family friendly activities Archives - Page 10 of 11

Review: Chase 500 Festival Kids’ Day

May 13, 2013 by Mama Carmody 6 Comments

Review of Chase 500 Festival Kids' Day 05-11-13 — Review of Chase 500 Festival Kids’ Day 05-11-13

Monument Circle was shut down to traffic for the day so kids and their families could enjoy some time together in celebration of the 500 Festival. It was overcast and cool but that didn’t seem to dampen the spirits of the children and families that I saw. I am pleased to say that everything at the Chase 500 Festival Kids’ Day really was free (except for food and drinks).

There were several Bounce Houses to choose from.

Bounce Houses from Chase 500 Festival Kids' Day — Bounce Houses from Chase 500 Festival Kids’ Day

Race Car Bounce House at Chase 500 Festival Kids' Day — Race Car Bounce House at Chase 500 Festival Kids’ Day

There was even a special Bounce House for young ones.

Bounce House for Young Children at the Chase 500 Festival Kids' Day — Bounce House for Young Children at the Chase 500 Festival Kids’ Day

To encourage good health and physical activity Chase sponsored a Rookie Run. The kids looked like they had as much fun waiting on the starting line and dancing to the music, with the 500 Festival Princesses, as they did running the race.

The Ferris Wheel was free, just like everything else, and I’m sure that the view would have been fantastic from the top but the line was so long I decided to pass it up.

Ferris Wheel at Chase 500 Festival Kids' Day — Ferris Wheel at Chase 500 Festival Kids’ Day

There were several booths with crafts and activities. There was a 500 Festival Princess Craft Zone as well as a 500 Festival Racer’s Craft Zone.

Craft Tents at the Chase 500 Festival Kids' Day — Craft Tents at the Chase 500 Festival Kids’ Day

K-LOVE, which is my favorite Christian radio station, was doing face painting…

K-LOVE face painting at the Chase 500 Festival Kids' Day — K-LOVE face painting at the Chase 500 Festival Kids’ Day

….and the Indianapolis Zoo had a giant game of Conservation Zynga going on.

Zoo Conservation Station at the Chase 500 Festival Kids' Day — Zoo Conservation Station at the Chase 500 Festival Kids’ Day

One of the activities I enjoyed watching was the kids’ race track. If you were big enough to pedal, then there was a vehicle for you. Everyone got a prize when they finished.

Pedal Raceway at the Chase 500 Festival Kids' Day — Pedal Raceway at the Chase 500 Festival Kids’ Day

The other activity I enjoyed watching was the rock wall climbing. It was an activity that both boys and girls were having a great time doing.

Boy climbing rock wall at the Chase 500 Festival Kids' Day — Boy climbing rock wall at the Chase 500 Festival Kids’ Day

Girl climbing rock wall at the Chase 500 Festival Kids' Day — Girl climbing rock wall at the Chase 500 Festival Kids’ Day

As I said before, you did have to pay for food and drinks. I love festival corn dogs but I never found the booth that was selling them. I also love shaved-ice, sno-cone type treats and saw several of them but this was my favorite for two reasons; one reason was that it was a cute kid-themed stand and the other was because you got to put your own flavorings on the ice.

Kid themed sno-cone stand at the Chase 500 Festival Kids' Day — Kid themed sno-cone stand at the Chase 500 Festival Kids’ Day

Several performances were happening on the steps of the monument but I didn’t get any pictures. I was too short to get a good shot. I enjoyed watching the dancers and there was a funny magician too. The big performance of the day was the Kidz Bop group but I missed them.

Although I didn’t have a child with me so I didn’t get to experience the day through them, from what I observed, everyone was having a great time. There were plenty of activities for all ages and it really was free. I would definitely recommend that you not miss this event next year.

As I was leaving the festival, I turned to get one more shot of the Monument since the sun had finally come out. Just as I got ready to take the shot a red balloon, that someone lost, floated past the Monument. It was my favorite picture of the day and a fitting way to say farewell.

Monument with red balloon floating by at Chase 500 Festival Kids' Day — Monument with red balloon floating by at Chase 500 Festival Kids’ Day

Review – Christmas on Monument Circle Indianapolis

December 10, 2012 by Mama Carmody 11 Comments

It has been several years since we headed downtown to check out the huge “Christmas tree” and decorations on Monument Circle, Indianapolis. We usually just drive around the circle, take in the sights and then move on. I am not a fan of the one way streets, the crowds and the parking situations so driving through is enough for me. But since it was 60 degrees outside, on this December 1st, and I wanted to gather information for my readers I grabbed my camera and we headed downtown for an adventure.

We did have trouble finding a parking spot and the closer you got to the Circle the worse the traffic was but we finally found an empty parking meter. Since it was after 9:00 p.m. we didn’t have to pay so that was nice.

The “tree” was just as wonderful as I remembered it but I don’t know that it was worth parking and walking around the monument. There really wasn’t a lot there. Of course there was the tree, the large toy soldiers and sailors that stood along the edge of the monument and the beautiful Nativity scene in front of Christ Church Cathedral. I believe I would have enjoyed it just as much from my car window.

Christmas Tree at Monument Circle Indianapolis

I did find two reasons that you might want to get out of the car and walk around the Circle: The Rocket Fizz Soda Pop and Candy Shop and The Chocolate Café – The South Bend Chocolate Company. Both shops were open late on Saturday evening and had plenty of tasty treats to offer.

Since I like to include a little fun learning in my activities I wanted to share a few interesting facts I found in an article by Julie Sickel, a writer with the Indianapolis Star. The title of the article is “Here are 50 Facts Relating to the Long-Running Holiday Tradition”. I am going to list a few of my favorite facts but you should read the article to find the rest of them.

1. More than six miles of electrical wire and more than two miles of garland are used for the Circle of Lights.

2. There are 52 strands with 4,784 colored lights strung from the top of the monument to its base.

3. The colors of the bulbs represent different branches of the U.S. military: green for the Army, clear for the Air Force, blue for the Navy, yellow for the Coast Guard and red for the Marines.

4. There are 26 12-foot-tall toy soldiers and sailors and 26 10-foot-tall peppermint sticks surrounding the Circle. (This would be a great counting opportunity for your kids)

5. The ceremony’s most revered annual guest is Santa Claus, who arrives after the lights are switched on.

6. The switch to light the Monument is flipped by a child 12 or younger.

7. For more than two decades, the lucky child has been chosen through a coloring contest.

8. At 284 feet tall, the Soldiers and Sailors Monument is about 21 feet shorter than the Statue of Liberty and 16 feet short of a football field.

9. The Soldiers and Sailors Monument is the largest in the nation to be dedicated to the common soldier.

10. The 38-foot-tall bronze figure atop the statue is named “Victory” but also is called “Miss Indiana” by Hoosiers. She faces south to welcome soldiers returning from battle.

Here is a fun observation my daughter made when she was about 10 years old and I still see it every time we go to see the Christmas lights. (I’m going to give you some hints before I tell you what we actually saw. I want to give you a chance to see if you see the same thing we did.)

As we drove towards the Circle my daughter kept saying that she saw a certain character from the Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer television special created by Rankin/Bass. I looked all around and couldn’t find it. I thought it was a character at the foot of the tree or in a store window. As it turns out, it was an illusion created by looking at the monument through the lights. Take a look at the picture below and see if you can figure out what character we see. Leave a comment as to who you think it is. Once you have made your guess you can click on the picture to see who the character is that we see.

Do you see a character from Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer?

If you don’t see what we saw, then click on the picture below. I have created an overlay of the character on the portion of the monument that we saw it. See if that helps you see it when you look back at the Monument picture.

So can you see him too or do my daughter and I just have vivid imaginations? If you take a drive downtown to look at the lights please leave a comment and let me know if you saw him. We usually see him as we are driving towards the Circle not once we are really close to it. Have fun enjoying the sights, lights and fun this holiday season.

You might also like:

Review: Christmas at the Indianapolis Zoo

Review: Conner Prairie with Young Children

October 5, 2012 by Mama Carmody 11 Comments

Back in February, a friend and her 2 year old accompanied me to Conner Prairie Interactive History Park. I was interested in finding out what types of activities there might be for very young children. We were very pleased with the amount of interesting things there were to keep a young child happy and entertained. In February, most of the outside exhibits are closed but we still found plenty to do. Please check out my review Review: Conner Prairie on President’s Day (with a 2 yr old).

This past weekend, Saturday, September 29, 2012, my niece and I decided to take two 1 year olds and one 3 year old to Conner Prairie. We were taking advantage of the free admission offered by Smithsonian Magazine We had a wonderful time and we again found plenty for little ones to do but there were a few things we had not considered. I am going to share with you some of the successes and challenges of our day.

Our first challenge…we were out-numbered. Two adults with three very young children kept us on our toes. Our second challenge; we should have used a wagon instead of strollers. It took so much time buckling and unbuckling kids from strollers that we ended up bypassing a lot of things we were interested in. We did see a really neat fold-up wagon that someone was using. I came home and found one on Amazon.com (EasyGoWagon). I currently have it on my wish list for a future purchase.

Another problem with the day was that we didn’t really consider how many things that we were excited to see and do that very young children would have no interest in. It had been so long since my niece and I had been to Conner Prairie that we were just anxious to get there and experience it all again. We didn’t consider that the children really wouldn’t care about looking around in an old house or seeing a blacksmith at work. We decided early in the day that we were going to make another trip, for adults only, sometime in the near future.

So as not to leave you thinking we didn’t enjoy our time at Conner Prairie, let me share with you all the fun things we found to do with the little ones. Of course, they loved Animal Encounters. There were so many young animals for the children to see and touch.

There were even two week old baby goats. This was one of the places that got a little scary since the adults were out-numbered. Our little ones wanted to go in every direction at once and we were kept hopping trying to keep them within sight and arms reach at all times.

Our next stop was the Lenape Indian Camp. This is one of the spots that if the children had been in a wagon we would have let them out to run around a bit but we had just gotten them strapped back in the strollers from the Animal Encounters. When I was here in February, the 2 yr old we had with us loved running in and out of the huts.

We walked the entire grounds, even though we didn’t go in very many of the buildings. We did stop in the blacksmith’s shop. Although the children didn’t get a lot out of it, they sat very quietly and watched while my niece and I listened for a little bit. We took time to walk through one of the houses. The most exciting part for the kids was the water pump outside the house.

Conner Prairie: Pumping Water is Hard Work

We spent several minutes there while my 3 yr old great-niece pumped water…

…and the two 1 yr old boys played in it.

The other big hit of the day was the River Crossing Play Area. You definitely need to bring an extra change of clothes if you are going to spend time outside at the water area. There is a replica of a steamboat for the children to climb on but the big hit was the water play table. Let me explain; this water play table isn’t one of those small tables you might find in a preschool or kindergarten classroom. This thing was the center of the whole exhibit. It was huge. Water ran from the top of it down several levels. You could put up barricades to build a dam to stop or redirect the water. My 3 yr old great-niece and I put up a few walls for the dam. My two great-nephews just enjoyed splashing and playing in the water as much as they could.

Conner Prairie: River Crossing Play Area

They were soaked by the time they were finished. Thank goodness it was a warm day and we had a change of clothes for each of them.

There was also an indoor area for play at the River Crossing. It is a civil war themed area with trains…

…pieces to build a Playmobil fort with soldiers and a great climbing area. The boys were too small for the climbing area but my great-niece loved it.

Even with the several challenges, that we didn’t think of in advance, we had a very good day. The children were very well behaved and enjoyed the activities that we presented them. We got there just after they opened at 10:00 a.m. and didn’t leave until after 2:00, so we found plenty of things to do with small children.

Here is some advice if you are planning a day at Conner Prairie with very young children:

1) Take a wagon instead of strollers for an easier way to get children in and out quickly to enjoy the different experiences.

2) If your children are under 3 yrs old, make sure the adults aren’t out-numbered by the children.

3) Don’t expect to get to enjoy the full experience of Conner Prairie because little ones cannot handle much of the history part of the experience so….

4) ….plan another trip to Conner Prairie very soon; just for adults!

Review: Conner Prairie on President’s Day (with a 2 yr old)
Learning Should Be Fun
The Lessons – Overview
Colors – Overview

Review: Radio Disney Event, Indianapolis 2012

June 17, 2012 by Mama Carmody 5 Comments

The Radio Disney event was nothing like what I had conjured up in my mind. I thought this was going to take place in one of the many large buildings on the Indiana State Fairgrounds but I was wrong. I was also surprised to find out that, although the event was free, the fairgrounds charged $5 to get in and park. There was only one entrance open so there was no choice but to pay the $5 to get in.

Still holding on to the picture in my mind of entering a large building with rows of exhibition booths and a stage for the concert, I was shocked when this is what I saw:

It looked more like a kid-sized state fair. There were a few food booths scattered around. The ones serving cold items were the favorites since the temperature was hovering near 90 degrees. There were all kinds of booths with great activities and crafts for the children to participate in.

A Few Of My Favorite Things

Turbana

The first exhibit I came to was the Turbana tent. Turbana manufactures many flavors of plantain chips. I’ve never tasted a plantain let alone a plantain chip but they were giving away small packages of chips so I won’t be able to say that for much longer. There were several other free items too.

There was also a foam banana, a real banana and a cute button and coloring page presented by The Produce Mom.

The Girl Scouts of Central Indiana

The Girl Scouts of Central Indiana had a booth where they used homemade solar ovens to cook s’mores.

Girl Scout's of Central Indiana - Solar Oven

Although they didn’t have instructions with them to show how to make the ovens, one of the ladies described it for me and I found these instructions on the internet: Making A Pizza Box Solar Oven. You were able to cook and eat the s’mores you made…yum!

Rhythm! Discovery Center

This is a place I want to visit but just haven’t made it yet. Rhythm! Discovery Center is an interactive percussion museum. They had several drums set up and some cute shakers for the kids to make their own music. It looked like it was a real popular place.

A Critter’s Chance

A Critter’s Chance is at the top of my favorites list. I love and respect the job they are doing for the rehabilitation and rescue of exotic animals. For a small $2 donation they would take your picture with one of their rescue animals. I donated $2 to help them out and was able to get a great picture for my blog.

Four Willows Farm

At the Four Willows Farm exhibit you were able to get a ride on a horse. I saw “kids” of all ages getting rides.

If you have been thinking about taking riding lessons, Four Willows Farms is a training facility that specializes in American Saddlebred training, showing and riding instruction.

Indiana Horse Rescue

I don’t believe I could word any better what Indiana Horse Rescue is all about than they do in their mission statement:
“To provide a caring, positive environment for those horses that have either been neglected, abused, abandoned, and/or are at risk of going to slaughter. We will place these horses in an environment that benefits both the horse and the adoptive family.”
They do not receive any state funding but wholly rely on the support of caring individuals that have a heart for neglected and abandoned horses.
This is the adorable little gal they had at their exhibit for the kids to enjoy. I loved what they did with her mane.

My Conclusions on the Day

This event may not have been what I pictured in my mind; it was actually so much more. You may have noticed that I didn’t mention the concert. I actually didn’t stay for the concert. I was more interested in finding out what type of activities there were to enjoy with your children.

As you can see from the few exhibits I posted, there was a lot to do even if you weren’t interested in attending the concert. The one thing that disappointed me is that I am an “old school” Disney fan and I didn’t see much that actually related to Disney at all. There were a couple of Disney backdrops for picture opportunities and there was a set of balloon Mickey and Minnie Mouse on the concert stage but other than that, not much to make you think of Disney.

Regardless of my disappointment in there not being much that reminded me of Disney, there were a lot of fun things to do with your children. I would definitely go again and for the mere price of $5 for parking it was a great deal.

If you took your family out to enjoy the day, please leave a comment here and on my facebook page of how much you enjoyed your day. If you took any pictures you would be willing to share I would love to see them. Just post them on the Love to Laugh and Learn facebook page.

Attractions
Review: Conner Prairie on President’s Day (with a 2 yr old)

Learning Activities for the Color Yellow

March 10, 2012 by Mama Carmody 10 Comments

Learning Activities for the Color Yellow

with free printable

Following are some fun learning activities for the color yellow. Find your yellow shirt, put on a big smile and have fun helping your child learn about the color yellow.

Content:

Clothing
Toys
Craft:
Yellow Daffodil
Finger Play
Snacks
Story Time
Related Posts

Clothing

So by now you know where I’m going, right? Help your child find their yellow pieces of clothing and let them help you find your yellow clothing. Get dressed up and ready for Yellow Day.

(top)

Toys

Your child is probably getting the idea of what to do on a special color day. Have them help you go through their toys and find the yellow ones to play with. What can you find?…a yellow truck, Big Bird from Sesame Street, a yellow ball?

(top)

Craft Time

Yellow Daffodil

Materials Needed:

Daffodil Craft Page – click on thumbnail to access the printable craft page
Yellow crayons, markers or paint*
Green crayons, markers or paint
Yellow mini muffin liner
Glue or glue stick

* You can make your own watercolors by mixing a a couple of drops of food coloring with a little water. (This is what I did for my sample.)

This is a fairly simple craft activity but it is so cute. It is a great project for the spring or to give as a homemade Mother’s Day gift.

Learning Activities for the Color Yellow: Materials Needed - Daffodil — Learning Activities for the Color Yellow: Materials Needed – Daffodil

Just print the picture, color or paint it and then glue the mini muffin cup to the center of the flower. Presto Chango! You have a beautiful spring flower.

Learning Activities for the Color Yellow: Daffodil Craft

(top)

Finger Play

Five Little Daffodils

One little daffodil had nothing much to do,

(hold up on finger)

Out popped another one, then there were two.

(hold up two fingers)

Two little daffodils were smiling at a bee,

(point to mouth and smile)

Out popped another one, then there were three.

(hold up three fingers)

Three little daffodils were growing by the door,

(slowly raise arms up above head like growing toward the sun)

Out popped another one, then there were four.

(hold up four fingers)

Four little daffodils were glad to be alive,

(clap hands and smile)

Out popped another one, then there were five.

(hold up five fingers)

Five little daffodils were wearing golden crowns,

(act like putting crown on head)

They danced in the breeze in green satin gowns.

(sway and dance around)

– Author Unknown

(top)

Yellow Foods for snack or meal time

Bananas, yellow pears, cornbread, yellow peppers, yellow tomatoes, corn,
lemons, lemonade, the yolk out of a hard boiled egg

(top)

Story Time

In My New Yellow Shirt by Eileen Spinelli

Reading Level: Ages 2 and up

What seems like a plain yellow shirt leads to a lot of fun use of a little boy’s imagination. He becomes a duck, a taxi, a lazy caterpillar and several other things. This book inspired the two crafts that I listed in this lesson. Have fun enjoying the book together and then take time to make a craft.

The Yellow Tutu by Kirsten Bramsen

Reading Level: Ages 3 and up

Here is another adorable child with a big imagination. Margo decides to wear her new yellow tutu in a different way. It makes her so happy as she pretends to be many things…that is, she is happy until she reaches school where she isn’t treated very well by the other children. But her friend, Pearl, comes to the rescue; as friends often do.

The Little Yellow Leaf by Carin Berger

Reading Level: Ages 3 and up

This makes a great story to read, in the fall, as the leaves start falling down. The one little yellow leaf isn’t ready to let go of the tree even though it’s the only leaf left around…or is it?

(top)

Related Posts

The Lessons – Overview

Colors – Overview

A is for Apple: You Can Learn More Than Your ABC’s from Apples

Pumpkins are Orange; and Other Learning Concepts

Learning Activities for the Color Red

Learning Activities for the Color Blue

Learning Activities for the Color Green

Learning Activities for the Color Purple

Learning Activities for the Color Orange

(top)