Pack a Bag For An Afternoon at the Park

I take my son to the neighbourhood park almost every single day. I’ve figured out some amazing ways to keep us entertained there and enjoy the great outdoors for an afternoon. Hopefully you will find some of these tips helpful.

I’ve outfitted our wagon with a few key items so we won’t forget some of the essentials whenever we head out.

I’ve attached a small bike basket to the side so my son can easily reach his water bottle on the ride, and I used a bungee cord to keep mine from flopping around. The bungee cord also secures a bottle of hand wipes and some insect repellent. It’s hard to see, but there is a garage door opener on the rail too. And of course, we have sand tools so we don’t have to think about packing them on any of our trips.

When we get to the park, I lay out a tarp and secure it with some tent pegs. This is a great thing to do because we can set up our playmat even if the ground is slightly damp. It’s particularly important for our park too because of the geese that like to leave droppings all over the place.

My son likes to help set up the blanket that we lay down next. Here you can see him playing with the building block set . We only play with this style of blocks at the park and he’s always eager to build with them.

After we have played for a while, we take some time to read some great books.

The pillow that keeps my son comfy on the ride, becomes a nice headrest for me as I read a book. Some days I only get to read a page or two as my son pulls me to play with him. That’s why I like to read non-fiction at the park. I keep a book in the bag and dip in and out of it with ease. It sometimes takes me a month or more to read this park book, but I don’t mind.

I also pack a pencil case as a sort of mini diaper bag. There is a diaper in a bag that can be used to throw it out afterwards. A small baggie with wipes and some hand sanitizer can sure come in handy. And for good measure, I stuffed an extra pair of socks and some sunscreen too.

I love our blanket time and it is often the best part of our day together.

If you don’t have a park nearby, you can try having blanket time in your own yard or even at the beach.