
Let’s Go Out And Play!
his resource of ideas was put together by Boyer’s team of Occupational Therapists (OT) to help families identify safe and free activities and places to go during the pandemic. Figuring out safe ways to get out of the home (virtually or in real life) and engage in activities together is important for many reasons: it supports the emotional well-being of the whole family, provides exposure to sensory input to help with self-regulation, and offers new opportunities for you to interact and play!
Scroll down find four sections of ideas: Public Gardens & P-Patches, Parks & Playgrounds, Virtual Activities & Adventures, Arts & Crafts, and Other Fun & Free Adventure Ideas. Also, on the bottom of this page is information on how to get to your destination (bus, car, walking and biking.)
Not sure what to do once you’ve arrived? Talk to your OT or other members of your care team about fun activities to try at these spots to support your child’s development! Make sure you to keep yourself and the community safe through social distancing, washing your hands, and wearing a mask whenever possible.
Note: You can still go outside and play even if it’s rainy and cold – with the right clothing and the right attitude! Talk to your Family Resource Coordinator (FRC) if you need help finding winter clothes.
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Public Gardens & P-Patches:
Directory of all p-patches (community gardens) in Seattle:
Map: https://www.seattle.gov/neighborhoods/programs-and-services/p-patch-community-gardening/p-patch-map
List: https://www.seattle.gov/neighborhoods/programs-and-services/p-patch-community-gardening/p-patch-list
Kubota Garden: https://kubotagarden.org/index.html
Description: This 20-acre garden in Rainier Beach is free and is full of ponds, bridges, and lots of peaceful paths. Some parts of the garden are wheelchair-accessible.
Washington Park Arboretum: https://botanicgardens.uw.edu/washington-park-arboretum/
Description: All parts of the Washington Park Arboretum, with the exception of the Japanese Garden, are open to the public and are free of charge. It’s a 230-acre wonderland of plants and trails on the shores of Lake Washington.
Interbay P-patch: https://www.seattle.gov/neighborhoods/programs-and-services/p-patch-community-gardening/p-patch-list/interbay
Description: This p-patch is a hidden oasis off a busy street; lovely paths wind through beautiful gardens and past bee hives. If you have a train lover in your family, listen & watch for trains at the back of the garden. The area is mostly fenced off.
Seattle Children’s PlayGarden/Colman Playground: https://childrensplaygarden.org/october-at-the-playgarden/
Description: The Seattle Children’s PlayGarden is a 1 acre fully fenced garden & playground in the heart of Seattle that also houses an inclusive preschool. Their mission is to provide children with all abilities a safe, accessible and adventurous place to play.
Beacon Food Forest: https://beaconfoodforest.org/
Description: This urban farm was started in 2009 and combines permaculture with community gardening. Help yourself to edible fruit, nuts, and herbs! They offer ADA accessible raised beds.
Streissguth Gardens: http://streissguthgardens.com/
Description: Located on a steep hillside, this capitol hill garden has great views & flowers year round, as well as free wifi.
Beacon Food Forest * Interbay P-Patch * Seattle Children’s PlayGarden
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Parks & Playgrounds (re-opened as of October 6, 2020):
COVID guidelines: https://parkways.seattle.gov/2020/10/05/play-areas-reopen-starting-oct-6/
Seward Park: https://www.seattle.gov/parks/find/parks/seward-park
Green Lake: https://www.seattle.gov/parks/find/parks/green-lake-park
Jefferson Park: https://www.seattle.gov/parks/find/parks/jefferson-park
Gas Works Park: https://www.seattle.gov/parks/find/parks/gas-works-park
Lincoln Park: https://www.seattle.gov/parks/find/parks/lincoln-park
Magnuson Park: https://www.seattle.gov/parks/find/parks/magnuson-park
Discovery Park: https://www.seattle.gov/parks/find/parks/discovery-park
Carkeek Park: https://www.seattle.gov/parks/find/parks/carkeek-park
Coe Play Park: https://www.seattle.gov/parks/find/parks/coe-play-park
Martha Washington Park: http://www.seattle.gov/parks/find/parks/martha-washington-park
Pritchard Island Beach: http://www.seattle.gov/parks/find/parks/pritchard-island-beach
Rainier Beach Playfield: http://www.seattle.gov/parks/find/parks/rainier-beach-playfield
Rainer Beach Urban Farm & Wetlands: http://www.tilthalliance.org/about/rainier-beach-urban-farm-wetlands
Othello Playground: http://www.seattle.gov/parks/find/parks/othello-playground
Lakeridge Playfield: http://www.seattle.gov/parks/find/parks/lakeridge-playfield
Lakeridge Park: http://www.seattle.gov/parks/find/parks/lakeridge-park
Seattle Children’s PlayGarden/Colman Playground: https://childrensplaygarden.org/october-at-the-playgarden/
To see this list and others in map format, follow this link: https://goo.gl/maps/HKR4zHmd2KpJoHgi6 Look for parks closest to you by searching “Park” on a map. Maybe you will discover a new favorite spot!
Carkeek Park * Magnuson Park * Pritchard Island Beach
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Virtual Activities & Adventures:
Families of Color Seattle (FOCS): This organization runs parent groups (currently virtual) and community events for families of color, including regular mindfulness and a zoom happy hour. They just started a parent group for queer & trans parents of color! https://www.focseattle.org/events/
Space Needle: Check out the view through their webcam! https://www.spaceneedle.com/webcam/
Woodland Park Zoo: Staff shared lots of fun activities for young kids while they were closed earlier this year. Check it out here: https://blog.zoo.org/search/label/zoomazium
Note: The zoo has re-opened for in-person visits. Learn more here: https://www.zoo.org/visit
Pacific Science Center: They have tons of virtual activities, including virtual planetarium and science shows, crafts, songs, and more! https://www.pacificsciencecenter.org/events-programs/curiosity-at-home/early-childhood/
Seattle Aquarium: See how the otters and seals are doing through live webcams, or check out their archived videos to see staff feed the octopus! https://www.seattleaquarium.org/live-cams
PJ Story Time: Island Books (located on Mercer Island) hosts virtual story times with Nancy Stewart. Check out their YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/nancymusic1000/featured
Seattle Public Libraries (SPL): Some locations are offering curbside pick-up to check out and return books. You can also access audiobooks, movies, TV, and music online. Anyone who is 13 or older, lives in Seattle, and has a mobile phone can sign up for a library card!
- Virtual events calendar (for both kids & adults): https://www.spl.org/event-calendar
- Story time: https://www.spl.org/programs-and-services/fun-and-games/story-time
- Spanish story time: https://www.spl.org/programs-and-services/kids-and-families/kids-and-families-spanish-calendar
- Kaleidoscope Play & Learn: SPL, King County and Denise Louie collaborate to offer these short virtual weekly guided play groups every Friday at 10am! Find the zoom link plus pre-recorded sessions here: https://deniselouie.org/virtual-play-and-learn/
King County Library System (KCLS): These libraries are located around the Eastside (Bellevue, Kirkland, Redmond) and most offer curbside pick-up to check out and return books. You can also access audiobooks, movies, TV, and music online. Get a library card here: https://w3.kcls.org/get-a-library-card
- Event Calendar (story times, art & science activities, and more): https://kcls.bibliocommons.com/events/
- Kids (eBooks, audiobooks, music, TV, videos): https://kcls.org/kids/
Explore Google Earth: https://www.google.com/intl/en_us/earth/education/explore-earth/
- Disneyland: Click here to “go” to Disneyland
- Great Barrier Reef (you can go underwater!): Click here to “go” to the Great Barrier Reef
- Olympic National Park: Click here to “go” to Olympic National Park
Disneyland * Seattle Public Library Storytime * Woodland Park Zoo
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Arts & Crafts:
Craft projects for toddlers: https://handsonaswegrow.com/30-creative-toddler-craft-art-projects/
Coyote Central (many of these are more appropriate for elementary age children): https://coyotecentral.org/interactive
Burke Museum: Check out their printable coloring pages, nature scavenger hunt, and virtual events & exhibits. https://www.burkemuseum.org/education/families-and-youth/burkefromhome
Seattle ReCreative: Learn how to make crafts with reused materials. Many of their events are for older kids 5+. You can also go to their store to find affordable reused creative materials! https://www.facebook.com/seattlerecreative/
Seattle’s Child offers some art activity ideas in a blog entry here: https://www.seattleschild.com/stay-home-and-make-art-screen-free-art-activities-and-local-online-arts-programs-for-families/
Teacher Raven from Roaring Mouse Creative Arts Studio guides you through art activities and hosts story times: https://www.facebook.com/RoaringMouseArt/ You can also purchase monthly craft kits.
Roaring Mouse Creative Art Studio * Burke Museum * Coyote Central
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Other Fun & Free Adventure Ideas:
- Is there a construction site in your neighborhood? Visit it and watch the machines and construction workers do their work!
- Look for little free libraries.
- Instead of driving to a nearby destination to run errands, bundle up and walk to make it into a family adventure.
- Scavenger hunt in your neighborhood or at a park. (e.g. find 10 buses, trucks, trees, squirrels)
- Take a walk! Try to collect something from every color of the rainbow.
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How Do I Get To My Destination?
- Drive: Type in the name of your destination to look up directions here
- Bus: https://kingcounty.gov/depts/transportation/metro/travel-options/bus.aspx Note: Scroll toward the bottom to “Select Language” to translate this website into 20+ different languages.
- Walk: Type in the name of your destination to look up directions here
- Bike: http://www.familybike.org/guide-to-family-biking/family-biking-getting-started/