Category Archives: Toddler Dates

Eastside Farmers Markets 2026

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market

I love going to farmer’s markets and I love takings kids along! It’s a chance to be outdoors, walking, surrounded by people of all ages from your community.

The market stalls offer a visual feast… I love the colors and textures: the glossy green cucumbers, the bright red bell peppers, the lumpy brown potatoes, the yellow sunflowers, and more.

Shopping at the market is also a great chance to be more aware of food, where it comes from and seasons. In summer we might go home with lettuce, cucumbers, peppers, and tomatoes for fresh summer salads. In late season, it’s parsnips, sweet potatoes, and squash for autumn vegetable soups. If you have kids, it’s a great way for them to learn about seasons.

All season long, there’s fresh-baked bread, homemade jams and other goodies, and fresh cut bouquets of flowers. Many markets also sell arts and crafts.

Several locations have food trucks if you’d like to grab a pizza dinner or an ice cream cone while you shop. Several locations also offer live music – usually of the folk or bluegrass variety, and can be a nice opportunity for a family picnic while the kids dance around.

Bring re-useable bags along when you come, and bring cash. (Although most vendors do take credit cards.)

2026 Markets on the Eastside

Here’s this summer’s schedule for markets on the Eastside of Seattle

Tuesdays:

Wednesdays

Thursdays

Fridays

Saturdays

Sundays

Here’s a list of farmer’s markets in Snohomish County: https://www.themadronagroup.com/snohomish-county-farmers-markets-list/

More Outdoor Activities

For more outdoor activities in the greater Seattle area, check out my posts on Outdoor Summer Movies 2026, Outdoor Theater 2026, Parks with Industrial Artifacts, Lesser Known Parks on the Eastside, and Summer Camps for Kids.

Activities for Young Kids

For lots of ideas on fun, cheap activities to do with a toddler or young child, click on “toddler date” in the categories list to the right sidebar (or scroll down on mobile device.) For hands-on STEM activities, check out my Inventors of Tomorrow blog.

During the school year, I teach parent-child classes and STEM programs (for age 3 -8) at Eastgate Cooperative Preschool in Bellevue. Learn about co-op and parent-child classes for families with kids birth to age 5.

photo credit: NatalieMaynor via photopin cc

Cheap Dates with Toddlers: More “Natural” Playgrounds

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Woodland Park playground by landscape structures

Woodland Park playground by landscape structures – click to enlarge pictures

Proponents of outdoor play and nature play know that one of the benefits of outdoor play is the range of physical skills used when playing outdoors: balancing on logs and climbing up trees requires kids to continually adapt their movement – reaching farther for some toe-holds than others… moving slower on slippery moss. Some modern playground manufacturers are starting to try to incorporate some of this variability and adventure in their playgrounds, while still making sure they meet all the safety requirements.
We recently checked out the playground at Woodland Park in Seattle (at 59th and Phinney Ave, by the north parking lot at the zoo). They have a new playground which has got some really cool features:

  • Ladders with uneven steps… challenge kids to pay attention and to adapt their movements to the variable heights of each step
  • “Rock climbing” ladders… kids scale uneven “rocks” to get to the slide
  • this rope dome thing that has no clear obvious way up, so kids have to get inventive to find their way up

Landscapes Structures is a national company. You can search for a Landscapes Structures playground near you: www.playlsi.com/

(I do have to say though, that just because it’s Landscape Structures won’t mean it’s this cool…. this is one of their newest designs I think – we’ve been to some parks with older equipment by them and they don’t have these organic features, though they’re still always nice.)

And also, I recommend getting your child out in nature, or in “found nature playgrounds” in your urban area.

 

Cheap Dates with Toddlers: Nature’s Playgrounds

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stumps

Peter Kirk Park, Kirkland, WA. Click to enlarge photos

Sometimes, parks have to take out trees – they’re old, they’re damaged by insects or lightning or whatever. That’s always sad. But, when you’re really lucky, the park does this! At Peter Kirk Park in downtown Kirkland, when they took out a tree (or cluster of trees?) recently, they left the stumps behind, in a perfect toddler and kid playground adventure!

My three year old loves playing on these, but so do kids of all ages. Unlike modern playgrounds, they’re not standardized sizes and shapes, with the exact measured distance between objects and a scientifically designed surface beneath. They’re just four stumps, of different heights that you can climb up, perch on, jump off. Fabulous!

If you live in the area, come check them out (but be sure to park on the street or at the library – the shopping center says they’ll tow park users). If you’re not local look for similar lucky finds in your neighborhood!

We also found a great set of stumps at Bridle Trails Park in Bellevue, next to the arena.

Bridle Trails State Park, Bellevue, WA

Bridle Trails State Park, Bellevue, WA

To learn more about kids and nature, just click on ‘nature activities’ in the right hand side bar.

 

Cheap Dates: Explore New Parks

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St. Edward's State Park - Kenmore, WA. Click on photo to enlarge

St. Edward’s State Park – Kenmore, WA. Click on photo to enlarge

Summer is a great time to try something you haven’t tried before! Is there a park near you that you’ve heard people talk about, but never actually gone to? Have you ever driven down a road that has a sign saying that there’s a park that-a-way, but never followed the arrow to check it out? Have you looked on a map, and said “there’s a park in that neighborhood? I never knew!” Now is your chance to check them out!

To find out more about your local parks, search online on the websites for your city, your county, your state, and national parks websites. (Or look on an old-fashioned paper map!) Most will have directories of camps, with listings of what amenities are available at each park. You can also check Yelp and other online review sites for reviews of local options.

There are also lots more playgrounds that aren’t listed on maps and directories: playgrounds at your public elementary school, playgrounds in new neighborhood developments (some of those may be officially limited to neighbor kids only, but really, who’s going to check?)

For my readers in the Seattle area, here are some of our new discoveries:

St. Edward’s State Park

For YEARS, I have heard about the playground here. (See pictures above and this article) It was built in 2003, just when my older kids were growing out of playground age. It was a community project – kids from 7 elementary schools and some scout troops dreamed up ideas, and adults worked together to design it and make it happen. They built it with all volunteer hours and donated funds from individuals and companies. I’ve heard for years about how great it was, and we finally went.

My son LOVED it. He ran through every square inch of the playground, played on the slides, explored the sandbox, played on the marimba, and so on. Very big, diverse, interesting playground, well worth going back to.

Only strike? It’s big, and there’s lots of places in it where it’s hard to see your child. If you had multiple children, there’s no one place you could sit and keep an eye on them everywhere. So, this is definitely a play-with-your-kid or follow-your-kid playground, not an “I’ll just sit here and read Facebook while you play” playground.

There are also hiking trails and waterfront here… we’ll have to check those out the next time we go.

St. Edward’s is a state park. It’s $10 to park your car there, unless you have a Discovery Pass ($35 per year – we use it here, at Bridle Trails State Park, Lake Sammamish State park, so get our money’s worth from that, but the other day I looked up Washington State parks in King County and it turns out there’s LOTS of them. They’re next on our list to check out!)

O.O. Denny Park, Kirkland. Photo: http://www.lakewaparks.com/2011/06/o-o-denny-park/

O.O. Denny Park, Kirkland. Photo: http://www.lakewaparks.com/2011/06/o-o-denny-park/

O.O. Denny Park

On our way out of St. Edward’s park, I noticed again the signs I have noticed for years for “O.O. Denny Park.” We decided that the next time we wanted to go to a park to check it out. When we returned, we went on the hiking trails which was a nice and slightly challenging hike – the three year old wasn’t with us, but I think he would have struggled a bit with a couple of the hills. After the hike, we walked along the water. This is a Kirkland area beach park with shade by the water (!) that isn’t crowded! It’s nice to know there’s this option for the hot sunny days when you know Juanita Beach and Marina Park will be mobbed. There is a playground as well.

Note: O.O. Denny Park was willed to the City of Seattle in the early 1900’s. It appears to now be operated by City of Kirkland and/or the Finn Hill Neighborhood Alliance.

Big Finn Hill Park, Kirkland / Juanita. source: http://finnhillalliance.org/2013/10/a-walk-in-the-park/

Big Finn Hill Park, Kirkland / Juanita. source: http://finnhillalliance.org/2013/10/a-walk-in-the-park/

Big Finn Hill Park

Then on the way home from Denny, we saw the signs for Big Finn Hill (a King County park), which again, we’ve seen the signs for years and never gone. So, this was next on our list. We planned a hike in the woods on a hot day. We didn’t realize there was a playground till we got there, but of course our son had to try it out before (and after) the hike. We followed the trail maps and it was a great opportunity to practice Left and Right skills with our son, asking him “we need to turn left, which way is left” Nice trail, very manageable for a 3 year old. Nice range of plant life, lots of animal dens, and one baby bunny spotted.

Big Finn Hill playground Kirkland / Juanita

Big Finn Hill playground Kirkland / Juanita

Toddlers and preschool age kids are happy to return to the same park over and over again, but for me as an adult, it’s nice to discover something new…   So, check out some new parks in your neighborhood!

Here’s links to posts I’ve written about other local parks: farm parks – Farrell McWhirter in Redmond and Kelsey Creek in Bellevue, dog parks at Marymoor, Robinswood and KDOG; turtle watching at Juanita Bay Park, stumps to climb on at Peter Kirk and Bridle Trails, Woodland Park in Seattle, and wading at Everest Park in Kirkland.

To get more ideas for “cheap dates with toddlers” (most have specific details for Seattle area folks, but hopefully there’s useful ideas there for non-locals too) just click on “toddler dates” in the right hand sidebar of the page.

Cheap Dates with Toddlers series

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cheapdates

My series called “Cheap Dates with Toddlers” is all about fun, cheap activities that kids age one to five will enjoy (and learn from!) The core ideas apply no matter where you live, and the specific examples are specific to Seattle/the Eastside. Check out:

  • Swimming – includes games to play in the water, info on water safety and other tips on introducing your child to swimming. (And includes info on Peter Kirk Pool – outdoors in Kirkland, North Shore in Bothell and more.)
  • Buses and Trains – If you’re not a regular rider of public transit, you may not realize just how thrilling a ride can be for a little one. Or you can Take a Ferry.
  • Farm Parks – It’s fun to take kids to meet farm animals. On the Eastside, there’s Farrell McWhirter Park in Redmond, Kelsey Creek in Bellevue, and more.
  • Wildlife Viewing – using Juanita Bay park as an example.
  • Farmers Markets – Relaxing, pretty, low-cost fresh produce, free to attend…. a great summer to fall outing! (Includes schedule for markets in Bellevue, Issaquah, Kirkland, Redmond.)
  • Garage Sales – more easy, free entertainment!
  • Egg Hunts – need a rainy day play activity for any day of the year? Plastic egg hunts – they’re not just for Easter anymore!
  • Nature Shopping – collecting rocks, leaves, pinecones, or photos.
  • Explore New Parks – covers St. Edward’s, O.O. Denny, and Big Finn Hill in Kenmore. (Here are more Eastside parks.)
  • “Counting Cars” on any street corner… kept my boy busy for hours!
  • Winter Outings to the Playground – who says you can’t go to the playground on a cold or snowy day?
  • Go to a Dog Park – even if you don’t have a dog!
  • Pet Stores – I call these “the small animal zoo” – young kids LOVE visiting the fish tanks, the hamsters, the birds….  Similarly, you could visit the Seattle Aquarium, or you can go to a restaurant or hotel lobby with a big fish tank and watch the fishies.
  • Sushi Go Round – I like sushi – and when I’m eating with young ones, I like the sushi restaurants with the conveyor belt – they LOVE watching the food go round.
  • Indoor Playgrounds – During the cold and rainy months, many community centers offer these as an opportunity for little ones to run off some energy.
  • Library Storytimes – find listings of storytimes on the Eastside.
  • Construction Theatre – do you have a construction project in your neighborhood? Take your child by from time to time to see the progress.
  • Big Stores – whether it’s IKEA, the grocery store, Costco, or Home Depot, kids can have a great time riding around in the cart checking things out. (When I had a toddler who woke up at 5:45 am every day, we’d often go shopping at 7:30 or 8 am because there were no other toddler friendly activities available at that time!)
  • Rock Shops and Plant Nurseries – offer fun outdoor exploration and an opportunity for some basic botany and geology lessons.
  • Watch the Big Kids Play – I like taking toddlers to big kid baseball games, concerts, or sports practices to just sit and watch the big kids play.
  • You should also check out my Destinations series which features children’s museums and science museums in Washington, Oregon, California, Arizona, Michigan, and Ohio.
  • For fun activities at home, consider setting up a sensory bin (like a big container of rice to scoop and pour) or a water table. And find ideas for crafts, songs and books on particular themes in my Fun with Toddlers series.

If you’re also looking for advice on more serious topics like: Early Literacy, Brain Development, Discipline, Potty Training, and more, check out the “Categories” section in the right hand sidebar (or on a mobile device, scroll to the bottom of the page).