Play Ideas

Aldrich Park is the natural centerpiece of UC Irvine, but most outsiders don’t even know it exists. University students use it to shortcut to classroom buildings set on a ring …

I started blogging OC kids playgrounds on the original OC Play Parks in April 2008. Like my old look? I kept at the blogging and thought the site deserved a …

Hoop Rolling (or Hoop Trundling) in the Early 1900’s Hoop rolling looks like my kind of game. I took this photograph in the school room of the Heritage Hill Historical …

Planning Update (with 15 days left) From the first day of planning, I hoped every neighbor would be invested in this Play Day. My amazing neighbors do not disappoint. Jenny …

Getting Level with the Grass Simple nature adventures renew my creative spirit. I took the kids to a new playground yesterday. They spent time on the slides and climbing walls. …

Pretend Play Beats Boredom Have you read the Grass Stain Guru’s post on boredom?  You must. I’ll wait. Growing up, we were not allowed to utter the dreaded “B” word.  …

Ocean Love I stand on the bluffs Intent on the view Waves from far away. Big nature places I treasure For making me feel small.

Unstructured play with cardboard boxes is one of the all-time great childhood activities. My dad is a contractor and would bring home appliance boxes for us to play in all …

Channel Islands Harbor is about an hour north of Los Angeles off the 101 Freeway (exit Victoria). As you’re approaching Channel Islands Boulevard, you’ll notice a fairly new development to …

I’m an ocean kid. My dad was a Chief Engineer in the Merchant Marines. My great grandfather engineered steamships on the Great Lakes. To quote Jimmy Buffet, “the sea’s in …