Fun Things to do with Your Child

This weekend we had a child-centered weekend. Actually, it was a Jackson-centered weekend, and Selah was just along for the ride! I wanted to blog about it because the primary purpose of this blog is just to document my kids' lives (and my life too). Secondarily, I want to get some thoughts out of my head so that I can feel like I have communicated myself without bombarding my husband with every boring detail of my day when he gets home (love you, sweetie!). But I guess a tertiary reason for blogging is to connect with other people and share ideas. So, if you're looking for something to do with your kid, here are some recommendations!

Friday, Jason came home from work a little early and stayed with Selah while I took Jackson to see Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs.

Jackson has been asking me to see this movie since seeing it advertised on TV. Jackson is a connoisseur of movies and TV (just like his dad). This is embarrassing for me as a parent to admit, but this kid loves his TV and movies. Going to see a movie in the theater is a real treat for him. Our theater offers a kid's meal: a kid sized-popcorn, fruit gummies, and kid-sized drink for a decent price (compared to the rest of their stuff, that is). It is worth every penny to see the enjoyment he gets out of the whole movie experience. He's glued to the plot and literally on the edge of his seat for the entire hour and a half, roaring with laughter during the funny parts and yelling at the characters during the "scary" parts. Our theater also offers free movies (G and PG) during the summer every Tue., Wed., and Thurs. at 10am. We saw the VeggieTales Pirates Who Don't Do Anything there a few weeks ago. We love free entertainment!

Saturday, we went to the Greensboro Children's Museum with some of our friends. We haven't been there in two years, and they have made some great additions! Jackson loved flying the jet plane dressed in an astronaut suit and playing on the fire truck. The plane, fire truck, police car, gas pump, and race car are the REAL thing, just modified for museum use. It was so nice to be in a place where you didn't have to constantly say "don't touch that, stop doing that, put that back, etc." because everything there was meant for kids to use - not just look at! The play town had a post office, play house, camping area, stage, market, and pizza parlor. Jackson loved being on stage (big surprise, I know!) playing drums and making a show. There were dress up clothes, instruments, and even a booth for them to really run the sound and lights. It was awesome. Too much to take in for one day. I wish I had known about their summer special for unlimited visits for your family for $60 from June 1 through August 31. A little late to take advantage of it at this point, but hopefully they will offer this great deal next summer. Great place to go on rainy days, hot days, Saturdays, or just get-out-of-the-house days. FYI, they have half-price admission on Friday evenings and Sunday afternoons.

Sunday, we went to church , rested, and played "dogpile daddy". It's rare that we get to rest on Sundays, so we really enjoyed it. I saw on the news that the international space station (which the shuttle is on right now) was supposed to be visible in our area at 9:28pm, so I let Jackson stay up just for the occasion. When 9:28pm rolled around we went outside only to be disappointed by the cloud cover. We couldn't see a thing. On the positive side, we did get some much needed rain from those clouds.

I declared today a "No TV Day" in our house. As I mentioned earlier, Jackson loves TV, and lately it's been creeping into our day more and more. I have noticed recently that anytime I'm not able to actively play with Jackson, like when I'm doing the dishes or putting Selah down for a nap, he asks to turn on the TV. I have been giving in to his requests too often. I wanted to remind him of all his toys, books, puzzles, and computer games that he can play by himself; hence the "No TV Day." I have been pleasantly surprised at the lack of whining, crying, and begging. I really expected much more opposition. In fact, this morning I think I missed him watching TV more than he missed watching it! It made me wonder Who really is the one addicted to the TV?

This morning, we went to storytime at the Kathleen Clay Edwards Library in Greensboro. Although we go to the High Point and Jamestown libraries, too, we love going to the storytime at this library the best! The librarian is the FANTASTIC! I'm amazed at her ability to command a roomful of preschoolers and toddlers! She always reads 3 stories, tells a story on the story board, shows a storybook movie, and does activities to get the kids moving (get their wiggles out) between each story. It is well worth our drive to this library. They also have a little play house in their children's section.

So, there you have it! A full update on our weekend with lots of suggestions for activities! Another great place to look for activities is the free monthly Piedmont Parent magazine. I usually find these in doctor's offices and libraries, but I'm sure you can pick them up other places that kids go. Happy exploring!