Summer travel: Hoboken + a pier playground

About three weeks ago we went up to NY to visit my brother and his wife.  Early on Saturday morning, the temperature was above the triple digits, but we crossed two rivers (from Brooklyn to Hoboken, NJ) and skipped Manhattan this time.  And although it was extremely hot, we managed to enjoy the view.  

The really cool playground, called Pier C is on a small pier across from Manhattan's Battery Park area.  Although the skies were hazy with heat, lower Manhattan was still very visible. The eco-friendly playground is surrounded by tall trees and other vegetation, which helps in keeping it cooler than its surroundings. 

So long, Hoboken, stay pretty!

Kids Zone: Ceative playtime

Kids play with the darnest things. When I was a child we played elastic band, a game where two kids get inside a long (35") elastic tied at the corners and held by their ankles.  A third kid jumps inside the loop doing a variety of tricky jumping steps as the band gets higher and the game gets harder.  We'd play for hours on end, and sometimes when there was a shortage of kids we would use chairs to hold the elastic in place. We also played with marbles and the game of STOP, with paper and pencil we would go down the alphabet writing all the things we knew with that letter and adding points.

There's an undisturbed innocence when you watch children play with the most creative and organic things.  I always said my kids would play with toys and things that sparked their creativity and curiosity.  I'll do my best when Emilu starts playing seriously.

{Images via HipHip Hooray}

An unusual day at the playground

I hate it when we make assumptions.  Today at the playground, assumptions were made, both ways.  I was on the floor with Emilu under the shade and there was a foreign-looking guy (a parent) close to us.  I had seen him by the swings with his daughter and wife.  During one casual glance at them, I caught him, jealously nodging his wife away, who was pushing the swing and loudly laughing with her daughter. They looked Middle Eastern. I made no big deal out of this.  All family dynamics are different, and yet, special.

Cuteness

I recently discovered how much Emilu loves the rocking motion. On a recent trip to the playground she was instantly hooked on the swing and now all she desires is to be swinging in the rocking chair. Simply adorable.

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