Your guide to activities and fun things to do with your preschoolers, toddlers and kids in kansas city, KS

Weekend Roundup: Thrills and Chills edition

by Jenny Meade

July 30, 2009

This first weekend in August has plenty of things to do here in KC to get out and enjoy this fantastic, unseasonably cool summer weather with your family.

• Corn Festival at the City Market, Saturday
• Chitty Chitty Bang Bang! at Starlight Theater
• Soccerpalooza at Zona Rosa Shopping Center (player registration was due July 1, but you can still go and watch)
• THE WIGGLES AT SPRINT CENTER OMG! Saturday (There are still some tickets available, it appears)
• Clown Day at Crown Center, Saturday 11am-1pm. Y'all, I can not post this without telling you how much I, personally speaking, despise clowns. I know, I'm weird. But they scare me, I can't help it. You will not bump into me at this event, but have fun anyway. 

Five special spots that will WOW a preschooler.

by Jenny Meade

June 22, 2009

I have to admit I was a little spoiled when my oldest child was preschool age. He was so easy to reason with, he asked questions but accepted logical answers, and didn't really argue much. Talking to him was almost like talking to a very small, very cute, very hungry forty year old man.

But no matter how well he talked, or how much it surprised the people he spoke to, I never got tired of seeing his eyes light up over something new. And sometimes, it was the easiest things that really got his attention.  Here's a few of our favorites.

• Miniature Golf. My little guy loved him some putt-putt golf. He didn't totally understand it, and we often didn't finish an entire 18 hole game, (you know, preschool level attention spans and all that) but he loved navigating that little ball over bumps and around bends and through tunnels just to watch it go POP out the other side and into the hole.
•  Riding a pony. I think they've changed the age limit now to three or four, but starting when Drew was two years old, he got to ride the pony around the little ring at Deanna Rose Farmstead. We'd go stand in line with dozens of other kids and families, waiting to get to the front to ride his favorite, a little old black miniature pony named Cassidy. He didn't always get Cassidy, and this was dismaying, but he'd always ride whatever option he was given in the end. Just watching his face contort in this kind of half fear/half pure joy expression was enough to nearly kill me, every time.
• Gymboree. Drew loved going to Gymboree to play. When he was a toddler, we did a Gymboree music class for a few sessions, and he really loved pulling out all the different musical instruments - drums, maracas and cowbells (he totally needed more COWBELL.) As he got older we moved into Gymboree play, and although he had a deeply rooted hatred of being trapped under the parachute (yeah, sensory kids, whaddya do?) he loved playing there overall. 
• Science City. The first time you take your preschooler through the sewer pipe tunnels under the city, he will be terrified. But then, at the end, is the dino dig. And you can't beat the dino dig.
• Speaking of terrified, if you haven't yet made it out to the T-Rex Cafe out at the Legends, go now. But do yourself a favor, and ask your server what is the timing schedule of the room shaking earthquake/lava light show/Dinosaur roaring, so that you can prepare your little ones right before it starts. Trust me, it will all work out much better if they have a little warning. Even if you don't have a sensory sensitive little one, it can be overwhelming. Also - don;t go during rush times like lunch or dinner. Go at three in the afternoon, you won't wait so long to get a table. 

My oldest son is just like me in that Poker will never be a game at which he exceeds - he wears his emotions on his sleeve, with a little red flashing light just to make sure everyone sees them. But I'm so glad he's that way, because what was most amazing to me was watching my son's face at each new experience.

It was at Gymboree that my cautious little professor started understanding that to really have fun, sometimes you have to just let go. (But not on the pony. Don't let go there.)

Weekend Wrap Up: What to do in KC

by Jenny Meade

June 11, 2009

It's supposed to be nice this weekend, at least part of the time. So get outside with your family, there's lots to do:

• Dairy Day at Deanna Rose Farmstead - Saturday
• Dragon Boat Festival - Brush Creek on the Plaza - Saturday
• Kid Zone - Zona Rosa - Saturday
• The Dog-n-Jog with Gary Lezak - Sunday morning  

It's First Friday in KC time!

by Jenny Meade

April 30, 2009

This Friday night marks the first "First Friday" in downtown Kansas City's Crossroads district this year since the weather has turned lovely again.  Lots of things to see and do, and if you go early and take a stroller, the kids can even come along for a while. 

But there are plenty of other things going on this weekend that are way more geared for kids and families.  Take a look!

• 28th annual kids fishing derby at Lake Jacomo
•  Marble Days at Moon Marble Company
• Did you know 2009 is the 100 year anniversary at the Kansas City Zoo? And the tropical exhibits open this weekend.
• Sheep shearing at Missouri Town!
• Pet Pals day at Deanna Rose Farmstead (leave the pets at home though, but you can adopt one there)

Easter fun at home - and it's green!

by Jenny Meade

April 07, 2009

 For little kids, the topic of the horrific death of a man they are taught to adore in the form of a baby only four months earlier is perhaps a bit much to explain - the stuff of nightmares, one would think.  Which is probably why most parents choose to spend more time focused on the egg hunts and pastel colored eggs and the rabbits made of chocolate.  So, here's a couple of fun things to do at home besides break out the vinegar and food coloring tablets.

• arrange jelly beans in a clear jar and see who can count how many beans are in the jar. Then dump them out and count them for real, and give a prize to whomever was closest.
• draw a bunny face onto a white paper plate, then staple ears to the top and have your child glue on cotton balls and color in wherever they want.
• put dried beans or pennies inside a couple of plastic eggs and shake them like maracas!

 And what about after the holiday is over? What to do with those egg shells after you've peeled and eaten your yummy hard boiled eggs?

• Keep a bowl ready by the side of the sink to collect the egg shells and let them dry, instead of throwing them away or pushing them down the disposal.  Once you have a good sized pile, use a wooden spoon to mash and grind them into smaller bits.  Then sprinkle them in the garden - egg shells make good nutrients for the soil.
• Re-use the empty egg carton to collect and store plastic eggs for next year's egg hunt.  You can also use egg cartons to hold extra golf balls, or even help daddy organize all those little screws and nails in his toolbox.  You can also use them later for mixing paint colors.
• Have little girls? Decorate the egg carton with paper, stickers and markers and turn it into a little jewelry and keepsake box. 
• Boys collect things too - like paper clips and bottle caps. (Don't ask my why, they just do.) Those things fit nicely into egg cartons, as well.

For more fun and crafty Easter ideas, check out some printable coloring pages and more from our friends at Family Education.

Clifford Needed Emily, so She Chose Him as Her Own...

by Jenny Meade

February 26, 2009

 How much do we love Clifford the Big Red Dog? My oldest son loved Clifford so much that he had a Clifford bed set, which for some reason I still have in storage, even though he's now eight years old.

 This Saturday, February 28th, Clifford comes to the Crown Center Ice Terrace, from 10am-12noon, with all proceeds donated to KCPT, the Kansas City PBS station.  Stop by and say hi if you get a chance!

Around Town: KC Events and Happenings.

by Jenny Meade

January 28, 2009

Even though the weather reporters say it's going to be a balmy 50 degrees on Saturday, maybe you'd like to stay indoors with your little ones. A quick roundup of just a few of the events and happenings in KC this weekend and in the near future that will keep you and your kids warm. Don't forget Elmo's Green Thumb is in town at The Sprint Center for one more week only! Bob The Builder  Read more...

Now even more reasons to go out in the cold.

by Jenny Meade

December 18, 2008

A number of local holiday venues and programs around Kansas City are offering discounted prices and coupons, just in time to save you as you try and figure out just what on earth you're gonna do with the kids while they're out of school for winter break. Some great ideas below: The College Basketball Experience is offering $2 off the price of regular admission . If you haven't  Read more...

Holiday magic for the littlest ones.

by Jenny Meade

December 17, 2008

About every ten minutes it seems I hear about something else cool and fun to do with kids here in KC as we head into winter break. But so many are geared toward older kids who can sit still for longer periods of time. Here's a few new things going on this week and weekend for the littlest ones, courtesy of our friends at visitkc.com . "Littlest Angel"  Read more...

Christmas light shows to wow the kids (from the warmth of your car)

by Jenny Meade

December 10, 2008

Every year as a child my parents would stuff my brother and I into our jammies and put us in the car for a late night of driving around neighborhoods looking at Chrismas lights on houses. It's become a much more sophisticated deal these days, with the availability of landscape companies who, for a small portion of your paycheck, will come to your house and string lights all across your rooftops,  Read more...

Events and Activities around KC - December

by Jenny Meade

December 09, 2008

Winter can be tough in KC as the weather gets chilly, the kids get cooped up inside and you're all dying for something interesting to do. But, there's always a ton of fun things to do here in Kansas City as we head closer to the winter holidays. * Great Wolf Lodge is hosting Snowland! "What do you get when you combine a glittering, winter wonderland with a wet and wild waterpark? Snowland  Read more...

Christmas ornaments, and contests!

by Jenny Meade

December 04, 2008

As a child, one of my favorite things to do to mark the onset of the holidays was a family gathering at our church where we made Christmas tree ornaments with yarn and pipecleaners and glitter and glue. Christmas decorations seem to have become much more sophisticated since those days, but it's still fun to sit down with your little ones and make crafty Christmas memories  Read more...

Skunk Hunting

by Rita Arens

September 04, 2008

This post is inspired by my own neighborhood Pepe Le Pew, who seems to mistake black-and-white Bella the Cat weekly for his cherie while spraying my front yard. So really, you're just going for a walk. It's still light out until bedtime, and the weather will turn on us faster than we'd like, so take advantage, people. You'll miss this when it's gone. I don't care if you live in Hyde Park,  Read more...