A One-on-One Day Exploring Stony Creek Metropark
One-on-one time with each of my kids can be hard to come by—especially with three kids and a full family schedule. So when my youngest and I had the opportunity to spend an afternoon exploring Stony Creek Metropark together, I wanted to savor it — to follow his interests and let him lead. We enjoyed a sweet little adventure together close to home and I think it filled both our cups!
Eastwood Beach Playground at Stony Creek Metropark
Our First Stop: Eastwood Beach
We began the day at the playground near Eastwood Beach. My son immediately started climbing, exploring and making friends with other kids nearby. This metropark was new to us and I was amazed at how accessible the playground was for all kids.
When we explore any new playground, I love to look for a variety of play equipment and was happy to see that Eastwood offered plenty of play structures that stimulated the different senses. If you’ve got movers and shakers, Eastwood has plenty to offer!
After our playground time, we stopped for snacks and eventually sat down at a picnic table for lunch overlooking Stony Creek Lake. From our spot, we watched people swimming, sailing and paddle-boarding across the water.
Next Stop: Stony Creek Nature Center
It’s pretty rare nowadays to get solo time with my youngest and after a busy summer, a special afternoon outside was just what the two of us needed. After lunch, we drove over to the Stony Creek Nature Center. This portion of our visit was completely in my youngest’s wheelhouse!
Make sure to allow time to visit the Stony Creek Metropark Nature Center
He loved seeing the native turtles, snakes, fish and other creatures inside. Because it was just the two of us, we could move at his pace, linger over the things that interested him and let his curiosity guide our time. While inside, a Metroparks staff member guided him through the exhibits and even spent time helping him find some of the critters that were hiding.
The Metroparks have a robust schedule of family programming and today’s activity was creating clay faces on a tree using loose pieces from nature, which was right up our alley! Be sure to check the schedule of events as they offer seasonal activities for the whole family.
Making clay faces for the trees using loose parts found in nature
We finished our visit by exploring the gardens and searching for monarch butterflies. By the time we left, we agreed that this Metropark was worth bringing the big siblings back to! By the time we left, he was already talking about coming back with his older siblings!
Disclosure: This visit was hosted by Huron-Clinton Metroparks as part of a paid partnership. All experiences and opinions are my own.
