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5 Benefits of Cold Weather Play for Children: Boost Their Health & Happiness This Winter
Straining to fit into a boot. Whining about a finger caught in the wrong mitten. Searching for that elusive toque. Getting your kids outside to play...
Spring is just around the corner. This past week we’ve been teased with warmers days, tempting us to put our winter gear in storage. But I’ve learned a thing or two about the fickleness of this time of year so we won’t be putting our winter gear any time soon. Plus, ski season is far from done! However, one thing I love about where we live (the Okanagan Valley) is the ability to enjoy beautiful winter weather up in the mountains and then warmer weather down in the valley. With all the snowy pictures that I have been sharing over on Instagram it can be had to believe that there is very little snow down in the valley right now. But it’s true! The pictures above were only taken last week (end of February) while we were exploring SunOka Provincial Park.
SunOka which is short for “Sunny Okanagan”, an aptly chosen name, is just south of Summerland, BC off Highway 97. This day-use park stretches along Okanagan Lake and is a happening place in the summer months. However, during the off-season, especially in winter and early spring, it’s blissfully quiet. If you go on a non-windy day it’s a wonderful place to explore with the family. The south end of the park has a unique playground that’s all about climbing, spinning and swinging which my kids are all about. The long stretch of beach has plenty of picnic tables to sit at and enjoy a picnic lunch. The north end of the park has several short trails leading to Trout Creek which feeds into Okanagan Lake. My kids really enjoy exploring this area of the park, and swimming in the mouth of creek during the summer months. There’s also a trail that goes follows Trout Creek up to Trout Creek Canyon. This trail is called the Trout Creek Trail. If you have the opportunity to visit this park in the off-season, I highly recommend it, just wear extra-warm layers if it’s windy out.
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