WAKA kickball, volleyball, bowling and more!

This summer, our sister group SoDu Parents Posse had their very own WAKA Kickball team and here's what the players said about the season:  

I decided to follow Eleanor Roosevelt's advice and do something that scared me. I've never been comfortable playing sports, but my husband is a lifelong athlete so we thought it would a fun thing for us to do. I like how my children got to see us active, and I loved making new friends and getting exercise in a fun atmosphere. My husband was traveling and only got to play in the finals but it left him really wanting more! 

Chris Allen, who played on a kickball team with his before they had kids, said: "kickball is my weekly night out now- I get some exercise and get to meet some new people which are the main reasons I decided to sign up." 

Lynne Privette, a Durham mom of two, played WAKA Kickball & Sand Volleyball Summer. "I am used to getting my exercise from sports, and getting back into sports after I had kids was so important.  But it's so much harder to find a team that accepts that I'm not in tip-top athletic shape.  I love that WAKA is easing me back into athletic activity and it's fun in the process." 

Kim Johnson said "I got out of the house (read: away from the kiddos,) had a blast, and got a lil exercise!!! A win-win-win!!"

The team, named Grade School Redux, was led by Regina & Barry Jaynes. Regina had more enthusiasm than I've seen in five years of managing leagues. In her last message of the season, she said: "I am so impressed with all of you, and I am so glad that I have had an opportunity to get to meet you and spend one night a week with you."

At the end of the summer, Beth Reid summed it all up by saying " I can't believe it's over."

To learn more about WAKA (which stands for World Adult Kickball Association) and all their social sports check out the blog I wrote earlier this year at: http://www.soduparentsposse.com/blog/waka

What we loved: The camaraderie, the exercise, being able to socialize afterward, learning (or relearning a new sport), and having a low-key tournament at the end. Plus it was affordable fun. Plus the practices were held at the athletic field at NC Central, which was a great, convenient location with lots of parking. WAKA also had a get together at Bull McCabes and a group event at Bulls game, so it was more than just paying to play once a week.

What we would change: The game times rotated each week to accommodate all teams, so some were earlier or later. The later ones were harder for those of us with kids that we needed to get to bed, and because we were tired. However, the temperature was better during that time, so it evened out. 

The details: https://www.facebook.com/KickballDurhamChapelHill

And here's info on the upcoming season!

Don't Miss Out on WAKA Adult Kickball This Fall

The kids are going back to school soon and maybe you're hoping to add a fun adult activity to your weekly fall schedule. They have the perfect option for you: WAKA Kickball or WAKA Bowling! You can sign up for kickball at http://www.kickball.com/nctriangle or bowling at http://www.kickball.com/ncdurhambowling2 

If you want to get in on the action for the fall, here are the league details. 

Registration Link- http://www.kickball.com/nctriangle
Dates: Sept. 8, 15, 22, 29, Oct. 6, 13, 20, 23
Times: Games will be 50 minutes between 6:30 and 9 pm each week. You'll have a specific schedule at the beginning of the season
Location: Twin Lakes Park, Durham's biggest and newest renovated turf field
After Game Bar: Bull McCabes in Downtown Durham

BONUS just for Stir Crazy readers: 

Email League owner Cindy at cindy@kickball.com for a $5 off code before you register at http://www.kickball.com/nctriangle. 

WAKA also has a 6 week Monday night bowling league (http://www.kickball.com/ncdurhambowling2) starting on Aug. 22 and a 7-week sand volleyball league (http://www.kickball.com/ncchapelhillvolleyball) starting on Aug. 28th. 

Tinkergarten

SoDu Parents Posse member Trish Christie recently took a trial class with the brand new Tinkergarten and wrote a review just for Stir Crazy. 

What is Tinkergarten? The website says it best: "Tinkergarten provides highly engaging early childhood education in the healthiest classroom of all—the outdoors. We match families with leaders, like Durham mom Kate Macartney, in their local community who offer activity-based kids classes that help them develop the skills that matter most—all while having fun! These classes are expert-designed to help kids play the way we used to and to develop, grow and learn important skills. Parents and/or caregivers participate in these classes with the kids and get to (re)discover the wonder of being outdoors right along with their kids." 

 My 2 year old and I attended a free trial of a kindergarten class last week. The grass was wet from a storm the night before, so we wore appropriate shoes (well, I did, my toddler refused his sandals so he wore old shoes and his feet got wet). We arrived and met Kate, the cheerful instructor who immediately made us feel welcome and included. We put on name tags and my 2 year old was given a bucket and instructions to find "treasures". We found lots of buttercups, leaves, small sticks, and blades of grass that were apparently special to my son. After the initial gathering time, everyone gathered on a tarp and began the story time. We were told the story of "stone soup". Even though my son didn't seem to listen or understand the story, he followed the subsequent directions. The toddlers poured their treasures in a pot of water, stirred the "soup", and then gifted the soup to the flower fairies at the end. Amazingly enough, all the toddlers followed along as no major tantrums occurred. I'd say that's a success! Then snack time (which, thankfully Kate had extras because I left our snack in the car) and goodbye songs. We left with a special stone for my son to keep. 

This class was so much fun. Just the perfect amount of time, perfect location, and awesome instructor. I realize the free trial classes are a bit different than the sessions of classes, but I think we got a good feel for the experience. 

What we loved: email correspondence before and after class, location, time of day, Kate's cheerfulness, everyone felt included. 

What we'd change: nothing!

Next 6-week class session for 18-month-olds to 3-year-olds (also in Forest Hills Park) starts May 12th and goes through June 16th. It's Thursday mornings from 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. 

Find out more and register at: https://www.tinkergarten.com/leaders/kate.macartney

(FTC disclosure: The blogger attended a free trial of the class so that she could review the park. The free trial was open to the public. No positive review was asked for or promised, and the opinions are the blogger's own.)

Fuquay-Varina sprayground

If you've been craving the refreshment of a big sprayground, you don't have too far of a drive now! The Town of Fuquay-Varina just opened one up and we went to go check it out.

Some details from the town website: "The 6,000 square foot splash pad... [has] more than 35 water features. The pentagon shaped facility (93 ft. by 89 ft..)... [has] flowing, jetting and misting water structures zoned for various ages ensuring everyone in the family gets in on the fun!"

I gotta say when we got there we were worried because it was crowded and there was a line outside the entrance. But we asked a Parks & Rec employee who was in charge of the facility how the line worked. She explained that there is a limit on the number of people allowed in at one time, 120. While those people play, others can wait just outside the simple barriers. The group playing has 16 minutes, then must leave and let the people waiting in line in. Good thing is that there are never 120 people in line, so the people that just played can get right back in the back of the line. Sometimes depending on when we approached we had to wait, but no more than 5 minutes, and sometimes we caught it right as groups were transitioning. Adults and kids are welcome, some people had shoes and some didn't. I personally recommend them because it can get slippery and.... well, athlete's foot.

There are several fun components to play in, from arching rainbow style tubes that spray downwards to a giant pelican that dumps water from it's mouth. There are a lot of nozzles in the ground that spray up as well as giant spray guns. The biggest attraction by far is the giant bucket that dumps enough to cover 20 people probably every 3 minutes. The whole thing is really well maintained and everyone was behaving and being safe.

It's also nice that if the kids get cold or bored with the water, there is a playground right next to it.

I'm sure there are bathrooms somewhere but we didn't need them so I didn't have an occasion to look. My companion noticed that Fuquay has a food truck rodeo on Thursdays, and there are cute restaurants nearby in downtown, so I suggest looking up town events before you go and making a day of it

Also the town website says there is a sprayground cam, but the link is down. I tweeted to them to ask when it'd be back up. That'd be a great way of seeing it in action before you go!

 the pelican spout

 the nearby playground (you can also see the fencing around the sprayground)

 the rainbow spouts, great for younger kids that can walk under)

the giant bucket mid-dump!

What we liked: It was the biggest sprayground my kids have ever been to. It was a blast and the size limits prevented it from being too crowded. A totally refreshing summer experience on a hot day, unlike anything else!

What we would change: Not much to do about this, but it can be a hike depending where you live. From South Durham (SoDu for those of you in the know) you can hop right on 540, but it's still a good 30 minute drive. That being said, Museum of Life and Science or Marbles aren't much closer from where we live. I still think it's worth the drive. :)

Where it is: 900 S Main St, Fuquay Varina, NC 27526. Look for the ballfields.

- Kat Benson, SoDu Parents Posse founder and Stir Crazy Lead Blogger