Staying inside on an overcast day is both my idea of fun and not my idea of fun. Don’t get me
wrong: being curled up on a couch with a warm beverage and streaming Netflix is pretty
awesome. Now add two young boys to the mix. It was when they put on the oven mitts and
started fencing with a soup ladle and a spatula that I knew it was time to head outdoors.
We live in the San Francisco East Bay. There are tons of things to do around here, but now I had
to rack my brain. Where could we go on a dismal day during the pandemic? It’s a holiday, so
crowds must be factored in. I also have to think about what is open and what is not.
I hollered at the kids to get in the car, and they took their sweet time, squeezing in a few more
ninja moves. I fired up my car engine, and my boys thought now would be a good time to climb
the tree in front of our home. It did occur to me I could pull my chair to the front window and
watch them climb the tree. But the whole point of the outing was to get ALL of us out of the
house and ALL of us exploring.
“Hustle Hustle!” I managed to round them up. Seat belts were buckled, gears were engaged.
Destination chosen using KidsFriendlyVenues app.
I confidently drove.
We ended up at Codornices Park in the Berkeley Hills. The main attraction here was the cement
slide. Tons of cardboard of varying sizes and folding patterns were scattered at the base of the
slide. A friend of ours provided us a hot tip to have the kids wear jeans and to be firm with our
instructions about keeping their arms within the cardboard vehicle at all times. Any inclination
to use their hands would result in chafes and scrapes.
My children loved the slide. There were other children there as well, and they seemed to be
very organized and peaceful in lining up and taking their turns.
Codornices has a small playground in addition to the cement slide. The rest of the playground
was nothing special, but the kids were entertained.
What was truly fascinating about this park were the nature trails that wound behind the
playground. My kids collected sticks and decided on the trails to take, as their imaginations ran
wild. For adults, the wooded area provided a chance to get a little exercise.
The San Francisco Bay Area has a list of cement slides. Most are either in San Francisco or
Berkeley: Seward Mini Park, Koret Children’s Quarter, and Dorothy Bolte Park, to name a few.
There is something magical and mysterious about locating these hidden treasures.

Laura D. March 2022