Ok — with three kids (ages 4, 2 and 1), going by myself to the community pool is, well, next to impossible. Julian wants to go down the water slides (with me at the bottom), Mary wants to be carried around the adult pool (by yours truly) and Harvey isn’t walking yet, so it’s the baby pool for him (with me, of course).
Science has not yet made mommy cloning — so what’s a mom of three to do on a hot, hot day?
The sprayground. I’ve written about these ingenious inventions before, but I really can’t say enough good stuff about them. It’s so much easier for me to keep an eye on everyone at a sprayground — plus, most of them are affiliated with a park/playground, so it’s two parks in one!
We went to Sharon Woods Harbor on Monday, when the temps soared into the upper 80s. As far as spraygrounds go, this one is pretty small, with a main area that has about 15 sprinklers in a circle.
There is also a “creek” that runs through the park, with rocks and a small rock bridge for kids to climb on. Harvey loved this area — and the other two enjoyed climbing in it! We often walk to a creek by our house, and I don’t let the kids play in it… so I think they felt like they were pulling a fast one on me by splashing in it.
After getting thoroughly drenched, the kids tackled the playground. All their running around helped dry them off, which made it easier to get them changed for the trip home.
The kids had a great time, and were happy and (fairly) well behaved the rest of the afternoon. Harvey took a great nap — it was a successful outing! Plus, admission to this little sprayground is included with your annual Hamilton County Parks Motor Vehicle Permit ($10), so it’s a really cheap, hot day option!
This got me thinking, and a crazy idea was born:
I’m going to visit a new sprayground every week this summer. There are so many around the area, and I’ve only been to a few!
Will you join me?
Share your adventures on Cincinnati Parent’s twitter using #summerofsplashparks. I’ll report back to you my thoughts on each on these wet and wonderful little water parks.
