Kid Baltimore | Family Activities with Children in Baltimore, Maryland

Patapsco State Park

We want Spring. We want it now. So today we headed out to Patapsco State Park on a mission. We wanted to find a place to go camping later in the season (they have tent sites and cabins), but more importantly, we wanted Spring. Admittedly, we are pushing things a bit. There is barely any green to be found. But still, it's in the air. 

As we started to explore the trails, we discovered some amazingly steep hills. This trip is not for the stroller set, but my kids are officially big kids now. The twins (age 8 now) are totally up for the challenge. We slowly edged down to the river.

Brilliant move, if I do say so myself. We stopped on the way there for some fried chicken and corn on the cob. 

When did she get so tall?

After much playing, and exploring the railroad tracks, and maybe a little more playing it was back up again. 

 Of course we had to vere off the trail a bit to see a tiny waterfall.

And one more shot, just to prove I was there too. Me and my gorgeous kids.

Patapsco Valley State Park
8020 Baltimore National Pike
Ellicott City MD 21043

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Main Office: 410-461-5005
Reservations: 1-888-432-2267

Cylburn Arboretum

207 acres, right in the middle of Baltimore, and I missed it all this time. Cylburn Arboretum was originally the private estate of Jesse Tyson, president of Baltimore Chrome Works. 

The mansion, designed by George Aloysius Frederick, was completed in 1888 and is open to the public. It is surrounded by gardens and trails that are all maintained by a dedicated staff of volunteers.

If you arrive after 10:00 a.m., stop by the shiny, new visitor center and pick up a map. We were on the early side, so we wandered through the gardens, not really knowing where we were going, but happy anyway.

We took a trail through the woods, past lots of lovely ferns.

Since I wasn't sure where we were going, I was rather happy to find this sign. Circle trail. In my head, that means there is virtually no chance of getting lost. I have faith in the circle trail.

We found a few trees with names from long ago carved in them. I'm hoping they haven't damaged the trees too much.

The circle path sent us back to where we started (hurrah for the circle path!) and we walked through the formal gardens.

Some renovations are going on at the mansion, but it is an impressive home. We spent some time inside reading about the history, and most importantly, cooling off.

While the gardens are worth a visit just on their own, I think the real benefit of visiting Cylburn may be all of the events they have here — yoga in the formal garden, concerts, summer camps. Many events are free, although donations and volunteers are welcome. With all of the activities, we will have plenty of excuses to come back here in the future.

Cylburn Arboretum
4915 Greenspring Avenue
Baltimore, MD 21209 

(410) 367-2217

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Owl Pellet Study

I was slightly disgusted, but mostly intrigued today. The kids were clustered around little packets of aluminum foil. I politely suggested that they take this activity outside. It was an attempt to move them off of the kitchen table, because they were dissecting owl pellets.

Owls swallow their prey whole, more or less. The gizzard compresses all of the parts that are not digestible into pellets, that they then spit out. Lovely, right? My daughter received these owl pellets as a birthday gift, from my parents. Admittedly, not every 7-year-old girl receives owl pellets for her birthday, but my parents were right on target with this one. She loves anything creepy crawly and I can't believe it has taken this long to unwrap these little gems. Fortunately, they came as a pack of three, so she could share with her brother and sister.

Inside, is compressed bone and fur. As they explored, the kids were able to identify quite a few different bones.

Notice the teeth? That is a tiny little jawbone.

And a nice little row of pelvic bones. For more information, check out the Carolina Biological Supply Company.

Camping with Hobo Packets

Day one of summer vacation, and things are looking a-okay. The early end of school lined up perfectly with our camping trip. We headed to the Treehouse camp  right after the kids got off the bus. It almost, almost gave me that end of school feeling—that feeling I never get anymore, where everything is done. An ending. And nothing to do all summer but play.

It always amazes me to notice how much more robust the kids are after a year goes by. The trip to the campground seemed easy. The kids had just a bit more walk-around time than last year. No one complained when dinner was late, and what a dinner it was—Hobo Packets. This just might be my new summer favorite, despite the quirky name.

Here is my co-chef. She made most of dinner without me.

HOBO PACKETS

2 lbs. potatoes, diced
1 red pepper, diced,
1 lb. mushrooms, cut in half
1 lb. roll sausage
Cooking spray or oil.
Salt and pepper

Fold a 3-foot piece of aluminum foil in half to make a 1 1/2 foot double-thick piece. Repeat 5 times. Spray with oil.

In the center of each piece of foil, place 1/5 of potatoes, peppers, and mushrooms. (Yes, we are a family of 5. Adjust as needed.) Add salt and pepper to taste. Divide sausage into 5 equal portions and break apart on top. 

 Fold aluminum foil on sides and top to form packets. Grill on low heat for approximately 20 minutes or until potatoes are cooked.

 

Open packets and enjoy. Serve with crusty bread to soak up the extra juice.

There are tons of variations on these. Tilapia and asparagus? Why not.

Why We Are Getting Chickens

I've been threatening to get chickens for many years now. But this is the year.

It just didn't seem practical until now, given that with three kids, and a busy studio, our plates were pretty full. But I've decided I'm over-thinking the whole thing. First of all, the kids are older now. They handle a lot more responsibilities. And second, we are talking about a handful of chickens. People used to have chickens around all the time. When did we get so removed from this part of living? And third. I just like chickens.

Look at these gorgeous eggs my kids and I gathered while visiting my sister. She lives on a farm.

 

So, a few ground rules.

1. All kids will help with the chores. (They are pretty excited about this and our son has volunteered to sleep in the coop to protect the chickens from wolves. Really.)

2. There will be fewer chickens than people. I don't like to be out-numbered, and how many eggs do we need anyway?

3. The chickens are not pets. I realize, however, that they will live out their chicken-years long past their egg-laying days.

We've been spending the last few months considering coops, and trying to decide on breeds. Any suggestions?

Longwood Gardens

Longwood Gardens is every bit as beautiful as I remembered. I lived nearby as a teenager, but I haven't been back there for way too many years, so recently, on a visit to see family, we stopped by.

I am amazed that at this time of year, just a couple of weeks ago, the gardens were so lush.

This waterfall caught me by surprise.

The conservatories are my favorite part. They look like postcards. My photo doesn't do it justice, but trust me.

I foolishly tried to get the kids to pose for a photo.

I'm pretty sure Rapunzel lives here. But really, it's a chimes tower built by Pierre duPont. The carrilon was replaced with electronic chimes in 1956, but with the 2001 rennovation authentic chimes were re-installed. The carrilon rings every 15 minutes, from 9:00 - 5:00.

The vegetable garden is one of my favorite places, if for no other reason than walking through a garden like this reminds me how beautiful the most practical of plants can be. Swiss chard is tucked in everywhere, part function, part beauty. I need to stop planting Swiss Chard in rows.

As we headed to the gates, my kids weren't quite ready to go, so we stopped by the rose garden. There is a topiary pruned into the shape of a chicken. What more could we ask for?

The kids also tried to figure out exactly which rose smelled the best. I think it was this one.

 

Longwood Gardens
1001 Longwood Road
Kennett Square, PA 19348

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