Your guide to activities and fun things to do with your preschoolers, toddlers and kids in Long Beach, CA

It may be October, but sometimes it feels like July. While friends in other parts of the country are jumping in piles of autumn leaves, we're still wearing shorts and applying 80-SPF. Although I sometimes wish I lived in a place that had real seasons, the truth is that I like being outdoors year-round.

One of our favorite sunny-day destinations is Seal Beach. My daughter and I like to walk along Main Street, peeking in the window at Knock Knock Toys, or stopping to share a cinnamon roll at Sweet Jill's. At the end of the road, we play at the ocean-front playground. Afterward, we stroll along the pier and watch the surfers, or go down to the beach to make sand cupcakes and splash in the waves.

When we want to enjoy the sunshine a little closer to home, we stroll along the pedestrian path along the bluff on Ocean Boulevard between Redondo and Cherry. It's a great spot for people-watching. Bella waves at babies in strollers and observes the dogs of every persuasion rolling around in the grass. When we're all tired out, we sit and rest in the shade of the big tree at Temple and Ocean.

At Mother's Beach, kids can play for a while on the swings and slide, then head out to the water, or kick a ball around in the grass. Don't forget to bring quarters for the meters, and before going for a swim, check the water quality report at www.healthebay.com.

Remember running through the backyard sprinkler in the summer? At the public fountains in the Cerritos Civic Center, kids can cool off in the Dolphins fountain like we did in the good ole days.

Sometimes it's little too sunny. When it's sweltering inside and out, we go to Shady Park, on the corner of Stearns and Studebaker. The playground is sheltered under a grove of trees, and it's always cool there, even on the hottest days.