Jordan Creek Mall Play Area

My sister met us at the play area at Jordan Creek Mall last week. The play area is on the lower level, just outside of Scheel's, and it was jumping! There were probably two dozen kids running around this popular play place.

They had a great time playing, so I went back with Andrew last weekend. It was about as busy, but there was more of a mix of big kids there. Although the cut-off says 42", there were many school-aged kids running and jumping around. Our kids still had fun, but they were knocked down a lot.

There were lots of creatures and critters to climb on. Our kids like the elephant the best.

There's also a train to climb on and slide down, as well as a few bigger slides in the center.

Here's Oliver, climbing on and through the log!

Here's Jo on and in the boat!

I love how much fun the kids have here, but I think the play area at the Valley West Mall might be a little less chaotic. Plus, we've never seen the one at Valley West get overrun with older kids.

Rampart Park: Shady Playground

While Kendrick Lake Park is my favorite playground to take the kids to in the fall and winter, Rampart Park is our park of choice in the summer.  It's the only park I've found nearby that is nicely shaded.  I don't have to worry about Oliver getting burned by the equipment.  Oliver has gotten burned on many playgrounds here, even as early as 9am.  He actually still refuses to go down slides, and it's been months since he was scalded on the slide at Kendrick Lake Park.  The direct sun here is just so brutal.  

Check out the shaded playground equipment!

The only downside to this playground is that we've never seen another kid here. Not one. We come a few times a week in the summer, and it's always deserted. I wish there were

Civic Green Park

I took the kids to Civic Green Park in Highlands Ranch for a MOMS Club meet up.  It's southwest of Broadway and C-470, next to the Highlands Ranch Library.

The park itself is gorgeous.  To enter the park, we passed a plaque thanking dozens of private donors for making this free public park possible. We then walked over a small, man-made waterfall that cascaded into a little river. Around the river bend, kids splashed and played.  Oliver loved watching the water crash!

There was very little shade at the park.  We have very little cloud cover in Colorado due to our altitude, so the sun is brutal.  We walked by a small splash pad, but I just couldn't fathom stopping to let my kids play there in the hot sun.  There was also a play ground, but, again, there was no tree cover.  The equipment looked hot and uninviting.  Across the field, away from the library, we found a second splash pad.

The second splash pad was larger, and it had a large gazebo that provided shade for all the moms there with their young kids.  Oliver, who had gotten crabby walking under the hot sun, improved quickly in the shade.

I was only able to talk him into checking out the water feature a couple times. Every time the water pressure dropped low enough, he'd start to show interest. He'd get close, the geysers would erupt with fervor, and Oliver would step back.  He was definitely a bit nervous about the water geysers.  There were a number of other small children who stayed away from the water, too, but there were just as many little kids who loved it. The kids who seemed to really enjoy themselves were a little older.

Oliver chickened out:

Besides the severe lack of shade, another big problem with this park was how slick the water area was.  We were only at the water feature for about 20 minutes, and I saw two children slip and fall.  One girl was about 10, and she landed right on her tailbone.  Ouch, it looked painful!  If you go, be sure to bring water shoes that have really good traction.

The park is so lovely, that I hate to make it sound like a bad place. It's very charming. There were oodles of older kids shrieking and having a great time in the water geysers and in the little river. I think it would be an ideal stop for kindergartners and elementary school kids. I can see Oliver having a great time here in a couple years. However, as a mother of an infant and a toddler, the lack of shade, the slick ground surfaces, and the strong water pressure were just a little much.

Little Monkey Bizness

Andrew's car spent a couple days in the shop this week.  I drove across town to drop him off at work.  Not wanting to have to drive back across town in the heat, the kids and I spent a few of our days at my parents' house.

It opened up a few more play options for us during the day.  I took the kids to Little Monkey Bizness.  Little Monkey Bizness has a huge play area set up for young kids, and it's walled off with a door you can only open from the outside.  Next to the play area is a cafe, so parents with independent children can sit, sip on a coffee from the coffee bar, and watch their kiddos play.  At $8 per child ($5 for crawlers under 1), it would be pretty pricey to make regular visits there.  I have to say, it's a very nice place to go as an occasional treat, and their discounted prices on Friday evenings looks inviting.

We were there all morning, and almost all the kids there were around Oliver's age: 2-3 years.  I loved that because I didn't have to worry about him getting trampled on by large children.  It's summer time, so it's safe to assume older children could go there but don't.  Most of the equipment is clearly for small kids.  I wonder if older kids are more likely to come in the evenings.  Thankfully, there's a second area set up for crawlers and toddlers, with a sign posted on the door asking that no kids over the age of 2 enter.

Oliver found a jump area that he loved.  He's only just started to jump with both feet, and, even then, he prefers to hold on to something when he does. Hanging behind him in the photo are some "U" shaped pads that the kids would straddle like a horse and then jump up and down. Oliver was hesitant at first to do it, but by the end of our morning there, I could hardly get him off of those things.

Toddler Play Areas

On Saturday, we decided to take Oliver to Little Monkey Bizness after leaving my parents' house. Little Monkey Bizness is a great bizness idea. It has a large area for kids to run, play, climb, and go down slides. The play area is gated in, so if you have an independent kid, you can sit in one of the tables outside the play area and just watch. There's a little cafe so you can order a cup of coffee.

We've been a few times now. Each time, I've loved the concept but have been a little put off by the staff. The first time we went, the girl behind the counter (you know, the one who makes the drinks) had lost her voice and was clearly quite sick. The next time we went, it was for a party at the Parker location. The staff wouldn't help me find the party we were there for, wouldn't show me where to put our things when I asked, and then later kicked my son out of one play area because another party had apparently paid for private use of it.

This time, we went, and we found the staff all eating pizza behind the counter. Yup, they were eating while making people their coffee. Seriously? I made a mental note not to order any food or drink. Anyway, we they sent us away because, apparently, Saturday afternoons are reserved for private parties. I was so proud of Oliver when we left. He didn't cry or throw a fit, even after he'd seen all the other kids running and playing.

We jumped back into the car and announced that we would go to Treehouse Discovery. Treehouse Discovery is a little more expensive than Monkey Business, but most of the play equipment and toys are "natural" and made out of wood. It has a much, much cleaner feel and isn't too "busy" like a lot of kid places are. I love the relaxed environment there. I told Andrew that it would be one of my favorite places to go except for one thing: the owner, who is always there, is a little bizarre. I mean, she's really nice. She's almost too nice. To pay to get in takes about 20 minutes because she just enjoys talking so much. When we finally do get in, she walks around and talks with me. That would be great, except she doesn't let me get away to, say, help my son on the equipment or take him to the bathroom. She discusses a lot of her personal life, health history, and even business decisions. She's actually demonstrated to me before how she uses the children's equipment for exercise when there aren't any customers around. If she wasn't so nice, and if I was more assertive, I'd tell her, "Hey, you have a great place here, but you kind of ruin it by hovering over all your customers."

Anyway, we decided to set out for Treehouse Discovery. As Andrew drove, I looked up their number and called, only to find out they're closed on Saturdays. Gah! At this point, we had to take Oliver somewhere. He was being so good and patient! It was too cold to go to the park, so we decided to take him to the free play area at the mall. We hadn't been there in months. The last time, Oliver had embarrassed me by having a sudden coughing fit, followed by spitting a loogie on the floor. It repulsed some other parents who left.

We got to the mall, and Oliver was calling it the "treehouse," since that was where we'd told him we were going. Oh my goodness, the play area was filled with huge kids playing tag, climbing on the equipment, and leaping off of it. Mind you, it's only supposed to be for kids 42 inches or shorter. I decided to just not worry and let Oliver run around. Easier said than done. Every time one of the 10-12 year olds leapt off a slide or bridge, I cringed. It was very stressful for me, but I tried to laugh at myself for being over-protective. Oliver had another huge coughing fit. I wonder if the cleaning products they use bother him or something. I wanted to stand up and announce to all the other parents that I swear he's not sick. Then, I remembered that none of those parents seemed to care what their kids were doing anyway. After about 10 minutes, I bribed Oliver into leaving with a peanut butter and jelly sandwich from Panera.

This morning was pretty chilly. I wanted to get out of the house. Jo's been teething (I think), and being cooped up with a fussy baby is no fun! I thought about heading back to the mall but just didn't want to deal with it again. I thought about taking the kids to Starbucks, but I wanted Oliver to run around. So, I decided to try the McDonald's at Kipling and Belleview. Yes, me! McDonald's. I'd taken Oliver there once before when we met up with Shawna and Owen. Oliver was too small at the time to climb on stuff. My mother-in-law has taken him a couple of times and has said he liked it. So, I gave it a go.

Wow! We had such a good time! We got there, and I ordered an egg and cheese breakfast sandwich and a cup for water for both Oliver and me. The woman behind the counter carried our tray to the table for us because I had Jo in my arms. I didn't ask; she just offered. There were only two kids playing, although a few more arrived while we were there. The moms of the kids were fairly involved, and they made sure their kids were always following the rules and not knocking over the smaller kids. I felt comfortable letting Oliver climb and play, watching from our table with Jo, getting up only to help him when he needed it. It was such a positive experience! I decided that, when the weather is bad, it's totally worth the $6, maybe as much as once a week, to come to let Oliver get a little play time and socialization with other kids.

So, there it is. I never thought that I would be someone to give a recommendation for McDonald's, but I most definitely am. I guess it's no wonder families tend to go so much!

Where Art Thou, Snow?

This is likely to be the driest December in Denver's history. So far this season, I could count the number of times we've gotten a light dusting of snow on one hand. There's yet to be a snow substantial enough to play in. I love the snow, and so I was so hyped last week when I woke up to a thin layer of snow on the cars and trees (not even enough to stick to the pavement). Andrew teased me when I got bundled up to go sweep the nearly non-existent snow off of his car so he could go to work. He started laughing when I sprinkled sidewalk salt on the front stoop "in case we got more snow" (we didn't).

Today, the temperature reached 53 degrees. I decided to make the most of the warm day, and so Oliver and I went to the park. It was our first time there since October. Oliver's favorite part was the wood chips, which he enjoyed throwing and dropping and putting on the slide to watch slide down.