Your guide to activities and fun things to do with your preschoolers, toddlers and kids in Philadelphia, PA

I don't have a green thumb. In fact, I would describe my thumbs as black. I cannot keep plants alive to save my life. Every single year I buy beautiful hanging baskets of flowers for my porch, and WITHOUT FAIL a month later they have no blossoms and are half dead. I have no idea what I do, but it's clear that plants HATE me.

Luckily, Philadelphia has lots of other folks with green thumbs. In fact, Philadelphia has one of the largest and oldest park systems in the country, covering 9,200 acres and 63 neighborhood and regional parks. So if you are looking for green in Philadelphia, you'll find it in the many corners of the Fairmount Park system.

My favorite spot in Fairmount Park is the Wissahickon Creek. There, my daughter and I can spend a lot of time admiring the greenest thumb of all--Mother Nature's. The wildflowers that grow along the Wissahickon Creek range from standards like Garlic Mustard and Field Cress to more unusual ones like Greek Vervain. You'll find blossoms there starting as early as February (with the rather scary looking Skunk Weed blossoms melting the snow around them) and as late as November with the final Asters holding on to their blooms as it gets chilly.

But if you prefer a more cultivated green thumb, your best bets lie just outside the city. Morris Arboretum (near Chestnut Hill) not only features great flowerbeds and trails but also offers the kid-sized Garden Railway (currently featuring miniature architectural wonders through August 31st). Admission is $10 for adults, and free to the under three set ($5 for those 3-18 years old).

South of the city you'll find Tyler Arboretum, a gorgeous spot bordering Ridley Creek State Park. Tyler has a lot going for it, and is unabashedly one of our family's favorite spots (although we can't take the dog, sadly--no pets allowed. Dogs are fine, though, at Ridley Creek). Besides the beautiful gardens, they have a butterfly house (which amuses my daughter no end), and through the end of October have 16 different tree houses created by local artists and architects. (While the much fancier Longwood Gardens also has tree houses this year, they only have three, and their admission is MUCH higher). All the tree houses are open for kids to romp in. My daughter (just over two) walks for nearly two hours going from tree house to tree house. Admission is $7 for adults, $4 for kids over three, and kids under three are free. Membership is also reasonable.

Get out there and find out why Philadelphia is one of the greenest cities on the East Coast (seriously, it is--check out a Google satellite image of the city).