Hunt Center Toddler Sports - So Fun!

Love sports? Kids love em, too, or at least you want them to?

If you live in or near Holly Springs there is a wonderful program for little ones at the Hunt Center through the Parks and Recreation Department that offers soccer, t-ball, basketball, hockey/golf, yoga and more for ages 18 months to 3 years.

Dani (2) tried soccer and had such a great time. Of course, it's mostly just fun activities that center around a soccer ball, rather than actual soccer skills, but there is some of that, too.  Dani spent most of her time hanging on the door handles and running through the bleachers, but she pretty much ran the whole time with a smile on her face. Oh, and she screamed throughout the class, as did some of the other kids. They all seemed to have a good time.

The woman who runs the class is patient and wonderful and started the program years ago when there was nothing available for toddlers in the area of sports for her own kids. She said she started a lacrosse class years ago but didn't have enough interest to fill classes. I would love for her to start that class up again. Her biggest obstacle is getting enough people to fill the classes. In fact, my 3-year-old was signed up for basketball but they didn't have enough kids to fill the class so it was canceled. She's also very open to new ideas. I suggested she teach a volleyball and track and field camp and she said she'd love to do the track and field camp - maybe in August - and offered that maybe I teach the volleyball camp, if that's something I would like to do.

For Holly Springs residents the program is $14 for two, 30-minute sessions on weekdays. I highly recommend giving it a shot. I was unable to get pictures as Dani was running all over the place, but we had a blast. I asked her if she had fun in the car an the way home, she giggled and squealed, "soccer ball!"

Jordan (3) was out sick from school and watched one of the classes. She said, "mommy, can I play next time?" How do you get a better endorsement than that? So we opted to take the T-ball class, too. Both girls love it.

Hunt Center

301 Stinson Avenue

Holly Springs, NC

HIGHLIGHTS: Great way for your toddler/preschooler to get a "taste" of sports without the stress of making them participate or expectation of them having any kind of skill at this point. The coach is fantastic, and it's 30 minutes long - just long enough for the kids to run around and get the wiggles out without them getting bored.

LOW LIGHTS: At $14/per person for two, 30-minute classes it's a bit more than I'd like to spend. For non residents of Holly Springs it is more. Also, there are two weeks between classes so the kids get excited about it and they have to wait two weeks to participate again.

COST: $14/per child for Holly Springs residents, $21 for nonresidents.

Honeycutt Road Park in Fuquay-Varina - Fun, but not for all ages

The scary slide!

 My play date buddy, Amanda, who is always up for an adventure, joined me at Honeycutt Road Park in Fuquay-Varina. It's right behind Club Worx Gym on Old Honeycutt Road.

We got out of our cars and said, "Wow, this place looks great!"
My mind changed quickly when I walked up to the scariest playground slide I've ever seen.

The playground looked great, but it was not ideal for really little ones. Amanda and I both have 20-month-olds, and let me tell you, we were terrified of this jungle gym! It is sort of sectioned off in two parts, one for the little ones and one for the big ones. But they're not separated. There's a tunnel/slide, which was a challenge but not impossible to maneuver for both our little ones, that connects the two parts. The section obviously designed for older kids is so high, and the slide was so steep I wouldn't even go down it. Not only that, but there were several openings in the equipment where a little one could just walk off the side. This is not such a big deal, if your 3-4 feet off the ground. I didn't have a tape measure with me, but I swear that slide was 15 feet off the ground. My 3-year-old walked up to the top of it, looked down and turned around. "It's too scary!" she said. There were kid there at least 5 or 6-years-old and they wouldn't even go down.

We left after about 40 minutes, which I thought was about 30 minutes longer than I felt comfortable staying there - thanks to the swings, which were nice. It's beautiful equipment. The place is well maintained, nice swings, great soccer field right next to it. The parking is close by, and there's a shelter. But I will not go back until my oldest (3) is at least 5 and the little ones are 3ish.

Maybe I'm being overprotective, but my youngest is fearless and at that stage where she doesn't understand consequences or listen to safety warnings. I have to physically remove her from most dangerous situations versus giving verbal warnings. (pretty standard stuff at that age, I think) Also, we met a wonderful mom who was playing their with her kids for the first time, too. She, too, was concerned about the openings in the jungle gym and the ridiculous slide. So I don't think our concerns were out of nowhere.

Interestingly enough, we went to a second park as we were not ready to go home yet. My oldest told me in the car on the way home, "I liked the first park mommy. You know, the one with the scary slide."

101 Fitness Drive
Fuquay-Varina, NC 
 

HIGHLIGHTS: Nice, well-maintained equipment, clean benches, shelter, climbing walls on playground, also some imagination play areas with "steering wheels," nice soccer field next to it, parking was close by, section for little kids and big kids.

LOW LIGHTS: The equipment was just too high for the really little ones, and it's connected to the section designed specifically for little ones. The swings are separated (little kids on one side and big kids on the other) so I couldn't push my 3-year-old and 1-year-old at the same time. Lots of openings in the playground, very challenging equipment, and it looks like the rubber flooring could be replaced. Also, I didn't see bathrooms.

COST: Free!

Green Acres Was the Place to Be! For Pumpkin Patch Activities, that is

Green Acres Farm in Cary was a fantastic fall activity. Admittedly, though, the pumpkins at this "pumpkin patch" were not! Although, I'm pretty sure they don't claim to be a pumpkin patch, for some reason I was under the impression it was. If you're looking for a great deal on pumpkins, this is not the place to go. They didn't look great, nor were they priced very reasonably. But we didn't care; we didn't go to buy pumpkins. We went to have fun, and we did just that!

It was a wonderful time! There were three bounce houses for the kids, a petting area with goats, pony rides (for $5 in addition to the $10 admission fee per person for 4 & older), hayrides, tractors to climb, a sand area for the little ones to dig and play, a corn maze, wagon rides (I believe these were also $5 per person) and so much more. They had food, drinks and picnic areas for birthday parties. I will do this again and again! It was not inexpensive, but it was worth every penny. Our whole family had a great time, as well as my best friend and her family.

Also, on the way there was Phillips Farm (Cary), which has a haunted hayride and corn maze. If only my kids were older I could tell you how that was! I don't think you can miss with all the great pumpkin patches in the area. I also heard about Mrs. Ruth's Pumpkin Patch (in Apex, NC), DJ's Berry Patch (Cary), Green Level Gourd Farm (Apex), Hill Ridge Farm (Youngsville, which is a hike but comes highly recommended by my mommy friends),  The Maze at Hector's Creek (Fuquay-Varina), Ganyard Hill Farms (Durham) and Vollmer Farms (Bunn).

Here is a great link for the area's pumpkin patches, hayrides and corn mazes:

http://www.pumpkinpatchesandmore.org/NCppumpkins.php 

1132 Morrisville Carpenter Rd
Cary, NC 27519

HIGHLIGHTS:Too many to name them all - but hayrides, bounce houses, pony rides, horses, goats, petting area, sand pile for little ones, swings, mechanical bull, corn maze and more. 

LOW LIGHTS: My allergies went nuts there, as well as my toddler (ha, ha). There were a lot of people, parking was ridiculous and there was a police car just up the road to help direct traffic, it wasn't cheap and the pony ride was $5 extra.

COST: Children 0-3 free, $10 per person otherwise, $8 for seniors, $5 pony rides, $5 mechanical bull, $4 face painting.

MacDonald Woods Park in Cary - Very Shady (in a good way)

We ventured to Cary, NC to check out another park today. This time I heard about a park on Seabrook Avenue in Cary off of Cary Parkway from a nanny I met at the Kidstowne Playground in Apex. What a great place for a play date! It's called MacDonald Woods Park.

This is perfect for when it's hot out, as it is very shady from all the beautiful, grown trees that cover the area. I don't know what they call the material they put down, but it's a squishy flooring that's perfect for little trippers! My kids fall all the time, and they fell no less than five times each this morning, and NO BOO BOOS!

There were two separate jungle gyms (one for bigger kids and the other for littler ones), a little sandbox (very clean sand), a merry-go-round (pint sized), swings for both little and big kids and so much more. I'd recommend going on a play date there, as most of the moms seemed to live in the near vicinity and weren't very social with us or our kids. I think, though, it was just an off day. We met a great mom there, of twin 2-year-olds, who was incredibly friendly.

Also very cool, which we had no idea about when we were there: there is a great greenway that bisects the eastern side of the park and leads all the way to the US Hwy 1/64 pedestrian bridge, and that leads to the Kids Together Play Area at Marla Dorrel Park, which I LOVE!

HIGHLIGHTS: Shaded park, good for kids toddler and preschool age due to the variety of playground equipment, love the flooring on the ground. Also, there is apparently a basketball slab and picnic tables.

LOW LIGHTS: Parking was street only, from what we could tell, and we had to walk about a block to get there. The entrance to the playground is a bit steep, so you probably need to hold little one's hands walking down & it's a little bit of a hike for me.

COST: Free!

Spirit Halloween open at Beaver Creek in Apex

I am a self-admitted Halloween junkie. If I had more money, my house would look haunted year round. It's my favorite holiday, my favorite time of the year and simply the best day EVER!

So when I heard Spirit Halloween was already open at Beaver Creek in Apex, NC (near the movie theater and just a few doors down from Old Navy) - we made a day trip out of it. If I could stay over night I would - ha ha ha.

There were hundreds of costumes, fun decor and, of course, super scary stuff - especially for a 3-year-old! My 19-month-old loved it. It was a bit scary for my 3 year old but she got over it fast - not until we left the store though. (see her hiding behind me at the store in the upper right photo)

The store has got so much to look at, it can keep you busy for at least an hour. I highly recommend checking it out. I noticed they don't open until 11 a.m. on weekdays, so it's more of an afternoon activity.

Beaver Creek Commons
1541 Beaver Creek Commons Dr
Apex, North Carolina 27502

HIGHLIGHTS: AMAZING for Halloween lovers, very scary/cool decorations, great costumes. I LOVE THIS STORE.

LOW LIGHTS: It's pretty scary for 2- to 4-year-olds, and it doesn't open until 11 a.m. on weekdays.

COST: Free to walk through. But NOT free for Halloween lovers who HAVE TO buy stuff when you get inside.

De Plane! De Plane!

Observation Park at RDU airport is wonderful!! I had heard about it a couple times, but never thought to take the kids. It is really a park!

There are picnic tables with umbrellas, little runways for the kids to play on, a sandbox full of toys people have left behind and a little jungle gym in the middle. Then there's the observation deck, which allows you to watch the planes coming in with great visibility. The stairs are a little dicey for the little ones, but there is a ramp (which we notice after humping up the stairs - with a 3-year-old and a toddler). If all that activity wasn't enough, a plane would take off or land and all the kids would stop and stare at the planes. Some would scream AIRPLANE and others would just freeze until the plane passed by or stopped. It was hilarious!

My kids played for 2 hours at this place! That's just unheard of for my girls. It was so fun. Next time I'll pack a lunch, and we'll eat there.

The major drawback I saw was a rookie thing. It was a bit hard to find. After you pass the first terminal (and before you get to terminal 2) there is a park and ride turn off (on the right). I missed it the first time but noticed after it was too late that there was a sign for Observation Park. Then, as we left, I followed the airport exit signs and ended up on 540. So we had a bit of a detour. Also, there were landscaping flags all over the place. My kids would NOT leave them alone. In fact, we had to leave because they wouldn't stop (and they're a little sharp on the ends). I told them we had to leave if they wouldn't listen. But even that was after 2 hours of playing very well!

I would definitely go again, even though it ended up being a 35 minute drive. It's open every day 8 a.m.-6 p.m., too! LOVE IT.

Raleigh-Durham International Airport
Morrisville, NC 27560

HIGHLIGHTS: Free, new experience and a little different (I've never been to an airport park!), get to see the planes take off and land, sandbox.

LOW LIGHTS: If your kids are a little noise sensitive, this may not be the place for you. My kids love loud noises and airplanes, the stairs on the observation deck were pretty narrow (but there's a ramp) and it's a little difficult to find if you've never been there before.

COST: Free!

Keep an Open Mind - Make a Friend!

Don't be afraid to do something new or find a new friend. Get out of your comfort zone.

"friends are like chocolate cake, you can never have enough ..."

That's a bad simile for a woman on a diet.

I had a playdate with a book author who lives in my neighborhood today who was giving me self-publishing tips. It was really fun, and she was so nice. Jordan made a new little buddy. They played really well, and both girls were introduced to new toys.

HIGHLIGHTS: New friends, new experiences, new ideas and a change of pace and you can do it anywhere.

LOW LIGHTS: You never know how your kids are going to get along with the new kids. Sharing is sometimes an issue, but that's an every day issue at our house anyway. 

COST: Free!

Kazoom into Raleigh

Kazoom is a great little puppet show by Carolina Puppet Theatre in downtown Raleigh at the Comedy Worx location. I really forgot to write this blog about a month ago, and now I am at a loss for what to tell you. Go figure, mommy brain at work again!

Here goes anyway: Bartlet (pictured above) is a cute little puppet that sings, flips his hair back (as he thinks he's a "star") and reads little letters that the kids/spectators bring for him. Jordan loves it! In the middle of the show they bring kids on the stage to help tell a story, usually within a theme for the day. They get to dress up, hold stuffed animals and participate. It's pretty amazing, and well worth the 30-minute plus drive for me to downtown.

They have shows at 10 and 11:10 a.m. The days vary, so you'll need to check out the website. Click here to visit Carolina Puppet Theatre

431 Peace Street

Raleigh, NC

HIGHLIGHTS: My girls love it. It's stimulating, funny, interactive and educational. Also, it's not far from Mellow Mushroom Pizza which has kid-friendly staff and kid-friendly menu (but that's another blog!) It's also a great indoor activity.

LOW LIGHTS: It's downtown Raleigh. They don't take credit cards. Parking is a MESS, but do-able.  

COST: $5 for everyone 12 months and up (parents, too). They don't take credit cards.

Going off the deep end - Or in it!?

Dani and her friend show off their Puddle Jumpers.

My girls are 17 months apart in age. They're hard to keep track of in public and especially at the swimming pool. Midway through the summer I picked up a Stearns Puddle Jumper. So many of the kids had them at the pool and I'd never seen one before.

I found them online, but didn't want to pay $20 each for them. Then I found them at Harris Teeter on sale for $12.50. (In retrospect, I would pay $50 for this life jacket.) I got two and headed straight to the pool. D is a little small for it, but I slipped it on her anyway.

Jordan is a big pool kid. She loves to be there, but she couldn't swim and she was too big for her floaties so they were useless. You should've seen her her first day with the Puddle Jumper. She kicked and paddled all the way across the pool into the deep end. Two visits to the pool later (less than a week) she took it off and went under water - face and all! I told her to kick her legs. She did, and she started to swim. I don't know if it was the Puddle Jumper or the timing, but coincidently Jordan can swim now.

Dani, too, is far more independant with the Puddle Jumper. She kicks and bobs and jumps around in the water and prefers that I don't hold her. I highly recommend this product. On a side note, a friend said she bought a knockoff version of the Puddle Jumper. It wasn't as good, she said, and she ended up buying the Stearns version.

HIGHLIGHTS: Puts your child in a safe vertical or floating horizontal position very easily. My brother teaches little ones how to swim and said getting kids horizontal in the pool is important in teaching children to swim and more urgently get them comfortable in the water.  I don't have to be glued to my kids sides at the pool because they really work!

LOW LIGHTS: It's for kids 30-60 lbs. Dani is about 28 lbs so it's a bit big for her.  

COST: I paid $12.50 on sale (they're probably going on sale now as the end of the pool season is approaching) - saw them today on Amazon.com for as low as $15.

Don't Feed the Ducks! But You Can Play with a Turtle!

Don't do this! Ha, even though my daughter (3) did fall in the water, that's not why. You're not supposed to feed the ducks at Bass Lake. In fact, you're not supposed to feed any of the wildlife. WHOOPS!

My friend, Amanda, and I were so bored last week. We just couldn't think of anything to do. We almost just stayed back played in the cul de sac, again.

Instead we grabbed some old bread and headed to Bass Lake Park (off of Bass Lake Road) in Holly Springs. Since there are two 1-year-olds and one 2-year-old between us, we missed a few signs. The girls started to feed the ducks, who darted toward us at the edge of the water. In fact, they wouldn't leave us alone when the bread quickly ran out.

About 5 minutes later, park personell came over to show us, rather politely I might add, that there were signs (which we were almost sitting on) asking people not to feed the animals. WHOOPS!

But he was incredibly nice and told us about a little nature center in the Bass Lake Park pavilion. I must say, I've been to Bass Lake a dozen times and had no idea this was there. I knew about the ducks, the boat rental, the beautiful deck on the pavilion and even the trails (which are a bit rough for toddlers).

The North Carolina Environmental Education Center was wonderful. Ella and Dani (both 1 1/2) and Jordan (almost 3) loved it. They played for at least 30 minutes without a problem. There were live snakes, fish, books, toys and even a live turtle that wasn't even contained. All three girls loved the turtle. I appropriately named it Shelly.

I don't usually encourage rule breaking, but this is the exception. If we hadn't broken their rules, we wouldn't have met Shelly or found this great little facility.

Bass Lake Park
900 Bass Lake Road
Holly Springs, NC

HIGHLIGHTS: Live animals (but in terrariums so you don't have to touch them), lots of books, friendly staff and other educational toys/tools. (See also cost)

LOW LIGHTS: There were a few unprotected "don't-touch" items and even a few rock samples which both 1-year-olds put in their mouths. It's not terribly clean. 

COST: FREE

Story time At Holly Springs Library

Tuesdays and Wednesdays at the Holly Springs Library (at 10 and 11 a.m.) there is story time. Since my girls are 1 & 2, we go to the early session. At 11 the story teller caters to pre-schoolers (3 & 4).

Story Time is money on a rainy, blazing hot or freezing cold day. But it's pretty packed on those extreme-weather days. There's singing, reading (of course), puppet shows and after it's over, they offer coloring or craft activities.  Even my 17-month old stands still for a few minutes to watch Miss Terry read her stories or sing a song and dance. 

Jordan (2) is getting more involved, answer questions, raising her hand to participate and singing and dancing along to the songs. It's really been wonderful, and it's so close to home it's an easy default for me when I don't want to pack a lunch or plan ahead.  There are also sessions on Mondays for babies (under 18 months, I believe). I've never been to these, but I like Tuesdays & Wednesdays so I can only imagine it's worth a shot if you have a little one.

\HIGHLIGHTS: It's so close to home, easy parking and my kids love Miss Terry.

LOW LIGHTS: It can get very crowded, and it's at a library so there are a lot of things my kids can get into.

COST: FREE -- My favorite!

A hidden Gem! Great for Little Ones

Jordan's buddy Cora playing on the climbing equipment,
and once again teach Jordan something new.

I love my mommy friends! Just when you think you are getting to know the area, someone says, "Have you been to Waverly Place (in Cary)?"

Of course I have! I shop at Whole Foods when I have money burning a hole in my pocket. (Which is never, but I know where it is and have been there just a few times in the past five years). What does that have to do with our playdate? I thought.

I quickly found out! So there is a FANTASTIC little play area within Waverly's empty shell of a shopping complex. The parking lots are almost always empty, as are the shops. But this place is wonderful once you get there. Because so few know about it, the parking was easy. I just parked around the backside (which faces Chic-Fil-A and Tryon Road). Even when I saw the place I was pessimistic. Then, Dani (17 months) goes running for the back of the fenced area. That's when I saw it! WATER!!!! D loves water. This little play area has water that shoots out from the ground. They called it the splash pad. Either way, it was amazing. The girls played for almost 2 1/2 hours. I'm glad I brought snacks and water. There was no shade.



Dani (17 months) plays in the splash pad.

We didn't take advantage, but just outside the play area was a flat, grassy area for the kids to run around. I'm sure that will make for a nice picnic area for me and the girls one day.

I LOVE this place. I will definitely go back.

I couldn't find an address, but it's on the corner of
Tryon & Kildaire Farm kitty corner from Western Wake Hospital.

HIGHLIGHTS: It's small, easy to keep track of the kids and there's water (which my kids LOVE). Also, it seems to be kind of unknown, so it's not packed.

LOW LIGHTS: It's a little hike to Cary and it's not in a shady spot.

COST: FREE!!

See You at Brueggers?

My mother, and inspiration for most of my mothering ways, made a suggestion that I tell you all where I'm going next so perhaps you can go, too (if it's a scheduled activity)!

Tomorrow I am heading to Brueggers Bagels in Apex at 10 a.m. for music time.

Address & Phone
760 West Williams Street
Apex, NC 27502
(919) 367-7720

Every Thursday at 10 a.m. they host what our family calls "music time." I'm not even sure this is the official name.
This wonderful woman comes, plays music and sings for the kids with a box full of stuffed animals.
I can never remember her name, but my kids love her!

So that's where I'll be tomorrow. Hope to see you there.

Later Crocodiles

A Crafty Little Visit to the Library



(Left to right) Daniel and Jordan display their train craft at the Holly Springs Library on Tuesday.
(Note the mess on the table behind them).



Yesterday morning I was feeling a little crafty. My very fabulous friend, Amanda, invited us to do a train craft with them at the Holly Springs Library for drop-in craft time.

It was pretty fun for my 2 1/2 year old, Jordan, although not a terribly clever craft. The craft leader printed out and cut train cars (4) to be colored or to cover in sparkles and glue by the children. Also, the kids (mostly 18 mos to 3 years) were instructed to glue together the cars. My oldest didn't really get that part, and\ it took her awhile to understand that the sparkles don't stick unless you use glue. I THINK, that's my fault. I'm not very crafty. I don't even think we have a glue stick in the house.  

It was messy; but it wasn't messy at my house!!!!





My 1-year-old, Dani, decided eating the crayons was a better idea than coloring with them. She also tried to color someones shirt. Thankfully, she too had "been there" so the mom (victim of Dani's plot) laughed along with us.



The best part was meeting the other moms and watching them laugh and struggle to instruct their children along with me. Once again, the imperfect outing introduced me to some WONDERFUL moms. The best thing about wonderful moms, they give me more ideas of what to do in the area!!! A couple of them left early (it was not an age-appropriate craft for their little ones) to go to Womble Park. I've driven by but never played there that I can remember.



There are 20 libraries in the Wake County Public Library System. If the other 19 are anything like Holly Springs, there are lots of activities like this one. (Click above for more information) The next scheduled Drop-In Craft for Holly Springs Library is June 20 from 4-5 p.m.

HIGHLIGHTS: Something different for my kids (whose mom is NOT crafty), I didn't have to clean up the HUGE mess Jordan made, Jordan & I both made friends (Kim & Daniel - Daniel is pictured in the top picture)

LOW LIGHTS: My 1-year-old wanted little to nothing to do with it; it was inside when the sun was shining

COST: Free (MY FAVORITE!)

GAS: Less than $1 for those who live in Holly Springs

ADDRESS & PHONE:

300 West Ballentine Street  

Holly Springs, NC 27540
(919) 577-1660

 

 

Later Crocodile!