The Fairfax County Park Authority does a stellar job managing its many recreation centers in Fairfax County.  The recreation center our family has frequented the most is the one at Lee District.

Both of my girls have taken classes at Lee District RECenter within the last two years, including gymnastics and blast off for babies.  Through our many visits, we befriended Ms. Jewel Rankin, one of the administrators, who has been wonderful to us.

Ms. Jewel has proven her knowledge on so many topics, including dance and dance floors, gymnastics, and most recently, the preschool and art activities.  She was even kind enough to purchase a box of Girl Scout cookies from my daughter!  I have always enjoyed speaking with Ms Jewel and am so grateful not just for her smarts, but for her warmth and friendliness.

I am also grateful to Miss Laura Q. and Miss Wendi, both blast off for babies teachers.  Each teacher had unique styles of dealing with the children, but in both cases, the teachers showed a sincere interest in helping my daughter develop her climbing skills.

This summer, we were blessed with the opportunity to visit the unique sprayground at Lee District RECenter.  I did not know what to expect because I had no idea what was meant by a “sprayground.”  We arrived and were greeted by large, beautiful, colorful structures that emitted water.  It reminded me so much of the Stravinsky Fountain in Paris.

Unlike a traditional pool, where you immerse yourself in water and must know how to swim, the sprayground required no special abilities for children to enjoy it, thereby successfully meeting its goal to accommodate all children.

My girls absolutely loved the sprayground.  It was fun, entertaining, and safe.  The volunteers were nice and the families that attended played nicely.  This turned out to be perfect family fun for us because it was so close to our home and didn’t cost us anything.

Lee District RECenter ranks high on our list of best places to go because of the great variety of classes offered, hard-working teachers, friendly front desk volunteers, and this year, with the addition of the sprayground.

I look forward to being able to take advantage of the net XYO drop-in classes in the future.  In the meantime, I remain grateful for all the wonderful things that Lee District RECenter did to help us have fun.

What are you grateful for today?