reviews Archives - Love to Laugh and Learn

Review: Peanut Butter and Jam Concerts at the Center for the Performing Arts, in Carmel

December 22, 2013 by Mama Carmody 5 Comments

Review: Peanut Butter and Jam Concerts

Disclosure: I decided to do this review, for the Peanut Butter and Jam Concerts, on my own. I was not asked to do it. I purchased the tickets for my great-nephew and myself.

I had first read about the Peanut Butter and Jam Concerts in the Indianapolis Star. They are geared for children ages 1 to 7 years old. The entire experience is just under an hour. There is 30 minutes of music followed by 15 minutes for the audience to touch and play the musical instruments. The purchase of a child’s ticket allows the admission of two adults for no additional charge.

Today’s performance was given by the Sounds of Brass, from the Hendrick’s Symphony Orchestra. I was especially interested in this performance because my husband was one of the musicians. We picked up our 2 year old great-nephew and took him to this concert.

Brass Group from the Hendrick's Symphony — Brass Group from the Hendrick’s Symphony

When you first arrive, each child receives a carpet square to sit on. (I taught preschool for several years and I used carpet squares in my classroom. They are wonderful for helping children to get a concept of their personal space.)

Carpet Squares to Sit on at Peanut Butter and Jam Concerts

There are chairs that the adults can sit in but many sat on the floor with their children. It is a wonderfully intimate setting for little ones to be introduced to different styles of music.

View from behind the band at the Peanut Butter & Jam Concert

The interaction with the musicians at the end of the concert seemed to be a big hit with everybody. A few of the children were able to get musical sounds out of the instruments which is quite a feat on brass instruments. You don’t simply blow air through a brass instrument to get a sound, you have to buzz your lips just right as you are blowing the air.

Interacting with the musicians at the Peanut Butter and Jam Concert

This was an extremely entertaining and educational event. I highly recommend taking time to attend at least one (if not all) of the Peanut Butter and Jam concerts. They have one concert each month and they fill up fast so be sure to call and get your tickets early. Please look for me. It is very likely that you will see me at several of these events.

Christmas at the Indianapolis Zoo Review

December 19, 2013 by Mama Carmody 8 Comments

Christmas at the Indianapolis Zoo Review

Disclaimer: I was given 4 tickets and a parking pass to attend Christmas at the Indianapolis Zoo. However, I was not influenced by the promotional materials. All opinions and insights are my own.

The temperature was approximately 34͒ F, which was double the temperature from the day before (thanks goodness). We bundled up our little Texan (my 4 ½ month old grandson) and headed out to enjoy Christmas at the Indianapolis Zoo.

This was the welcoming view we received as we entered the zoo.

I couldn’t wait to get inside to see how the rest of the zoo was decorated. It was even more beautiful and magical than I remembered. My pictures hardly capture the beauty but you can at least get an idea.

One of the first animals to greet us were the seals. One of them was barking quite loudly. We walked over to take a look but he was hiding among the rocks so we didn’t get a good look at him from up top. We did get to see him swimming from underneath though.

We were waiting on some family members to show up so we decided to walk over to the gift shop to wait inside. We didn’t want the little one getting too cold. On our way, we ran into one of Santa’s reindeers.

Christmas at the Indianapolis Zoo: Santa's Reindeer — Christmas at the Indianapolis Zoo: Santa’s Reindeer

Christmas at the Indianapolis Zoo: The Oceans Building at the Indianapolis Zoo

Our next stop was the Oceans’ building. It was a warm place with lots of interesting animals to interact with.

Petting sharks was a hit with the whole family (no matter what the age).

Christmas at the Indianapolis Zoo, Petting Sharks

We enjoyed spending time looking at the penguins; even though they seemed to be resting.

Christmas at the Indianapolis Zoo: Checking out the Penguins

There were so many wonderful things to see in the Oceans exhibit.

Christmas at the Indianapolis Zoo: Oceans Exhibit

It was too dark for me to get a good picture of the polar bear but he was sitting right next to the window. We were able to get a good look at him.

We then walked over to the Dolphin Pavilion. I found out, from my sister, that we were supposed to have been offered tickets for the dolphin show when we went through admissions but it wasn’t mentioned, so we didn’t have tickets. My sister and her family came in after us and they were offered tickets so they got them, but then didn’t go to the show since we couldn’t. I thought that was really sweet. We did go underneath and watch the show from below. It was interesting from below too. I think it would have been nice if they would have the audio for the show running through speakers down below so we knew exactly what was going on.

It was getting late for my grandson so he got fussy, because he was ready for bed, so we cut our trip short. We are hoping to get back there this week, if the weather permits. Regardless of whether we get back this year or not, we will be back. It was beautiful and the snow made it magical. I hope you and your family gets a chance to enjoy Christmas at the Indianapolis Zoo.

Snow and Lights during Christmas at the Indianapolis Zoo

You might also be interested in:

Review – Christmas on Monument Circle Indianapolis

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: 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)

PBS Kids in the Park Review

June 16, 2013 by Mama Carmody 6 Comments

PBS Kids in the Park Review, 2011

It was a beautiful sunny day to be out with friends and their kids. The parade of characters signals the beginning of PBS Kids in the Park. I arrived at Military Park in time to get a great spot to see all the characters marching in. It’s been awhile since I’ve had a little one in the house so I’m not sure who most of these characters are. I’m going to need my friends and followers, with small children, to leave me comments as to who they are. I will number them as I post them so then you can put the number in the comments and tell me who the character is. I need to learn them anyway since my first grandchild is due the end of July and I’m sure my great-niece and great-nephews are going to know most of these characters soon, if they don’t all ready.

So I will start this post with the parade:

1) I knew this one: Curious George

2. I don’t know this one:

3. & 4. I don’t know this pair either….are they sister and brother?

5. I don’t know who this is but I have loved dinosaurs since I was little and this one is absolutely adorable!

PBS Kids in the Park: Dinosaur Character

6. Isn’t she pretty?…whoever she is. I think she was waving to me!

7. I”m not sure who this is either (I sure hope you guys are leaving comments to help me out).

8. Ok, I have this one…it’s Clifford the Big Red Dog. He always seemed so much bigger in the books.

9. & 10. These two look like they may be related too but I don’t know who they are.

11. This is The Cat in the Hat.

12. I don’t know who this is.

13. I learned this one from Carson because this was his favorite. This is Daniel Tiger. His show is a spin-off of the Neighborhood of Make-Believe from Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood.

14. I missed this character. I had to edit her out of the back of Daniel Tiger’s picture.

15. Not sure of this one either…I sure hope you guys are helping out by letting me know who these guys are.

16. And this would be why I missed character #14, Mr. McFeely! I was most excited to see him because my younger sister and I used to watch Mr.Roger’s Neighborhood when we were little.

Mr. McFeely stopped right next to me because the little boy standing beside me was named Daniel and it was his birthday. I was so excited to see Mr. McFeely that I had to have my picture taken with him.

PBS Kids in the Park: Mr. McFeely & Mama Carmody

Ashley, her sister, Katie, and their kids joined me right at the end of the parade. Ashley had her picture taken with Mr. McFeely too.

PBS Kids in the Park: Ashley & Mr. McFeely

The characters were the big attraction for the day. I’m glad we arrived early and were able to see them standing around after the parade because even though they had special meet and greet times the lines were so long we didn’t even attempt to get in them. I thought about taking a picture of the line waiting to see Daniel Tiger but it was so long there was no way I could even get it in a picture.

Some children are scared of costumed characters but Carson loved them and wanted to give every one of them a hug.

PBS Kids in the Park: Carson & Character Collage

Madison found a character that she liked too.

PBS Kids in the Park: Madison with a character

Cody just wanted them all to keep their distance.

There were several booths with activities for the kids. Some of the activities were educational and some were just for fun.

There was a sandbox to play in….

…and flowers to paint.

Madison learned that bad stuff sticks to your teeth and you have to brush it away. I learned that the first time you should take a child to the dentist is after they turn 1 year old.

Carson enjoyed a PB & J at the PB & J Stage…

…while we enjoyed a puppet show with lots of fun music.

As we were leaving we ran into a couple of police officers on horseback. I believe this was the biggest smile I saw out of Madison all day. I wish I had been able to get a better picture but I just couldn’t get the correct angle.

Everyone stopped to get a drink from the water fountain….

…and a group picture.

Overall it was a great day.

To sum up our day:

+ It was great getting to see all the characters during and right after the parade.

– The characters are the big draw of the day so it was disappointing that the lines are so long that you either have to wait forever or you don’t get to see them.

+ There were lots of other activities to do such as crafts, puppet shows and dancing with one of the many shows going on at the different stages.

I would love to hear from anybody that went to PBS Kids in the Park. Please let me know what you and your child liked or didn’t like about the day.