Watching Airplanes At The Airport
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Not too long ago, we wrote about watching planes and trains with the kids. One way to get a good look at planes is to head out to the airport.
If you're completely out of ideas of activities, and you're desperate for something, then watching airplanes at the airport may be just the answer. This was an activity we used for our kids when we were stuck at home due to the pandemic, and we've since done it a couple of additional times as well.
Unsurprisingly, the kids actually really enjoyed heading out to the airport, sitting in the park and wait parking area for a bit, and watching the planes fly overhead. It was a simple activity, but something to break the monotony of being home.
Of course, the kids wanted to go inside the airport, and wanted to take a flight somewhere, but that will wait for another day.
This idea came about when I was talking with my wife about what I could do with the kids. I’m usually at the park with them in the evenings, especially as the weather gets nicer, but sometimes that may not be an option.
This is a great activity that both parents can participate in, or it's a way that one parent can get a break and do the things they want or need at home. This is a simple activity to since you're in the car the whole time, so you don't have to chase kids around. As I previously posted, my kids really like watching planes and trains, so this seemed like a good idea.
I got the kids in the car, and we headed out. We only live about 20 minutes from the airport, so it wasn’t too far to drive. The airport here in Salt Lake is still undergoing some major construction, so I love to see how it’s coming along myself.
It was quite glorious to be at the airport when there weren’t huge traffic jams - that’s the normal at most airports, and we’re no exception here. We drove around a couple of times through the dropoff and pickup areas so I could see how the construction was coming along (pretty well), and then we headed to the park and wait.
We watched planes for about 15 minutes before the kids were getting antsy and wanted to get out of the car. At that point we started off for home.
Overall, it was a simple outing, but the kids really enjoyed it, and are already talking about when we can go back. Fortunately, we take plenty of trips where we actually get out and go through the airport, so we'll be back soon enough. But sometimes it's nice to simply enjoy watching the planes as they come in and take off, and to just imagine where you'd like to go.
