The Pebble and mom school-day adventures continued on a hot September day with a trip to Kinder Farm Park. We hadn’t been here since the spring, and thought it was time for another visit. It is a county park, and it is $6 per vehicle to enter the park, unless you have an annual pass, which we do. The annual pass is hands-down the best $30 I spent all year! We have been to Kinder Farm, Fort Smallwood, and Downs Parks numerous times, and the year isn’t over yet.
On this sunny day, it was early still and there weren’t many people at the park. I was able to get a spot in the parking lot directly next to the playground. Pebble was so excited she was bouncing up and down in her seat. Once I let her out, she took off like a rocket, heading straight for the, (can you guess?), swings! Pebble has gotten so good at pumping her legs to make the swing go, but she still needs a bit of a push to get started. Plus, I often have to give her a boost to get onto the swing itself. Pebble happily swung on the swing, then checked out the climbing structure on the middle level of the playground, before moving up to the music area on the top level.
Once Pebble had lapped the entire playground, stopping to try out various pieces of equipment, she wanted to take a walk to see the farm animals. She was hoping to see some baby animals, and we were in luck! There were new baby piglets to see, bright pink, and so clean compared to their giant mama. Pebble kept her hand over her face while we were in the barn because the pigs smelled yucky according to her. It was no bed of roses! In addition to the pigs, we saw chickens, rabbits, guinea hens, ducks, and turkeys. We watched a hummingbird dart around a clump of bright red flowers. The cows were out in the pasture, but no sign of the goats this visit. We stopped by the old farmhouse to sit a spell on the porch in the rocking chairs. Pebble also had a lot of fun pulling the rope to make an old bell clang.
We slowly made our way back to the playground again, where Pebble set off for the middle level to see how high she could climb. I was amazed how much better she was this visit than the one last spring. I could feel my hair graying when I realized she’d climbed to the very top of the giant hexagon with the rope spider’s web inside. She was so proud of herself… Next, she headed for the largest climbing structure on the middle level. There, she clambered to the top of a ladder, and swung herself over the top onto a massive rope bridge. She walked that rope back and forth holding onto the single rope overhead. Every time I turned around, she was up in the air, totally fearless, climbing like a nimble monkey.
The morning passed by quickly, and, before we knew it, it was time to head home for lunch. Pebble had a fabulous time, and was totally exhausted by her adventures. I felt much more relaxed this visit than the last due to the fact that it wasn’t as busy, and I only had one child in tow instead of three. With three levels, Kinder Farm isn’t the easiest playground to watch kiddos on. Despite that, though, I do love how each level is its own unique playing space. The lowest level is the swing, middle level is all types of climbing equipment, and the top level is for the youngest crowd. Despite how busy the place gets, Kinder Farm remains in my top ten list of favorite playgrounds. If you haven’t gone, I recommend doing it! Happy trails!
