Love to Laugh and Learn - Page 17 of 27 - Fun and interesting activities to do with the children in your life.

Zoolapalooza Review

July 13, 2015 by Mama Carmody 22 Comments

Zoolapalooza Review

Zoolapalooza is a concert series at the Indianapolis Zoo. It takes place on four consecutive Fridays. On these evenings the zoo stays open a little later.

Last Friday night we decided to take our daughter and grandson and check it out. The concerts are free with admission and since we have a zoo pass, we didn’t have to pay a thing to get in. The concerts take place under a big tent so they happen rain or shine. Which was a good thing on this night because it looked like the sky would open and dump on us at any time. It never did but we were safe it it had.

We arrived early enough to check out a couple of the animals before we headed to the concert. We always have to stop and say hi to the seals. They were barking their greetings this particular evening.

We also stopped by to see the orangutans. Several of them were awake and moving around. One in particular seems to be smitten with my husband. It makes eyes at him every time we go….must be a female.

Enjoying the orangutans and Zoolapalooza.

The animals get to stay up a little later during Zoolapalooza. They don’t have to go to bed until 7:00. The rides also stay open until 7:00. As an extra bonus, members receive free access to a different ride each night. The night we were there the free ride was the carousel, which made me very happy. That’s my favorite ride. Someone else is beginning to enjoy the carousel as well.

We decided to enjoy dinner while we listened to the music. They offer a different specialty menu during each concert, as well as the regular zoo options. This night the theme was Americana. There was a full salad bar as well as Zoo-liders. My husband asked what Zoo-liders were. I told him they were sliders made from zebra…don’t panic! I made that up just to tease him. They were sliders but they were made of chicken, beef or BBQ pulled pork. You could choose two Zoo-liders. You also received freshly made potato chips and either potato salad and coleslaw for $8.99. You could include a soft drink for $9.99.

My husband and I chose the Zoo-liders and my daughter chose the pizza, which is one of the regular food options at the zoo. My grandson chose to eat one of my Zoo-liders and some of his mom’s pizza. He really enjoyed dinner accompanied by music as you can see here:

Music was provided by Jayne Bond and the Pink Martinis. We had a lot of fun. There was quite a bit of dancing as well as singing along with the band. Besides the music, there were a couple of stations set up to help entertain the little ones. I was VERY thankful for that because my almost 2 year old grandson was constantly on the move. The two stations helped keep him in the vicinity of the music.

One of the stations was sponsored by Indiana Credit Union. They had a basket full of dress-up clothes. There were items suitable for boys and girls. There were some great props like guitars and microphones too, as well as a backdrop where you could take your own pictures.

The other station was sponsored by the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra. I loved their sign.

My grandson really enjoyed “petting” the instruments.

I was very thankful for the two stations because my grandson kept me running between the stations, the dance floor and the table we were at. We really enjoyed our evening and will definitely be returning.

I’m sorry to say that the Zoolapalooza concerts have concluded for this year but do not fret, more musical fun awaits. The Animals and All That Jazz concerts have started. They happen on Thursday evenings through August 6th. They run on the same concept as the Zoolapalooza concerts. There will be a different group performing each Thursday night, with specialty food offerings and a free ride for members.

Just like the Zoolapalooza concerts, Animals and All That Jazz concerts are free to Zoo members and included with regular admission. Visitors can save $2 at the gate by bringing an empty Dean’s milk carton to the Zoo to be recycled. Advance tickets are also available at IndianapolisZoo.com or concert goers can find a coupon on the Zoo’s Facebook page that’s good for $4 off admission at the gate after 4pm on the night of the event.

Here is a list of the remaining concerts for this year. Pick a date (or two), pack up the family and plan for an evening of fun, food and music. I just might see you there.

July 16: West Central Quartet

From classic to contemporary, this high-energy foursome showcases an eclectic mix of music that reaches across multiple jazz genres. Their unique approach to entertaining is sure to get crowds up on their feet.
• Menu: “Taste of Summer” with beer can chicken, salad bar and apple dumpling a la mode.
• Featured ride: Carousel

July 23: Mina and the Wondrous Flying Machine

Featuring an adventurous mélange of styles, this group offers a fresh approach to jazz music. A multi-talented singer-songwriter leads their piano-driven sound, which is highlighted on their new album — with the Zoo-appropriate name — Tigers.
• Menu: “Pan Asian” with pan fried noodle bar, salad bar and root beer float.
• Free member ride: Kōmbo Roller Coaster presented by Outback Steakhouse

July 30: Appalatin

Bridging the music traditions of Latin and American folk, this band’s foot-stomping, hip-swinging sounds have been in the spotlight on festival stages around the Midwest.
• Menu: “Night of Havana” with Cubano sandwich, salad bar and build-your-own ice cream sundae.
• Free member ride: White River Junction Train

Aug. 6: Buselli-Wallarab Jazz Orchestra

What better way to close out the series than with a rare performance by this incredible 17-piece orchestra. This veteran ensemble bring decades of experience to the stage along with a song list of familiar tunes from many big-name jazz musicians.
• Menu: “Mediterranean Night” with kabobs, salad bar and ice cream sandwich.
• Free member ride: Carousel

Have you been to Zoolapalooza or Animals and All That Jazz? Please share your experience with us? If you haven’t been in the Indianapolis area for one of these events, do you have something like this where you live?

Watching orangutans climb during Zoolapalooza.

Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra’s Community Day
Fun with Music
Review: Rhythm Discovery Center
Bongo Boy Music School Review

“Learn with Play” is Here!

July 7, 2015 by Mama Carmody 24 Comments

“Learn with Play” is Here!

Learn with play is my mantra for teaching children and now “Learn with Play” is the title of a wonderful book and I’m excited to say, I’m one of the many authors.*

Learn with Play: 150+ Activities for Year-round Fun and Learning

There are 150+ activities in this collection. You will find ways to help your child attain everyday life skills as well as arts & crafts, learning activities and general fun. There is also a section on holiday activities. The majority of the activities are for birth through kindergarten age, although you will find some activities that a child even older will enjoy.
Take a look at this video to get a better idea of what this book is all about.

There are 94 talented, creative bloggers that have contributed to this book. In the Kindle and eBook versions you will find links to printables. In all three versions you will find the urls to each of the bloggers. That will give you an infinite resource of fun activities to do with your children, as we all post regularly.

Here is a picture that shows a few of the differences between the paperback book and the Kindle/ebook versions.

“Learn with Play” – Differences between the bound copy and the Kindle/ebook versions.

The paperback version is ~~$29.95~~ $26.96 (recently lowered) and the Kindle/eBook versions are $14.95. Although I love a bound book, I can see the attraction of being able to access the activities on your Kindle, iPad or other device.

There is so much fun packed on these pages, you won’t want to miss a single second of it. Click on a link below to get your copy now.

“Learn with Play: 150+ Activities for Year-round Fun and Learning”

Paperback Copy ~~$29.95~~ $26.96
Kindle Version $14.95
eBook Version $ 14.95

*Affiliate links can be found throughout this post.

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PBS Kids in the Park Review, 2015

June 21, 2015 by Mama Carmody 15 Comments

PBS Kids in the Park Review, 2015

Saturday, June 13th was, once again, PBS Kids in the Park. The event was at Military Park in downtown Indianapolis. I had attended two years ago but this year was extra special. My grandson and daughter were able to attend with me.

Keagan won’t be two years old until the end of July so I wasn’t sure how much he would enjoy this. My daughter said that he watches most of the characters so we thought there would be some interest. I believe my daughter was more excited than anyone. Well, that is until the characters started to appear. Once he starting seeing the characters, this was the expression we received:

He can hardly contain his excitement once he sees the characters.

Needless to say, he was ecstatic. He must have yelled, “Super Why!” 50 times over the course of the day.

My favorite part of the day is the character parade. It is the first thing to kick off the event. My suggestion is to get there early and find a place to the left of the stage. (That is left as you are facing the stage.) This is the best advantage for the children to see the characters. The characters march up from the left side of the stage and across it, then down the other side. One of the reasons I like to get to the left of the stage rather than right in front of it is because the kids can stand or sit in their strollers and easily see the characters. We weren’t having to lift him up so he could see up on stage.

Here were some of the pictures of the parade. I believe I have the names of all the characters this time; thanks to my daughter and a couple of Facebook friends. Check out my post from two years ago: PBS Kids in the Park Review. It was pathetic. I only knew a couple of the characters and I didn’t get much help from anyone so they went nameless.

This is Daniel Tiger. His show is a spin-off of the Neighborhood of Make-Believe from Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood.

Starting at the front of the parade (the right side of the picture), that is Buddy from Dinosaur Train, next is Word Girl. Most of you are probably familiar with the next character, Curious George and the last character is Chirp, from Peep and the Big Wide World.

PBS Kids Day in the Park: Character Parade

Again, starting from the front of the parade (the right side of the picture), the first two are Migel and Mia. They are brother and sister. I’ve loved the next character since I was a little girl. That’s Clifford the Big Red Dog. He doesn’t seem to be quite as big as he was in the storybooks. Behind Clifford is Wonder Red.

PBS Kids in the Park: Sid the Science Kid

This is Sid the Science Kid. I’m not familiar with him but I loved science so maybe I should check him out.

PBS Kids in the Park: Super Why and Princess Pea

These two characters are on the same show. It’s one that my grandson simply loves. This is Super Why and Princess Pea. The dog in the picture below is Woofster. He is also from the same show.

This purple bird is Digit. He is one of the characters on Cyberchase. It is a fun children’s show that incorporates math in their adventures.

The above characters are Peg and Cat, which come from the show by the same name. Cat stopped to show us a few of his dance moves. He is definitely a groovin’ cat.

And last, but definitely not least, is Alpha Pig. He is also a character on Super Why!

Meeting the Characters

If you miss the parade you do have opportunities to meet the characters throughout the day. They each have their own tent and schedule. The only problem with this is that the wait can be very long. We were lucky enough to get in the beginning of the line for Super Why and only had a 20 minute wait. Daniel the Tiger was in the other half of the same tent but it was going to be an hour and a half wait from the time we finished with Super Why. We were going to come back and get in line later until we realized that people were already lining up. We made the decision to go ahead and get in line. My daughter and I took turns taking Keagan to enjoy other activities while one of us stayed in line. As I talked with other people I found out that most of them came with a strategy. One of the people I talked to had several adults in their group. They would split up and sit in the different lines while someone else shuffled the children from spot to spot. Since it was just my daughter and me, we only waited in the two lines. Here are the pictures of Keagan meeting Super Why and Daniel Tiger.

PBS Kids Day: Meeting Super Why and Daniel Tiger

Please don’t misinterpret the pictures. Keagan was thrilled to meet the characters. He ran up to them, gave them high fives and hugs but he was NOT thrilled with us for making him turn around to get his picture taken.

Other Activities

There were several other activities besides meeting the characters. Keagan made a colorful butterfly and was able to climb and jump at the Gymboree tent.

He raced Hot Wheels and played in a sand table at the Children’s Museum of Indianapolis tent.

Children's Museum Booth — Children’s Museum Booth

There were bubbles to blow at the Child Care Answers booth.

Blowing Bubbles at Child Care Answers Booth

We stopped by the main stage a couple of times to enjoy the shows that were taking place there. Keagan loves music so this was especially fun.

There was so much more to enjoy but it was getting really hot and Brittany and I were worn out. Some of the other activities we saw were a bounce house, a fire engine that the kids could go through and so much more.

My suggestions for a great day:

*** Get there early and station yourself to the left of the stage.
*** Take extra adults with you to hold places in the lines of the characters you really want to see.
*** Bring extra snacks and small toys to entertain your child if you do have to sit in a long line with them.
*** Most of all have a magically fun day.

PBS Kids in the Park Review, 2011

Let’s Play with Toy Guns

December 20, 2014 by Mama Carmody 5 Comments

Let’s Play with Toy Guns

I believe toy guns are getting a bad rap. I must say I hadn’t given it a lot of thought before but now I have a grandson and a couple of great-nephews, so an interest in guns is something we are going to have to deal with.

I raised two girls so guns were never a big subject around our house. We played with water guns and bubble blowing guns but that was about it. But when I was a little girl, I had a cap gun. I wore it in my holster as I strutted around in my cowgirl boots and hat. I loved playing with my cap gun when I was really young. As I got older, I was allowed to use our BB gun. I have always been fascinated with guns but I am definitely not a violent person. The first time I shot a bird, I cried. (We were trying to keep sparrows out of the purple martins’ birdhouse.) It only stunned him, so he eventually flew away but I didn’t shoot at any more birds.

Let's play with toy guns. — Let’s play with toy guns.

The idea of toy guns around the house hit me the other day because I was adding pieces to our dress-up clothes. I had purchased a soldier outfit and a police officer outfit. I was looking for a badge at the Dollar Tree when I ran across a package with a toy gun, a badge and a pretend walkie talkie. I hesitated because I have heard all the controversy about playing with guns and the possibility of instilling violence in our children, but are we missing a teaching opportunity?

My son-in-law serves in the army. Carrying a gun is part of his job. I have deep respect for all of the individuals serving in our armed forces. They carry guns to protect us and people in other countries. I believe that teaching our children how the military men and women are protecting us is a wonderful lesson. Yes, it is sad that there are wars but it is wonderful that there are people willing to put their lives on the line for others.

Then there are the police officers. They also carry guns as part of their jobs and put their lives on the line for others. Teaching respect for our police officers and learning about how they serve us are just a couple of lessons that can be incorporated into your child’s play with toy guns.

There are people that use guns to hunt for food. Wild game is healthy for you and is fairly cheap, in comparison to store bought meat. Many people around the world depend on hunting for their food. They don’t have or can’t afford to run to the grocery store to pick up something.

Lessons that can be slipped in while the children are playing with their toy guns:

Respect for our military and police.
Serving and protecting others.
Honoring our veterans.
Our Constitution and the 2nd Amendment.
How to properly handle a gun.
Where our food comes from.
The benefits of forgiveness and the consequences of revenge.

If we are worried about how our children will grow up and handle guns, shouldn’t we be talking with them about it, while they are young? Rather than avoiding or not allowing the opportunity for role playing and discussion, we should be giving them the opportunity to play and explore.

As children turn into young teens, many start playing violent video games or start sharing their interest of guns with their peers. Is this who and what you want to influence your child about the use of guns?

Some parents are worried that allowing their children to play with toy guns will create violent adults. According to an article on WebMD, titled Toy Guns: Do They Lead to Real-Life Violence?, “studies show no link between playing with toy weapons in childhood and aggression in adulthood”.

So let the kids play with their toy guns and let’s use the opportunity to instruct and raise more gun responsible teens and adults.

Big Splash Adventure Review

November 30, 2014 by Mama Carmody 4 Comments

Big Splash Adventure Review

Disclaimer: I was given 4 day passes to Big Splash Adventure in order to conduct my review. However, I was not influenced by the promotional materials. All opinions and insights are my own.

I have been trying to get to Big Splash Adventure, in French Lick, Indiana, for over a year now. This past weekend we loaded up our 3 year old great-nephew and headed out on our adventure.

It was rainy and dreary outside, so I didn’t get any outdoor pictures, but it was warm and inviting inside. The lobby is decorated with children in mind.

There are a couple of activities for the children to participate in while registering.

It’s was the weekend before Thanksgiving so they had all ready started decorating for Christmas. Children could even get their pictures taken with Santa Claus during special hours. We got a little busy with our activities and forgot to stop by and get Jeremiah’s picture taken.

Big Splash Adventure: Christmas at the water park

While you are registering, make sure everybody stays close because each person will need to come to the counter and have their special bracelet put on them. This was my first experience with this type of system and I loved it. The bracelet not only got us into the water park but it was also our room key and our ticket to the free breakfast buffet.

Our hotel room was clean and spacious. This was Jeremiah’s first stay in a hotel and he wasn’t really on board with the idea at first. He was worried about our home without us there. The things he comes up with just makes me smile.

Jeremiah was aware that we were there to go to the water park so he was ready to get his trunks on and head to the Adventure. We had taken him to a water park just a few weeks prior to this trip but it was nothing like Big Splash Adventure. They say a picture is worth a thousand words so let me just show you some of the awesome water activities you can enjoy.

Buccaneer Bay

This is a three story structure with ten platforms and nearly 50 interactive play features.

Buccaneer Bay has two slides. There are no height restrictions for this area so everyone can enjoy it. This was Jeremiah’s favorite section.

Big Splash Adventure: Jeremiah's favorite slide — Big Splash Adventure: Jeremiah’s favorite slide

Splish Splash Pool

This area is for the little swimmers. Children must be less than 40″ tall to play in here. There is a slide and some really fun tree bouncers for the little ones to relax in.

Lost River

One of my favorite spots was the Lost River. I didn’t get to spend nearly enough time in there. Jeremiah wasn’t too crazy about it. He was small enough that he had to wear a life jacket. For smaller children on the Lost River, there are special tubes that have bottoms in them so they can basically sit on top of them as they ride around.

Pirates Plunder, Scallywag Scuttle & Silver Beard’s Revenge

These 3 slides were too big for Jeremiah and my husband and I are not that adventurous anymore so we didn’t go down them. Although, they look like they they would be a lot of fun. You can learn more about each of them by clicking on their names above.

You can bring your own towels, if you would like, but Big Splash Adventure has towels right there for you to use. That was a great amenity because now all I had to worry about was getting wet suits home not wet bulky towels too.

Right outside, and connected to the water park, is a snack bar and arcade. As a matter of fact, you have to pass through the snack bar to enter the water park. You could order burgers, hotdogs, pizza and other items. It was convenient because you could order and eat in your swimming suits. You could take the food back into the water park and eat poolside or sit in the snack bar. It’s a bit noisy in the water park, with all the running water, so we chose to stay in the snack area. You can only carry food and drinks you bought at the snack bar into the water park but if you have one of their hotel rooms you could keep your own food in there. The hotel, water park and a couple of dining areas are all connected so you never have to leave the building once you enter.

We decided to go for a bit more substantial meal on Sunday so we visited the Boatyard Restaurant. It sits on the main floor just off the lobby. Pat and I shared a ribeye steak, baked potato and tossed salad. Jeremiah chose a grilled cheese sandwich and applesauce. We were all very pleased with our meals. The waitress was very sweet and the atmosphere was quite relaxing.

Big Splash Adventure: The Boatyard Restaurant

Between the lobby and the Boatyard Restaurant is a little gift shop called the Seaside Market. It has a lot of cute little water and beach themed trinkets, as well as souvenir t-shirts. If you forgot and left the kids swimsuits at home, you can pick up some of those too.

As soon as Jeremiah’s feet hit the floor, Monday morning, he was ready to head to the water park. We insisted on breakfast first, both for nutrition and energy. Although, Jeremiah does not lack energy! The breakfast buffet is included in the price of the hotel stay. In case you have any preconceived ideas, this is NOT one of those “continental” breakfasts you find at other hotels. This is an honest to goodness breakfast buffet. Items on the buffet included biscuits and sausage gravy, bacon, sausage, scrambled eggs, crispy fried potatoes, pancakes, french toast sticks, oatmeal and toast. There was also a line with dry cereals and fruit. We had orange juice, white milk and chocolate milk to drink, which was served by our waitress. The total of our breakfast bill came to $0 but we were sure to leave our waitress a tip for taking care of our drinks and checking on us.

I thought that the prices seemed kind of high for staying in the hotel, but when I was breaking down all you get, it’s actually an awesome deal. There are several packages that include 2 days at the waterpark and the free breakfast buffet for 4 people. If you figure what it would cost to go to the park for 2 days ($21.95 per adult per day) and I estimated what a breakfast buffet would cost elsewhere (approx. $8 a person), you would be spending next to nothing for the actual room.

Big Splash Adventure has many special activities and pricing throughout the year so keep an eye on their website. We happened to catch special pricing on a Sunday/Monday stay which included the ability to purchase tickets for the Polar Express Train Ride. By the way, I had all ready checked the Polar Express website and found out that they were sold out for this year. The only tickets available were through some of the local hotels, which included Big Splash Adventure. You will hear more about that part of our weekend in a future post.

In summary, our weekend was a blast. Everywhere we went things were clean and tidy. The staff was polite and friendly. If you are planning a vacation, to Indiana, or a staycation, I would recommend checking out Big Splash Adventure and all the great things the French Lick area has to offer.

Indy Island Aquatic Center Review

Zoolapalooza Review

Zoolapalooza Review

July 16: West Central Quartet

July 23: Mina and the Wondrous Flying Machine

July 30: Appalatin

Aug. 6: Buselli-Wallarab Jazz Orchestra

Related Posts

“Learn with Play” is Here!

“Learn with Play” is Here!

“Learn with Play: 150+ Activities for Year-round Fun and Learning”

PBS Kids in the Park Review, 2015

PBS Kids in the Park Review, 2015

Other Activities

Related Posts

Let’s Play with Toy Guns

Let’s Play with Toy Guns

Big Splash Adventure Review

Big Splash Adventure Review

Buccaneer Bay

Splish Splash Pool

Lost River

Pirates Plunder, Scallywag Scuttle & Silver Beard’s Revenge

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