Think about it when you travel this summer too, we have been to free programs when we visit family out of town and never been disappointed.
Most have their schedules are up online so you can check it out. I have posted links to some of my favorite local library schedules in the Up Coming Events Link.
Alvin Sherman Library at Nova Southeastern University in Davie is one of my favorites. Their PK and toddler programs are developed with pre-reading in mind. They often have information available for parents to help you develop reading skills in your kids. They also have a great kids section in the library with comfortable places to sit and do puzzles, color and draw, or read with your kids. Computers are available with great software games as well.
Imperial Point Library does story time for the little ones weekly and reading programs for school age kids. I love this little library, they are always so friendly and it just has a great vibe.
Wilton Manors Library is a great one too. They have special presentations for kids as well as summer reading programs.
Broward County Librariesare right up there with shows and kids event every week. When we lived in Broward, we used to hit up several different libraries every week!
Boca Raton Libraries are another great option! Check to see if your city has it’s own library, you won’t be disapointed!
I am so crazy happy to introduce you to Turtle Town Daycare in Boca Raton. Melissa Durniok runs a Licensed In-Home Daycare located in Boca Raton that specializes in Toddlers! Our daughters have gone to school together for three years now, and I can tell you honestly, that if I had a toddler, there is no other place I would leave her! In fact, I have dropped my daughter off at Melissa’s house for play dates without any hesitation! (Those who know me, understand that I rarely leave my daughter anywhere, so that is a huge endorsement!).
Here is what Melissa has to say about Turtle Town:
“My name is Melissa and I have a MSW and have worked with children in social work my entire life. I ran a licensed in-home daycare in MA for 3 years before moving to Boca Raton. I have been open for 1 year now and currently have both full-time and part-time openings. I take children ages 15 months and older as I do a full toddler curriculum and activities. I have 4 play spaces inside the home filled with toys and educational fun.
Outside I have a full playground with many riding toys, water tables, play houses, toddler slides, a swing set and sand tables for fun.
I would love for you to come out and visit us with your little one to Turtle Town Daycare soon!
Melissa and her family have created a beautiful, comfortable and safe haven for her “Turtles” She provides her Turtles with fun, hands on educational activities everyday. She has gone above and beyond the licensing requirements to turn her home into a toddler paradise!
Admission to the Summer Movie Express is only $1. Tickets available for purchase at the box office and all movies start at 10:00 am. Each week both movies play on both days. A portion of the proceeds goes to the Will Rogers Institute.
Most look like they are Tuesday & Wednesdays at 10am starting June 14th, but check your local theater for starting dates as they are different by State and Theater! Find a Theater near you.
Week 1
The Lego Movie
Max
Week 2
Goosebumps
The Iron Giant: Signature Edition
Week 3
Pan
The Smurfs 2
Week 4
Despicable Me 2
Home
Week 5
Minions
The Peanuts Movie
Week 6
Alvin & The Chipmunks: The Road Chip
Curious George
Week 7
The Book of Life
Hotel Transylvania 2
Week 8
Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs 2
Shaun The Sheep
Spring Break is upon us! If you live in Palm Beach County you can still find a camps on our Camp Page!
My Pick of the Week
Splash Pad A1a & Atlantic in Pompano Beach
Spring Break is all about the water! As you know, South Florida has fabulous water! Calypso Cove and
my personal favorite, Coconut Cove and Castaway Island are opening up for Spring Break! If you need more options for wet fun in the sun check out the menu tab for Events and Review and click on the subcategory for Water Play. You will find
Coconut Cove Water Park
everything from breaches to Splash Pads! Be sure to check with the official website for your facility as they are all opening at different times.
Splash Pad at Patch Reef Park
5 Tips for Hitting the Beach with Kids
Most of us know the amazing day the beach can provide, but please keep in mind the dangers that the beach can represent. Most of all share these tips with any northern visitors that you may have come visit. Teen are particularly susceptible to because they think they are invincible. I know were actually invincible when were teens, but today’s teen are not.;)
Want to learn Piano? There is an App for that!
I am a geek, I know! I have been obsessed with all things educational & technological! So what about Piano Lessons? Yup, There’s an app for that too! Piano Marvel is a completely online piano course that uses a midi interface with your piano to give you instant feedback on what you know! I have been using it to brush up on my extremely old skills and to supplement my child’s lessons! I am LOVING IT! I also negotiated a Coupon Code for you try it for free! If you buy a subscription you will get a discount too! You won’t believe what you get for about a quarter of the price of piano lessons!
The calendar is filling up quickly! Please make sure that we don’t miss your next event and submit your event today!
If you have found this site helpful and want to keep me writing please use the Donate Button on the right side of this page. This helps us pay for our domain, ip address and hosting, maybe even a cup of coffee as I sit at Panera searching for more free events. Some sites require membership fees in order to pay for their site. We really want this information to be free and available to all. Thanks for your support!
If you would like to learn more about our partnership opportunities Contact Us today!
[logo-slider]
Bank of America is offering it’s customers free admission to local museums all over the country. It is usually the first full weekend of the month and you just have to present your bank card at the door.
We have been to Museum of Discovery and Science with the program, NSU Art Museum in Fort Lauderdale and the Henry Ford Museum in Michigan with the program. (the Henry Ford was pretty amazing Click Here for a great review and pictures. The South Florida Science Museum is on the list too! Basically it means the adults are free (as long as you have a bank card for each person) and you just have to pay for the kids if they are over 2.
Click Here for the State Look Up Link to see other participating Museums in your area.
Have you ever had a pet that just seemed to cause havoc at every turn? Has your cat ever knocked over glasses, hidden your keys or generally created chaos for no apparent reason? Have you ever wondered what on earth your pet could be thinking? Baby Girl the Rogue House Cat explains all her crazy and funny actions in her new diary. Her journey to become a good house cat will help explain why cats do some of the things they do. I hope you enjoy her antics as much as I do.
If you have found this site helpful and want to keep me writing please use the Donate Button on the right side of this page. This helps us pay for our domain, ip address and hosting, maybe even a cup of coffee as I sit at Panera searching for more free events. Some sites require membership fees in order to pay for their site. We really want this information to be free and available to all. Thanks for your support!
If you would like to learn more about our partnership opportunities Contact Us today!
[logo-slider]
If you read this blog regularly you know that I am always on the search for the most educational types of recreation for the kids. I have once again posted and updated some of my favorite Holiday Websites. All of them have at least a nominal amount of educational value. Well may not the Elf Yourself site, but it’s the Holidays and you gotta have some fun too.
Bear with me for a moment, I had a deep thought I wanted to share. They are rare for me so here it is.
I thought I would share some of our Holiday decorations with you. My daughter put together this little assortment. I love how she added some of her stuffed Christmas toys to our regular decorations. I was so touched that she included my book on the Holiday Shelf. I think the best thing I could have ever done was publish this little book, because she sees it as a major accomplishment. I want to encourage you in this Holiday Season to live out your dreams in a visible way to your children. Not just your success, but the failures too. For me tell her that she can be anything doesn’t mean as much as allowing her to see me try, fail and sometimes succeed. Including her in the struggle to get published demonstrated that sometimes things don’t always work the first time you try, but together we really can do anything as long as we don’t allow ourselves to become discouraged. I wanted to say “Hey girl, you can do anything, so I have to show you it’s possible”. Okay, onto more fun things!
Don’t forget to head out to Flamingo Gardens, Garden of Lights! Even if they weren’t a wonderful sponsor for our site I would advise you go this event. In fact it is one of the reasons that I decided to invite them join our Sponsor Family!
The calendar is filling up quickly! Please make sure that we don’t miss your next event and submit your event today!
Have you ever had a pet that just seemed to cause havoc at every turn? Has your cat ever knocked over glasses, hidden your keys or generally created chaos for no apparent reason? Have you ever wondered what on earth your pet could be thinking? Baby Girl the Rogue House Cat explains all her crazy and funny actions in her new diary. Her journey to become a good house cat will help explain why cats do some of the things they do. I hope you enjoy her antics as much as I do.
If you have found this site helpful and want to keep me writing please use the Donate Button on the right side of this page. This helps us pay for our domain, ip address and hosting, maybe even a cup of coffee as I sit at Panera searching for more free events. Some sites require membership fees in order to pay for their site. We really want this information to be free and available to all. Thanks for your support!
If you would like to learn more about our partnership opportunities Contact Us today!
[logo-slider]
Starfall is an incredible educational website that is available all year long. It has great games and online activities that encourage reading skills. What I love about this site is that the kids can click on each word in the directions to have them read aloud. This site is wonderful for emergent readers.
One of my daughters favorites is the Gingerbread Man that allows kids to decorate it anyway they want. It’s a great way to review or learn shapes for the little ones. The bigger kids seem to like it just for fun!
I also like the Snowman activity here, it is a cute little Matching decked out in Holiday themes.
If you’ve never seen this (It’s been around for years!) you will get a giggle and so will your family. The kids think this is hilarious and watch it over and over again. Simply place pictures of your family members on the elves and watch them do a jig. You may wish it would get old, but it just doesn’t!
This is site is a good time. It has a nice countdown to Christmas and lots of little excerpts to read and loads of games all Santa’s Village. You can visit Mrs. Clause’s kitchen, write Santa a letter, fill out a check list to find out if you are on the Nice or Naughty list, and so much more. There are cute stories to read and color. You can sign up to save your progress, but you don’t have too.
If your little ones don’t read yet then they will need a little help from you. It’s a great way to spend some time getting into the Holiday spirit with your child.
#1 Norad Tracks Santa.
This is a close second for my favorite holiday site. Really, it is a stalemate with Portable North Pole! They have lots of fun games for the kids to play, even I got stuck playing a tetras like game the other night. The best thing is that starting Christmas Eve, they “track” Santa’s flight around the world with cute little cartoon type videos, so your child can see where Santa is before they go to bed. It’s lots of fun and the kids get a kick out of it. It has become tradition in our family to see Santa over London where Nana and Papa are before we go to bed. It looks like they have updated it this year, so I am looking forward to seeing what they have in store for us!
#1 Portable North Pole!
This is the most fun free thing you will do this year!! They have changed it a bit over the last few years, so you don’t get to put in so much information as you used to for the free version. I am tempted to go ahead and get the paid version, considering that we have been using it every year and have always loved it. You go to the website, answer a few questions about your child’s name and age and what they want for Christmas and upload pictures if you want.
Then Santa sends you a personalized video message for your child Santa checks his file and shows pictures of your child and everything. The first year my daughter went nuts when Santa showed a photo of her and her cousin on vacation(you don’t get this anymore with the free version) and mentioned how lucky she was to have gone on vacation this year. She started yelling “Santa! That is my cousin Santa!” It was so wonderful! Literally brought tears to my eyes! We do it every year!
The calendar is filling up quickly! Please make sure that we don’t miss your next event and submit your event today!
If you have found this site helpful and want to keep me writing please use the Donate Button on the right side of this page. This helps us pay for our domain, ip address and hosting, maybe even a cup of coffee as I sit at Panera searching for more free events. Some sites require membership fees in order to pay for their site. We really want this information to be free and available to all. Thanks for your support!
If you would like to learn more about our partnership opportunities Contact Us today!
[logo-slider]
With the Holidays in full swing, South Floridians, tourists and coastal dwellers everywhere will be spending more and more time at local beaches.It is important to make sure that this is a safe and fun event for the entire family. By checking the warning flags and following these five tips beach goers will be able to make the most of a day at the beach with the family.
Tiip # 1:Only swim at guarded beaches. Chose a beach with a Life Guard and locate your family’s spot near them. Fort Lauderdale has two-miles of Ocean Rescue Tower Guarded beaches from 1014 Seabreeze Boulevard to 1200 N. Atlantic Boulevard. Palm Beach County has thirteen guarded oceanfront and inlet parks from Tequesta to Boca Raton. According to Fort Lauderdale Ocean Rescue “Most water-related fatalities occur in unsupervised settings distant from lifeguard towers.”
Tip # 2: Make sure to know what flags are flying. Ocean Rescue fly flags at the beach to help beach goers avoid hazard.
GREEN FLAG – Low Hazard: Conditions are calm; normal care and caution should be exercised. YELLOW FLAG – Moderately Hazardous Conditions: Moderate currents and/or surf are present; use extra care. RED FLAG – Very Hazardous Conditions: Rough surf and/or strong currents exist; swimmers are strongly discouraged from entering the water. DOUBLE-RED FLAG – Closed to the Public: The water and/or beach are closed to the public due to severe currents and/or surf, water pollution, the threat of lightning, or the presence of predatory fish. PURPLE FLAG – Marine Pests: Jellyfish, man-of-wars, and/or sea lice are present. This flag may be flown along with any of the other flags.
In addition, the Surf Report can help you make sure that you will have a great day at the beach. The surf report will tell you the size of the waves hitting the beach so that you make sure that the waves are ones that your family can handle.
Tip # 3: Sun protection and hydration are key. Drink plenty of water, slather on the
sunscreen and wear a hat. In an article written by American Academy of Dermatology Amanda Friedrichs, MD, FAAD, a board-certified dermatologist in private practice in Sycamore, IL states “People who get sunburned usually didn’t use enough sunscreen, didn’t reapply it after being in the sun, or used an expired product.” The moral of the story here is not to be stingy with the slather, instead load it on!
Children are particularly susceptible to dehydration and will not always notice when they are thirsty so they must be reminded to drink often. This is especially true when they are wet on the beach, they may not think about needing to drink the way we would.. There is some great swim gear that has built in SPF available now. These suits are a little more expensive but are well worth it and they are an easy way to stay protected. Don’t forget the hats. Hats that tie under the chin are more likely to stay on the child’s head and can even be worn in the water, giving extra sun protection to those precious and sun sensitive eyes, face & ears.
Bringing umbrellas or small kids tents offer the kids a way to play in the sand and get out of the sun a little bit. Staying out of the intense midday summer sun is also a good idea. 10:00 to 3:00 is the hottest part of the day so hitting the beach before 10:00 am or after 3:00 can go along way to keeping beach goers more comfortable and safer.
Tip # 4: Know what to do in a rip current. This is so important, most locals are familiar with rip currents. However many people have no idea of how dangerous they really are, especially vacationers.
A rip current is a powerful narrow current that can pull swimmers away from the beach. Swimmers caught in one of these currents can become exhausted trying to swim against it and drown in the process. Experts recommend swimming parallel to the beach and out of the rip current. The swimmer should then be able to swim back into the beach.
The United States Lifesaving Associationestimates “that the annual number of deaths due to rip currents on our nation’s beaches exceeds 100. Rip currents account for over 80% of rescues performed by surf beach lifeguards.”
I cannot stress enough how important it is to understand the power and danger that rip currents represent to swimmers. The combination of no lifeguard and rip currents makes things even more dangerous. A 15 year old has already died this June (2013) when caught in a rip current at John U Lloyd State Park. According to the Miami Herald red flags were flying, however the beach is unguarded.
To learn more about Rip Currents check out this article from the Miami Herald.
Tip # 5: Be aware of Jelly fish. Jellyfish can be a serious hazard for beach goers. Jellyfish stings can be anything from uncomfortable to severe and can require immediate treatment. So unless you are allergic they may not be deadly, but they will certainly take the joy out of a trip to the beach in a hurry. Anyone who has experienced a sting, knows that they are really not fun.
According to WebMD, victims of these floating menaces should rinse the inflicted area with ocean water not fresh water. Fresh water can and will increase the pain caused by the sting. Pour vinegar or rubbing alcohol on the inflicted area. More severe reactions will include difficulty breathing and intense pain. Ocean Rescue are trained to deal with emergencies like these and this is yet another reason for beach goers to visit a Guarded beach. Remember that you can be stung long after the animal is dead, so where rubber soled water shoes while walking on the beach and use caution when digging in the sand near the water line.
Family outings to the beach in the summer are the part of our childhood, where we make memories for a lifetime. With a little care, these memories are sure to be a little more idyllic for everyone.
I wanted to share some fun news! I finally published a book! It’s little and a bit silly, but I think it’s cute. (My 7 year old likes it for what that is worth.) This project is certainly a learning experience! It is available on Kindle US and Kindle Europe now and I am working on the print version at the moment. The print version should be available for purchase within the next 3 weeks.
Have you ever had a pet that just seemed to cause havoc at every turn? Have you ever wondered what on earth your pet could be thinking? Baby Girl the Rogue House Cat explains all her crazy and funny actions in her new diary to help explain why cats do some of the things they do. I hope you enjoy her antics as much as I do.
If you have found this site helpful and want to keep me writing please use the Donate Button on the right side of this page. This helps us pay for our domain, ip address and hosting, maybe even a cup of coffee as I sit at Panera searching for more free events. Some sites require membership fees in order to pay for their site. We really want this information to be free and available to all. Thanks for your support!
If you would like to learn more about our partnership opportunities Contact Us today!
[logo-slider]
We would like to thank our sponsor Flamingo Gardens for their continued support as park of the Keeping Up With Kids Family
Flamingo Gardens
We love Flamingo Gardens! This tropical paradise in Davie offers visitors the chance to wander through 60 acres of of amazing botanical gardens, orchards and an animal sanctuary.
Flamingo Gardens is home to over 90 species of mostly rescued Florida native bird and animals. It is a wonderful place to learn about the diverse populations, both plant and animal, that are found here in Florida and no where else in the world.
Spoonbill at Flamingo Gardens
My daughter loves the half-acre free flight aviary that has over 250 wading birds in it. We went so often when she was still in a stroller that she can name many of them! Nothing is funnier than a two year old trying to say spoonbill!
Scarecrow Contest at Flamingo Gardens
I have two favorite events at Flamingo Gardens that I have written about a lot over the years. The first is the Christmas Lights event they do every year! The second is the Halloween Scarecrow Contest.
Flamingo Gardens offers many great events throughout the year, but some of my absolute favorites are coming up soon!