I don’t know about you, but I am done with this winter. Now normally, I am all about the snowmen and the sledding and the hot chocolate, but enough is enough! (And now they are talking more snow for next week; it’s never going to be spring!) Fortunately, the snow and cold haven’t kept us from finding lots of fun things to do while we wait for the weather to improve. Let’s take a look back at what we did this month.
We’ve got a bunch of great children’s museums in our state, but that never stops us from exploring across the border. This month, Mandy introduced us to the Brooklyn Children’s Museum in New York. It’s got tons of pretend play, a garden exhibit with a place to dig in the sand, a room with live animals, and even a special space for kids age 5 and under (which includes, among other things, a super cool and always popular water table exhibit and a climbing space with a slide ), just to name a few.
And of course, we couldn’t leave you hanging over Winter Break, so we put together our annual OAAM Winter Break Survival Guide. It’s filled with all kinds of great indoor activities, so it’s still a good resource for the upcoming chilly weeks. You can also check out our Indoor Fun page for even more ideas.
Mandy accepted an invitation from the Maritime Aquarium in Norwalk, CT to come visit with her crew. Here, you can enjoy a completely indoor (great for winter!) aquarium experience as you learn more about Long Island Sound. Visit with seals, rays, jellyfish, Meerkats, and more. Just don’t forget to pick up a map!
We’re always on the hunt for new indoor play places, especially when the high temps don’t break out of the teens. And I was super excited to find Whippersnapper’s Play Gym in Cheshire, CT. With outdoor-style playsets big enough for the backyard as well as gym equipment for the kiddos (think mats, giant padded shapes, mini basketball hoops) and other fun activities, an Open Play session here is just as effective at wearing out the kiddos as a playground playdate–maybe better 🙂
In response to a wonderful suggestion made by one of our readers, Mandy put together our Top 5 Outings for Working Moms of Toddlers and Preschoolers. Although, really, this is a great guide for any parent looking for an activity to enjoy with their children on evenings or weekends.
Then I followed up with our Top 5 Outing Ideas for New Moms. It’s a post that’s near and dear to our hearts because it was during our own new mom days–when we were feeling trapped inside with our new babies–that we came up with the idea for this blog. Hopefully this post will inspire the new moms out there to get “out and about” and start enjoying themselves again.
Lastly, Mandy visited a new-to-her library for playtime and storytime. The Hartford Public Library‘s children’s section has a fun play area to explore, books arranged to be accessible to little hands, and a new Early Literacy Librarian offering tons of educational programs for your littlest bookworms.
Hang in there! It has to warm up sometime…right?
Do you have an outing that we need to scout? Let us know by leaving a comment on this post or emailing us at outandaboutmom@gmail.com.
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- 4D Vision Gym – A vision training center located in Cromwell, CT where Dr. Juanita Collier, MS, OD and her staff show members how to utilize Vision Therapy to correct visual issues and make learning and playing easier and more fun.
- The Annie Fisher Montessori Magnet School – Offers children ages three to twelve years old a free, public Montessori education implemented to the highest standards set by Association Montessori Internationale.
- The Independent Day School – Located on a rural campus in Middlefield, CT this private pre-school, elementary and middle school, serves families from over 20 communities.
- Kathryn Deane Photography – A natural light photographer located in West Hartford, CT and specializing in maternity, newborn, child, family, and senior portrait photography.
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