Patriarch Park

Corner of Saginaw and Alton Road
East Lansing, MI
Across the street from St. Thomas Aquinas Parish and School

What we Like about Patriarch Park:
* Huge Playground (wooden)
* 4 baby swings
* Toddler Playground
* Unusual structures
* Great for obstacle course
* Wooden playground is fenced in
* Several other playgrounds within park
* Baseball diamond
* Trails
* Letterboxing
* Decent bathrooms
* Picnic Tables
* The wooden playground is nicely shaded.

What we Don't Like:
* Nothing

Note: There are sign up stating that the park is going to be re-built in September. Several moms were wondering why? It seems perfectly fine as is.

Granger Meadows Park

Between Business 27,
Wood Road, South of State Rd.
76-Acres in Dewitt Township.

This treasure of a park is tucked between Business 27, State Road and Wood Road in DeWitt Township. We happened upon it purely by accident, but have returned often.

What we like about Granger Meadows:
* Wood chips On The Playground
* Playground (with baby swings, climbing rock and nice climbing structure)
* Baby Swings
* Clean Bathrooms
* In-line skating rink
* Basketball court and softball field
* Trails
* Picnic tables
* Ponds
* Wildlife Observation
* Great sledding hill in winter or climbing hill during the summer
* Ponds

What we do not like:
* Mosquitoes
* Ticks (We discovered a tick after walking near one of the ponds, off the trail. Its best to put bug spray on before and check for ticks afterward)

Nearby:
* DeWitt
* Eastwood Towne Centre

"Granger built and donated a 76-acre park to DeWitt Township in 2005 as part of a Host Community Agreement (HCA) to structure the future development of the Wood Road Landfill." http://www.grangernet.com/about/grangerMeadows.php

Hawk Island Park

East Cavanaugh Road Lansing,MI 48910 (between Penselvania & Aurelius)

What we like about Hawk Island
*Niceish bathrooms
*tunnel sides
*2 spider net webs (fun)
*Toddler playground (with baby/toddler swings)
*Wood chips
*Water park
*swings
*Monkey bars
*parallel bars
*Shady picnic tables
*DOG PARK

What we don't like about it
*long walk from bathroom to playground
*Have to pay to get in ($2.00, but they do waive this is paying is a hardship)
*Loud hand air driers in bathroom

Bonus Features:
* Great Playground
* Cleaner Bathrooms
* Hiking Trails (connected to Lansing River Trail)
* Baby Swings
* Wheelchair/stroller accessible
* Picnic Tables under Shade tents
* Safe Atmosphere
* Toddler Playground
* Swimming Pond with beach and Splash Park
* Boardwalk along water for observing wildlife or fishing
* Letterboxing & geocaching
* Several Pavilions
* Dog Park (Note: Dogs are not allowed in certain areas of this park. Dog park is completely fenced in and regularly monitored by officials for Dog licenses. Fines charged for dogs without a license.)
* Boat Rentals

Get Set...!

To make the most of these days at the parks, we have put together an "Exploration Kit". Sounds fancy, but it's simply a box of necessities that I can keep in the truck or car that provides us with everything we need while playing. Here's what we've included: (if you have any other ideas, please comment!)

* Old table cloth for sitting in the grass or covering picnic tables
* First Aid kit
* Sunscreen
* Bug Spray
* Baby Wipes
* Hand Sanitizer
* A bottle of water for rinsing injuries or hands
* Letter boxing bag (for more on letterboxing, visit http://letterboxing.org or www.geocaching.com for information on Geocaching (similar to letterboxing, but uses GPS)
* A change of clothes for little ones (because there will most likely be a slide with a puddle at the bottom!)

Things we add to the box before we leave for the park:
* Snacks
* Water bottles

On Your Mark...

This blog has become a family project as well as a writing assignment for our daughters through the summer - a purpose to write about what we love - Playing! To make the summer extra special and affordable, we decided to explore different parks, playgrounds and campgrounds in Michigan. What we are discovering is the beauty of Michigan, the community within the parks, the resources available to us for no cost. Now that Michigan State Parks are using the Passport Program ($10 payable with your license renewal to give you access to all State Parks - previously available for about $30.00/year) the natural beauty of Michigan will be rediscovered. Match that with the economy in such a sad state, and Presto! Michigan Parks can become a mini-vacation: day-cation resorts.

We have chosen parks around Lansing, Brighton, Grand Rapids, Cheboygan, and everywhere in between. If you know of a park that your family loves, please let us know. In the meantime, grab your keys a map and get outside. It's a great day to explore! (and children sleep better if they have played outside...just in case you needed more motivation!)