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If you’re an Arizonan, you know exactly where this article is coming from! Those of us sweltering away in the Arizona summer are on the prowl again for some summer fun that does not involve melting away in the afternoon heat! So we’ve got a few ideas for those of you looking for excursions with your kiddos that will wear them out well before the afternoon sun begins to beat us into submission! Incidentally, we’ve included some pricing here but if you want to get in some of these places for free, get to your local library and check out a “Culture Pass“!

The Phoenix Zoo has welcomed two new baby zebras along with a host of other new little ones!

Visit the Phoenix Zoo! If you have never been to this locale before, then it is definitely time! And if you’ve visited enough to say, “we’ve seen it all!”, then we’ve got news for ya…you haven’t! The Phoenix Zoo has welcomed a slew of new babies into their midst. Zebras, marmosets, big horn sheep and even a couple of year old giraffes have joined the crew. Plus, their new summer hours make it a much more enjoyable experience for all. They open now at 7:00am (or 6:00am if you’re a member) and close at 2:00pm on the weekdays and 4:00pm on the weekends. Enjoy the animal encounters throughout the morning, pack a lunch for a picnic with the monkeys at monkey island, and then cool off at the refreshing waterfall, waterslide and splash pads of Yakulla Caverns before departing for a welcomed afternoon nap! Admission is $16.00 for adults (ages 13 and up) and $7.00 per child (ages 3-12).

Check out the brand new Sea Life Aquarium at Arizona Mills Mall!

Visit Arizona Mills Mall for a unique experience at their Sea LIfe Arizona Aquarium! You can enter through the mall but once inside, kids will see an underwater playground where thousands of marine animals are shown in 12 distinct habitats. You will even be able to walk through a 360-degree tunneled walkway  directly through a massive tank full of schools of tropical fish, rays and sharks as they swim above, below and all around you! There is a children’s play area, video room and educational center. You can purchase day admission tickets, flex passes, and memberships. A day pass will run you $9.50 for kids 3-12,and $17.50 for adults (these are the online prices which are slightly cheaper than buying at the door).

Think the library is just for reading? Guess again!

Think the library is just for reading? Guess again! Our Public Libraries not only have a great summer readers program for kids, but they’ve also got some fun events you might want to put into your calendars!…

• Every wednesday (except June 16th) from 10:30-11:30am, the Main Library offers Toddler Time for Ages 24 through 36 months and their parents/cargivers (siblings welcomed). 20 minutes of stories, songs and fingerplay fun especially for Toddlers! (Limited to the first 50 people)
• June 8, 1:00-2:00pm (Main Library) Wildlife World Zoo and Aquarium activity…Wonders of the Water: Learn about and meet some cool aquatic and semi-aquatic animals. Also available on June 24th, same time, at the Red Mountain Branch as well as June 30th at the Dobson Ranch Branch.
• June 9, 10:30-11:30am (Dobson Ranch Branch)…Join the puppeteers for a performance of the classic fairy tale Rapunzel. And at 1:30, bring your older kids to try their hand at making their own “ball” book!
• June 10, 1:00-2:00pm (Red Mountain Branch)…kids of all ages will have a blast with the crafts and bubble blowing at this event! You can catch this event at the Main Library June 15 from 10:30-11:30am or June 16 at Dobson Ranch Branch, same time.
• June 19, 1:00-3:00pm (Red Mountain Branch)…great opportunity to get your video game addicts out of the living room and into a library! On the 3rd Saturday of each month, the Red Mountain Branch will test your skills on their Wii along with board games and fun for ages 4-18.
• June 26, 1:30-3:30pm (Main Library, Dobson Ranch Branch, and Red Mountain Branch)…In case you’ve been living under a rock for the last few months, you might not be aware of the Eclipse movie coming to theaters at the end of this month. Join the Library in celebrating this books release to theaters with Twilight trivia games for prizes (such as Harkins movie tickets, drink cups, and popcorn coupons), raffles for a book purse made from the Eclipse hardback, dress like your favorite Twilight character (JUST BECAUSE!), sink your teeth into some snacks and if you’re into preparing a little, make and wear your own Twilight-themed T-shirt to enter the “Wear Your Own Twilight T-shirt” contest to win a copy of Eclipse!
• June 28, 1:00-2:00pm (Main Library)…Express your artistic side through the art of silk screen printing. Learn the basics and create a cool t-shirt (supplies and t-shirt provided)!

Looking for some free books for your kids? Barnes and Noble can help! Sign up at any location for their readers program! Just download their Readers Passport to record your child’s progress. Once your child reads 8 books, they get to choose one for free from their local Barnes and Noble!

Well, that should hopefully get you started! Maybe we’ll see you somewhere along the way! Enjoy your kiddos while they’re at home and don’t forget to mark your planned activities on your child’s personalized calendar so they can look forward to and remember all the fun you have this month!

Tags: arts and crafts for kids, Calendaring Tips, Crafts, education, entertainment, Family and Home, free stuff, fun, toddlers
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Get your kids ready for all the April activities by creating a custom calendar marking all their important activities and celebrations!

Looking for a little help on marking your children’s calendars this month? Well, we’ve got a good start for you! We’ve compiled a list of some of the observances that make April so special! There are some great links to help give you ideas on how to get in on the fun with your kids so check ‘em out. We’ve sorted them by month, week and day. Remember, every day is special because today is a gift…that’s why they call it “the present”!…

April Monthly Observances…

• National Humor Month
• Internation Guitar Month
• Keep America Beautiful Month
• Lawn and Garden Month
• Poetry Month
• National Pecan Month
• National Welding Month
• Records and Information Management Month
• Stress Awareness Month
• Sexual Assault Awareness Month
• Autism Awareness Month

Weekly Breakdown:

• Week One: Library Week, Read a Road Map Week
• Week Two: Garden Week
• Week Three: Organize Your Files Week, Medical Labs Week
• Week Four: Administrative Assistants WEek, National Karaoke Week

Celebrations By Day…there’s something for everyone! :

1. April Fool’s Day, International Fun at Work Day, International Tatting Day
2. Children’s Book Day, National Peanut Butter and Jelly Day, national Walk to Work Day, Reconciliation Day
3. Don’t Go to Work Unless it’s Fun Day, Tweed Day
4. Easter, Hug a Newsman Day, Walk Around Things Day, School Librarian Day, Tell a Lie Day
5. Passover begins, Dyngus Day, Go for Broke Day
6. Plan  Your Epitaph Day, Sorry Charlie Day
7. Caramel Popcorn Day, No Housework Day (YEAH!!), World Health Day
8. All is Ours Day, Draw a Picture of a Bird Day
9. Name Yourself Day, Winston Churchill Day
10. Golfer’s Day, National Siblings DAy
11. Eight Track Tape DAy, Barbershop Quartet Day, National Submarine DAy
12. Big Wind Day, Russian Smonaut Day
13. Blame Someone Else DAy, Scrabble DAy
14. Ex Spouse Day, International Moment of Laughter Day, Look up at the Sky Day, National pecan Day, Reach as High as You Can Day
15. Rubber Eraser Day, Titanic Remembrance Day
16. National Eggs Benedict Day, National High Five Day, National Librarian Day, National Stress Awareness Day
17. Blah, Blah, Blah Day, National Cheeseball DAy, Pet Owners Independence Day
18. International Juggler’s Day, Newspaper Columnists Day
19. National Garlic Day, Patriot’s Day
20. Look Alike Day, Volunteer Recognition Day
21. Kindergarten Day
22. Girl Scout Leader Day, National Jelly Bean Day
23. Lover’s Day, National Zucchini Bread Day, Take a Chance Day, World Laboratory Day
24. Astronomy Day, Pig in a Blanket Day
25. East Meets West Day, World Penguin Day
26. Executive Admin’s Day (Secretary’s Day), Hug an Austrailan Day, National Pretzel Day, Richter Scale DAy
27. Babe Ruth DAy, National Prime Rib DAy, Tell a STory Day
28. Great Poetry Reading Day, Kiss Your Mate Day
29. Greenery Day, National Shrimp Scampi Day
30. haristyle Appreciation Day, Natioanl Honesty Day

Have fun celebrating this month and remember…play with time so you have time to play!

Tags: Calendaring Tips, education, entertainment, Family and Home, holiday activities
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Dance and cook with Goofy and his friends in Goofy's Kitchen!

Brilliant fireworks, beautiful music, and a snow fall surrounded by white lights all combine in the Disney fireworks display to bring the holidays home!

Are you planning any trips to the Magic Kingdom this holiday season? If you are not, then you should! Holidays in Disneyland are truly magical! For starters, it’s pretty tough to find someone that could top the Mouse for his decorating savvy. The entire park gets a serious make-over for the holidays. Toon Towne is complete with snow on the rooftops and you won’t even recognize the Haunted Mansion, which has been overrun by Jack Skellington and his band from the Nightmare Before Christmas. The towering trees, wreaths, flowers, and holiday lights are truly a sight to behold. If you can’t get in the Holiday spirit in Disneyland, then I am afraid there is little hope for you.

If you are planning a Disneyland trip this holiday season and toting along multiple little people with you, we’ve got a few recommendations…

• Transportation. If you have the ability to take the monorail into the park, this will shave considerable time off your morning commute. You must be staying in a Disneyland Hotel (California Hotel, Paradise Pier or Disneyland Hotel) in order to fast pass onto this little gem of a transport system. Presenting your room key along with your park ticket will get you in a full hour before the park opens on select days.
• Food and the “bottom” line. If you plan to be in the park for the entire day, food can be a very daunting expense and major time waster. Again, we are addressing those with little ones here. Based on considerable experience, we recommend you try to limit yourself to two or less meals in the park. Snack before you leave your room. Then eat a good sized breakfast in the park late in the morning (you can hit the rides while everyone else is eating at normal breakfast hours, then eat while the ride lines are longer) then take along a smorgesborg of water, treats and snacks (fruit roll-ups, trail mix, granola bars, fruit, etc.) that will happily tide your little ones (and bigs ones!) over until the next meal. Skip the lunch and have either an early dinner or a late dinner. Again, this helps you avoid the mealtime crowds and time-waster lines.
• Don’t miss the fireworks! You need to give yourself a good hour before it starts to find a decent spot. Take some blankets to sit on. Pick a spot near the castle or near the Small World ride. These are the best locations to be a part of the “White Christmas” part of the fireworks…yes, there is actual snow that will fall! You won’t want to miss it!
• Give the gift of memories! If you’re going to spend all that money on getting your family to the park, then it’s worth it to make sure they remember it, right? Autograph books can help you’re kids interact with the characters firsthand and have some memories to boot. An autograph book that includes picture slots is a must. Our little ones loved to approach each character and “ask for their autograph”, if only to have an excuse to talk to the character one on one. Once finished with the trip, we insert photos of each child with their character friends into this autograph book and it becomes a real treasure for each child. A word of advice for the autograph seeking crowd…it is well worth investing in a “character dining experience” rather than face long lines to meet each character in the park. For the best food and character quantity, we recommend the “Plaza Inn “Minnie & Friends – Breakfast in the Park” hosted by Kellogg’s ” inside Disneyland for breakfast. In one hour, you will fill up at least half of an autograph book.

Good luck on your Disney vacation and we hope you have as much fun as we did! Now go make some memories!

Do you have experiences or tips you would like to share about how to maximize a Disneyland holiday trip? Visit our forum and join in the conversation!

Tags: entertainment, Family and Home, fun, holiday activities, product reviews, tips and tricks
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The Kid Cave, a featured inflatable at the North Phoenix PumpItUp Location

When the temperature jumps to 109 degrees and your kids are bouncing off the walls with unspent energy, where do you go that won’t cause heat stroke, dehydration or heat exhaustion? I have a solution to your problem! …PumpItUp! The Inflatable Party Zone!

They are currently getting ready to celebrate their 4th anniversary on August 31st! Congrats! This will be a special event in that it will offer a free “open bounce” from 5:00pm-8:00pm with groups of 25-30 kids being moved through two bounce zones every 30 minutes (equalling 1 hr of open play for each attendee). Probably the most exciting thing about this anniversary, however, is that Banerjee is going to accept donations to support the American Society of Autism.

Banerjee has hosted events for the Southwest Autism Research & Resource Center (SARRC) before along with many private parties for autistic children’s groups. Banerjee confided, “the (autistic) kids really seem to enjoy themselves…something about the environment awakens something in them and they truly have some amazing fun!”. Banerjee added that he is careful to consult parents in attendance about the environment (ie. music volume and selection) to make sure that he creates the best environment possible for these special needs children.

“We have a deep appreciation and concern for autism in our community…these families are truly special and have given us some sobering insights into the struggles faced by autistic children and their caregivers,” says Banerjee. “This is our way to give back to the community that has supported us these last four years,” he adds.

I would encourage you to attend this free bounce event if possible but if you don’t make it, Banerjee assured me that they are open year round, with the exception of major holidays. Banerjee recognizes that his business depends on the disposable income of families, something not many have a lot of these days. So he has restructured some of the standard PumpItUp! party package options at his location specifically to address these tough economic times. So don’t be afraid to give it a try! Remember, “no matter how far life pushes you down, no matter how much you hurt, you can always bounce back!” (quote by Sheryl Swoopes)

If you have ever been to a BounceU or Jump and Shout, then you will be very familiar with this type of indoor inflatable playground. The North Phoenix location boasts two arenas of over 4000 square feet each, filled with various inflatable activities. PumpItUp has a brightly colored and exciting atmosphere to offer even the most seasoned bouncer! There are 4 valley locations (Tempe, Scottsdale, North Phoenix and Arrowhead) that offer open bounce times as well as scheduled private parties for all ages. For those of you who are bounce-savvy, you might be interested to know that PumpItUp was actually the original “indoor bounce zone”, later adapted by BounceU and others. But now, even BounceU falls under the corporate umbrella of PumpItUp Holdings.

I spoke with Swapan Banerjee, owner and operator of the North Phoenix PumpItUp! location on August 26th about his operation. His facility holds two open bounce sessions per week for smaller kids (6 and under) as well as one session per week for older kids (although these older kid bounce sessions are only available during the summer months and are discontinued during the school year). The open bounce price is $7 per child and siblings two and under can enter free. In order for the two or under sibling to enter for free, though, there needs to be an older sibling that has paid admission.

While they offer these open bounce sessions as opportunities for prospective clients to sample the goods, private parties are their bread and butter. They specialize in children’s parties but have even hosted corporate parties for adults; after all, you don’t stop playing because you get old, you get old because you stop playing!

For more info: Visit the PumpItUp website or you can contact the North Phoenix Location at (623) 434-7867 or visit their location at 22515 N. 18th Drive in Phoenix, AZ 85024-1356.

Tags: entertainment, free stuff, fun, product reviews
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Yes! I know, I know…you must be rolling your eyes right about now. Tucson? Really? My answer is absolutely! I have to say, I would have been sharing your same reaction if someone had shared this thought with me. But give me a chance to defend our southern desert.

I recently vacationed here with my family for a weekend away from home. We were looking forward to getting out of town and really didn’t care much where we were going. We are like everyone these days and needed our vacation spot to meet some specific criteria…namely, pricetag and close proximity of activities. Tucson delivered and then some! We stayed at the Tucson Omni National Resort where they are currently running an amazing summer deal where they match dollar for dollar what you spend on your room in resort dollars. So basically, whatever you pay on your room, you get back in cash you can spend at the resort! We golfed, dined, and some of our group even visited their spa…all for the price of the room!

Now, I know what your saying…the food must’ve been nasty or the accommodations had to be poor. But I will tell you now that the room we stayed in was probably one of the nicest, largest and most well-equiped rooms we have ever stayed in. We had a dining area, sitting room, bedroom with two queen size beds, and a bathroom as large as the bedroom. The food was amazing whether we were eating in the formal dining restaurant, eating room service on our couch or munching on some great lunch dishes at the little cafe overlooking the golf course. The pool area was clean and large with a sand volleyball court and two full size tennis courts. They even offered lunch barbequed poolside along with drinks for guests playing in this area.

The golf course was well-manicured and a lot of fun for experienced golfers as well as those of us who don’t play quite as often. It was challenging without being frustratingly difficult. The weather was amazing…warm in the mornings but by afternoon, Tucson’s legendary monsoon storms settled in and dropped the temperature 10 degrees while entertaining us with some spectacular lighting! Who needs fireworks? But Tucson delivered that as well over the fourth of July weekend.

We visited the Kartchner Caverns which was a delight for my husband and I as well as my little ones. Amazing cave formations coupled with a family-friendly guide made the 45 minute tour a great experience for us all. Word to the wise, Kartchner Caverns sports an 80 degree temperature with about 98% humidity so don’t plan to go anywhere you have to look nice for afterwards! We were a little disappointed we couldn’t see the “Great Room” because this area closes down this tim eof year while the bats that make this cave their home are taking care of their babies. But maybe on our next trip.

Pima County Air Musuem had some great hands on activities for the kids as well as some fun historical trivia for the adults!

We also visited Pima County Air Museum. This had a wonderful array of history. I was impressed as I read about the different types of planes how many historical air events took place in Arizona. The kids had a wonderful time playing in the kid-friendly hanger where kids can be hands on with various types of planes, simulators and even toddler friendly equipment. We probably spent at least two hours here and didn’t even see the entire museum. There is a tram that will carry you throughout the outdoor exhibits but we declined this trip because it is not air conditioned and we didn’t like the idea of baking in the sun for 30 minutes. It gives us something to try next trip!

Wyatt Earp, Morgan and Virgil stopped by for a photo

We took the short drive to Tombstone one day as well and had a wonderful time reliving the OK Corral with Wyatt Earp and his brothers. We even got some spooky fun visiting the real life haunted saloon, the Birdcage (I ended up with a few photos here that smack of ghost action!). This museum also has some amazing history. Did you know where the term “Aces and Eights = Dead Man’s Hand” came from? Wild Bill was shot in the back while playing poker…he died clutching his hand of aces and eights. The Birdcage is full of incredible history and worth taking some time to walk around and read the plaques.

I read about a Children’s Museum here as well but we didn’t have time to visit this trip. Hopefully we can make it next trip because there will certainly be a “next trip”! I know most would roll their eyes at vacationing in Tucson, but I’m here to tell you…it’s a wonderful spot for a family on a budget and with a little forethought, you can find some wonderful “things to do” here!

Tags: entertainment, Family and Home, free stuff, fun, product reviews
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If you’re like many of us looking for fun things to do with our kids this summer that don’t break the bank, Chuck E. Cheese has come up with some fun rewards charts that when completed, can be brought to a Chuck E. Cheese location for free game tokens! Some of the charts include the following:

• Sports Awards
• Tooth Fairy Award
• Getting Dressed
• Reading Rewards
• Active Kid
• Homework Helper
• Potty Training
• Sleep All Night
• Magical Manners
• Doctor/Dentist Good
• Stop Thumb Sucking
• Clean Your Room
• Teeth Brushing

Each completed rewards poster will earn your child 10 free tokens as a reward! What a fun way to encourage good habits in your children.

Tags: Add new tag, entertainment, Family and Home, free stuff, fun
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From 8:00am to 8:00pm today, we’re celebrating our first week live on the web by awarding some very special activity books courtesy of GrokQuest throughout the day! Be one of our first 3 subscribers of the day and you will receive several of these great activity books for your kids! Don’t miss out on this great opportunity to collect some of these great book titles today only!

Tags: education, entertainment, Family and Home, free stuff, fun, toddlers
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Do you know where your kids are? Do you know who they’re with? Do you know what they’re doing? These questions were hard enough to answer 10 years ago but now with the age of technology thrust upon us, they are harder than ever to answer and even more complicated to ask. In this age of facebook, twitter, sexting, blogging, and online gaming, our generation of supposedly tech savy individuals is quickly becoming clueless in the wave of new technology.

There are many sites out there to help families deal with this onslaught of technology but there is one I would like to bring to your attention today. It is called www.getgamesmart.com and it will surely be a very frequently visited site by many a clueless parent. You might think from it’s title that it is just another gaming site. But this site is so much more.

It offers tools for parents to talk to their kids about these difficult issues revolving around online experiences. It offers suggestions for opening up a dialog with your kids about these difficult issues. There is even a section for kids to help give them and their families ways to talk about being kids in a digital world. Topics such as online bullying, sexting, guides to safely game online and understanding what you can do as a parent to help keep your child safely navigating online. There are even guidelines to parental control options to customize your families entertainment experience.

For more info: Phoenix Family & Parenting Examiner

Tags: education, entertainment, Family and Home
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To those few lucky individuals who are still living the extravagant life of decadence and self-indulgence in today’s economy, we salute you and hope to join you soon! With the new ‘cultural pass’ available at our local libraries, that day may be coming sooner than we anticipated. If you are struggling for entertainment options that fit the trimmed budget of today’s family, this is an amazing opportunity…and all you need is a library card!

Thanks to sponsors like Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust, Macy’s, Arizona Republic, Clear Channel Radio, CBS Outdoor, and Macy’s, we have been gifted with a unique opportunity to bring affordable culture to our families.

What is “the pass”;? Library card holders can check out their “cultural pass”; and be able to gain free admission for up to 4 people at participating organizations. Yes, I did say FREE!…no strings attached. Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end…the pass is only good for up to 7 days and each library cardholder can only check out one pass at a time twice a month. The venue will collect your pass when you use it so it can only be used once during the 7 day period.
The library imposes these restrictions in what may I perceive as an attempt at encouraging us as a community to share. I say “attempt”; because they will simultaneously reward us for our competitiveness since passes are only available on a first-come first-served basis and cannot be reserved. Mark your calendars: the pass becomes available on April 1, 2009 and the program will only run through March 31, 2010. Each library location will have five passes from each participating institution so competition will be tough.

If you want to learn more about the Culture Pass, click here.
Here is a list of participating cultural centers:
Arizona Museum for Youth
Arizona Museum of Natural Histor
Arizona Science Center
The Bead Museum
Cave Creek Museum
Children’s Museum of Phoenix
Desert Botanical Garden (won’t participate until June)
Heard Museum
Mesa Contemporary Arts
Phoenix Art Museum
Phoenix Zoo
Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art
Taliesin West

And if you need some help with participating libraries, here’s a list of those as well:
City of Chandler
City of Glendale
City of Mesa
City of Phoenix
City of Scottsdale
City of Tempe

So on your marks, get set, go! May the fastest and most diligent library card holder win! Join the ranks of the self-indulgent as we try to leave our economic woes behind us for an afternoon of decadent, guilt-free cultural family entertainment!

Tags: culture, entertainment, Family and Home, fun
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