The beauty of play is that it’s free. Kids don’t NEED toys, a stick will do. They don’t NEED to pay an admission fee to pretend. Kids will find play anywhere. I love seeing it in action.
A 7-ish year old was in the quiet waiting room of my dentist yesterday. He was hurriedly walking back-and-forth, back-and-forth across the tile floor — not touching the grout lines. He was completely engrossed in this game of his own making. Some adults might be flustered at the movement in a still space, but I loved it. Kids creating and playing is just the best.
Don’t get pressured into having to pay to play. Splurges can be fun and memorable, but don’t feel like they are required!
In play,
Michele
As a friendly reminder, make sure you ALWAYS check official sources when you are heading out to any of the locations I share. These are merely suggestions. Only you know what works for your family. Plus, your experience may not be the same as mine — and there can be changes to the hours or unforeseen circumstances or conditions at the suggested locations.
Let’s Play:
A checklist to some of my favorite playgrounds + libraries
It really is still pretty hot! That’s why I put the shaded swings at Ridgecrest Park in Aliso Viejo at the top of this email. Any relief we can get from this steamy sunny August!
It’s on my list of best playgrounds (by feature!) in Orange County. It comes complete with a PDF Checklist which adds in library pairings if you want to try them all.
3 free park passes
I love that more and more people know about the free parks passes available to 4th graders in California and library patrons.
1 - California State Parks Adventure Pass (4th Graders)
August is the first month your new 4th grader can get their CA State Parks Adventure Pass and it will be good through next August 31, 2027!
You can get the CA State Parks Adventure Pass for free. It only allows access to a limited number of the over 280 state parks, though. And only one is in Orange County. The ones you might be likely to visit are Silver Strand State Beach (San Diego), California Citrus State Historic Park, and Chino Hills State Park which are both in the Inland Empire. Go to the park list to see all 54 parks included (there are 12 in Southern California).
Here is the official website for Kids’ Exploration of California State Parks.
2 - CA State Library Parks Pass - borrow a pass from your library
Yes, they are hard to come by with more than double the holds than passes available, but it’s a way for those who can’t afford access to get access. You can check the park pass out from the library.
There were 2 available as of this morning at OC Public Libraries and, in general, if you put down a hold and wait long enough, your turn will come! I just search the catalog for “California State Library Parks Pass.”
I buy my annual pass each year, since I go to the parks so often. It’s an investment of $195 which comes out to $15/month using my tip for getting 13 months out of it! $15/month is totally worth it to me. Tip: If you are going to BUY a pass, do it at the beginning of the month! I bought mine on August 2, 2026 and it will be good through August 31, 2027. So, 13 months instead of 12 months. These work at ANY state park that accepts the annual pass. These are the ones we have in OC:
There are also other library systems in Orange County that you can search and check out as long as you get your library card there.
3 - Every Kid Outdoors free national parks pass for 4th graders
There’s another pass available for 4th graders and that’s for national parks. This one starts a little later than the California one. It goes from September 1, 2026 to August 31, 2027. Go to Every Kid Outdoors to find out more. Here’s the brochure.
Saving Our Public Lands
I feel like this is something we need to do to honor ancestors who stewarded this land before us and to preserve for future generations. I truly believe we can live in harmony with others + care for our ecosystems. It is the only way we survive and thrive.
Here are just a few of the threats to public lands right now:
Threats to our CA Coast - hurry and comment by August 22nd! The federal administration is targeting the CA Coast for:
Expanding dangerous offshore oil drilling
Exploiting coastal public lands for oil and gas development
Supporting the illegal restart of an oil pipeline
Extracting oil from aging infrastructure
California encourages residents, Tribal governments, local officials, businesses, fishermen, scientists, conservation organizations and anyone who cares about the future of the state’s coast to submit comments by Aug. 22. California's Coastal Management Program has been federally approved since 1978 and has consistently received strong evaluations for balancing coastal protection, public access, economic opportunity, and environmental stewardship. Read the section about why this is different and more about why it’s being targeted!
Big Bend in Texas: I shared a little about No Big Bend Wall and the bulldozers tearing into a national park and wilderness in Texas. The latest is that the wall construction is temporarily paused, but so much damage has already been done. And it doesn’t mean there aren’t more plans coming down the chute. Learn more here at NoBigBendWall.org.
Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument in Arizona: “Federal contractors are clearing protected Sonoran Desert habitat in a national park after the administration waived laws designed to protect natural resources and cultural sites, sidestepping extensive review typically required before large-scale project construction.” The insanity continues here with the building of a SECOND WALL! Read the press release with details.
More Than Just Parks is a resource I’ve shared before. Here are their most recent articles:
What Fighting Back Actually Looks Like (August 17th)
The Fourth Wave of American Conservationism is Washing Ashore Now (August 13th)
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Click the photos to go to the guides! Only 3 weekends left for daily splash pads and summer trolleys.
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Analog in OC - find a funky game
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