Summer Play Book: McCormick-Stillman Railroad Park

So Poppa came to visit last week and we wanted to take a morning trip somewhere. (Before the afternoon heat set in.)  We choose the McCormick-Stillman Railroad Park in Scottsdale.  I'd heard great things about it and based on the website, we thought it looked like a great outing for our team.

This team's opinion...it was AWESOME!  Super affordable, close, plenty of room to run and be loud, & fun...a perfect recipe for a great outing with our team!

Here are the highlights:

Train Ride:  At 2 tickets per person, it's a steal of a deal.  The ride was pretty long for the price.

Carousel:  Also 2 tickets per person.  It seemed to go on forever!  (Of course I was standing and riding backwards and my players had to ride it 2 times.)

Play Structures:  3 different ones for all ages.  Some really cool elements not seen at our local parks.

Old West Area:  Out in the sun and the sand got pretty hot.  They have a stagecoach the kids can crawl on
as well as a slide and a jail (makes a great photo).

Model Railroad Building:  It's air-conditioned, so it's a great way to cool off.  It's completely free.  They have 3 really neat sections that are works-in-progress.  LOTS to look at!

Hartley's General Store:  We stopped in for some yummy, cold ice cream.

*Tickets are $1/ea or you can buy 10/$12.

**Pullman car exhibit was closed.

They also have plenty of picnic tables space for a picnic lunch!

Riding the train.

Jonah & Poppa

The whistle was a little too loud! :)

Coming out of the tunnel...Eli was scared for Noah! :)

They all had to wear hats since Poppa came to visit!

Spinning around

Model Railroad building.

Lots of really cool details

Scowling criminals

Fun on the stagecoach. 

Old west area

For our Gaggie, who used to be a Hartley! :)

It was a really great morning!  I would highly recommend this day trip.  The only way it could be better...if it was fall! :)  I hope you check it out with your family!

~Kristee

Summer Play Book

Well summer is almost here.  Eli only has 2 days of school left.  This is my first summer with 4 at home.  I will admit, I'm a little scared!  It's gets SO hot here in the desert.  These boys NEED to be active.  The heat really makes that difficult.  And now that we've added an infant to the mix, it's also tricky logistically.

So I MUST have a Summer Play Book!  Last year I made a "Summer Bucket List".  It was a great idea & I certainly had good intentions.  We didn't get to nearly as many of the activities as I would have liked.  I wasn't feeling the best.  Turns out it was because of that unannounced player that we didn't yet know about! :)

This year I KNEW I needed try again.  My boys excel when they know what the plan for the day is!  In fact, they are a little OCD about it (they get that from their father).  Chaos ensues when they are left to their own devices for entertainment.  In addition to keeping my sanity, I want these boys to have fun!  I want to make lasting memories for them and create special traditions.

Most of these activities/day trips are free or cost very little.  That is a must!  The boys absolutely love doing crafts and anything hands on.  Most of these activities I've found on Pinterest.  So I thought I should at least TRY some of the things I've pinned.  I'll admit I spend WAY too much time on Pinterest.  But I figure what else can I do while feeding a baby?  :)  I've also included several day trips around town. (I'd love to have a few more ideas if anyone has any suggestions.)

In addition to our Summer Play Book, we are signed up for our church's VBS and Harkins Summer Movie Passes.  We'll also take trips to the pool, splash pad, parks, and take advantage of our sprinkler system.

So check it out!  I hope you find something you'll want to add to your summer list!  I'd love to hear what you have planned for the summer!  So please share your ideas.

Disclaimer:  These are in no particular order & I am certainly not delusional enough to actually believe we will accomplish all of these! :) If you are unable to get any of the links to work, please let me know & I will update them!

Summer Play Book-2013

Glowing Mountain Dew
Glow Sticks in Bubbles
Monster Straw Painting
Monster Cookies
Scorpion Hunt
Foam Bookmarks
Fry an Egg Outside
Homemade Bread & Butter
Lava Lamps
Bottle Cap Stampers
Rock Candy
Slime
Fondue Party
Ice Cream in a Bag
Popsicle Stick Bracelets
Finger paint name print
Cement Stepping Stones
Water Transfer Experiment
Crayon Hot Rocks
Tempe Beach Park
Nature Scavenger Hunt
Bouncy Balls
Make it Rain
Organ Stop Pizza
Desert Breeze Park
Salt River
Homemade Bubbles
Simon Says Art
Make Popsicles
Dirt Pudding
McCormick-Stillman Railroad Park
Fountain Hills
Casa Grande Ruins
Write & Illustrate a book
Origami
Balloon Ping Pong
Disney Theme Movie Night
Make & take Treats to the church office
Watch Despicable Me 2
Watch Monster's University
Library Summer Reading Program
Toy Track Painting