Indiana Archives - Love to Laugh and Learn

Mama Carmody and “Love to Laugh and Learn” are Relocating

November 4, 2015 by Mama Carmody 18 Comments

Mama Carmody and “Love to Laugh and Learn” are Relocating

Mama Carmody and “Love to Laugh and Learn” are relocating, from Indiana, to Texas next week. I’m sorry that my posts have been erratic this year but I have had a lot going on.

My daughter and grandson came to Indiana for an extended period of time, starting this past May. My son-in-law serves in the army and has been deployed for several months. From the time my grandson was born I have tried to convince myself that I could be a long distance grandparent. I grew up in Indiana and my grandparents lived in Florida and West Virginia and I loved them dearly. I knew I could have a good relationship with my grandson, even with the distance…a lot of grandparents do. Then my daughter found out she was pregnant with my second grandchild. After spending several months with my grandson and daughter, then finding out I have a granddaughter on the way, I knew I didn’t want to be a long distant grandparent. So my husband and I have made the decision to head to Texas.

I will still be blogging, it just may take a little bit for us to get settled. As I stated in my very first post, “Learning Should Be Fun”, I have wanted to share fun learning activities and family friendly events to enjoy with your family. Now I will be able to continue with one of my original visions. I will be adding Family Friendly Events for the Killeen/Fort Hood/Austin area. I plan to continue to post the Indianapolis Family Friendly Events too, so don’t anyone give up on me.

I will also continue to add different learning activities for your family’s enjoyment. I look forward to this new adventure and am glad to have you along for the ride.

Learning Should Be Fun
When Do Children Start Learning
The Lessons – Overview
Colors – Overview
Shapes – Overview
Fun with Music – Overview

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

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

Be My Neighbor Day

October 5, 2015 by Mama Carmody 12 Comments

Be My Neighbor Day

WIPB sponsored Be My Neighbor Day, in Muncie, Indiana. My daughter and I decided to travel the hour, from Indianapolis to Muncie, so Keagan could see one of his favorite PBS characters, Daniel Tiger.

When we left Indianapolis it was a beautiful sunny day. As we entered Muncie, this was what the sky looked like.

As you can guess, it soon started raining. We sat in the car for a while, hoping the storm would pass. According to the radar, it looked like it wouldn’t last long.

As it got closer to 1:00, it was still raining but not too hard so we thought we would walk down to the event. Although the weather wasn’t very welcoming, the event was.

We entered the tent and received a bag to carry Keagan’s goodies in. It all ready had some stickers and other fun things in it. We walked through the rain to check out the stage. They were still doing some sound checks because it wasn’t quite time to start (and it was still raining).

The next thing we did was walk over to the Trolley. Keagan was very excited to see the Trolley. It was full so we didn’t climb inside but we got a couple pictures outside (did I mention it was raining?).

At this point it started to rain a little harder and an announcement was made that the opening would be delayed. My daughter asked Keagan if he wanted to go to the car or stay and see Daniel Tiger. Keagan immediately said, “Car!” Understand that Keagan just turned 2 years old and he usually repeats the last thing said to him, so the fact that he said car instead of Daniel Tiger, meant he was ready to go.

We walked back to the car, in the rain, and the car wouldn’t start. This day was getting to be more fun than we could handle. After we had the car jumped and a short discussion, we decided to go get some lunch and then see what the weather was doing. As we drove away from the event, we could see blue sky and white fluffy clouds headed our way. By the time we finished lunch, the rain had stopped and the sky was beautiful. So we headed back to WIPB’s Be My Neighbor Day.

We pulled the trusty “neighborhood” map out of our bag of goodies and headed for the fun. There was an interesting activity to accomplish at each booth. Once finished with the activity, one of the “neighbors” at that booth would check or initial that you had been there to visit. After visiting all the booths you could go back to the welcome station and receive a certificate stating that you were a good neighbor.

Keagan participated in several of the activities but since he is only 2, and it was way past naptime, he ran out of patience, so we didn’t get around to all the booths. Here are some of the fun things we did.

The Humane Society had some adorable kittens and a puppy for a little hands-on experience.

Kittens and Puppy at Humane Society Booth

Keagan was able to draw at several of the booths. He wrote on a chalkboard, made a card and was able to draw a picture. He can’t draw much yet but he sure does like to use crayons and chalk.

One really cute activity was helping to decorate Daniel Tiger’s sweater. The children pressed their finger or thumb onto an inkpad and then pressed their finger to his sweater. It resulted in the cutest pattern.

Be My Neighbor Day: Daniel Tiger's Sweater — Be My Neighbor Day: Daniel Tiger’s Sweater

Keagan loves music so when he got to the Good Morning Starshine booth, he planted himself there for a while. He enjoyed using the shakers, listening to the guitar and singing. Although this picture is a little blurry, you can tell he is having fun singing along. Can you guess what song he is participating in? I will give you a hint: “with a moo, moo, here…”

Be My Neighbor Day: Good Morning Starshine

Keagan had the opportunity to dig in the dirt and plant some sunflower seeds. What little boy doesn’t love digging in the dirt?

Daniel Tiger was the only actual character at this event but Keagan was just as excited with the cut-out displays of his favorite characters.

Be My Neighbor Day: Super Why! and Buddy

There was free face painting. Although the woman doing the face painting was very nervous about it, she did a great job. She said she was a chef and didn’t know anything about face painting. This was Keagan’s first time to get his face painted so we weren’t sure what he would think or how he would react. They ended up being a great match for each other. She painted some simple whiskers and a nose on Keagan and he sat really still for her. He was just thrilled that he looked like Daniel Tiger.

At this point, Keagan was just getting too tired and grumpy. It was almost time for the event to be over so we headed over to the stage for the farewell. Well, that took care of his grumpiness. As I said before, he loves music so he really enjoyed this part of the day. Ruditoonz was performing on stage. Keagan had a blast singing, dancing and jumping along with the other children.

Last but not least, Keagan had the opportunity to get up close and personal with Daniel Tiger. He was so excited.

As the event came to an end, Daniel Tiger had to leave. Keagan waved good-bye and we headed back to the car.

Be My Neighbor Day: Good-bye to Daniel Tiger

Although the day started out kind of rough, it definitely got better. The event was geared for the little ones to have fun and from what we experienced, it was a success. If we have another opportunity to attend a Be Your Neighbor event, I’m sure we will.

Ugga Mugga

February Family Friendly Events, Indy Area, 2016

January 31, 2016 by Mama Carmody Leave a Comment

February Family Friendly Events for the Indianapolis Area, 2016

Hi Indiana Friends! Below are the February Family Friendly Events I have found so far. I will continue to add things as I find them. I am including the list of local sledding hills, just in case you get enough snow for some outdoor fun.

If you find a family friendly event that I have missed please leave a comment below or stop by my Facebook page, Love to Laugh and Learn, and let me know what you found. I will be glad to add it to my calendar for all to enjoy.

Family Friendly Events: Sledding at Butler Hill

Indy Sledding Hills:

Brookside Park
3500 Brookside Pkwy S. Dr.
Indianapolis, IN 46201

Butler Hill
On the football field (Butler Bowl) next to Hinkle Fieldhouse
510 W 49th St, Indianapolis, IN 46208

Christian Park
4200 English Ave.
Indianapolis, IN 46201

Ellenberger Park
5301 St. Clair
Indianapolis, IN 46219

Fort Benjamin Harrison State Park
6000 N. Post Road
Indianapolis, IN 46216

Garfield Park
2450 S. Shelby St.
Indianapolis, IN 46203

Glenns Valley
8015 Bluff Road
Indianapolis, IN 46217

Paul Ruster Park
11300 E. Prospect St.
Indianapolis, IN 46239

Rhodius Park
1001 S. Belmont St.
Indianapolis, IN 46221

Southeastway Park
5624 South Carroll Road
New Palestine, IN 46163

February 20
Saturday

February Family Friendly Events: Fun at Bongo Boy Music

Shake, Rattle & Roll – for ages from the Womb to 36 Months
Shake, Rattle & Roll is for the little ones in your family. You are never too young (or too old) to get your groove on. All materials, instruments & drums will be provided by Bongo Boy Music School and REMO.
Bongo Boy Music School
8481 Bash St. Suite 1100
Indianapolis, IN 46250
(Located in the Castleton Area about .3 miles north of 82nd street on Bash St.)
9:30 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.
$5.00 per child, $10 max per family (Parents are free)

Take the family to enjoy Junie B. Jones, the Musical, at Beef and Boards. Are you ready to introduce your child to the wonderful world of live drama? Beef and Boards has an awesome children’s program. This show is based on the book series by Barbara Park. The musical is one hour long with no intermission. A drink and snack are included with your admission.
Beef and Boards Dinner Theatre
9301 Michigan Road
Indianapolis, IN 46268
Showtimes: 10:00 a.m. & 1:00 p.m. (doors open 30 minutes prior to show)
$15.50 per person

Move and Groove for Ages 3 – 5 yrs old
Move & Groove is a fun rhythm and movement program for kiddos ages 3-5. Children will get to discover their own rhythm while experimenting with different drums and other percussion instruments. Parents must stay with their children and are encouraged to participate. All materials, instruments & drums will be provided by Bongo Boy Music School and REMO.
Bongo Boy Music School
8481 Bash St. Suite 1100
Indianapolis, IN 46250
(Located in the Castleton Area about .3 miles north of 82nd street on Bash St.)
10:15 a.m. – 10:45 a.m.
$5.00 per child, $10 max per family (Parents are free)

Family Drum Circle – Ages 3 to 8 years old
Children will explore rhythm making and rhythm making games. Older kids and parents play supportive rhythms while younger kids explore rhythm on various instruments. Parents must stay with their children and are encouraged to participate. All materials, instruments & drums will be provided by Bongo Boy Music School and REMO.
Bongo Boy Music School
8481 Bash St. Suite 1100
Indianapolis, IN 46250
(Located in the Castleton Area about .3 miles north of 82nd street on Bash St.)
11:00 – 11:45 a.m.
$5.00 per child, $10 max per family (Parents are free)

Free crafts for kids every Saturday at the Lakeshore Learning Store. This Saturday your child will be able to create a Chore Chart Door Hanger. Lakeshore is an Educational Store that has wonderful toys and craft supplies for use at home or in the classroom.
1300 E. 86th Street
Indianapolis, IN 46240
11:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Free

February 22
Monday

February Family Friendly Events: Bongo Boy Music School

Free Community Drum Circle for Special Needs at Bongo Boy Music School
This event is open to families, music and recreational therapists & their clients, and organizations working with children and adults with special needs. It is a requirement that caregivers/therapists stay with their family members/clients and that the ratio stay at one caregiver to two family members/clients. This is so the instructors can more easily lead the group and keep things fun and moving. Drums will be provided by Bongo Boy Music School and REMO. So beat a path to Bongo Boys Music School, on Monday, for a drumming good time.
Bongo Boy Music School
8481 Bash St. Suite 1100
Indianapolis, IN 46250
(Located in the Castleton Area about .3 miles north of 82nd street on Bash St.)
6:45 – 7:30 p.m.
Free

February 25
Thursday

Free Community Drum Circle for the Whole Family
Sharing musical experiences, with the family, can be so much fun. Bongo Boys Music School (not just for boys) gives your family an opportunity to find the rhythm of the beat together, every Thursday evening. It’s a free community drum circle and all ages are welcome. No experience necessary. Drums will be provided by Bongo Boy Music School and REMO.
Bongo Boy Music School
8481 Bash St. Suite 1100
Indianapolis, IN 46250
(Located in the Castleton Area about .3 miles north of 82nd street on Bash St.)
7:00 p.m. – 7:45 p.m.
Free

February 26
Friday

Take the family to enjoy Junie B. Jones, the Musical, at Beef and Boards. Are you ready to introduce your child to the wonderful world of live drama? Beef and Boards has an awesome children’s program. This show is based on the book series by Barbara Park. The musical is one hour long with no intermission. A drink and snack are included with your admission.
Beef and Boards Dinner Theatre
9301 Michigan Road
Indianapolis, IN 46268
Showtimes: 10:00 a.m. (doors open 30 minutes prior to show)
$15.50 per person

February 27
Saturday

Free crafts for kids every Saturday at the Lakeshore Learning Store. This Saturday your child will be able to create a Funny Fish. Lakeshore is an Educational Store that has wonderful toys and craft supplies for use at home or in the classroom.
1300 E. 86th Street
Indianapolis, IN 46240
11:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Free

Mama Carmody and “Love to Laugh and Learn” are Relocating

Mama Carmody and “Love to Laugh and Learn” are Relocating

Related Posts

Big Splash Adventure Review

Big Splash Adventure Review

Buccaneer Bay

Splish Splash Pool

Lost River

Pirates Plunder, Scallywag Scuttle & Silver Beard’s Revenge

Related Posts

Review – Christmas on Monument Circle Indianapolis

Be My Neighbor Day

Be My Neighbor Day

February Family Friendly Events, Indy Area, 2016