By Courtney
Weymouth is a coastal town on the south shore of Massachusetts.My husband and I have lived here for seven years and we live in a small Dutch Colonial style house on,1 acres with our two young boys.Even though we don’t have much of a yard, we try to make the most of it with a raised bed garden, wooden swing set and by using our driveway, which extends into the backyard, as a safe place to ride bikes and scooters.Our property abuts an old school field (the school was converted to condos), so we go out there when we want more space to play soccer, etc.
We try to get outside every day in one way or another.Living in Massachusetts we get extreme seasons- bitterly cold in the winter and hot in the summer, so the way we go about this varies, of course, but we don’t let much stop us! I’m all about having the right gear and just getting outside.Even on a cold, rainy day we can enjoy the fresh air by sitting outside on our fabulous front porch.
SCHOOL AND WORK
My husband works at a university in Boston and has a commute that takes him a little over an hour by bus and train. We are a one-car family, so we try to do a lot of walking or make use of public transportation.I am a music and theatre artist and I taught in Montessori schools until my second son was born. I used to have a long car commute, but now I’m lucky enough to care for my boys and spend my days outside with them.My older son attends a local Montessori preschool in the afternoons, so we have the mornings to take our time and do what we please. I drive him to school, which is about 15 minutes away, and he is there for 2.5 hours part of which he spends outside on the playground where I pick him up.They also go outside frequently for lessons in the warmer weather.For example, if they’re studying flowers they go outside and look at flowers!
SURROUNDED BY WATER
We are lucky to be surrounded by the ocean and many beautiful parks. My husband loves to take the kids in the bike trailer out to Great Esker Park to enjoy the scenery and throw rocks into the water. My four year old can now skip rocks better than I can! Great Esker Park has the highest esker in North America and a salt-water river runs through it. Another favorite place of ours is Webb State Park, which is a peninsula where we can do everything: letterboxing, hiking, throwing rocks on the beach, and watching the boats go by while we gaze at the Boston skyline.
There are 34 islands and peninsulas in Boston Harbor and several of them are right off the coast of Weymouth and surrounding towns. We own our own kayaks, so we just put them in at the beach and go! Our 4 year old can still fit in our laps in the single kayaks so he has visited some of the really close islands and he loves going out in the kayak.
Another really unique thing about our location is that we have two commuter boats that go to Boston.People use these to commute to work and go into the city for fun, but another great thing is that you can pay the one-way fare ($6 for me, the boys are free) and ride the boat all around the harbor for and hour and a half.We love to do this in the winter when we feel cooped up because you can sit inside or outside in the boat.We pack a lunch and make a nice trip out of it.Sometimes we’ll ride the commuter boat and go to the aquarium in Boston all before afternoon preschool back in Weymouth!
In the winter we walk to the local sledding hill, which happens to be right next to the local playground.We meet friends there and we love to make snow angels and build snowmen as well.When we’re looking to cool off in the warmer weather we frequent the local beach (which we can walk to!) or go to a local wading pool or spray deck, which are lovely and free.
THE WEATHER!
The biggest challenge for us when it comes to getting outside is the weather.We usually just dress for it and make an effort to get out there even if it’s for a little while, but there are some days that it is just not safe for us to be outside.There is usually a period of time here in January or February when the snow has melted and then frozen again, so everything is covered in ice.We still get out, but we are much more limited in what we can do and where we can go.
LOCAL FOOD
Another thing we love to do is frequent the local organic farm to buy produce.They also have walking trails and animals, so the kids love it! We also love to water and care for our own garden in the back yard because the kids love to eat food right from the garden.My older son, in particular, is very protective and proud of the garden.It’s our second year doing it and so far it has been a success, so I would urge anybody with a little green space to try a garden of their own because it is a great nature experience for all ages.
WE LOVE IT We love where we live.We are so lucky to live in a walkable place with so many beautiful outdoor spaces and still have close proximity to the city for other fun activities.
Courtney lives in Weymouth, Massachusetts with her husband, Sean, and their 2 and 4 year old sons. She runs a large playgroup which she often uses to encourage people to get outside with their children- especially in the winter. She attributes her winter hardiness to her Norwegian roots and her childhood vacations spent on the ski slopes of Vermont. You can visit the playgroup through her Active Kids Club blog or here: http://www.meetup.com/south-shore-playgroup-massachusetts/
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