So the kids are back in school,  things are starting to get “back to normal” and fall is just around the corner.  Here are some suggestions for things to do with children on Whidbey this month:

• 1) Celebrate Children’s Day. On September 26^th from 10am-2pm, head on down to South Whidbey Community Park (5495 Maxwelton Rd, Langley) for Island County’s 12^th annual Children’s Day Celebration! Enjoy inflatable play structures, arts-n-crafts, face painting, balloon animals, pony rides, free food, music and fun…all for kids!
• 2) Check out the Library programs. Visit the library website for upcoming programs.
• 3) Visit your local Farmer’s Market. It is nearing the end of the Farmer’s Market season, and there are great bargains to be found. Visit Coupeville on Saturdays, Greenbank on Sundays and Oak Harbor on Thursdays. 
• 4) Eat a pancake breakfast. Every Saturday at the Masonic Lodge (my friend’s kids call it the “Atomic Lounge”) in Coupeville, pancake breakfast is served up for all to enjoy.
• 5) Stroll around Meerkerk Gardens. Although the Rhodies are in full bloom in the Spring, the grounds are still lovely year round, and there are a variety of trails through the gardens to explore.
• 6) Experience the Kite Festival. September 26-27 at Fort Casey Conference Center. You’ll find loads of kites coloring up the sky.
• 7) Punt, Pass & Kick. A NFL skills competition will be held for youth ages 8-15 on September 28^th at 4pm at South Whidbey Community Park in Langley. For more info email programs@whidbey.com.
• See the jungle animals of Greenbank. Not sure what’s going on just yet, but it’s a jungle out there! Next door to the Greenbank Store your little ones will get a kick out of the giant animals!
• 9) Go to a play. Enjoy Whidbey Children’s Theatre’s production of “The Wind in the Willows” now through the 4^th of October.