Before You Kill The Kids

This is the time of year when things start to get really tough for life with kids in Seattle. The holiday diversions are over and the kids are bored and denting the walls. The cold, seeping rain is rotting out that last vestige of sunny disposition in your soul. The slides at the parks get their butts wet and there’s only so many trips you can make to the zoo before you’ll …. just … CRACK

But wait! Click through this top ten list first:

1. The Lynnwood Recreation Center: The most glorious recreation center in our area, the pool is more or less the same thing as Great Wolf Lodge but for $3.50 instead of $350. It’s only a couple years old- I think Lynnwood maybe wanted to one-up their neighbor’s Montlake rec center. Closer to home there’s the Ballard Pool, which offers public swim times with a rope thingie (swing), a water slide, and pool noodles / toys in the shallow area (thanks Kay!)
2. Frisbee Disc Golf in the Northwest: Unlike regular golf, disc golf is generally free, doesn’t impact the environment, and can be played even in drizzly weather. A good way to get started is to get discs at Sports Authority in Northgate and then go across I-5 to the Northgate disc golf course.
3. Biking to U-Village or 3rd Place Books: Despite all the gold plated luxury SUV’s there, you’ll have a lot more fun if you visit University Village by bike. If you get more ambitious you can go up to Matthews Beach and then on to 3rd Place Books on the recently renovated Burke Gillman trail. If you live in North Wallingford go around Green Lake and then down through Ravenna park so as to avoid all the cars and have a nice uphill journey.
4. Play mini golf! You’ve got 2 decent choices in Seattle that I’ve found- Interbay mini golf, or the fun center way down south (the one up north is kinda lame). If you go to the fun center down south, pair it up with a trip to kubota gardens (as cool as the japanese gardens in the arbortum AND free!)
5. Explore Golden Gardens or Ravenna Park at Low Tide: Did you know Golden Gardens got a new playground? When there’s a hint of reasonable weather find a beach you haven’t visited and go at low tide, which starts to get decent as the spring advances. Bring something warm like hot chocolate and coffee. If you get there early, park away from the beach and force the kids to walk down the hill to the beach. You’ll trick them into enjoying a walk!
6. Go to a kid friendly museum or tour: The Burke and Henry museums make a good pair to visit at UW. Boeing offers up the world’s largest factory up north, or you can go see the history of flight down south.
7. Walk from the Japanese garden to MOHAI through the arboretum: On the map, MOHAI is just north of marsh island. In my experience dad has to run back to the car at the Japanese garden and drive back to get everybody, but the whole walk / run is gorgeous and through marsh land away from cars. A really nice day regardless of weather.
8. Time your visit to the zoo or Seattle Center: To make it fun don’t repeat what you’ve done before. Too bad Whirligig is cancelled this year due to center house renovations.
9. Plan a bike trip! Seattle provides a free bike map, plus there’s google bike maps. A couple of the better ones I’ve done include starting at Jack Block park and going to Alki Playground, and starting at Palisades and going to the Olympic Sculpture Park or the aquarium.
10. Sign up to use our community centers: They have a good sign up system for kids sports and fantastic gym facilities at locations like the new Northgate CC. Why spend a gazillion dollars every month for kids activities and a gym membership? Spring sign up starts this Tuesday at noon!

That’s my top 10 winter things for Seattle with kids. What have you got figured out for Seattle winters?