conservancy
I have known about Yahoola Creek Park for quite a few months. I have even driven down to the park several times but I never stopped. The other day I decided to take the kids to the park and since we have not been to Yahoola Creek Park we decided to give it a try....and what a wonderful decision that was!
Yahoola Creek Park is located in the heart of Dahlonega. The facility has several baseballs fields, soccer fields, tennis courts, two playground areas, restrooms, picnics areas, walking trails, and a greenspace conservatory. Yahoola Creek runs through the park (hence the name) and makes for an enjoyable and beautiful backdrop.
The greenspace is the hidden gem in this park. After playing in the main playground area for an hour or so we decided to check out the other playground that can be seen from the main play area. The second playground is at the edge of the conservatory.
First of all, the air is soooo fresh and smells soooo good near the conservation area. The grass was freshly cut the day we went and the air had that sweet country smell to it. It is my understanding that people are encouraged to help with the upkeep of the area (you can formally volunteer by filling out a form on the park website). There is a small pond area for turtles, salamanders, and other water creatures. Dozens of varieties of flowers, trees, and bushes. Fruit trees, herbs, and a vegetable garden are also included!
There are quite a few birdhouses posted throughout the area as well. I was amazed at the number of beautiful butterflies lofting around....especially near the flower area. To add to all of this, there is a little building area with informational posters and points-of-interest stands posted throughout the area.
My 12 year old loved the informational posters and the points-of-interest stands. My toddler loved walking throughout the area, picking up rocks, and chasing butterflies. We did not walk up the trails, because we didn't have proper shoes on, but we are going to do that soon.
This park was so much fun. It is a great place to teach your children about agriculture, the environment, wildlife protection, gardening, and community involvement. Not to mention you can get some exercise there, play sports, watch the children play, or bring a picnic.
The website (link listed above) provides detailed directions, more information on the park, and details on volunteering.
I have known about Yahoola Creek Park for quite a few months. I have even driven down to the park several times but I never stopped. The other day I decided to take the kids to the park and since we have not been to Yahoola Creek Park we decided to give it a try....and what a wonderful decision that was!
Yahoola Creek Park is located in the heart of Dahlonega. The facility has several baseballs fields, soccer fields, tennis courts, two playground areas, restrooms, picnics areas, walking trails, and a greenspace conservatory. Yahoola Creek runs through the park (hence the name) and makes for an enjoyable and beautiful backdrop.
The greenspace is the hidden gem in this park. After playing in the main playground area for an hour or so we decided to check out the other playground that can be seen from the main play area. The second playground is at the edge of the conservatory.
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| Vegetable garden |
There are quite a few birdhouses posted throughout the area as well. I was amazed at the number of beautiful butterflies lofting around....especially near the flower area. To add to all of this, there is a little building area with informational posters and points-of-interest stands posted throughout the area.
My 12 year old loved the informational posters and the points-of-interest stands. My toddler loved walking throughout the area, picking up rocks, and chasing butterflies. We did not walk up the trails, because we didn't have proper shoes on, but we are going to do that soon.
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| At one of the points-of-interest posts |
This park was so much fun. It is a great place to teach your children about agriculture, the environment, wildlife protection, gardening, and community involvement. Not to mention you can get some exercise there, play sports, watch the children play, or bring a picnic.
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| He was chasing a butterfly |
The website (link listed above) provides detailed directions, more information on the park, and details on volunteering.
August 2, 2010
Tons of Information!!
I requested a few brochures from the State of Georgia. I was pleasantly surprised as the amount of information they sent me! I have tons of brochures, magazines, and maps. I am working on listing the kid-friendly items.
We also found a another park in Dahlonega that is sooo cool! I took a lot of pictures and I will get all that information posted soon as well.
In the meantime, check out North Georgia Kids. This site has some information specifically for North Georgia. They are hoping to add more in the near future!
We also found a another park in Dahlonega that is sooo cool! I took a lot of pictures and I will get all that information posted soon as well.
In the meantime, check out North Georgia Kids. This site has some information specifically for North Georgia. They are hoping to add more in the near future!
July 30, 2010
Veterans Memorial Park - Dawsonville Georgia
Yesterday my husband and I took Colt, our toddler, to Veterans Memorial Park in Dawsonville. We have been passing by this park on a fairly regular basis for more than a year but we have never stopped in. The reason we have never stopped is because we just thought this was the Dawsonville pool. We never really looked at the sign and we never really looked beyond the pool. We came across the park because we were driving on GA-400 and saw one of those brown road signs that point you in the direction of a place of interest. The signs led us to Veterans Memorial Park.
This park is definitely a kid-friendly establishment. As mentioned, there is a pool - which is of decent size for the community. The park has several baseball fields and two football fields, one of which has a surrounding track. There are two playground areas and another set of swings at the track. One of the playground areas is designed for 2-3 year old children in mind, but my 15-month old enjoyed it too. The park includes a really nice covered gazebo area that can be reserved for potlucks, family gatherings, birthday parties, or whatever. The gazebo is equipped with a really nice stone kitchenette, grill, and sink with running water, restrooms, chairs, and plenty of picnic tables.
Another feature to the park which I really liked, and which looks to be relatively new, is a 8/10 mile paved walking/biking trail. The trail travels through the entire park so you can park in any one of the half a dozen parking lots and walk the trail back to your car! Near the gazebo, which the trail passes by, are several fitness stations. Each station works on a different muscle group and provides complete instructions on how to conduct each exercise. These fitness stationed would be appropriate for older children to senior citizens.
Lastly, the memorial set up to remember Veteran's is small but very attractive and well kept.
In all I was very impressed with this park and I am glad we "discovered" it.
This park is definitely a kid-friendly establishment. As mentioned, there is a pool - which is of decent size for the community. The park has several baseball fields and two football fields, one of which has a surrounding track. There are two playground areas and another set of swings at the track. One of the playground areas is designed for 2-3 year old children in mind, but my 15-month old enjoyed it too. The park includes a really nice covered gazebo area that can be reserved for potlucks, family gatherings, birthday parties, or whatever. The gazebo is equipped with a really nice stone kitchenette, grill, and sink with running water, restrooms, chairs, and plenty of picnic tables.
Another feature to the park which I really liked, and which looks to be relatively new, is a 8/10 mile paved walking/biking trail. The trail travels through the entire park so you can park in any one of the half a dozen parking lots and walk the trail back to your car! Near the gazebo, which the trail passes by, are several fitness stations. Each station works on a different muscle group and provides complete instructions on how to conduct each exercise. These fitness stationed would be appropriate for older children to senior citizens.
Lastly, the memorial set up to remember Veteran's is small but very attractive and well kept.
In all I was very impressed with this park and I am glad we "discovered" it.
July 28, 2010
Thomas the Train is coming to Georgia
My toddler loves Thomas the Tank Engine. I was excited to hear that Thomas is coming to Georgia....but quickly disappointed to learn he is coming to Cordele....which is in Southern Georgia. However, I may still consider making the trip...but we will see.
HERE is the link to Thomas the Tank Engine coming to Georgia.
HERE is the link to Thomas the Tank Engine coming to Georgia.
