Help! I have to get the kid out of the house

[smalltowncitygirl]

Please dont think that all people that live in the area are like this. They really arent. I am not familiar with the akron/canton area but if you have a computer you can get on line I know cleveland has a website and Im sure the other city's do also. Just type in things to do in the area. I know tons of things will come up. I always liked the science muesum. but that might wait until your baby gets a little bigger. Sorry I couldn't be more help. Dont listen to the rude people

[ImaMichigander]

Originally Posted by 1watertiger

the most stupid question ive heard in along time... why did you have kids if you cant even think of a way to occupy a toddler.?. building blocks, coloring books, etc... or is everything an xbox today ?

Wow was that judgemental... And unkind! Who are you to judge? And you didn't even make a decent reply... This is a legitimate question and completely appropriate for this forum.

I have an 8, 4 and 2 year old and I have the exact same complaint here in Findlay. It is that you want to do something with your child to engage them outside of the home. Too cold for the zoo or the park. Not currently enough snow for sledding.

Where we moved from in MI there was a petting farm about 15 minutes from our home.

There were 3 different indoor play areas, think super-sized McDonald playlands, but inside, unlike the McD's around here. They were 30-to 45 minutes away.

We had places like Pump It Up with big inflatable play areas-- at least 3 within 15 minutes.

We had Cosi in Toledo until it closed and the Ann Arbor Hands On Museum, which were each 45 minutes away.

We also had a variety of metro parks, with small nature centers, each about 10 minutes away.

We had Greenfield Village and the Henry Ford-- Awesome.

Girlfriend, in NEOhio, I feel your pain. I am experiencing the same here in NWOhio. I love where I live, I really do, but there is nothing here to do with kids on the weekends in the winter.

[ImaMichigander]

It really makes me angry when people rant on the forum to someone who asked a legitimate question. As per my reply, I am new to Ohio and the kid-friendly culture here is not abundant, unless you live in some of the bigger cities. Seems our new friend in Akron is experiencing the same. So let's not isolate the new folks any more than we have to...

Didn't anyone ever teach you that if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all?

Gosh this is making me angry. NEOhio, as a Michigander who now lives in OH, I am sorry that you got such unkind responses.

And to our Moderator, perhaps a little direction on this thread is needed for the people who can't seem to answer the question.

[NEOhioBound]

Thank you to those that actually made suggestions. I like being able to get my son out of the house to age appropriate places. We made the drive to Cleveland Children's Museum and he had a ball. Next month we are driving out to COSI in Columbus (went there in grade school and thought it was the best museum ever) and to the Columbus zoo for a weekend.

I will definitely look into the legitimate suggestions posted here. Thank you

To the others who had nothing to offer to the question at hand.. there is a back button on your browser. Learn to use it.

[JR_C]

We weren't able to take a field trip to COSI in elementary school. But they brought an exhibit to our school every year, and I always looked forward to it.

It's been a very long time since I've been to the Cleveland zoo. But their rainforest exhibit might be interesting for a young child. Cleveland Metroparks Zoo - Virtual Tour (and you'd get a reminder of what the NE Ohio summer is like! )

Also, when I was a kid, we went here: StarkParks: SANDERS WILDLIFE REHABILITATION CENTER It was a small facility, but had some interesting stuff a child might like. I don't know if it's open to the public anymore, though.

[ImaMichigander]

Originally Posted by JR_C

We weren't able to take a field trip to COSI in elementary school. But they brought an exhibit to our school every year, and I always looked forward to it.

It's been a very long time since I've been to the Cleveland zoo. But their rainforest exhibit might be interesting for a young child. Cleveland Metroparks Zoo - Virtual Tour (and you'd get a reminder of what the NE Ohio summer is like! )

Also, when I was a kid, we went here: StarkParks: SANDERS WILDLIFE REHABILITATION CENTER It was a small facility, but had some interesting stuff a child might like. I don't know if it's open to the public anymore, though.

The rain forest in Cleveland is great! All inside and you can see a lot of critters pretty close up...

Also, I just took all three of my kids and 2 neighbor kids bowling. Now my little guy and the little neighbor girl are both just over two. They had a HOOT and got a 96 and 90. The alley put up the bumpers and then there is a little rack that they set the ball on and push it down... They totally did it themselves and LOVED it. An added bonus is that OH bowling alleys are smoke free. Not the case in MI, so we really appreciated it all the more!

[000000]

Originally Posted by 1watertiger

the most stupid question ive heard in along time... why did you have kids if you cant even think of a way to occupy a toddler.?. building blocks, coloring books, etc... or is everything an xbox today ?

the stupidest response i've read on this board... i may be disagreeable at times, but my god the original question in no way warranted an attack on a loving mother asking a simple question in an non self-righteous manner.

[aguafria]

Originally Posted by NEOhioBound

Thank you to those that actually made suggestions. I like being able to get my son out of the house to age appropriate places. We made the drive to Cleveland Children's Museum and he had a ball. Next month we are driving out to COSI in Columbus (went there in grade school and thought it was the best museum ever) and to the Columbus zoo for a weekend.

I will definitely look into the legitimate suggestions posted here. Thank you

To the others who had nothing to offer to the question at hand.. there is a back button on your browser. Learn to use it.

Hi there! I'm sorry some people are being such dorks on here. But anyways, have you heard of Do something, Learn something, Share something, Change something - Meetup.com I belong to a mom's group on there and it's been wonderful. A lot of groups think of different places to go or just have playdates, etc.

Hopefully you can open this link.
Akron, OH Meetup Groups - Meetup.com

[gentlearts]

Thankfully, the weather seems to be breaking at last. The Akron or Cleveland zoos would be good on a warm day. Maybe a Rec. Center near you has swimming lessons or tot activities? Our library system has Mom and toddler story hours.
If you're really desparate, go to the local Pet Store and look at the kittens, gerbils and fish, etc.

[gatorz]

Gee, sorry to hear you getting so much grief for asking a question. There is nothing wrong with getting out of the house with your little one. Look on-line for a Mom's group. I know when my kids were little I attended these and it was really nice because there were planned activities and often there were good group discounts for museums, play-places etc. Plus a chance to interact with other moms who "get it"
Best of Luck!