Adventures in February got shot to smithereens thanks to the flu and a sinus infection that took down all of the kiddos for a bit. Poor Rainbow was the worst of the bunch, so we stuck close to home, walked when we could, and slowly everyone recovered. On a warm, beautiful Sunday in early March, we escaped the house, and went to Kinder Farm Park in Millersville. At the entrance booth, instead of paying the $6 to enter, I purchased the annual pass, which would then allow my family unlimited access to the county parks for the year. I’ve mentioned this annual pass recently in my blogs about Forth Smallwood and Downs Parks. It is $30 for residents of the county, and $40 for non-residents, and worth every penny! My girls love these playgrounds, and we can’t wait to explore the new playground at Quiet Waters Park in Annapolis.
Due to the warm weather, the park was hopping! I was lucky to score a parking spot next to the playground. All three girls were practically jumping up and down in their seats with excitement. Pebble and Rainbow had been here once since the playground was renovated, but this was the first time for Stormy. It was also my first time wrangling three active children across three levels of playground solo. Whew! I ended up following Pebble, and trying to keep a visual on the older two when I could. The girls and I weren’t alone on this adventures as Pebble’s bestie from preschool, as well as her bestie’s mom and big sister, were able to join us. Two women, five kids running amuck, and so many other people here! I’m always amazed how busy Kinder Farm Park and Downs Park are! I think Kinder Farm is probably the busiest…
The girls had a blast playing, and running and sliding from level to level. Pebble and her bestie tried everything—from the swings, to the slides, to the spider web, to the music area. Rainbow knew Pebble’s bestie’s sister, and the two girls played happily together. Stormy was a blur in motion as she climbed all over the new climbing structure on the middle level. She loved all the new ways she could channel her inner monkey, but she did mention how much she missed the old tube slides. There used to be two tube slides from the upper level to the middle level, but now there is just one slide wide enough for two kids.
When energy levels took a dip, we snagged a picnic table in the shade over toward the goat pasture. Pebble had brought Paw Patrol gummies to share with everyone. A package or two of gummies later, plus pretzels and applesauce, and the kids were recharged. We set off to see the animals. We saw the goats in the goat pasture, a young cow getting a bath, and then went into the barn. It was early spring, but a few of the goats had had babies, and those baby goats were soooooo cute!
The kids mooed at the cows in the fields, checked out the rabbits in the rabbit hutch, pulled the rope on the old bell near the farmhouse, and clucked at the chickens in chicken house. For some reason, no one wanted to see the pigs, maybe it was the fragrant bouquet wafting toward us from their pen. Once we’d seen most of the barnyard, we returned to the playground where the kids spent a lot of time high up in a big rope climbing thing, as well as on a circular platform that bounced. The girls tried standing while we, the moms, bounced them. It was like watching bowling pins fall over with a lot of laughter and giggles!
Despite the number of people at the park, we had a great time and we didn’t lose any kids. There are restrooms between the playground and the goat pasture, but I didn’t check on this visit to see if they were open yet for the season. Per usual, I had my trusty travel potty for the girls in the backpack. It is a great park to visit, and there is a lot to see and do! Happy trails!
