Clarenford Station Park
1300 N. Vermont St.
Arlington, VA 22201
Arlington Website ~ Google Map

The Good Stuff: Shady!  Enclosed, small, sand lot, two play structures, small merry-go-round, baby swings, picnic tables.  Good for younger kids.

Worth Noting: No bathrooms or water, no big kid swings, not suited for bike riding.  Street parking.  Small enough that older kids might get bored pretty quick.

The Review:

While my big kids have been enjoying VBS this week, the two year old and I have been on the prowl, checking out parks.  It was a shaping up to be a hot summer day when we stopped by Clarenford Station.  Although the playground has a tiny footprint, I was happy to see it is very nicely maintained and quite shady.   It’s nestled in the Ballston – Virginia Square neighborhood, which is mostly zoned for permit parking, but we found plentiful parking along 13th Street, which is zoned for 2 hours in front of the playground.  The park abuts I-66, which adds a little white noise, but otherwise wasn’t noticeable.

This is a great park for younger kids.  It is completely enclosed with a chain link fence and has a mulch surface.   There are two play structures, the larger of which says it is designed for ages 5-12 (this did not deter my 2 year old from playing on it).  Adam enjoyed the bucket swing, but I know my older kids (6, and 5) would have been bummed by the lack of regular swings. The small sand area looked clean and had several diggers and buckets left for community use.

I was pleasantly surprised to discover a small merry-go-round at this newish looking park.   Not as big as the one at the Great Falls Grange Park, but still fun. Another nice feature of this park is that it has plenty of seating — two picnic benches inside the playground and at least two benches.

All in all, this is a nice little park – especially on a hot day when you want to get out of the house and find some shade.

Smaller/Younger Play Structure:

Big Play Structure:

Swings:

Sandbox:

Merry-go-round:

Picnic Bench:

Great Falls Grange Park
9818 Georgetown Pike
Great Falls, VA  22066
Google Map

The Good Stuff: Lots of shade!  Big playground, lots of equipment for all ages, swings, slides, play structures, old skool merry-go-round.  Mulch surface, lots of picnic tables.

Worth Noting: Port-a-potty on site, no water fountains, area is not enclosed (split rail fence).  Smallish parking lot, though you could easily park next door at the public library.

The Review:

One morning early into our summer break, we needed to get out of the house but had nowhere to be.  I remembered hearing good things about the Great Falls Grange playground, so we headed out to check it out.  The 20ish minute drive from Arlington was worth it – we were all wowed when we got there.

The park has one big structure designed for the 5-12 age group and a smaller structure for 2-5.   It also has 4 big swings, 4 baby swings, and a tire swing!  The real gem of the park is an old school spin-til-you-fall-off merry-go-round.   The kids loved it!  I also loved how shady everything was.  We had a great time playing until we took a break for lunch.  Then my kids were thrilled to be invited to join a kickball game on the field adjacent to playground.  Everyone gave the park two thumbs up and gave mommy two thumbs down when she made them leave.

The Big Structure:

Swings:

The Smaller Structure:

Merry-go-round:

Other Fun:

Alcova Heights Park
901 S. George Mason Dr.
Arlington, VA 22204
Arlington website ~ Google Map

What I Loved: Shade!  One of the few parks that is truly surrounded by trees and shady.  The creek is fun for wading in.  Big play structure, swings, even a tire swing.  Bathrooms across the footbridge from the playground.

Worth Noting: Not fenced.  Big enough to lose track of multiple kids if not paying attention.  Mulch surface on the playground.  Not a great park for biking.  The creek is only a few inches deep, but is still an area to be aware of.  Also, while down in the creekbed with my kids, I noticed a bunch of bags stuffed under the bridge, which made me wonder if the park had a homeless resident.  Street parking along 8th St and Randolph St.

The Review:

We visited this park at the end of June and I forgot to blog about it!  It had been recommended by several moms in my mom’s club, so when I needed to meet up with a friend who was staying in south Arlington, it seemed like a good opportunity to check it out.  It was a short ride down George Mason Drive to Alcova Heights.  I had driven by it many a time, but never seen a playground.   This is because the park is bisected by the creek.  The half that runs along George Mason Dr. has picnic tables, grills, a basketball court and restrooms.   But once you turn on to 8th St., you see the other half of the park which is a shady wonderland with a fantastic play structure.  The park also extends along George Mason north of 8th St, but the playground is in the southern quadrant (look to your right as you turn onto 8th St).  The newly renovated playground area has one of the bigger play structures I’ve seen at an Arlington park.

Hayes Park
1516 North Lincoln Street
Arlington, VA 22201
Arlington website ~ Google Map

What I Love: wonderful sprayground, soft surface, some shade, paved path, fenced, variety of play options, bathrooms

Worth Noting: parking can be difficult on a hot day,  New sprayground hours were implemented as of July 1st, in accordance with budget cuts: Mon/Tue/Thurs: 12-5; Fri/Sat/Sun: 12-8; closed Wednesdays

UPDATE: Arlington has responded to the many complaints about the hours and has revised the schedule so that there will be at least one spray park open at 10am and one until 8pm on each weekday — these new hours go into effect July 17th.  Check their website for the specific hours for each site (scroll to the bottom to see a chart with all the hours).  They are also exploring other options for keeping the water on at the parks on for longer periods, for example, possibly using a 15 on/15 off cycle.

The Review:

It was the last day of school, and so I took my boys (5, and 2) to hit the sprayground.  Parking was terrible, but we lucked out and found street parking across from the park, in front of the Arlington Science Focus school.  This day, I think parking was impacted by end of school activities, but I know when the park is popular on hot summer days, the street parking gets filled up too.  You can always find a spot, you just may have to be prepared to walk a few blocks.

The sprayground at Hayes is wonderful.  The area is mostly shady and has a solar system theme.  The center of the sprayground has a sun design in the concrete and “planets” extend from the sun and can be seen around the park.

Usually, my kids say they love the sprayground, but after a few minutes of splashing, they are done.  To my surprise, my 5 year old had a blast this time – repeatedly running through the spray and having a grand time getting wet.  My 2 year old also loved it.  It’s a good idea to bring a few buckets or balls to play with.  I always forget and then my kids try to borrow other kids toys, which doesn’t always go over well with the other 2 year olds.   Nonetheless, the kids had a great time playing.

After a snack, we hit the rest of the park.

The main play structure is fun, but gets full sun.

Adjacent to the play structure are some other simple fun things.  A caterpillar-like tunnel, and 3 person teeter-totter. A slow spinning ship-like thingee, and a spinning bucket.  (Click to zoom in on picture detail).

Adam enjoyed riding his glider through the park – I had to rein him in to keep him from running down the other tots.

Hayes Park also has a nice sand area.  It gets a little bit of shade on one side.

There are two sets of swings, one with 4 bucket swings and one with 4 regular swings.  These are set back under the trees so they are nice and shady.

In addition to all the play features, there is a nice paved path that runs around the perimeter of the park.  It’s mostly in the shade and great for young riders.  There are also water fountains and bathrooms on site.

All in all, Hayes park is a great destination park — I know many of my non-Arlington friends make the trip to come visit it.  I just hope the County can find a way to keep the water on during this hot summer.

Little Falls Presbyterian Church
6025 Little Falls Road
Arlington, Virginia 22207
http://www.littlefallschurch.org

What I Love: mostly shady, swings, fenced in.  Smallish play structure good for toddlers.  Music & Storytimes at 10am on Tuesdays in the Summer.  Picnic tables for lunching.

Worth Noting: My older kids (6 and 5) get bored pretty quick.  Bathrooms available in the church, if it’s open.

The Review:

Sometimes I think I love this playground a little more than my kids do.  It’s shady, fenced and made for little kids.  Although it is on private property – the church has made it clear that the playground is open to the public.  They have signs welcoming the community to use the playground.  They also host a Music & Storytime Tuesday mornings throughout the summer and run a great  Vacation Bible Camp (preschool through 5th grade) — my kids have been going for several years.

The playlot itself is pretty simple.  It consists of a set of 4 swings – 2 bucket seats, and 2 regular and a smallish play structure.  The surface area is mulch and the lot is fenced in.  My kids have enjoyed going here for years, but now my older ones get bored pretty quick, especially if the swings are occupied.  My 2 year old, however, still loves it.  If you have a little one and are looking for a shady outdoor diversion, I definitely recommend this playground — even better if you drop in on a Tuesday morning and catch a little music and storytime.

National Geographic Kids Play Area at Tysons Corner Center
1961 Chain Bridge Rd
McLean, VA 22102
(on the 3rd level, near the AMC Theater and Food Court)
http://www.shoptysons.com/redirect.asp?p=playarea

What I Like: Clean, Indoor, FREE

Worth Noting: gets crowded, the mall train ($) is there to entice the children

The play area at Tysons was recently redone, so I took my two younger kiddos (5 and 2) one hot morning before the week before school let out.  It used to be a book theme, now it is an recycling/environmental theme, sponsored by National Geographic Kids.

I have to say, it’s pretty nice.  They do a great job keeping everything clean and nice looking.  I like that they took out the old tree and now you have a clear view across the play area with no blindspots.  However, it does get crowded – we got there a little before 10 and it quickly filled up.   My kids get antsy after 45 minutes or so, but I find it to be a nice option on a hot or rainy day to get us out of the house.  The only thing I really dislike about it is the Mall Train, which operates right across from the entrance.  It costs to ride and it, of course, entices the kids everytime it runs.

Here’s some pictures of the place for your viewing pleasure:

Bon Air Park
850 North Lexington St.
Arlington, VA 22205
Arlington website ~  Google Map

What I Loved: Nice play structure, shady in the morning, great path for biking, bathrooms

Worth Noting: No swings*, no fences, creek nearby.  Bathrooms are a short walk down a paved path

*Swings available on a second playground along the Custis Trail

The Review:

I took my boys to visit Bon Air Park last week on a nice not too hot kind of day.   We had been here a long time ago (pre-Adam) and I remembered the play structure being cute and shady.  It also looked to have a good biking option for Sam.

We were not disappointed. We decided to check out the bike path first.   It runs from the parking lot down to the Custis Trail and is almost entirely shaded.

My plan was to do a one mile loop with the boys – Adam on the glider and Sam on his bike.  The loop would take us down to Custis Trail (which runs along I-66) and then, after a short distance, veer left onto the W&OD trail, which runs along the west side of Bon Air Park, on the other side of the creek.   We closed the loop by coming up to Wilson Blvd and taking it back to the parking lot.

It was the perfect biking loop — for Sam.  Not so much for Adam.  He would glide for a bit, but then want help, or decide he was done.   This meant I had to scoop him up and throw him in my jog stroller, along with the glider.   Then I would walk/jog to catch up to Sam, who was patiently waiting a little ways down the path.

At the junction of the Bon Air Trail and the Custis Trail, there is another playground.  It has a simple play structure and two swings, but is entirely in the sun.  There’s nothing special about this playground, but we stopped and played for a few minutes before continuing on our ride.

When we got back to the park, we checked out the main playground.   The play structure is shaped like a boat and in the morning, is fairly shady.  The surface is what I would term “dirty sand”.

The boys enjoyed playing on and under the structure and Sam did some more riding.  I’d let him bike down to the bathrooms and back – maybe 100 yards away but still in view.

In addition to the play structure there is a nice grassy field to run around in.   The creek also runs through the park, but it is far enough away from the playground that kids won’t notice it or be drawn to it unless you point it out.  Bon Air also has beautiful gardens – a rose garden, a sun”garden, and a shade garden.  The kids weren’t interested in any of that, so we didn’t check them out, aside from me snapping a few pics on our way out.

After playing for a while, we were ready for lunch.   We snagged one of the many picnic tables and had a nice lunch next to the creek.

Afterwards, I let the boys explore it a little bit.

Amazingly, no one got soaked!  At the end of our stay, Adam was melting down and ready for a nap, so we got out of dodge as fast as a cranky toddler would allow.

But the park was quite nice and I’m sure we will be back.  I recommend it for toddlers and bike riders especially.

Sam loves to learn how to do new things and loves to help in the kitchen.  I confess, I’m not always eager to have the kids underfoot, but Mike has been great about teaching them.  Sam and Wendy learned to crack eggs at a young age — I’m pretty sure he had Sam doing it by age 3.   Occasionally they get shell in the batter, but overall, they do a great job!

Anywho, one night Daddy was slated to work late and I declared a breakfast for dinner menu.  But I realized I had my hands full with waffle making and  making eggs, so I asked Sam if he wanted to learn how to make scrambled eggs.

He did a great job!  He was very careful and aware of what was hot on the stove (and I closely supervised).  The eggs were yummy, and I suspect they were all the more delicious because he made them himself.  He was so proud to tell his Daddy when Mike surprised us and showed up in time for dinner after all.

I was invited to speak at my local MOPS group this week on the subject of fun things to do with preschoolers throughout the summer.  In this case, preschoolers means children kindergarten aged and younger.   As a mom of three such children (ages 6, 4 and 2) and I took on the task with relish, knowing that my findings would help me get prepared for the summer months.

As I mentioned in my talk, I’m the kind of stay-at-home mom who does not like to stay home.   I like to get out of the house and find new places to explore with the kids.   Whenever I’m looking for ideas, my go-to resource is a fabulous website called Our Kids (http://www.our-kids.com).  The site has a comprehensive listing of every kind of activity you can imagine, including seasonal activities and special events.   The website is free, but you can also pay to subscribe to the weekly newsletter which is well organized and gives  the scoop on fun things that are happening each day as well as on-going events.

As I set about to prepare my talk, I specifically looked for ideas that would be budget-friendly and geared to the younger crowd.   The focus of my search area was primarily Northern Virginia, although I did mention some venues in DC and Maryland that I think are worth the extra miles.

The fruit of my labor is a five page document organized by category and full of ideas to keep you and your little ones busy this summer.   I have uploaded it here and am sharing it with you.   Hopefully this will save you from the  “Whatarewegonnadotoday” blues and help you have fun exploring the DC area with your little ones!

Download the Summer Guide to DC Fun with Little Ones (.pdf)

Find more tips at Works For Me Wednesday, hosted by We Are That Family.

Look who learned how to flex his muscles?

Click here to view the embedded video.