[Every Friday, I post a “toddler date” idea for something fun and simple to do with your toddler. The big picture ideas apply to any locale, but the specific examples will be Bellevue-centric.]

When we were having a house built years ago, I went to look at slate for the patio, and discovered a great toddler activity. Kids LOVE rock yards! You can wander around amongst all the huge boulders, and piles of slate rock, and bins of river rocks, looking at all the colors and forms of rocks. We went many times over the years, and each time I would let them pick just a few bits of broken rock from the ground to take home as a souvenir. I have always had a fondness for Marenako’s in Preston, what my daughters called the “Rock Shop”. You can also check out Rock Mountain outside Redmond. They’re also a plant nursery and aquatic nursery supply.

Plant nurseries are also nice places to go walking and exploring. Many have koi ponds where you can watch the “fishies” swimming. You can pick a packet of seeds to take home as a souvenir of that trip, and then you have a rainy day project and the on-going interest of a growing plant to enjoy. Check out Wells Medina Nursery, just northeast of downtown Bellevue.