5 Hometown Activities with Your Kids
February 25, 2011, By Buzz Bishop 0 comments
There’s only so much reading, crafts and Legos a preschooler can handle before they go batty. The lure is always there to just flip on a TV and let them drift into a peaceful zombie state with DJ Lance Rock and The Wonderpets as afternoon sitters, but there are, however, great and simple escapes in your hometown that will cost little to free and offer hours of enjoyment for the kids - and you!
1. Carland / Truckland / Tractorland
We live in a city that has a large rural and agricultural community. On the edges of the city there are a number of tractor dealerships selling Kubota and John Deere vehicles to the farmers. One is called, beautifully, Tractorland. It’s my preschooler’s favorite place to go. He climbs on the tractors, “drives” them all around the dealership and spends a solid hour running from vehicle to vehicle. When I went shopping for an SUV, I told him we were going to “Truckland.” He bought it hook, line, sinker. Just give a heads up to the sales team and they’ll be happy to let you play, especially knowing you’re likely to be back a couple times a month and will owe them one when it comes time to by your next truck - or tractor.
2. Airport / Train Station
When our son was 18 months he coined a term for the golf carts that collect the luggage trolleys at the airport. “Machine beep beep,” he called them because of the backup alarm that rang constantly. A trip to the airport to pick up a relative became a two-hour affair as he ran the concourse looking for “machine beep beep.” Soon I was taking the local subway (an awesome dadventure on its own) to the airport each weekend for his chasing of the carts. The airport is free and huge and offers hours of fun for kids.
