Parenting is personal. It’s one of life’s grayest areas where there are no “right” answers, where individual life experiences and expectations mold our parenting styles, and where personal philosophies and beliefs lead us through reflective discussions with friends and family on how to best raise our children. My closest friends and I have varying viewpoints on many things: bedtime procedures & times, nutritional needs, and discipline techniques. When discussing whether or not kids spend too much time indoors there is always uniform agreement; along with stories of our youthful days spent exploring in nature. Luckily, spending time with your children outdoors is easy as long as you pack some curiosity, a little patience, a dash of imagination, and know where to go!
This summer, I have been a woman on a mission: Enjoy Maine! Our family has committed to visiting one new Maine State Park a week. We picked up a green State Park Passport from a ranger in which we stamp each new park visited and keep some brief notes on each trip’s adventures. Throughout the upcoming months, I’d like to share a few of our favorite places with you and I hope that you will share some of your family’s hidden treasures with me.
My newest favorite place in Maine, which changes almost weekly it seems, is Reid State Park located on Sequinland Road in Georgetown and approximately one hour from Portland. There are two beaches there, Mile Beach and Half-Mile Beach, offering large rock outcrops, meandering streams winding down to the ocean, viewings of the endangered piping plovers and least terns, and more tidal pools than one could explore in a day. Both the lifeguard and the ranger told me that it rarely gets crowded, making this even more of a gem! Our favorite part of Reid State Park was the “Lagoon” area, which I have nicknamed “Children’s Paradise”. I highly suggest that you check the tide charts (http://www.maineboats.com/tide-charts/southcoast) and go at low tide. This area is home to a wave-less lagoon off to the right of the parking lot, a concession stand, and a bathroom/shower area. The spot we spent the most time at was to the left of the parking lot. At low tide, there is a sandy beach and large rocks for exploring. The water is shallow enough (only reached my three year old’s knees) to walk across to other rock outcrops that Dylan called “islands”. You might want to bring a bucket, a magnifying glass, and a net. We were able to find various crab species, sea urchins, periwinkles, tiny fish, and watched another family find a baby lobster. It was great for Dylan to learn how to observe an animal carefully and caringly before returning it to its home. Such a special and kid-friendly place for observing the ocean world! Happy exploring!
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