Make this your Summer of Play
Plus, summer trolleys and the newest beach playground
Summer Play Trips is a summer tradition started in 2011 that spilled into year-round fun. It’s the reason I started this email list and I know you look forward to it every summer. This is the recognizable graphic that goes along with my summer emails. Can you believe it made its debut back in 2015?!
It’s starting next week and will last through 8 weeks of summer and will take a week off around 4th of July. I’ve learned over the years that no one needs NEW ideas after in August. You’ll have some play trips that you missed over the weeks.
Each year I do something a little different and playful. I’ve had play-focused BINGO games, breakfast + park pairings, play plans, and explorations all over Orange County. I’m always trying to top myself, so I hope this year continues to bring a little fun to each week.
For Summer 2025 — I’ll still have a weekly Summer Play Trip in this free section of the newsletter. And I’ll have an EXTRA offering for paid annual subscribers who will get the exclusive printable Summer Play Guide (the 2nd printable guidebook promised for the year)! It will be unlike any resource available out there for Orange County families. (You won’t have to be a subscriber to get it if you want it, too. You will be able to grab your guide in my bookshop. I’ll have a special deal going next week.) I’m almost done with it!
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.
Fun Question of the Week
Are you traveling this summer or staying here in OC? I’ll tell you the answers next week.
LAST WEEK’S QUESTION: If you could have a play-focused guidebook for summer, pick the one that appeals to you most!?
This is how your answers ranked:
Beaches & pools & water play
Nature centers & tiny hikes play
8 weeks with DIY themes
Things to do after work and weekends
Libraries & reading play
The good news is that ALL of you will get your wish in the Summer Play Guide coming next week!
Parks and Play Trip Ideas: Newest Beach Playground and Summer Trolleys
Here’s a beach playground that might not have been on your radar. Lots of splash pads open this weekend AND the summer trolley schedules start, too.
Newport Elementary Shared Beach Playground
Newport Elementary shares this beach playground with the public. It’s ONLY open to the public during non-school hours. School hours are posted as Mon-Fri 8am-3pm September through June. You can only visit outside those hours.
It will be very busy down on the Balboa Peninsula this holiday weekend and summer, but if you happen to take a family bike ride or the Trolley then you might want to give it a try without having to fight for parking.
Remember to be aware of the limited hours. Click the button below to take you to the full playground guide!
All you need to know about those summer trolleys!
I have a whole tutorial with all sorts of tips for the 6 Free Summer Trolleys and How to Ride Them! Make this be the first summer you give it a try.
PLAY: Relish your summer with your kids
This is the section of the newsletter where we muse about PLAY or connecting to nature each week. I might share a video, an article, a book, or something inspiring. Just trying to help keep you empowered to prioritize play to benefit development and preserve childhood!
I like to kick off summer with this musing! If you are dreading summer, this might be a way for you to flip the script on yourself.
Here’s a little spoiler:
Reason #1 - Slowing Down for Long Lazy Days
Reason #2 - Counting Down Childhood in Summers
Reason #3 - Saying YES More
Reason #4 - Time to Travel -- Even If You're a Local Tourist
Reason #5 - Time to Be Bored!
But read the whole post to get the details and ideas!
Parks and Play News
Remember that it is Memorial Day weekend. That means traffic will be extra impacted on our OC freeways, especially on today and Monday. Try to keep that in mind if you are sticking around town — and get to your destinations EARLY if you are planning on the beaches.
This week, LA Times “The Wild” ran a piece about How to Avoid Being Stung by a Stingray and I thought it was a good resource to share.
Stanton Library branch of OC Public Libraries Grand Re-opening is scheduled for June 3rd.
Public Lands, Libraries, and Local Community Decisions
Thanks for coming along for the ride and being open to talking things out and figuring out actions to take. Let me know if we should switch this into my Broadcast Channel on Instagram. I have updates on the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), too. Let me know if you care.
National
The Endangered Species Act public comments reached over 200,000 submissions! Thank you if you read this email each week and took the time to enter your public comment to fight to make sure harm to habitat is not removed from the rule.
A piece of good news is that the sale of 500,000 acres of public lands that had been included in the reconciliation bill was struck because of our collective action. Here is a rundown on the whole thing and how it went down.
Local
City of Santa Ana is looking for public input on concept design of Griset Park. So make sure you get your voice heard if this is in your neighborhood. Here is the link to more info.
City of Laguna Niguel is wanting residents to weigh in on a proposed Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) Project that is under Environmental Review. Why It Matters: Compass Energy Storage LLC proposes locating the facility just 1500 feet from residential neighborhoods. The City opposes it and is asking for help by having residents attend the scoping meeting on May 29th and submitting written comments during the DRAFT EIR period. Here is the link to more info.
There is a big vote happening in Huntington Beach impacting libraries on June 10th. I’d just encourage you to vote for common sense. And don’t sit this one out. Yes on A & B. I never needed anyone telling me what library materials are appropriate for my own children. It’s a parenting issue, not a city council appointed review board issue. I trust that families can figure it out for themselves. Librarians are well-trained with advanced degrees for decisions regarding collections and I tend to defer to the experts. Finally, I’m usually against any efforts to privatize public resources. But that’s just my personal opinion! You’ll have to tell me your take.
Summer favorites
Go ahead and click the photos for the link to the guides. I’ll keep including them here for every week of summer!
This one includes:
Free fountains & splash pads
Theme parks with water play
Community pools and public swim programs
SoCal hotels with waterslides
And I’ve also got parks with shade covers of all sizes, starting with the ones with full shade.
The most complete shade cover in south county is at Lake Forest Sports Park playground in between the baseball diamonds. A similar one up north is Larwin Park in Buena Park.
Play-Filled Extras are waiting below this paywall each week for all paid subscribers.
Extras for This Week: 2 tiny hikes in places that might not be too crowded on a holiday weekend.