Hey Oak Forest Moms! Central Park Can Be a Whole Day of Fun!

Pictured Above-Jamie and Ashlynn Harris,6, take a break to smile for a picture.

When my kids were little, my wallet was empty and my options limited. These two simple facts made me very creative when it came to summer outings. I discovered a gem right in my backyard, namely, Central Park. No, not the Central Park in New York, I am talking about the Central Park right here in Oak Forest. I would pack up my van with all the necessary equipment and we would have ourselves a day. We would spend hours there and my kids loved it. "Come on, a whole day at Central Park in Oak Forest? You have to be kidding me," my non-believing mom friends would say. I am going to tell you how to make a whole summer day of fun at Central Park. Yes, in Oak Forest!

The address of Central Park is officially 15601 S. Central Avenue, but the real fun happens behind the park district building. You can access a small parking lot right next to the play ground off of Natalie Drive (see map below). This is great because you won't have to lug all your stuff around the building. It is a small parking lot with about 20 spots or so. It is super convenient to start your summer day of fun.

First and most important, bring all the necessary equipment. Dress your kids in their bathing suits with a shirt or covering and flip flops. Here is the list of equipment you will need and don't question me. Just do it.

Mandatory Supplies:

• Picnic Lunch and Snacks
• A change of clothing for each kid
• Table cloth or picnic blanket
• Plates, forks etc.
• A big jug of ice cold lemonade and cold water bottles
• A ton of sand toys-bring extra
• Hand wipes
• Beach towels
• A chaise chair for you
• A good book for you

Optional Toys and Fun:

• Tennis rackets and balls
• Frisbees
• Scooters, roller skates, any thing else with wheels.
• Hula hoops, basketballs water balloons, foot balls, volleyballs etc.
• Anything else your kids like to play with

Central Park is awesome if you really take a look at it. It is equipped with two jungle gyms, one of them tailored to the younger child, swings, a sand pit, water fountain, porta potty, open grass areas, a grove of trees complete with picnic tables, two sand volleyball courts, and tennis courts. Just to the east, it has a paved walking path, a big huge grass field, two softball fields and even a babbling brook. Everything you need for a day of fun for your little ones.

Bri Beyer, Aron and Gio enjoy the swings.

The jungle gyms are great for all ages. The smaller one is specificly for younger kids with a small slide, a little platform and a secret little area for imaginary play underneath. The bigger one has a big slide, a bridge, a monkey bar and various other concoctions that the kids love. There are also swings. We would start our day of fun here. They would play on the equipment, start a game of monkey on the wood chips or some other invented game, or swing on the swings.

Then they would hit the sand pit. This is the real treasure of Central Park. It is pretty big and it has running water in the middle of it. You read that right, running water. This is a game changer in the world of sand play. The kids push a yellow button and water comes out. The kids LOVE it. This is where the bathing suits are important because they will get wet and sandy. Your kids will dig, create, and build for hours.

Sand Pit Area with running water.

My kids would build a castle with a moat in cooperation with each other; one kid digging, one fetching water, one keeping the structure from toppling. They would create a sophisticated town with a school and grocery store, only to destroy it with a tidal wave of water caused by all three of them dumping water at the same time. They would get lost in the pure creative process of building, constructing, destroying and doing it again. Always pack extra sand toys for kids passing through who would want to join in but did not have a bucket.

Natalia and Sophia play on the tractors at the sand pit.

This is the time you can chill out and take a well deserved break. I took full advantage of this time. I would set out my chaise chair, read my book, drink some lemonade. Many times there are other moms there to strike up a conversation with and chit chat about the kids. Other times I would join in on the fun and make my own castle and moat. They would laugh as they destroyed my creation and then help me rebuild.

After a few hours, it is lunch time. Towel off your sandy little cuties and and set up your picnic. One of the great things about Central Park is you have a choice of where to have it. You can put out a blanket in the ample green grass or wander over to the grove of trees with picnic tables and shade. If you are ambitious there are barbecues for hamburgers, hot dogs or whatever you please. I would put out the spread and everyone would eat their sandwiches and watermelon, talking and laughing, deciding what to do next.

Felicia, Patrick and Dannuel enjoy the beautiful day at Central Park.

At this point in the day, my kids would get sick of being wet and sandy. This is where the change of clothing is priceless. Like at the beach, I would hold a towel around them so they could change out of their wet bathing suit and into their clean clothing.

Then they can decide what to do. My oldest daughter liked to practice tennis, my son would grab the basketball and my youngest would attempt to hula hoop. Some times they would meet some kids and a game of frozen tag would break out. This is where the sky is the limit for your summer fun day. The walking path just east of the park is black topped and perfect for scooters, roller skating or just walking. There is also a little babbling brook there. My kids would explore, throw rocks into the water, have races or just generally goof around.

Daniela Rosales and Tizo enjoy the swings.

This is about the time of the day that my youngest would start to whine about something small and that is when I knew it was time to go. I would gather all of my stuff and we would head home. This is where the genius of the day comes in, our 3 minute commute home.

Take it from a mom who has been there, Central Park is the place to go for a whole day of fun, with literally no commute and it will cost you nothing. You can't beat it with a stick. So pack up those little darlings and make some memories at Central Park in Oak Forest. And for the last time, yes, I said Oak Forest!

You can find Melanie Gangolf on Facebook.