Melinda Kinsel
The idea for Three Bears Acres came after a year of pondering “what should I do with my life?” I have spent the past 10 years as a mom to three daughters- shuttling them from one birthday party, play date, doctor appointment after another. Soon after you become a Mom you realize that the majority of your day is not what you envisioned. Most of your days are spent doing the functional….”finish your breakfast, go to the bathroom, where’s your backpack, put your shoes on, grab your jacket, etc.”
By far our best days are spent outside exploring at children’s own pace and not organized on a time schedule. We became parents for the hugs, pride in watching our children try new things, holidays spent together, and getting a chance to see the world through children’s eyes again…this time knowing how great those years are.
When I look back on my own childhood with fondness, there was not nearly the amount of organization…you ran outside after breakfast, met up with the other neighborhood kids and spent the day in the woods building forts, looking for salamanders and crawfish in the creek, and you went home when you got hungry. Most children go from breakfast, to car seat, to organized event, to car seat, etc. I believe adults and children miss the care-freeness that is supposed to be a part of childhood.
A great day together as a family gets you through the other days. Three Bears Acres is geared to children being children with enough outdoor space to burn off their energy, enough challenges to push themselves to try the biggest slide and climb the treehouse, and enough variety to make everyone happy. For the parents: a lot of chairs, benches and shady spots where they can stop and enjoy the moment with their camera and cup of coffee.
The three bears represent my three children, each a little different and all have special gifts!
Moira Roberts
Looking back on my childhood, my best memories by far were playing in nature. Being outside: swinging, climbing, and using my imagination. Parents only called the neighborhood kids inside when the street lights came on. Each day we’d fall back right into our imaginative play where we had left off the night before. Three Bears Acres has given me the opportunity to create these same fond memories for children in the community. I bring corporate, teaching, and parenting experience that combine for an educational, yet entertaining facility that’s sure to please the crowds. I look forward to seeing the growth of Three Bears Acres over the upcoming years, and hope that you will come, grow with us!
Friends Helped Our Dream!
Joe and his crew built the treehouses, firepit, log benches thruout the property, fishing shack, ticket booth….wonderful to have someone so talented to see the vision in our head and create it at Three Bears. Thank you!
To Rich- family, friend and a trusted voice of reason…thank you for taking on a year long project and completing in 6 months. A true blessing to have someone who understood what we wanted to create and the skill to drive any piece of equipment to develop the land and any tool to build the slide and all of the extras….not to mention taking on a bunch of women’s honey do lists. Thank you for caring as much about Three Bears as anyone….we would still be clearing underbrush if you hadn’t kept showing up every day at dawn.
And finally to our families: to Mark who spent the last 10 years building his business and was generous enough to support my goal of building Three Bears. And to our children who adjusted to Mommy working more and cooking less….huge thank you.