Going to the park

[torontokids]

I want to venture out with my group a bit more now but I am finding it difficult. I have a triple and 3 little ones are in there and 2-3yo's walk. Getting and coming back is fine however at the park I just didn't feel comfortable. My 3 yo's are fine and know the drill but the little ones just kept trying to go in 3 different directions. We went early in the morning so it wasn't busy, I brought sand toys and tried keeping them as a group but they obviously wanted to do more e.g. go down the slide which I could help them with one at a time. I give the 3 yo's a lot more freedom and this may be the problem as they can see them running around etc. Do you limit older children just to keep them as a group? Anything thing else I can try?

I put them in the stroller once they wandered for a time out.

[Fun&care]

Personally I don't do park outings for this very reason. Too many kids, too little eyes to look out for them...

[torontokids]

Yeah, I had only been doing it on Fridays when I have only one little one and 3- 3yo's. After this morning I am thinking I won't anymore.

[Crayola kiddies]

Why not put a play structure in your backyard that has a sand box at the bottom and you don't have to go anywhere ..... I never leave my property with the daycare kids.

[torontokids]

I live in Toronto, space is a little more scarce here! We have an amazing backyard however with a slide, sand box, ride on toys etc. I just want to be able to mix it up a little sometimes. A play structure would take up all our grass :(

[zoomama]

I've been thinking of eliminating the park outings as well. It's just feeling like too big of a risk with the ages I have now. I think today was the last one until the group dynamics change.

[Crayola kiddies]

I live in Toronto, space is a little more scarce here! We have an amazing backyard however with a slide, sand box, ride on toys etc. I just want to be able to mix it up a little sometimes. A play structure would take up all our grass :(


Ohhh :(...... Oops sorry ..... I live in the country and have 5 acres and three play structures and looking to buy another one

[smileyface]

I love taking the kids to the park. It is a little stressful, but they have so much fun! For the older children, they can go on whatever they want as long as they don't require my help. They need to stay at the park, and if they don't listen, they go for a time out in the wagon. For the younger ones, they stay at one section of the park. If they venture off and don't listen when I ask them to stay in a certain area, they go for a time out in the wagon. It doesn't take them long to figure out that they need to listen and stay close. This has worked really well for me.

[Momof4]

I don't have a back yard, just a small green space where we have 2 slides, a water table and a picnic table. So we travel to the park all the time. My rule is that all of them have to stay inside the circle or square in the mulch and we move to another area together as a group. If one of the babies wanders off they get 1 warning, then if they do it again they are in the stroller for the rest of our park time. I tell them they have a choice, listen to me and follow the rules or sit in the stroller and they learn when I saw something I mean it way before they turn 2. So yes, I love the park and don't have any problems. But I live in a city much smaller than Toronto and our parks aren't very crowded.

[Skysue]

Designate a baby space were they can play, if its infront of a baby slide then so be it and camp out there. I had this last year and I had to sit right infront of the slide/struchture until they all knew how to play on it safely.

I had one who was a bit of a dare devil (12 month old) so she spent a lot of time in the stroller for time outs, until she leardned the rules! I also had cookies with me so if it got stressful i would say who wants a cookie and we would sit for a few minutes, it always helps to get everyone assembled to leave. I just say who ever wants a cookie needs to get there shoes on and help clean up sand toys, I usually use maria bisquits (from spain) as they arn't too unhealthy.

[Artsand crafts]

I stay close to the babies while the bigger kids play inside the designated area. I also let them play wherever they want as long as I find it safe for them and that they do not need my assistance. I choose playgrounds where I can easily see everyone and avoid the ones that have very big structures that can block my view if someone slide down in the other side. I have a decent size backyard, but still I really like going out and the kids enjoy our outings a lot, too. During summer we spend time in the backyard maybe twice a month or so.

[torontokids]

Ohhh :(...... Oops sorry ..... I live in the country and have 5 acres and three play structures and looking to buy another one

Thanks, rub it in! heh heh

[torontokids]

Yeah, listening to everyone it sounds like everything else with this job that it gets easier once the kids/you learn the system. I guess I am just nervous about practicing "the system" until they get it. Once school is out their is a school across the road we can go to easily with a huge field and playground. Unfortunately, the playground is more for older/school aged kids which is great for the 3 yo's but not for the little ones. This would be a good park to practice at as it's super easy to go back to the daycare if things go wrong.

[sunnydays]

Yes, it does get easier with time. I go to the park every day with 5 dck and my daughter and in the summer my son too and I feel quite comfortable with watching them all. BUT, they have all learned the boundaries and I know who to watch more closely (ie who is a dare devil or has no sense of danger). In the beginning I do remember feeling like you, but then when I started I had only 2 dck's, so I built up to the full crew slowly. It is mostly about setting boundaries and sticking to them and teaching the kids what is acceptable and what is not. If they run away they get strapped into the stroller. They are not allowed to climb up the slide. We stick to little kid structures for the whole group and if there is a bigger structure right next to the little one, I will allow my son and daughter and the 3 year old dcg to climb on it, but the rest have to stay on the small structure. This is because of age and also because the bigger kids have proven to me that they can play safely on the bigger structure (nobody pushes or does anything crazy). I bring lots of snad toys as well. My biggest advice is that if you don't feel safe doing it, DON"T DO IT! Maybe you need to wait until you have your group following rules and routines better...practice at home in the back yard with having them stop when you ask them to, play within a boundary, etc. Nothing is worth risking the kids' safety. Once you gain more control and confidence, then you can try the park again.

[playfelt]

I agree with Sunnydays on the first getting the kids ready to be out in public. If you do not have voice control at home then for sure you won't have it out in a wide open area. I do not let kids who have not learned this skill out of the wagon. I bring toys for them to use while strapped in. Since the park is for the older kids then this might be the way to go in the sense of going for a walk and then stopping at the park for a short time for the older kids to play and then walking home. The babies will get enough exercise with activities in the house and everyone got their fresh air. As the babies get older you can gradually introduce them to playing outside too.

[monkeymama]

I go to the park a couple times a week, usually with 5 dck and my own 22 month old. Kids 3+ know the rules and need to stay in eye sight all the times. The little ones usually stay by my side, and I bring lots of sand toys that usually occupy their time. The more you go, the better they will become. The kids know if they aren't listening and behaving, we pack up and leave. I usually like to go early before it gets really busy and leave before lunch. I have a big backyard with swingset but I like to practise outings with the kids. They wont learn if you keep them at home all the time. We always go over the rules before we leave so the kids know from the beginning what the expectations are.

[momofnerds]

I have strict rules when I go to the park and the kids are really good about it. They also know that if they misbehave we will never ever go to the park. and really its not my group I have to worry about, its the other naughty children who's parents don't watch them or the daycamps who let the kids become wild animals and don't do anything about it. this drives me nuts.

[torontokids]

I think a lot of my discomfort really had to do with my pt dcb. I gave notice to them yesterday and I think park outings will be better. I found it limiting because I would always reconsider outings when I knew he would be with us. I feel some relief knowing he will not be with us all summer

[Momof4]

You definitely become more comfortable with your group over time as they get to know the rules and that you are going to enforce them, period! We ride the city buses to get to parks and the library often and I get compliments all the time wherever we go on the well behaved children in my group. I always tell people that it took a lot of hard work and patience and teaching on my part to get them that way but I'm very proud of them. Same goes for every group I've had so far, I've taught them the rules and they learn.