We are surrounded by ponds, parks and playgrounds – some within walking distance, others just a short drive away. I had heard about Paint and Play in four of the parks close by since Arddun and I joined Mother’s Group last year, but it wasn’t until today that we decided to drop in and take a look around.

I had pictured a rather lame setting of a small table, some watercolours, and maybe two older kids painting the grass blue. I had also imagined Arddun wanting to eat said watercolours, upsetting the small table, or else getting pushed out of the way by these imaginary older kids armed with paintbrushes soaked with blue watercolours. So I was VERY pleasantly surprised to see the Harrison playground scattered with clusters of happy toddlers busy at work.

I mean, we’re talking about some pretty impressive levels of organisation for an informal weekly morning shindig. There were activity stations – so you could play with dinosaurs, or tinker at musical instruments, or heap dirt in toy trucks, or mold play dough, or burrow through tunnels, or do something else I didn’t manage to look at because we ran out of time.

And oh yes – paint!

Arddun painting in the park with red watercolours
The little artist at work

And the finished product:

Arddun's painting
I’m no art student, but I think this a rather magnificent impression of Dali’s elephants, and will therefore call this one “The Temptation of St. Anthony with Green Tinge and Tea Stain”