How Often Do You Go to the Park?

[mom2bee]

The title says it all.

I mean for free play, not for little league or some other adult scripted activity, just so that your kids can run around and play. Or sit in the dirt and not play.

 

 

[*lifeoftheparty*]

When DS9 was little, like 2-5, we went several times a week.

 

Now, we go... I'd say at least weekly during the summer, but way less than that the rest of the year.

[Julie Smith]

Not much anymore. But tons when the kids were younger. 

 

2 years ago we even went on a mission and biked to 40 different parks. 

 

Till the kids lost interest in it we went to a park usually 6 times a week. Between the leaving the house and getting home we would be gone 3 hours or so. - on average. 

[regentrude]

When my kids were very little, 1-5 years old: daily, for several hours, unless weather was abysmal ( we still went when it was wet/snowy)

When my kids were elementary school age: most days for an hour after school, weather permitting

Middle grades: once week for playgroup.

[Ellie]

Rarely. There was never one close to us that we could walk to, and for much of my dc's younger lives, we only had one car which Mr. Ellie drove to work.

[Jean in Newcastle]

My kids are old enough to go on their own if they want to.  Ds rarely goes (usually only when I make him go with his sister!) but dd11 likes to go a couple of times a week.  

[Jenn121]

We go every Friday. Our homeschool group has free play park day every week year round unless it is raining or too cold. Nothing really organized jut free play for the kids and adult time for us moms.

[Soror]

When my oldest was younger at least 1-2x a week. Next it was 1x a week and now a few times a month perhaps in a good month. If we lived closer we would still go more often in the afternoons but the kids play out in the yard here all the time, we have a good size wood playset and about 5 acres of our own land and are surrounded by National Forest land.

[xixstar]

2-5 times a week depending on the season. After winter, it's like 5 days a week - then we're usually down to just 3 days a week through the summer. Now it's more like 2 days a week but picking up as fall is here and winter will approach and we want more time.

 

I love hiking and just free play as well.

[Mergath]

Right now, around three times a week, give or take.  The problem for us is that school is in session now, and the playgrounds in our neighborhood are all attached to private schools which don't allow non-students to use them during school hours.  So we go in the evening, or we head over to a city playground during the day.  In the summer when school is out we go to the playground across the street pretty much every day.

[SKL]

The kids go at least weekly when weather allows.  Usually 2-4x per week from roughly May through October.  That does not include outdoor school recess, which they do 2-3x per day M-F, weather permitting.

[twoxcell]

We go to a park at least once a week. During the summer it is much more often than that.

[Pretty in Pink]

During the summer we go every. single. day. I have little kids and we live within walking distance of half a dozen parks. During the school year we go 4-5x per week, save for the coldest days.

[SKL]

 we live within walking distance of half a dozen parks.

 

That is awesome!  We do have a nice backyard that I could argue is park-ish.  ;)  But we don't get out there any more than we get to the park.  :/

 

[AMJ]

We are very fortunate here.  Even with a nice, big yard we used to go occasionally, when cousins were down visiting and the crowd at my in-laws' got too boisterous.  And we went sometimes just so the kids could play with other kids (at our kids' request).

 

Our kids have outgrown the playground equipment at the local park, however, and we have a pretty decent set-up in our back yard.  My in-laws also got a 5-acre place with a pool for their retirement, and have dogs, a cat, horses, a tree swing, a tree house, a zip line, "horse feet" (what my youngest nephew calls horseshoes), a paved driveway for scooters and bicycles (and chalk!), a berry patch, a garden, and LOTS of room to run amok.  My nephew is going to have a paintball party again this year for his birthday -- entirely done at Grandma's & Grandpa's place.

 

We get together weekly (sometimes more often) with the local cousins, and everyone gets together when the northern contingent comes to visit (several times a year).  Our kids also have friends we get together with periodically for birthday parties and other fun.

 

Basically it's the summer heat, humidity, and mosquitoes that keep us indoors most of the time for months on end.  But it's starting to cool down (just a little), and I'm more inclined to chase us all outside for fresh air and sunshine during the day.  We have a big trampoline and a "park" (what the kids call the swingset/"tree"house/lemonade stand/rock wall/slide thing we erected), and a big bin full of outdoor toys and games.  Oh, and a very wide driveway on a cul-de-sac, should we decide to climb on bicyles, too.

 

So with us it's a combination of outgrowing the local park and having other opportunities for outside fun.

[Heidi]

We live in the country so they run around and play every day. But I go to a park 1x week.

[NicAnn]

2-3 times a week, year round depending on where we live.

[Sparkle]

When the kids were small we used to go a LOT. Now it's less frequently, but my youngest dd especially enjoys going still. Usually I will send her with one of the other kids. We're lucky to have a huge park just a stone's throw away.

[Loowit]

Hardly ever.  We have to drive and it seems like a waste of gas.  Sometimes we will stop and play if we are in town and need to kill a few minutes.  My kids play in our yard.  I also avoid parks now more because my DS has severe allergies to peanuts and I worry a lot about contamination with others kids running around with their lunches of pb&j getting it all over the playground equipment.

[momto2Cs]

Every single week, unless it is pouring, or we are too sick to go. We are lucky enough to have a wonderful group of friends that we meet with once a week, at a local/regional park. We've been doing this since ds12 was 5, so it is interesting to see how the free play has changed over the years!

[Lisa in SC]

We went often when my olders were little. Now, we hardly ever go during the school year. We have a basketball goal, bikes, scooters, woodworking materials, golf equipment, corn hole ( please don't judge lol), sidewalk chalk, all manner of balls and related equipment, and lots of kids on the block. The boys get plenty of activity, just not at the park.

 

In the summer, we go several times a week for our 7yo, mainly because there is a park adjacent to the neighborhood pool.

[Mrs Mungo]

When my kids were little and the weather was nice? Five days a week.

[Excelsior! Academy]

Regularly.  It changes per season.  Sometimes daily, minimum once or twice a week  We have a neighborhood park and several more within a short drive.

[Laura Corin]

Daily when they were small.  Now they tend to go off and explore the public-access woods on their own.

 

L

[Jean in Newcastle]

corn hole 

What is this?

[Slartibartfast]

At least twice a week usually. We usually have a parkday with a local homeschool group at least once a week and we usually go another day in addition to that. Our parkdays aren't the typical parkdays that I experienced elsewhere. Sometimes our parkdays are more "swimming in the creek" days rather than "park day." :) I am not looking forward to winter when things will be more sedate.

[Slartibartfast]

What is this?

 

In South Carolina "corn hole" is a bag toss game where one throws bean bags through holes.

 

Where I am from we call it "bag toss." Dh's company only moved out here a couple years ago and they had bag toss at the company picnic. When the locals explained to the transplants that the game was called "corn hole" much hilarity resulted.

 

Where I am from "corn hole" is er...vulgar. I cannot actually stop laughing when someone discusses playing "corn hole." This is embarrassing in public! (except at my husband's company picnics where it is normal)

[Cosmos]

Every day when ds was little. Often twice a day.

 

Now ds is more likely to go to the basketball or tennis courts than the playground, but we do meet friends at area parks once in awhile.

[amo_mea_filiis.]

What is this?

I am Cornholio! Give me TP for my bunghole! (Sorry. I had to.)

 

We go just about daily.

[Ottakee]

When the kids were little we might go once a week--depending on our errand schedule, etc. as the closest park was about 12 miles away. The kids though played outside in our yard for hours every day. When they were little we only had 2 acres but we had woods, a yard, a huge play structure, sand box, and a big dirt pile. We also had 80 acres behind us that we could use to hike, ride horses, ride snowmobiles, ride dirtbikes, etc.

 

Now we go to various "parks" several times a week but that is to go horseback riding on the horse trails. We have 5 acres now at our new house and the kids play hide and seek, in the dark tag, etc. They do occ. go 2 doors down to the elementary school or across the road to the township park (that wasn't there when they were little).

[TammyinTN]

Sadly...never anymore.  The kids all grew up.  We do have grand babies, but we bought a swing and cool outdoor toys so they can play in the backyard. 

[6packofun]

It varies a lot depending on what other errands I'm doing since I try to double/triple up on trips to save gas!  Oldest dd had a job interview today, so while she was there, ds7 and I went to a playground to wait until she was done.   There is a nice playground by our library, too, so when it's nice outside we are there--about once a week, maybe a bit less.

[Arcadia]

We have always live within a 5-10 min walk to a park.  When kids were under 3 it was everyday as long as weather is fine. After that my kids were bored with the neighborhood park and rather go to the beach. The only thing they like now at the neighborhood park is the swings.

[elegantlion]

When he was younger about 2-3x a week. When we had a huge wooded backyard, everyday that it was nice. The dog would play hide and seek in between all  the trees. Of course, you had to watch out for snakes.

 

Now, we go to the state park to hike, but not often enough. 

[MarinesWife]

With a homeschool group once a week. Just for play.

[Annie G]

When the kids were little, almost daily when the weather permitted. Either meeting up with friends during the day or after dinner dh could go with us.  We had two within walking distance and two a short drive away- less than 5 minutes. We spent a lot of time at parks...now that they're grown we wish we'd gone even more. 

[Rachel]

When we lived in our old neighborhood we went daily during spring & fall, 3-4 times per week in the summer, and on nice days in the winter.  We lived behind a school, had a nice quiet park just a 5 minute walk from our house, and 2 more parks within 2 miles.

 

We moved a year ago to a small town, the only playground we can walk to is a mile away and it isn't a very nice playground.  There are also 2 city playgrounds that we can drive to.  One is nice but crowded, the other isn't very nice.  So now we go to the park once every couple weeks.  We do have a nice play set in our backyard that gets used daily though.

[unsinkable]

We went several times a week when they were younger.

 

We had so many playgrounds to choose from and they had family nicknames. The favorites were the Aladdin park, tire swing park and hidden park.

 

The Aladdin park was called that because it had a piece of equipment with turrets that reminded the kids of the aladdin movie.

[*Lulu*]

Always at least once a week.

 

In the fall and spring, 2-3x week.

 

When Punk was very young, before we moved into our current home with the nice yard and safe bike riding area, we went almost daily.

[ScoutTN]

Every week. In psring and fall sometimes 2 or 3x. Two playgrounds and one large park very close to us.

[unsinkable]

Oh, DH just remind me:

 

Tickle Monster park

 

He was LOLing and said the kids were so stupid...they could never get away from the Tickle Monster (him) no matter what they did.

[GSOchristie]

We go at least once a week after CC. Now that it's cooling off here, we'll be going more, probably at least twice.

[Jean in Newcastle]

I was motivated by this thread to go down to the park this afternoon.

[Lisa in SC]

In South Carolina "corn hole" is a bag toss game where one throws bean bags through holes.

 

Where I am from we call it "bag toss." Dh's company only moved out here a couple years ago and they had bag toss at the company picnic. When the locals explained to the transplants that the game was called "corn hole" much hilarity resulted.

 

Where I am from "corn hole" is er...vulgar. I cannot actually stop laughing when someone discusses playing "corn hole." This is embarrassing in public! (except at my husband's company picnics where it is normal)

Thanks for answering. It's a terrible name, isn't it? It's so popular where we are that I completely forgot it's regional. Ds14 made our set. Horrible name, super fun to play. :D

[Onceuponatime]

My kids feel too old for the park. This summer I found that we all enjoyed walking the various nature trails around the area. I have a goal of getting us to one about once a month. I didn't realize there were so many trails of various lengths until I looked into it.

[PeacefulChaos]

The title says it all.

I mean for free play, not for little league or some other adult scripted activity, just so that your kids can run around and play. Or sit in the dirt and not play.

We don't if I can help it.  

I find the park to be incredibly boring for me, so unless I can find someone to go with us, I try to stay away from it.

I'd say we go a handful of times per year.  This year I think we went twice - once to the little one that we can walk to, and once to the nice, big one out by the highway.  Both times were in the spring.

We have plenty of stuff for them to do in the yard, too, so not going to the park doesn't phase anyone.  They go outside every day.

[mom2bee]

Mine are 8 and 11.  The 11 year old doesn't like to go much anymore.  I take the 8 year old whenever he wants to go.  Sometimes that is daily and sometimes once a week.  We live very near a large park.

 

We don't go in the winter though.  Neither of the kids like playing in the snow.  Although for the most part we either have ice or slush.  It's rarely the type of snow that is good for playing in.

Personally, I hate snow/slush/ice. Its fun for a few minutes, then it gradually becomes unpleasant and then BAM! misery. Yeah, I hate snow.

[Murphy101]

1-3 times per week

[Melissa in Australia]

hardly ever. We live in the bush. the kids play there.

[wendyroo]

For those of you who have or had several small children and took them to the park often, can you share how that worked logistically?  

 

I have a 4 year old, a 2 year old and a newborn.  We have a great park in our neighborhood that we can easily walk to.  I can get the three kids there just fine, but then things get sketchy.  The 4 year old can handle most of the equipment fine on his own, but sometimes he makes unsafe choices and I don't want to let him too far out of sight.  The 2 year old is a safety nightmare on the equipment - he can climb up to even the highest platforms on his own, but he rarely looks where he is going, grossly overestimates his skills, wanders in front of kids on swings, etc.  The newborn is normally content in his stroller (and hates to be worn in a carrier), but that means I can't leave him alone to go up on the structures to supervise the other two.

 

In some ways the park is great - brand new play structure, a walking trail, a splash pad, etc.  In other ways the park is far from ideal - no fenced in area to keep small kids contained, tempting looking play areas spread out across the large park, a LOT of people using the park all day which makes me very nervous about getting too far from the stroller.

 

My kids are well-behaved and follow instructions very well (for their ages), but the park is still a stressful place for all of us.  I'd love some advice from some of you who have BTDT.

 

Thanks,

Wendy