Toddler Adventure at Valley Nursery

Tuesdays are wonderful days in Springland because I get to spend all day with my best two-year old friend, Coco Parker.

After dance class in the morning we have some free time before lunch, so I like to do something fun, unusual and educational.

Last week we went to a park and walked in the woods, where she learned about Red Alder catkins and we marveled together at a Rufuos Hummingbird that hovered above our heads.

This week the sky threatened rain and I needed potting soil, so I thought I’d take a chance and see if we could make Valley Nursery a playground since it was on our way home. I spent my first ten years growing up on a plant nursery, so I secretly hoped she would love it, but I was dubious.

Little did I know, we were in for a treat!

First of all, the garden art near the parking lot was a playground in and of itself, with roosters and butterflies and all kinds of colorful things.

When a staff person saw how infatuated she was with the metal rooster, she said, “Did you know we have a REAL rooster and some chickens?”

Coco and I looked at each other, grinned, took each others’ hands, and ran in the direction she had pointed.

We spent the next fifteen minutes hanging out with the chickens and the rooster, cockadoodle-doing and talking about who’s a boy and who’s a girl.

Then we found the koi pond and the little gnome home next to it – a beautiful site for any age.

It started to sprinkle, so we headed into the greenhouse, where we smelled all kinds of herbs and talked about what a greenhouse does. Peppermint proved to be the winning smell in the herb department.

The inside of the store proved to be almost too much stimulation, so I paid for my soil, we said, “Goodbye Rooster!” while a Valley employee loaded the soil for me, and off we went for nap time.

It was a perfectly fun activity, though Cricket was a little jealous of the little human that takes her place on adventures sometimes. All the activity made for a sleepy ride home!

What are your favorite free, environmental-ish activities for kids?

Happy Adventuring!

Spring

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