A Day at the Park, Water Edition

There are plenty of places I could take my kids this summer that would set me back between $30 and $60, when tickets and lunches and gas are taken into consideration.

And then there's Warner Park. Cost? $0.

Memories? Priceless.

I'm continually raving about Warner Park's play area, which sparks kids' imaginations with its very simplicity. It consists only of two dirt mounds, a sand pit, and a tiny log cabin. But now, there's an added attraction...

Running water.



Once the weather got hot, the park staff turned on a spigot in one corner of the playground. And so on a recent day when the thermometer read a perfect 81 degrees, I took Punky and Bruiser to Warner Park's playground to play. A dozen kids were there, and every one of them was transfixed by the running water.


Mine included.


Fancy toys, laser beams and light shows, video games and stage shows be damned. All it takes to make kids happy is running water, a few buckets...


And a lot of mud.



At the end of the afternoon, I took the kids to the car and stripped them down to their underwear before putting them in their carseats for the short ride home. I may not pay lots of money for these experiences, but I pay plenty in cleaning time afterward. But you know what?


It's totally worth it.

This post originally appeared on Parents.com.