5 Things To Do With Kids During Summer!
Oh my gosh is it actually August! I know I say this every year, but "summer is flying by"! So typical but it really has flown by since fourth of July. I have been so busy with trying to entertain the kiddos and still keep up with life. I promise to be better at posting more consistently. There are some exciting new things coming to Lauren Reyes Blog very soon!! I'm super exciting to be working with new brands and new opportunities to arise.
Since summer is NOT quite over yet, I have rounded up a few of our favorite summer activities. If you live in the Orange County area then these places will be close to you or you can always find some similar local gems in your town. I feel like every city has a few. Huntington Beach Adventure Playground aka "The Mud Park", we have been coming here for a few years now. I would recommend ages 4 and up. This mud park is nothing fancy. It is old fashion construction play. There are 4 main activities wooden rafts, mud slides, rope bridge and multiple tree houses with building tools such as saws, hammers and nails. (Side Note: you do have to be 8 years old to do any sawing) It is shown that this type of play can stimulate critical thinking in your youngsters. Bonus!! The kids were enthralled with all the activities.
Since I was only a "boy mom" I had never experienced this with my daughter. Let me tell you it was a whole new experience. She can get down and dirty with her brothers but she was a bit reluctant to get too dirty. Which I thought was so cute!! She even had a little boy invite her onto his raft to help her out. AWWW!
You also want to bring a change of clothes, your own lunch and I would highly recommend a empty trash bag for all the kids dirty, muddy wet clothes. We always have a blast when we come and it was a success as usual.
Another great summer must is the Movies on the Beach. What is summer without a movie on a blowup screen sitting on the BEACH! My favorite is Newport Dunes. We try and do this every summer a few times. It is so simple and budget friendly for a fun family night out. Movies start at dusk so a perk is you get to see the sunset on the beach!
My next go to for summer is The Sawdust Factory in Upland. It is a hidden gem for sure. A one -of- a- kind place where kids can make woodcrafts. They can choose from different designs, handprint stencils (which is my personal fave) or customize anything. We love it here and try to visit at least twice a year. Christmas time is a very fun time here at The Sawdust Factory with so much to choose from. Ornaments, Angels, Tree Stands etc. They do book fast so call ahead to check for availability.
My last 2 Summer Picks are the petting zoo at Zoomars and Pretend City Children's Museum in Irvine. We just visited Pretend City 2 weeks ago. It is a cute as I remember. There are Interactive Exhibits, Imagination Play, a Cafe and Mini Mall. My favorite was when the kids were all dressed in full Sushi Chef Gear. They were running the kitchen with dinner orders back and fourth. Hahah! If you have not been before I would take the kids for a fun day of play and make believe. Zoomars is a bit of a drive if you are not so close like we are. It is located in San Juan Capistrano. The cutest little beach town. You can also take the Amtrak up there for a quick 20 minute trip from Santa Ana. Zoomars has been around for over 30 years and it has the cutest petting zoo with Kunekune Pigs, the sweetest sheep, llamas, cows and you can even feed the guinea pigs. In addition to the lovable animals there is a gold mining station, a train and ponies to ride.
I hope you find this helpful and if you have not been to any of the places mentioned then hopefully you will take your kiddos and have some summer fun cause its NOT over yet!!