Great playgrounds are hard to come by and often only shared by word of mouth. Such is the case with my new favorite playground. When a friend mentioned it to me it sounded amazing, so we quickly checked it out with some friends. It did not disappoint and hit all the criteria and then some on my list of playground must-haves.

 

Benedict Farm Park is located in the Town of Montgomery flanked by farmland to the left and the Wallkill River to the right. The driveway to reach the park is long but you will see the playground peeking out over the hill. There are bathrooms available although at the time of our visit (2 weeks ago) they were not yet open for the season. The surrounding area is a sight to be seen, and the park itself is immaculate and well maintained blending seamlessly with the bucolic setting.

 

My girls are two different ages with varying degrees of interests and abilities which makes the surrounding fence one of my favorite features. Madison (5) was free to traverse the entire park with her friends without having me pester her to stay within eyesight. In addition, Benedict Farm Park has two large play structures: one is geared toward the 2-5 age bracket and the other is for the older kids. Sophie (2) was able to climb, crawl, run, and slide to her heart’s content which was another bonus for me since she is currently in the “I do myself” phase so this saved us several battle of the wills.

 

Even though the park is on the small side, there was plenty to do to keep my girls and their friends entertained for several hours from the swings to the climbing wall to the wobbly bridge. We loved it so much, we are headed there tomorrow to enjoy the morning with some friends. Have a great weekend!

 

GPS Address: 1675 State Route 17K, Montgomery

A Night at the Planetarium

My girl’s got questions. Lots of them. I used to be able to answer quite a few and fudge the rest, but now that she is the wise old age of five many of her questions are out of my area of expertise. There are only so many times a day where you can say “I don’t know” and not begin to feel inadequate. To make matters worse, after learning about the solar system at school, she was left with more questions than answers especially regarding stars and black holes. From what I gather, even NASA isn’t sure what a black hole is so I didn’t feel too badly when I once again did not know the answer. Madison, however, was not satisfied. So, I did what my mother would have done in this situation: I found a class at our local planetarium and signed us up.

SUNY New Paltz hosts a free Astronomy Night on the first and third Thursdays of every month that school is in session. It begins with a 45 minute show in the planetarium and each Astronomy Night has a different focus, but they all start with a basic explanation of where and how our solar system and galaxy exist. The show then ends with a current event topic and for us that was a new revelation about the Big Bang Theory. It is presented by the chair of the Astronomy Department and a student. I was amazed at how smart this college kid was and the depth of his knowledge regarding all things space and his ability to translate it all for us non-experts. Some parts of the show were over Madison’s head (shameless pun intended), but she was still enraptured by the “movie” for the duration of the show. However, she still doesn’t quite grasp the concept of whispering, but no one seemed to mind her slightly loud questions.

After the show, we headed down to the Smolen Observatory to utilize their high powered telescopes and hopefully catch a glimpse of some stars and planets. We were not dissappointed. There, volunteers manned the telescopes, and we were able to not only see Jupitor but also its bands and two of its moons. We learned in the planeterium that one of Jupitor’s moons, Europa, has water under its surface which was very interesting and then to actually see that moon was pretty amazing. This was Madison’s favorite part of the night, and she was begging to visit again as she drifted off to sleep on the ride home.

Astronomy Night is free but you must reserve your tickets ahead of time. Tickets become available exactly one week before the show, and they go quickly. Good news is they will open up a second showing if the first sells out. Right now, the first show begins at 7:30 but the time changes based on when the sun sets. The observatory is difficult to find and isn’t on the campus directory. After the show, follow signs for the soccer fields, park in South Parking Lot #35 and then follow the path into the abyss. Just kidding. Not really. It’s a very dark path leading away from civilization, and you will feel like you are going in the wrong direction but I assure you- you are not. It has to be dark for obvious reasons. Definitely look up and witness the starry sky on your walk. You will be amazed to see how much we are missing out on due to light pollution. Astronomy Night was the perfect way to spend date night with our girl and get some of those unending questions answered.

The Inner Wall

I have mentioned before that I am not athletic or competitive, so you might be surprised to learn that I have signed up for a Spartan Race- (go ahead and click on this and just listen to the intro-insanity)- one of those ridiculous races with barbed wire to crawl under, fire to jump over, and walls to climb. What business do I have to do this race you ask? None really, except I have a very convincing and competitive friend who caught me at a weak moment. She asked me to join her team with six other women to compete in the race and since I was in the middle of a self help book encouraging me to say yes to everything in attempts to bring more happiness into my life, I was obliged to say yes.

 

Since we are all mothers, meeting up and working out are not really options, many of us running on the treadmill in the basement after the kids are in bed. There were a few teammates that I had not even met, and the race is closing in on us. So, in order to face a fear of heights, get some climbing practice in and get together with the team, we planned a girl’s night. However, this was not your typical girl’s night- drinks were involved but not until after spending much of the evening rock climbing. Yes, rock climbing.

 
Photo Credit: The Inner Wall

The Inner Wall is an indoor rock climbing facility in New Paltz. None of us had ever rock climbed before and that was ok. We were set up with two instructors who taught us all we needed to know to climb the wall and to belay for one another. (Belay- vb. to be attached to the other end of the climber’s rope making you solely in charge of their safety and essentially their life.) A pretty good lesson in building team trust if there ever was one. After we learned the basics, we were set free to climb away. It was scary and fun and exhilarating all at once. For a moment, I really thought this could be my thing… then I looked down and immediately ruled that out. But, I was tremendously proud of myself for having the tenacity to conquer my fear and the physical capability to make it to the top. I was warned but was surprised nonetheless at how sore I was the next day and in places I never even knew I had muscles.

 

 

 

We did this as a girl’s night, but it’s also a really great place for kids. In fact, we have plans to return with our kids in the near future. The Inner Wall has had kids as young as two climb, but I will start with my five year old. She was the most impressed with my new skill and immediately begged to go after seeing my pictures. Inner Wall has different levels of climbing walls from beginner to advanced. They host birthday parties, scout programs, summer camps, and after school programs. The staff was friendly and extremely focused on safety taking the time to teach us everything we needed to know to be safe. We got a group rate which included the instruction, equipment, and three hours of climbing for $28 a person. However, they have several different options so check out their website to see what is the best fit for you.

 
The Team!

If you have an adventurous and/or energetic kid (and whose kid isn’t energetic?), I would definitely add this to your list of spring break stay-cation activities.

Top 10 Picks for a Spring Break Staycation

I am so excited about spring break this year and the fact that it will actually (hopefully) feel like spring by then.   If your family is planning a staycation like we are,  here are 10 local activities to keep your kids busy…

1.  The parks are open! We haven’t been to a park since a blustery day sometime in November.  Get your friends together and meet up for a play date at the park.  We really love Sally’s Dream at Orange County Park.

2. The Outdoor Discovery Center in Cornwall will open mid April.   Enjoy a family friendly hike and play time at Grasshopper Grove!

3. Have to work?  The Hudson Highlands Nature Museum will be providing day camp where kids will be hiking, crafting, and playing.

4. The Mid-Hudson Children’s Museum will be open and will have special spring break events (TBA) all week.

5. Last spring I took my girls, ages 1 & 4 for a hike and picnic at Croton Gorge Park, and they loved it.  You can read about our experience here.

6. The Bear Mountain Zoo is open and all the animals should be waking from their long winter’s nap.

7. In addition to a trip to the museum, Bethel Woods Performing Arts Center will be hosting an Arts Exploration Workshop for kids k-6 grade, Monday through Friday, 9-4.  The cost is $150 for the week, but they are offering needs based scholarships as well as a sliding fee scale and possibly transportation for those in need.

8.  Want to spend a few nights away with the kids but don’t want to travel far?  Rocking Horse Ranch in Highland is a family friendly adventure, and they have midweek and spring break packages available.

9. Grab your bikes and your strollers and hop on one of the Hudson Valley’s rail trails.

10. Walkway Over the Hudson– Spring is the perfect time to embark on this adventure.  It’s not too hot or too cold, and the kids will love being up so high and the fact that it used to be a train track really impressed my kids.

Bonus: At the risk of sounding annoying and repetitive,  I will say it one more time: don’t forget your local library.  Borrow books and movies, play in their children’s section, or pick up free passes to area attractions.  Most have special events going on during the break as well.

If you have any tips on area attractions for spring break, please let us know!  Happy Spring!

Week of Free Activities in the Hudson Valley

 

I don’t have to tell you that this winter has been a long one.  My coping mechanism for all those snow days?  Online shopping.  Discount Diva would be so disappointed in me. So, I pledged to spend an entire week without spending a dime on shopping or entertainment.   But all those long days stuck in the house with two kids left me needing to get out, but without the park as an option I was stuck for ideas that didn’t require money.  So I challenged myself to get creative, put $20 in my pocket for the week, and vowed to stick to our budget without sacrificing culture or entertainment.  Thank goodness we live in the Hudson Valley because it was actually easier than I thought it would be.

 

 

Monday: The library is always fun and always free.  We play in the children’s room and pick out our books for the week.  We usually attend the all ages story hour on Fridays but we have big free plans for this Friday.

 

 

Tuesday: This had to be the easiest day to entertain my kids since October; the weather was 61 and sunny.  The obvious free choice was to get outside and meet up with some neighbors for some driveway fun: biking, scootering, and drawing with chalk.

Wednesday: Wednesday used to be free admission day at the Harness Museum in Goshen, so we headed down to get our local historic culture on.  Madison loves watching the short movie about the track and horses and both girls love the 3D simulator.  Sophie also loves to just run around so thankfully most everything is behind plexiglass.  Oh, and now everyday is free admission day so that’s great news.

Thursday:  SUNY New Paltz hosts a free Astronomy Night program the first and third Thursday of each month.  It begins with an indoor planetarium show and on clear nights they will open up the observatory so that the kids can use the telescopes.  We missed it this time around but will be attending the next one.

Friday: I head back down to our library to pick up the free pass to the Hudson Highlands Nature Museum.  My girls love to see all the animals.  I’m hoping some of the snow has melted, so we can take a little hike on one of the trails.

 

 

Saturday: We always seem to be needing some sort of home repair so Lowes is a frequent weekend trip.  Lowes offers a free Build and Grow workshop for kids which we attended last Saturday.  Madison loves to build so she had a great time making her project; Sophie likes to dress up so the free apron and goggles were a perk for her. The next one will be April 12th.  Home Depot  offers one on the first Saturday of every month.   Also, The Mid Hudson Children’s Museum offers free admission on the third Saturday of every month  from 5-8, so we will be heading over there for some evening play.

 

 

 

Sunday: Goshen hosts its annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade at 2pm.  It’s a huge parade and lots of fun.  We go every year and this year will be no exception.  The Harness Museum in Goshen is on the parade route and prior to will host an open house with children’s crafts and snacks beginning at 11am.  The cost is $3 per child, not free but inexpensive.

Two days to go but I somehow have managed to spend an entire week without even spending my allotted $20 which is burning a hole in my pocket.  I think I will use it to treat myself to a pizza for dinner.  Have a great weekend!

Ever need a vacation after your family vacation?  You can read about our recent trip here.

Gardening Classes at the Orange County Arboretum

In an effort to summon spring, Madison and her friend, Jamie, attended the Children’s Gardening Program at the Orange County Arboretum.  This was the Arboretum’s first class in their 2014 children’s program, and they will continue with one every month focusing on gardening and the outdoors for children.  Madison and Jamie attended the Composting for Kids.  They had a great time, and we all took home tips on how to compost in addition to an unexpected new pet.

The class was an hour and a half and began with the story Yucky Worms.  Then the instructor, a master gardener, taught the kids what a compost pile was, the necessary ingredients, and what the soil could then be used for.  After the demonstration, each child was given a large glass jar to create their own compost pile complete with live worms.  Madison and Jamie loved creating their own little environment and welcomed their new pet without fear or reservation.  The instructor taught the class how to take care of their new friends and even gave them an official adoption certificate.

Madison learned a lot in her class which is evident especially when it comes time to clear the table, pointing out what should be recycled and what should be composted.  She is also taking her pet ownership responsibilities very seriously: watering Mr. Wiggles everyday with just the right amount of water, feeding him a teaspoon of organic table scraps daily, and keeping him in a dark place.

The classes are held once a month on Saturdays at the Arboretum located within Thomas Bull Memorial Park.  The monthly classes range in price from $2 to $10, and the age minimum varies between five and seven years old.  Class size is limited and pre-registration is required, so call today to reserve your child’s spot.  I’m hoping the next time we attend for April’s Building a Fairy Garden class the snow will be long gone, and the tulips will have taken it’s place adding a walk through the gardens to our trip.

The Museum at Bethel Woods

One of my favorite places to visit in all of the Hudson Valley is Bethel Woods Center for the Arts for their beautiful grounds but especially for the Museum at Bethel Woods.  Whether you are a music fan, history buff, or a tourist of your own community, this museum will appeal to you.  It is  highly interactive with plenty of audio/visual displays and exhibits making it interesting to adults and children alike.  Fully immersing yourself, the museum could take about two hours to go through, with kids who like to run from exhibit to exhibit, a little less.

Bethel Woods is known to most as Woodstock, the iconic  music festival of 1969 that epitomizes the hippie movement and all things peace, love, and music.  And while the museum is based on this moment in history, it also covers the decade of the 1960’s and the historical events that led up to Woodstock.  The 60’s was a time of civil rights, the counterculture, and the space race, a time of great change that has had lasting effects on our nation.  Bethel also hosts special exhibits and will be reopening on April 5th with  America Meets the Beatles, which will include photographs by Life photographer, Bill Eppridge.

I have visited this museum many times since it opened in 2008.  My brother, a curator for the museum before it opened,  was able to invite his family for the grand opening.  Most recently, my husband and I brought the girls for a visit.  Because the museum is interactive including an old Volkswagen bus turned into a mini movie theater (Madison’s favorite), my girls had a great time.   Our favorite exhibit is set up as if you are at Woodstock, surrounded by the sound stage with the sky overhead changing from day to night,  sun to rain, complete with bean bag chairs to relax in, making us feel like we were actually there but without the mud (and LSD).  The girls cozied right up and watched for several minutes.

When the weather is nice, definitely walk the grounds.  They are open to the public on nice days and are meticulously manicured (and stroller friendly) with expansive views of the Catskills.  Also, trek down to the original site of the concert and take a picture of the monument-it’s iconic and makes a great Instagram too!  The museum reopens on April 5th and is worth the visit.  It’s a piece of history unique to us; of all the things to be known for I’ll take peace, love, and music any day.

 

A Visit to the Local Humane Society

An all too frequent complaint I hear from parents and one I am guilty of as well is the fact that our kids have too many toys.  They take over the home, create battles at cleanup time, and are quickly neglected for the bigger and better.  To say it drives me nuts is an understatement.  My children are blessed with a big extended family who love to give to my children, so Christmas and birthdays are big events with lots of presents.

My oldest daughter, Madison, has a January birthday, and by the time her birthday comes around not only doesn’t she need anything but there isn’t a place to put anything.  Last year, my husband and I sat Madison down and discussed using her birthday party with her friends as a chance to give back to our community instead of asking her friends for presents. Madison was a bit hesitant, but when we offered her some charity choices, she immediately became excited about helping out the animals at our local Humane Society.

It is now a birthday tradition for the second year in a row.  Instead of a pile of presents at her party, she has a pile of cat and dog food along with other items listed on our Humane Society’s wish list like bleach and old towels.  After her party, we head over to drop off the gifts.  Once there, the volunteers thank Madison profusely and allow her into the free roam cat room.  Madison loves cats and plays in there with them for quite some time.  The volunteer explains how Madison and her friends have made a difference in these animals’ lives.  Then we try to leave without a pet or two which is always very difficult.  I’ve still got my mind set on Little Fry, a sweet older cat.  (We have an aging dog that would not be appreciative of a new addition at this time.  She’s still mad we had kids.)

While there, we discovered that the Humane Society is a great place for kids to volunteer.  There are things even a five year old can help out with as long as they have a parent with them.  It’s great for older kids too who need community service for school or scouts, or for kids that just love animals and want to help out.  We plan on taking Madison once a month to help take care of the cats, to feed them and spend time with them.  I know she will love it, and my hope is that she learns at a young age that helping others less fortunate is not only the right thing to do, but that it feels really good too.  Take a trip down to your local Humane Society and see what a difference your child can make and what a difference it could make to your child.

Liberty Science Center

I’m not even going to mention how over the frigid temperatures I am; I won’t even mention the words Polar Vortex.  Without that being said, I will say that going outside to play is not  an option right now.  My oldest daughter, Madison, is a real trooper, but Sophie and I are babies.  Sophie actually is a baby so she has an excuse, but I just can’t enjoy this weather.  And, if you are anything like our family this winter, the cold and flu season has hit you hard.  Cabin fever was quickly setting in, so I had to take the rare opportunity of us all being healthy at the same time to make a long overdue trip to the Liberty Science Center in Jersey City in, you guessed it, NJ.

LSC is most definitely a day trip as it takes over an hour to get there from Orange County but totally worth it.  I remember my mom taking us as a kid and unlike other museums, I couldn’t believe you were actually allowed and encouraged to touch everything.  A lot has changed since I was there as a kid, and it has only gotten better.

The science center has four floors of interactive exhibits.  (There are too many  to name so be sure to check out their website.)  The great thing about the exhibits is that they are diverse and and layered, meaning you can just scratch the surface of any topic if you are with little ones or dig deeper if your kids are older or their interest calls for it.  My girls love construction, so we started at the main floor Skyscraper! exhibit.  Anything you ever wanted to know about how a skyscraper is made from conception to construction can be explored and experienced: walk a steel girder high above the center’s floor, operate a crane, or test a buildings strength in a high velocity wind tunnel.  My kids are little, so we just touched the surface of this exhibit.  Next, we headed all the way up to the fourth floor for the Bob the Builder exhibit where my girls immersed themselves for quite some time.  Next, we headed down to Infection Connection which seemed appropriate after all the colds and viruses we have recently had.  Madison and Sophie  stepped into the lab where their hands were coated in “germs.”  They then had to wash their hands before sticking them back under the black light to see how they did.  Let’s just say, it’s no longer a mystery as to how we keep getting sick.  Hopefully, it’s a lesson learned.  We explored several other exhibits but by no means hit them all.

The Liberty Science Center is one of the most family friendly places I have come across.  It has ample parking located in front ($7 a day).  There are restrooms including family restrooms on every floor, conveniently marked and located.  There is a  cafe with healthy choices and reasonable prices in addition to allowing  you to bring your own food.  The staff was pleasant and very helpful.  For 2 adults, 1 child, and under 2 are free, it came to $54.25.  It is on the expensive side, but the experience was worth it.

The center has so much to do, more than can be done in one trip.   However, it is small enough to be able to maneuver easily without getting lost or overwhelmed.  It’s a great place to go if you have children of varying ages.  There are several exhibits geared toward the 2-5 crowd, and many for the older crowd.  My advice is to check the website and make a list of exhibits that are age and interest appropriate for your group, so you have a general idea of what you want to accomplish.    The Liberty Science Center is the type of place that truly is fun for the entire family.  We are already making plans to return.

Skiing at Mount Peter

Photo credit: Mt Peter

I am not a natural athlete.  I lack the competitive drive, natural agility, and most importantly interest.  My daughter, on the other hand, was born an athlete; every sport she tries she loves and excels at.  The one sport I do enjoy and am semi-competent in is skiing.  I have been impatiently awaiting for Madison to be old enough to learn to ski with me.  Loving all sports like she does, I was really hoping this could be the one sport we could enjoy together.

Madison turned five years old last week, and for me that felt like the perfect age to start skiing.  Not having skied in the last two years because of pregnancy and then having an infant, I didn’t trust myself to take her for her first time so I signed her up for a lesson at Mount Peter in Warwick.  Chris, our instructor, is also the ski school supervisor and the father of a four year old whom he taught to ski when she was 18 months.  So, I felt confident in his ability to keep Madison safe and to provide a solid lesson.  He told me he could teach her to ski in an hour but wanted to take her up the ski lift.  I had initially thought he would teach her the basics like putting on and taking off the skis, walking around in them, and then perhaps the magic carpet on the smallest hill, so I was not emotionally prepared to let her out of my sight and up the mountain.  I was also doubtful he could teach her to ski independently in only an hour, but I kept that to myself.  Chris was disappointed but understanding of my hesitancy.

After securing Madison’s skis, they headed over to the magic carpet, and Madison took her first ride up the hill.  As soon as they reached the top, Chris had Madison skiing on her own while he skied in front of her.  By the end of her hour long lesson, Madison was snowplowing down the hill independently and just getting the hang of making turns.  Chris was right.  He had her skiing in an hour.  It was all I could do to keep myself from jumping up and down on the sidelines, although I did a little to keep myself warm.  When the lesson was finished, Madison was frozen but so proud of herself.  Chris had been a great instructor: totally kid friendly, made the lesson fun, gave Madison confidence on the slope,  and appeased my crazy worrisome mama ways.

Mount Peter Ski & Ride is a great place for beginners and families of varying abilities.  They have trails to accommodate the novice and experienced skier, offer free lessons with the purchase of a lift ticket on weekends and holidays, and their rates are reasonable.  We took advantage of the weekday special: lift ticket and private lesson for $65.  We also had the benefit of having the bunny hill to ourselves, and practically the mountain as well which was well maintained.  We, of course, checked out the girl’s bathroom which was newly renovated and even provided a basket above the toilets for gloves and other ski accessories you may need to remove.  Madison and I ended our day with a snack of rather expensive french fries in the lodge before heading home, but you do have the option of bringing your own food.

The bad news is the Hudson Valley is cold right now and will be for awhile.  The good news is that means our local ski slopes are thriving.  We can’t escape the cold, so let’s make the best of it and enjoy what winter has to offer.