Best of Play
(Work in progess! Please check back soon for final version.)
Must Visit Pages
- Playground Map
- Links to ALL the city websites (specifically park pages)
- South County Park Index
- OC Outdoor Family Calendar
- How to Pack a Mom Backpack for Outdoor Adventures with Kids
Finding Parks
- Accessible Parks in Orange County
- Best Birthday Park Ideas in South Orange County
- 10 Parks for Homeschooling Groups (also good for meeting LA and San Diego friends)
Parks by Theme
Saving Our California State Parks
- Pretend I’m Schoolhouse Rock (February 2010)
Hikes and Walks
Family Nature Club
- Building Your Own Nature Club Snail by Snail
- Why I Let Bugs Crawl on My Kids
- Simple Nature Adventures
- Magnifying Nature
- OC Nature Scene Investigators
- Our Nature Play Club: Where Kids Lead and Parents Follow
- Make Playing Outside a Habit in 30 Days
Childhood
- Daylights Savings Inspires Childhood Play Memories
- We Climb Trees
- Playful Family Night Conversation
- Ocean Kids: Playing at Catalina Island
- Sourgrass Soup and the Boa Constrictor Song
- Dear Mom
Pages from My Nature Journal
Nature Crafts
- How to Make Scissors from Weeds
- Rainbow Your Day
- Kids Grow Gardens of Joy
- Our First Fairy House
- Water Painted Rocks: Who Knew?
Simple Play Ideas
- Playing Board Games without the Rules
- Draw a LEGO and Build
- Bean Bags Don’t Bounce
- Making Bubble Catchers
- Unstructured Play with Cardboard Boxes
- Cardboard Magic
- How Play-Doh Saved Me from Restaurant Insanity
- Simple Play for Kids: Towels
- Simple Play for Kids: Flashlights
- Simple Play for Kids: Brown Paper Bag
- Color Walks with Kids and a Camera
Give Kids a Camera
Rainy Day Play Ideas
- Outdoor Play Activities for Cold Weather
- Indoor Play Activities
- Free Play
- Calming the Indoor Chaos: Quiet and Cozy Play Ideas
- Rainy Day Play Ideas
- More Rainy Day Play Ideas
Hot Day Play Ideas
Holidays and Seasonal
- Playing with Halloween Candy
- Thanksgiving Play Ideas
- Beach Berm Play for Winters
- Valentine’s Day (What to Do on a Holiday Weekend)
- 10 Ideas for Spring Break Family Fun Away from the Crowds
- Strawberry Fields and Festivals (March/April)
- Lucky Four Leaf Clover
- Pitcher Park in Orange Fairy Party (June)
- Father’s Day Picnic Spots
- Patriotic Playgrounds (July)
Especially for the Moms and Dads
You Can’t Tell Me I Never Told You about The Orange County Great Park!
- Great Park Balloon Rising High with Expectations (February 2010)
- Kids Rock Playground (Aug 2010)
- Watching Greatness Grow (Jan 2011)
- Great Park Plans Take Flight (Jan 2011)
- 10 Secrets of the Orange County Great Park (July 2011)
Guest Posts
- William Heise Park Playground in San Diego County (Traci at WalkSimply.com)
- 3 Family-Friendly Hikes in Southern California (Josh at CaliforniaThroughMyLens.com)
- 5 Fun Things at the Park (Alii Goedecke)
- 5 More Fun Things at the Park (Alii Goedecke)
- Keep Our Parks Buzzing (Marghanita Hughes)
- OC Nature Preserves and Wildlife Sanctuaries (OC Explorer)
- OC Nature and Interpretive Centers (OC Explorer)
- OC Hiking Trails for Families (OC Explorer)
All About the Beach
- What to Bring to the Beach
- Top 12 Whale Watching Parks and Beaches
- 3 Spots for OC Beach and Ocean Sunsets
- Natural Graffiti: Rock Stacking Art
Favorite Page on Other Sites
