A Bit of Peter Pan Magic

Did you know that Neverland is actually located in Berkeley, California? It's true. With a pinch of my husband's daring spirit, mixed with a dash of internet research, he found the park that the Lost Boys built.


Apparently, a lot of other people have also discovered this park, as it was packed full of kids and parents who refuse to grow up. This incredible place, named one of the Top Ten Playgrounds by National Geographic Magazine, is almost indescribable. But I'm gonna try...


Opened over thirty years ago, Adventure Playground is still a work in progress. How is that possible, you ask?  Well, it's simple.

Normally a list of things to *avoid* on a playground... which is what makes it so brilliant.  There were hardly any construction hazards to be found.  

Kids have access to giant piles of scrap wood, and can check out hammers, nails, saws, and paint to build pretty much whatever they want to.

Reduce, reuse, recycle!

As a result, the play structures all look, well, like the forts I used to build in the woods with my friends growing up.  But much, much cooler.   They're a little bit wonky, a little bit messy, and a whole lotta fun.

Sure, that makes for a few hazards here and there, but parent supervision is required, and there are warnings all over the place.

Understatement.

If you would have asked me yesterday if I'd take my not-quite-four-year-old to a park where they not only provide, but *encourage* the use of potentially dangerous tools, I probably would have said absolutely not.  But once you're there, witnessing the playground's perfect combination of creativity and childlike joy, it seems like the best idea ever.  

For starters, the park is right on the water, with views of San Francisco.  That alone is hard to beat.  But it gets better.  There's giant climbing nets, tons of slides and swings, tunnels for days, and a zipline, for crying out loud. 

Old instruments have been turned into works of art...

I kind of want one of these for our living room.

... and objects of exploration.

Everywhere you turn, there's a new nook or cranny just begging to be explored.

This.  Playground.  Rules.

It's everything a Bay Area mama could ask for.  It's amazingly artsy.  It's granola-crunching hippie.  It's something completely different.  It encourages the kiddos to play outside and use their imagination.  But the best part of all?  It brings families together.  Since you have to keep a really careful eye on your little one, it creates a totally different level of engagement.  Parents are given permission to turn into kids again.

Forget about finding the Lost Boys.  We ARE the Lost Boys. And this is our Neverland.

An Outside Day

Disclaimer: At some point in this post, I'm going to complain about the weather. This will seem ridiculous 1) to those of you who know how incredibly gorgeous the San Francisco Bay Area weather tends to be, or 2) to those of you who live in places that are still getting ice and snow this time of year. But stay with me - my complaints are justified, I promise.

My toddler has the energy of a tasmanian devil. Of all of the fine qualities he's known for, sitting down quietly and calmly is not one of them. This kid is a mover and a shaker, always on the go. He's also a guy's guy who likes to run around outside, drawn like a magnet to exploring all of the dirtiest areas of the yard. It's for all of these reasons that the past couple of months or so have been so incredibly difficult for us him. Once a year, like clockwork, we hit our rainy season. A good nine months out of the year are sunny and dry, but the other three are nothing but straight rain. For days and days and days. And days. Which means no playing outside. If you also have a tasmanian devil toddler, you'll understand the horror of the previous sentence.

Thankfully, we've *finally* crossed back into beautiful weather again, and decided to take advantage of it today. From the time he woke up until it was time for his nap, we spent the ENTIRE DAY OUTSIDE. It went a little something like this:

8:00 - Hop in the car, picnic breakfast in tow, drive to the park
8:05 - Arrive at park, greeted by furry dog park patrons
8:07 - Set up breakfast on a picnic table by the play structure
8:10 - Lose breakfast to a sneaky golden lab who jumped up on the table and made off like a bandit with our bagels
8:11 - Move to a different picnic table, finish breakfast
8:30 - Play on the slide and watch the doggies
8:45 - Back into car, head to watch our friend coach baseball
9:00 - Arrive at field, watch game, hang with Coach in the dugout
10:30 - Head back home to pick up Daddy for a picnic lunch
10:45 - Collapse on couch, suck thumb, watch Backyardigans
11:00 - Head to Castle Rock Park for more outdoor adventures
11:15 - Picnic lunch in an open field
11:50 - Run around the park, climb hills with Daddy
12:40 - Head back home for a much needed nap

Doesn't that sound delightful? It absolutely was. And here are the pics to prove it (minus the early morning breakfast picnic with the doggies... too busy defending our food to snap any shots!):










Good riddance, rain. Thanks for making our hills so green... but really, you won't be missed.

Swing, Swing, Swing!

While Ryan was at class yesterday, Sarah and Ethan were lucky to spend all day with our friend, Laurie, and her beautiful boy, Joey. We took advantage of another momentary break in the rain to take the boys to the playground. There are so many trails and parks around here, and we love taking the strollers out and going for a nice, brisk walk whenever we can. Joey is old enough to really take advantage of the playground, but we didn't want Ethan to miss out on all of the fun. We decided to see if he would like the baby swings. After packing him in with jackets and blankets for extra stability, Sarah gave Ethan a little push, and watched in delight as his face absolutely lit up. Always prepared, Laurie was armed with a camera to take a video of the experience since Ryan wasn't there to see it for himself.



When we got back from the park, Ethan and Joey played with one of Ethan's new toys together. It was so cute to watch the two of them - Joey very quickly figured out how the toy worked, and Ethan stared at him intently, studying his every move. He'd even try to copy what Joey was doing!


We can't wait until Ethan gets a little bit bigger and can really play with his buddy!