Yo Gabba Gabba Live Get The Sillies Out!

Tour dates have been posted for the Yo Gabba Gabba Live Get The Sillies Out Tour! The Tour stops in Louisville on January 13th at The Louisville Palace. Check out the website at yogabbagabbalive.com for more information and a full list of tour dates.

The "World's Largest Halloween Party!" At The Louisville Zoo

Halloween is near!  The Louisville Zoo is hosting the "World's Largest Halloween Party" on October 5-7, 11-14, 18-21 & 25-28, 2012 from 5:00 until 8:30 p.m.

Their motto is Be seen. Not Scared.  This is a perfect Halloween event for young children.  They can meet characters ranging from Batman to Dorothy and the Crew from the Wizard of Oz.  The Zoo passes out candy at various stations throughout the property.  It is also a great opportunity to show off their costumes!

Louisville Zoo Members get in for free the first two weekends in October.  After the first two weekends, Louisville Zoo Members get in for $4.00.  General Admission is $8.00 or $6.50 at area Meijer Stores if purchased before September 28th.  

Little Treasures Kid's Fall and Winter Consignment Sale This Weekend (September 27-30)

The Little Treasures Kid's Fall and Winter Consignment Sale is September 27-30 at the Southern Indiana Sports Center.  Stop by for great deals on everything for kids.  http://sind.littletsale.com/

Holiday World

On a sunny Monday in August, our family went to Holiday World.  My son was counting down the days until THE big day.  The drive was pleasant and parking was free and plentiful.  The line to buy tickets was moderate but moved quickly.  General Admission is $44.95, Under 54'' is $34.95 and children under 2 are Free!  Discount tickets can be purchased at Kroger.  Discounts on admission can be obtained throughout the Summer by bringing any empty Pepsi can or Bunny Bread wrapper to the ticket booths for a discount on up to 8 admission tickets (per can or wrapper).  There are also discount coupons in the Kids Directory available in many locations in the area.  For a list of where to get a Kids Directory, visit http://kykidsdirectory.com/.  

Once in the park, we found many great activities for young kids.  Holidog's FunTown is where we spent most of the morning.  There was a huge playground, a special play area for very young children and rides including the Doggone Trail and a roller coaster.

We spent time at Splashin' Safari, which also offered some great options for young children including a splash pad, two pools specifically for kids and several small water slides.  We also spent some time in the wave pool near the shore.  There were family changing rooms with diaper changing tables and family restrooms readily available.  You can also rent a locker for $5 with a $5 deposit or a Cabana for $95 per day which includes a secure place for your things, water and chairs to relax in.  

Free soft drinks are a great plus, and we saved money by not having to purchase them throughout the hot day.  You can also get water, gatorade or fruit punch.  We ate a reasonably priced lunch at the Plymouth Rock Cafe.  There was an indoor seating area that was air conditioned and clean.  We shared two huge Thanksgiving meals and I was pleasantly surprised by how good the food was.  

I cannot attest to the roller coasters, thrill rides or new water coaster, the Wildebeest, but I am sure they are a lot of fun.  We had a great day exploring the park and my son still talks about the fun we had at Holiday World!  

Home Depot Kids Workshop

Today, my son participated in the Home Depot Kids Workshop.  It occurs on the first Saturday of every month from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.  It is free.  Today, the project was a model delivery truck.  My husband helped  assemble the truck and my son painted it and placed the stickers.  My son enjoyed using the child size hammer and helping paint the truck.  He was very proud of the finished product.

The next workshop is August 4.  The project is a Bulletin Board.  The remaining schedule for this year is as follows:

September 1 - Goal Post Game

October 6 - Fire Truck

November 3 - Turkey Napkin Holder

December 1 - Picture Frame

January 5 - Diamond Birdhouse

Indianapolis Children's Museum

   Happy Fourth of July!  Our family spent today at the Indianapolis Children's Museum.  The museum opened at 10:00 and we arrived around 10:30.  Parking in the facility parking garage is free and abundant.  There is also a pedway connecting the parking garage to the museum.  This is convenient on a freezing cold winter day or a sweltering hot summer day like today.  My son especially loves the dinosaurs outside looking into the museum!  When you arrive, you are welcomed by Bumblebee, the Transformer.

On select days, there is a show where a different (and smaller) Bumblebee "transforms" from a car to the robot.  There are several scheduled activities throughout the museum and in various exhibits throughout the day.  On this visit, the special exhibits included Hot Wheels and Lego.

What I like about the Museum is that there are activities for children of all ages in each exhibit.  Very young children are not left out with various options including a baby play area in the Playscape exhibit.  There is a Carousel on the third floor, a great dinosaur exhibit and a planetarium with a special Sesame Street program for young children.  There are plenty of family restrooms and even a child size potty in the regular restroom.  The baby changing facilities are clean and readily available.  

The food options include pizza, sandwiches, salads and various kid fare including macaroni and cheese, hot dogs, chicken strips, grilled chicken, tater tots and applesauce.  Pricing and portions are separated by toddler, child and adult.  The toddler option includes all meal options cut into toddler sized bites.  It includes a side and a drink for $4.79.  The child portion was priced slightly higher.  The museum allows you to bring your own food if desired.  There were several families taking advantage of this policy, and that would be a great option to keep your total visit cost down.  We did pack our own drinks and snacks, which helped before and after lunch.  

Tickets are $17.50 per adult and $12.50 per child ages 2-17.  It appears that there are occasionally special deals for admission on the Museum's website.  Another good option, if you will visit more than 2 times per year, would be to purchase an annual membership.  Days where admission to the Museum is free include:

Dec. 24, 2012—Christmas Eve (10 a.m.–2 p.m.)
Jan. 21, 2013—Martin Luther King Jr. Day
Feb. 18, 2013—Presidents Day
April 28, 2013—El Dia de Los Niños

Target also sponsors free nights at the Museum from 4 p.m.–8 p.m. on the first Thursday of each month. Youth under the age of 18 must be accompanied by an adult.  

My children had a great time and we will visit again soon.  Check it out at http://www.childrensmuseum.org/ 

The Louisville Zoo

My family and I frequently visit the Louisville Zoo.  On a recent hot and sunny day, this Grizzly Bear entertained zoo guests by taking a swim to cool off at the Glacier Run exhibit.

 

On this occasion, we also visited the Dinosaurs! Exhibit, which runs until August.  The Exhibit was a walking path through a heavily landscaped prehistoric setting.  Various animatronic dinos could be found at every turn.  They roared, moved and even spit water.  There was a small fossil dig at the very end and an opportunity to get your picture taken on a T-Rex.  The cost was $4 per person over the age of 2 for members and $5 per person over the age of 2 for non-members.  My son enjoyed this exhibit. 

Super Heroes

Recently, Iron Man came to the Louisville Zoo.  Seeing Iron Man was free with Zoo admission. Marvel's Spider Man is coming to the Louisville Zoo on August 4 and 5 from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.  It is also free with Zoo admission.  


Iron Man at the Zoo

A Day Out With Thomas

My family drove to the Kentucky Railway Museum in New Haven, KY for A Day Out With Thomas.  There were several activities for the kids to participate in, including miniature golf, story time, Mr. Magic, Sir Topham Hatt, Mega Bloks, Thomas train tables and an actual train ride led by Thomas the Tank Engine.  It was busy, but the crowd was adequately disbursed throughout the many activities.  We packed a picnic lunch and sat at the provided tables under a tent which provided much needed shade.  I found a coupon code online and saved money on each ticket purchased.  My son enjoyed collecting stamps from each station and received a free prize (a Thomas Mega Bloks set) for collecting them all.  It was a great day!

Yo Gabba Gabba!

My son is mesmerized by Yo Gabba Gabba!  We even had a Yo Gabba Gabba! themed birthday party!

We played Pin the Party in Brobee's Tummy.  I purchased this game online.

The guests took home candy in Muno Gift Bags.  These were very easy to make.  I just cut computer paper into circles, drew the pupil with a Sharpie and taped the eye to a red gift bag.  

 

And we drank Dazzleberry Lemonade!  This was made by freezing a variety of Kool-Aid flavors into ice cubes, layering them by color and adding Sprite.

I hope that Yo Gabba Gabba Live! tours again this year.  Seeing DJ Lance Rock and the Yo Gabba Gabba gang in person would be AWESOME!

How To Train Your Dragon Live Spectacular

Several US dates have been posted for the How to Train Your Dragon Live Spectacular!  It looks like a great show and my fingers are crossed that additional dates and locations will be posted soon.  

How To Train Your Dragon: The How to Train Your Dragon Live Spectacular is coming. Follow the epic trail @DWdragonslive