Rochester Loves Kids!
Survival of the Fittest, upstate New York Style

by Jackie Perrin

For kids in upstate New York, winter is all about survival games.

As in: “Look, Mom, the boys and I just built a deluxe snow fort with a subterranean floor, which stores five days worth of frozen ammunition and doubles as a storm shelter.

and “I skated 100 times around the ice rink, and I’m not even tired yet!”

or how about: “Who wants to sled down the steepest hill in the county?”

While some things have changed since our childhoods (we sled blindfolded, and without helmets, for goodness sakes!) there’s nothing like the eagerness of a child to get us adults motivated to brave the elements.

Keeping up with the kids in the winter is a test of nurture by nature. It’s northern New York’s parental version of survival of the fittest. Following are some great ways to bond with your brood and get your blood pumping this snowy season. After you’ve proven your skill (and, you hope, become a bit healthier!) take a break with some more sedentary indoor activities, like the ones we’ve listed here.

Send us your family survival story for Winter 2005!

Get Out and Get Moving!

Ice Skating

When it comes to winter fun, what’s more wholesome than a day at the rink? Genesee Valley Park has a heated indoor one, while one of the best known is the City’s outdoor rink at Manhattan Square Park downtown. A small pond is flooded each winter at the Highland Bowl on South Avenue in the city’s South Wedge, where afterwards you can venture across the street for a tour of the warm and toasty Lamberton Conservatory.

Other great skating venues include Fairport’s Thomas Creek Ice Arena and Henrietta’s ESL Sports Centre. For more places to skate, check out the KidsOutAndAbout.com Winter page or the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle’s online recreation guide.

Sledding

The simplest and cheapest form of winter entertainment is wide option to participant creativity. Each year, the Perrin family creates a “bobsled” run in the backyard. This year’s prototype includes a series of turns and tunnels, sure to delight the neighborhood theme park aficionados. Town parks and school hills make for great sledding, while serious sliders can head out to places like Black Creek Park in Chili and Ellison Park in Brighton/Penfield for an afternoon of cheap, steep fun. For more sledding hills, see our Winter page.

Tubing

And while we’re on the subject of slipping and sliding, we would be remiss to mention tubing, which seems to be the hottest pastime of the season. If schlepping up a hill with kids and sleds in tow doesn’t melt your snow, take a trip to Gunny’s Gorge at Swain Ski Resort in Allegany County or Polarwave SnowTubing in Batavia, where someone does the work for you. Save your steam for the little kids, though. These fast tubing hills are not appropriate for small children.

Shoeing

As in snow-shoeing, which is the fastest growing winter sport, according to the Sporting Good Manufacturers Association of America. For families with small children, it works something like this: First, use the facilities. Don winter gear. Strap on big shoes and take a nature walk. Abandon excursion at midway point in order to locate restroom for preschooler in need of potty break. If this sounds familiar to you, then one of your best bets, in our experienced opinion, is The Nature Center at Genesee Country Village Museum. After your potty break, you may even decide to abandon the trek and associated re-outfitting in favor of a nature gaze and a cup of hot cocoa (ask them why the birds that visit the feeders there are more brilliantly colored than those in your back yard). Don’t feel guilty – enjoy! There’s plenty of indoor seating at the Nature Center, as well as lots to engage little nature lovers.

For bigger feet (and stronger bladders), we recommend Tinker Park and Mendon Ponds Park in the Rochester area, and Cumming Nature Center in Bristol. All of the facilities mentioned offer snowshoe rentals on a first come, first served seasonal basis.

Local outfitter Adventure Out! offers a wonderful snow shoeing adventure package for families that includes a shoeing gift certificate for a family of five, hot cocoa and sweet treats. Delivery and pick up of lightweight Atlas snowshoes and poles is included.

Skiing and Snow Boarding

Let this winter bring out the kid in you! If you’ve always wanted to, but have never tried downhill snow skiing, check out the adult learn to ski programs at Bristol Mountain, Brantling, Swain or Greek Peak. These facilities offer beginners programs for children, too.

In Monroe County, Swain staff teaches learn to ski programs for kids at Northampton and Powder Mills Parks.

Events

To celebrate your renewed enthusiasm for all things outdoors, why not kick up your heels at a winter festival? Sled, ski, snowboard, skate, and frolic in the snow at some of this season’s area shindigs:

ColdBlast at the Rochester Museum and Science Center (January 15-16, 2005). This family event, which marks the kickoff of the city of Rochester’s winter ColdRush (GoForTheCold.com) campaign, is absolutely free! We truly had a blast at last year’s event. This year’s activity lineup will include entertainers as well as a RedWings baseball toss, a Raging Rhinos soccer kick, and a RockVentures outdoor climbing wall. Don’t miss this opportunity to see Pulse-a Stomp Odyssey at Strasenburgh Planetarium for “zero dollars and zero cents”! Throughout the season, refer to the online ColdRush guide for great ideas for family fun.

Mendon Ponds Winterfest 2005 (January 23, 2005). Get out to Mendon Ponds for snowshoeing and free cross country skiing lessons, as well as horse-drawn hayrides, crafts and clowns.

Light in Winter in Ithaca (January 28-30, 2005). Three-day festival of culture and music includes lots of kid-friendly events. Attend a dinosaur film festival at the Museum of the Earth, become an animal detective at the Cayuga Nature Center, sing your heart out at The Science Fair, or take a walk in winter at Cornell Plantations.

Greece Groundhog Day Festival, (January 29,2005). Highlights of this gopher worshipping celebration include children’s ice fishing, Frisbee golf and a family relay race.

Lakeside Winter Celebration, Ontario Beach Park (February 6, 2005). Witness a polar plunge and take part in the chili challenge at this annual event.

Winter Fun Day at Tinker Nature Park (February 26, 2005). Celebrate President’s week at Tinker Nature Park. Indoor and outdoor activities from 12-3 pm.

If blustery weather has your little ones confined indoors, you’ll want to check out Strong Museum’s Two Days For Tots program. This fun series of interactive entertainment is sure to get tiny tushes moving, with performers like the singing, supper slinging Dinner Dogs, the Gallery Kauai hula dancers, the Bubble Man and acrobats from The Little Gym. Performances take place on Tuesdays and Wednesdays through May. Museum admission on the day of performance is included, and advance purchase is required. Clifford The Big Red Dog interactive exhibit starts at Strong on January 29, 2005 and runs through the winter.

We all know that healthy kids are happy kids. And to stay healthy, we’ve gotta get moving. A great new entry on the local exercise scene is The Little Gym of Perinton. The Fairport program is the first upstate New York location of a national franchise, billed as the “premier motor skills development program for children.” The emphasis is on fun, skill-building and confidence development. What more could a kid, or parent, ask for? On the third Friday evening of each month, The Little Gym offers Parent Survival Nights, an evening of crafts, music, exercise, and play for the kids and an opportunity for an adults night out for Mom and Dad.

And finally, for some indoor pursuits. Here’s a chance to relax your muscles and exercise your minds. Whatever your choice of wintertime fun, savor the season!

On January 23, Moodle Meets Mozart at the RPO OrKIDStra. Bring your music loving menagerie for an afternoon of classical fun hosted by Moodle, a space alien from the fictional planet Zebulon, who is curious about composers.

If prolonged physical activity leaves you hungry for culture, sup at the Hochstein School of Music and Dance’s Musical Feast on Saturday, February 5, 2005. This midwinter culture carnival features musical games, face-painting and an instrument petting zoo.

Email me at Moms on the Move--motm@rochester.rr.com--and tell me about your family's seasonal favorites.

©Jackie Perrin, 2005
All rights reserved.