Where to play indoors
Not only for rainy days, but also for windy and smoky days
We all have our stories from the past few days. Whether it’s firefighters in your family. Friends who lost homes. Empathy for everyone involved. Personal attachments to the places that are fixtures in our Southern California lives and trying to hold onto the memories we made in those places that will never be the same.
No matter what you hear through news and social media over the next few days and months, remember this: Winds were blowing 50mph, 80mph, 100mph — that’s Cat 1 up to Cat 2 hurricane strength winds — but add in a December with NO rain (we usually have green in our hills by now!) and then add fire. There was no stopping it.
It does make you feel helpless. I was born and have lived in Southern California for all but a few years of my life. I’m a nature nerd + a weather nerd. I live by — and look for — patterns in nature and weather and they are usually somewhat predictable with rhythms of the seasons and years.
It is getting predictably unpredictable. Fire danger that used to be reserved just for homeowners who knowingly took their chances backed up to fire prone zones were the only ones at risk. Ever since the wind-driven Tubbs Fire in Santa Rosa in 2017 which destroyed homes and took lives with little to no notice and burned right through a whole suburban city, the game felt like it changed. That one along with the Eagle Creek Fire in Oregon made me very worried about the impacts of any and all future fires.
We are in this together and I believe we can help each other and find solutions. That’s what we do, right? We must take care of each other. Because when we take care of each other it means we’ll all end up taking care of the nature that we all love and make sure it’s here for our children and their children.
Sending hugs to all,
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.
Indoor play for windy and smoky days
I did take the opportunity to go through this post and make sure it’s updated for 2025. Let me know what I missed!
Click each of the photo below to go to the full blog post!
PLAY: Kids still need play
This is the section of the newsletter where we talk 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!
No lectures, no research, no specifics in this section today. It’s just something that has personally helped me, as a mom, through many a world event, natural disaster, family crisis.
No matter what is happening in the world or how it’s making you feel as a parent, kids still need play. They are young. They can’t truly know the depths of emotions you are feeling. They might not understand why their normal routine or the family mood is off.
I have sat at the playground and cried from a distance while my kids played. I have grit my teeth in worry and stress while my kids played. Getting outdoors or even sitting on the couch while they played with LEGO nearby, still allowed them time to play and gave me time to process.
Back to the basics time to breathe, sleep, eat, love, and play is enough.
Play-Filled Extras are now waiting below this paywall each week for all paid subscribers. Thanks for your support!