This post was sponsored by Landscape Structures as part of an Influencer Activation for Influence Central and all opinions expressed in my post are my own.
Do you have big summer plans? We wish that we did, but my husband’s third year of graduate school is putting a dent in our summer schedule. Luckily, I’ve became the queen of summer staycations over the past few years. Having a large family isn’t always financially conducive for a big summer trip, and crazy schedules interfere, too. I’ve discovered that the memories that we have made during our summer staycations are just as vivid and important as those that may be made on a traditional vacation. This year, we are doing something that the kids are loving, and, best of all, it’s FREE!
Last summer, we visited a few new playgrounds in the area. I was amazed at how many awesome playgrounds are tucked away in neighboring cities and towns. We’ve never came across a single playground that was the same as the other. My boys love having the freedom to explore new playground challenges. It has been heartwarming to watch one of my boys in particular. He has an arm disability from birth, and he has struggled with various climbing equipment. I have to admit that my husband tear up a bit every time we watch him gain confidence by conquering a new playground skill. My kids enjoyed exploring new parks, and it is fun to hear them list their “favorites.” This year, I had the idea to plan a Summer Staycation Playground Tour.
Exactly what is a Summer Playground Tour, you may ask? Instead of visiting the same playground repeatedly, I research other playgrounds in surrounding towns, and we check out a new one (or one that we haven’t been to in a while) every weekend or every other weekend.
Our favorite playgrounds have been those designed by Landscape Structures. Landscape Structure Playgrounds tend to be better in quality and innovation that others we have visited.
They welcome all ages and abilities. I appreciate these age guidelines that let me know how old the child playing on the playground structure should be.
Playgrounds can instill lifelong skills, such as confidence, mastery of physical skills, and social skills (kids making new friends on the playground is always neat to watch!). Landscape Structures playgrounds are located conveniently in signature gathering areas in communities. Watch the video below to learn more about Landscape Structures playgrounds and the importance of play. Locate a Landscape Structures Playground via their website here.
How to Plan a Summer Staycation Playground Tour:
Step One:
Mom or Dad, do the research ahead of time. Look up local playgrounds and parks in your area and decide which ones that you would like to visit. Are there any Landscape Structures Playgrounds near you? Find out here and add these to the list if there is one near by!
Step Two:
Download this Playground Tour printable. Right click the image below to save it to your computer. Print it using your home printer.
Fill out the printable, recording the name and location of each playground that you plan to visit during the summer. If you are great at planning, jot down the date to visit, too.
Step Three:
Display your Playground Tour printable were the kids can see and get excited!
Step Four:
Visit all the awesome playgrounds on your list. Remember to take along all the essentials, like sunscreen, water, snacks, and a picnic lunch.
We love Landscape Structures and always enjoyed our times at those playgrounds. My son is now older and I hope he still can enjoy a playground tour.
Planning a playground tour is such a genius idea! And what I love is that you don’t have to spend money to do so!
What an awesome looking playground to have access to! It looks like there is so much to do and play with, perfect for a day out location!
What a fantastic idea! We used to do this when my son was little. Now he is 14 and I doubt I could get him to go to a playground 🙂 Enjoy it! It really does happen in a blink.
Some of the best childhood memories can be made on a playground! Summer is the perfect time to let the little ones play and make the most of this long awaited break from the school year.
A playground tour sounds super fun! I have a blogger friend from Singapore who highlighted a new playground each week in a blog post. It’s amazing how many different playground designs there are.
I really enjoy reading this post. This is such a cool idea. This will be perfect to do with my nieces and nephew’s this summer.
A staycation is always a wonderful idea. Seems like your kids had a wonderful time.
This is great. My daughter and I are working on a roundup of all of the parks in our area. There are so many that we thought it would be helpful for locals to know which one has what to offer.
What a great idea! We used to visit different playgrounds when our kids were small. It was always fun to find new ones to go to.
One summer when Ash was 5-6, we made a summer bucket list of all the playgrounds in our town. We visited a new one every week. It was glorious!
What a fabulous idea! I have 4-year-old twin grandchildren and I’m always looking for new fun ideas. I’m am going to do this with ours! Thanks for the idea.
I love bringing my kids to the playgrounds. They always have such a fun time. These are some of the best playgrounds too. We’ve been to a few of these.
What a awesome idea. Especially when kids are little!
My kids go to playgrounds they love to play there. Usually my hubby take them there. Thanks for sharing the great tips useful of parents with kids.
We do this in our town and it’s so much fun! We’ve done 5 playgrounds in one day before!
I love taking my nieces and nephews to my local parks when they come to visit me. We have some fantastic parks with soooo many things to do in them!