On the weekends we enjoy taking family adventures. Today's adventure was a short one since we needed to spend time preparing for company around the house. Earlier in the week I had heard that O'Connell Park just had a parent/child swing installed. The formal name for this swing is a generations swing. It allows and adult to share a swing with a baby/small child or a baby/small child and an older child to both be pushed by one adult.
Arriving at the park it is tucked into a neighborhood. You will need to watch for the City Park signs when you are near. It seems small, but when you drive in you can see that it is pretty expansive. The park recently had many upgrades completed by the City thanks to donations.
The playground is a little bit of a walk from the parking lot, especially if you have small children. You have to go around the tennis courts (newly refinished), hockey rink, and picnic shelter to get to the playground. The playground has a nice sidewalk to get to it so a stroller might help in getting to and from.
The play area has a 2 main play structures, a few scattered small play pieces, and a row of swings. The play structures are geared toward toddlers and then older children. The play surface is wood chips. There is a bench for parents to monitor the play ground from along with the picnic shelter in close proximity.
The park was relatively quiet while we were there. It is a bit sunny since the trees near the play area are still small. The rest of the park is primarily grass and wetlands. There are is a soccer field and baseball field along with a walking trail through the park. It is nice that while the park has water it is not easily accessible to young children since the shores are covered in tall grass.
We enjoyed checking out the double swing. It was fun as a parent to be able to see his face up close. The swing was super easy to move even when actively swinging. It is different then many of the double swings I have seen as it has chains like a traditional swing instead of the "bar shape".
Today Little A and I headed to the Mall of America to check out the new Crayola Experience. Just yesterday we bought a season pass so we were excited to see what it was all about. It was a rainy day here in Minnesota so a perfect day for the mall.
One tip: I always gets to the mall a little before 10 when stores open, this allows me to park close to an entrance. I have a stroller so I watch which floors I park on so I don’t have to deal with the stairs or elevator. You want to park in the East Parking Garage on the opposite end from Sears, to the south to be close to Crayola Experience. I always park near Nordstrom’s on the Arizona Level in the West Parking Ramp though. I am still nursing and always appreciate the Women’s lounge with nursing room at Nordstrom’s. I typically stop here on our way out so I can nurse before he falls asleep in the car and do a diaper change if needed.
Since we bought our pass yesterday online we had to check in at the desk. It was not busy and we were helped right away. I had a terrible picture taken and was given an official pass. Little A is under 2 so he is free! Living locally a pass is a great deal. If you are planning to go more than once the pass pays for itself. We plan to use the pass often as we frequently go to the mall and this will be a great place to expend energy.
Upon entering each person is given two coins to use for the crayon wrapping station and model magic vending machine. You can purchase more if needed once inside.
Going in it is obvious this place is built around creativity. It is brightly decorated, spaced out appropriately, and geared to even young kids. I appreciated that there were staff everywhere ready to help. They would check in with you and assist if needed. While many of the activities are geared toward kids a little older than mine, I felt that he was able to enjoy things as well. I think we will grow into this Experience as he becomes more mobile.
One of Little A’s favorite spots was the interactive floor. In a large room there are images projected onto the floor that he was able to crawl around on and other kids ran on. There were multiple activities, but one of the coolest was a giant air hockey game that you could kick or push the puck virtually to try to score a goal. It would bounce of the edges and anyone else that happened to be on the screen.
I thought there were a wide variety of activities that could keep a kid busy for a few hours. They had a snack bar and a cafe if you happened to need a short break. They also have 2 play ground areas that would allow you to burn some energy. The smaller playground is ages 2-4. I think Little A will like it soon when he is more mobile and independent. It is very closed in for safety so it is hard to help littles ones climb unless you are very agile. There is a padded area great for crawling outside of it and little critters they can climb on as well. On one wall is a giant “lite bright” it has colored pegs they can move to make new designs.
One thing unique about this place was the amount of things you take home with you compared to other museums. We came home with a custom crayon, a crayon we made with a mold, a spin art creation, and multiple other pieces of art. I wish as an adult I could spend a couple hours there solo, perhaps they will have adult nights. I had a hard time being too creative holding a 9 month old who likes to be on the go.
One of the big questions I know many had was what ages would this interest most, I think I would say 4-10 would be ideal. I think this is the stage where they would have the attention span for some activities and still be young enough to be impressed by the magic aspect of exhibits.
I think my little one and I will enjoy the space nonetheless. I think next time we would focus on the interactive floor and playground area. He also though loved the activities with tablets/computers. At home these are off limits so he was excited just to touch them and watch them react to his touch.
The Museum also has a movie that we did not watch on the making of crayons. They do birthday parties as well off of the Cafe Area. The gift shop could be dangerous, I felt somethings were quite pricey. I wish they had infant sized clothing items, Little A almost came home with a shirt that would make him look like a giant crayon. These in onsies would be great! I also thought it was strange they were selling merchandise branded with their other location in Eaton, PA. It seemed very out of place.
As a local this is a great deal, but I am not sure how well it will go over with visitors. It may go over well since MOA is a destination spot. It is expensive once you add the fact you have to pay for all the adults along with the child. There was a family when I was there with 2 grandparents and a grandchild that really had to weight whether it would be worth it or not. Grandparents are known for spoiling though, so of course they went.
I compiled a short video of the sites inside for you to check out. Please be sure to ask any questions, I would love to answer them in a follow up post.
. There is a padded area great for crawling outside of it and little critters they can climb on as well. On one wall is a giant “lite bright” it has colored pegs they can move to make new designs.