“Most parents end up staying at home because most activities are geared to children five and older.” said Sgt. Patsy Lee, imagery analyst at Marine Wing Headquarters Squadron 3 and mother of two. “Unless there is a specific event geared toward that age group it is hard to find places that cater to younger children.”

  This could frustrate parents who want to expose their children to the wonders that surround them.

  “I scour the local parenting and children magazines for activities that I can do with my son,” said Kim Riley, stay at home mother and local San Diegan. “We end up doing the same thing over and over again and that becomes tiresome.”

  Fortunately for parents stationed here, they have station events and toddler friendly places of interest in the surrounding San Diego community.

  Military parents can look through mulitple options online to find a weekend get-a-way with their children.

  Play Morning, hosted by the New Parent Support Program here every Tuesday, is open to all parents and children who are members of active duty, retired, reserves and Department of Defense employee families.

  Play Morning gives parents and children a chance to come together and spend time interacting and connecting with other parents and children, according to the new parent support program Web site.

  If parents are more interested in exploration of the surrounding city and want to get out for a breath of fresh air, Balboa Park offers a wide variety of options at little to no cost.

  Balboa Park, covers more than 1,200 rolling acres filled with gardens, museums, shows and attractions such as the Balboa Park Carousel and miniature railroad, botanical building, Japanese Friendship Garden and Marie Hitchcock Puppet Theater.

  The carousel, railroad and puppet theater all have admission fees however the botanical building and friendship garden are free to enjoy.

  The San Diego Zoo, one of the most well-known options at Balboa Park, has the children’s zoo, which features the petting paddock and animal nursery. This section of the zoo, specifically designed for little visitors, has large viewing windows so children don’t miss a thing.

  The children’s zoo also hosts a number of interactive gardens open year round such as the Butterfly and Backyard Habitat Garden and My Color Garden.

  At the Butterfly and Backyard Habitat garden, zoo staff have filled the area with plants that produce high quantities of nectar to attract butterflies to the garden to eat and breed and to inspire visitors to plant their own butterfly gardens, according to San Diego Zoo staff.

  My Color Garden features a wide spectrum of colorful plants representing six of the colors of the rainbow with corresponding oversized cut outs to help children make the connection between the colors and the plants in those color groups.

  For parents who want to introduce their children to the magical world just under the ocean’s surface, the Birch Aquarium at Scripps Institute of Oceanography gives discounts for military members at $7.60 a ticket for adults 17 years and older compared to the standard admission price of $11.00 and $5.50 a ticket for children 3 to 16 years of age that would usually be $7.50. The discounted tickets are only available at the Entertainment Ticket Office here.

  The aquarium has interactive exhibits for all ages such as the Tide Pool Habitat where children can get an up close look at and touch live sea creatures to include sea cucumbers, sea stars, and sea anemones.

  They also have the Wonders of the Water play stations. Children can change directions of currents, flood islands and create landslides in the play station, and if children are too little for the hands on experiences, they have the Hall of Fishes to enjoy.

  The Hall of Fishes highlights sea life from more than 60 habitats ranging from the cold waters of the Californian coast to the warm tropic waters of Mexico and the Caribbean. In the heart of the Hall of Fishes resides the 70,000-gallon kelp forest tank displaying marine animals as they would live in the wild. The kelp tank has a specially designed viewing gallery for visitors to take a seat and enjoy the show.

  “As Nolan gets older it gets easier,” said Riley referring to her two-year-old son. “The key is to keep an eye out for events and talk to other parents about what they like to do with their kids.”

  For more information on places or activities to do with young children visit the following Web sites:http://gocitykids.parentsconnect.com,http://www.sandiegokids.com, orhttp://sandiego.parentzone.com.