Fun Toys Making October a Happy Time To Visit McDonalds

UPDATED (9/21/2013):  The BATMAN toys have come out in late September rather than early October.  We found the first round of toys at McDonalds on Saturday, Sept 21st, but they didn't have any Wizard of Oz toys  yet.  We picked up a batmobile and batman figurine for the kids but  they didn't have the "bat mask" which is what the kids really wanted.

McDonald's has received some bashing over the years about their Happy Meals not being healthy and marketing to kids through the promotion of toys - my response to that is grow up and be a parent.  Don't let your kids dictate to your family's meal time decisions.  McDonald's should be a "treat" and not a regular part of your kid's diet so if you are eating there enough that you are concerned that the restaurant is luring you in through toys and marketing aimed at kids you have bigger problems than just what your kids are eating.

I find it enjoyable to go to McDonald's when there is a fun toy promotion going on as something out of the ordinary to do.  We don't go all the time and my kids relate our trips there to a special treat or reward.  In fact I'm more likely to take them if there is a cool toy in the Happy Meals - and sorry McDonalds but more often than not your toys aren't that great - but my children don't expect to go to McDonalds all the time to eat or for a toy. I don't care if the food isn't that healthy because most things you eat as a "treat" aren't, like  movie popcorn or sundaes at an ice cream parlor.  I love to take my kids to grab a slurpee from 7-Eleven and that sure isn't healthy but we do it once a month or so as a fun side trip with Dad.  As parents though, my wife and I focus on making all the other meal times healthy and teaching our kids about living that promotes exercise, eating responsibly and leading a lifestyle that avoids using alcohol and drugs for enjoyment or entertainment.

Kids are being forced to go to school earlier and longer with more pressure and competition to excel than ever before.  My kids are doing two years of preschool and now the school districts require 5 day a week full day daycare.  More and more kids are forced into daycare because their parents are working full time jobs.  The violence and terrorism reported on the news most be scary for children, I know as an adult I find it horrific. If a Happy Meal with a toy can help my kids enjoy being a kid and enjoy a special moment of childhood - god bless you McDonalds!

While my wife and I have been to McDonalds frequently this year, we've only been to McDonalds four times with our kids...when they had the Despicable Me and Smurf toys out (which are kids still frequently play with so they were pretty good toys).  I have to admit those toys were a factor in making a visit to McDonalds because since we take the children there a limited amount we wanted to make the visits really count. So I guess the toy marketing does work for them ... but hey they are a business looking to make money! I'm tempted to make a stop in October with the kids too because it looks like they are going to have some fun toys that month in their Happy Meal boxes:  BATMAN & THE WIZARD OF OZ

The BATMAN toys will feature a caped crusader mask, toy motorcycle and batmobile, and some action figures.

THE WIZARD OF OZ toys will feature figurines of all the main characters from the original classic movie.  

Now don't get me wrong, childhood obesity is a horrible problem in this country, but instead of focusing on something that is providing some "fun" in life people need to address the larger issues contributing to the problem.  Parents need to set the standards and limits for their kids.  Our society also needs to establish more of a priority in respecting education, exercise, and healthy living as standards for everyone to strive to achieve.  And if McDonald's wants their food to be more than a specials "treat" for my children they need to create a healthier menu.  But in the end, my wife and I are setting the example and setting the rules, rather than allowing a restaurant to take that responsibility over for us.  I don't mind my kids enjoying a Happy Meal every once in awhile as long as they also get the understanding that isn't the way you eat a healthy every day diet...and that is where parenting comes in.

Here are some links that can provide some advice and help if obesity is a problem for your family:

HELPGUIDE: Nutrition for Children & Teens 

Academy for Nutrition & Dietetics 

Choose My Plate.Gov

Nobody wants to deal with a screaming or whining child, but sometimes the best thing you can ever do for your child is just say NO so they understand that there aren't rewards for bad behavior and you can't always get everything you want.  

Make Educational Stops on Vacations a Family Tradition

We were driving away from the Gerald Eddy Discovery Center during our last vacation when my wife said to me “You know you’ve become your Father – you’re taking our children to all the same types of places your Dad dragged you to as a kid.”  She winked at me.  “I love that about you and our kids are going to have great childhood memories when they grow up.”

My Dad always included visits to museums and historical sites on every family vacation.  As a kid, I visited well known places such as Colonial Williamsburg, Gettysburg, and the Smithsonian Museums as well as spots more off the beaten path such as the Gnadenhutten Museum & Massacre Monument, Salamanca Railroad Museum and the Lost Colony on Roanoke Island.  These educational excursions have instilled in me a lifelong passion for discovery and learning.  

Now that I’m a Dad, incorporating educational stops in all our vacations has become a family tradition.  We’ve visited places with our kids like the Air Museum in Akron, American Museum of Natural History in NYC, Children’s Museum of Pittsburg, the Imagination Station in Toledo, Chicago's Museum of Science & Industry, and even stopped by the local Sanibel Historical Villageduring our beach vacation last winter.  

For suggestions on interesting places to visit on your next vacation, check out the Association of Science-Technology Centers website, contact the Chamber of Commerce or Tourism Bureau for the area you are visiting or ask locals for out of the ordinary suggestions.  Have a goal of making education entertaining for your kids on every trip!

These Don't Turn Brown When You Slice Them

Have you ever heard of an “Apple Pear” before?  I hadn’t but I really enjoy apples and pears so when I saw apple pears on display at the grocery store today I decided to pick up a few.  Hey it’s always fun to try new things … so when I saw something I’d never seen before figured why not give it a try. 

After we got home from the store, my wife and I put away the groceries and put together lunch for the family.  I cut up some slices of the apples pears for my kids and bit a chunk out of another one for myself.  My first impression – TASTY!  The fruit has the texture of an apple but the flavor of a pear. 

Then I looked at my kids’ plates and noticed something; while it looked like they had apples on their plate the slices hadn’t turned brown.  Don’t you hate it how apple slices tend to quickly turn a disgusting brownish color after you’ve sliced them up.  Didn’t happen with these apple pear slices.  After my kids finished up their chicken nuggets they quickly gobbled up their fruit and my daughter remarked to me “hey dad these apples didn’t turn brown!!!” Success!!!

I was wondering if these apple pears were a new genetically modified fruit since I had never heard of them before so I googled them and found the website for the farm that had produced the ones we’d purchased: KINGSBURG ORCHARDS.  Turns out that these fruit are a unique type of pear that originated in Asia and have been grown in California since the Gold Rush days when Chinese immigrants brought them from overseas and planted them in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains.  It appears though that the fruit is just starting to be commercially distributed to consumers in areas of the country outside the West Coast. It was nice to see on the package of the ones we bought that they were grown in the USA!

The Kingsburg Orchards website describes the Apple Pear as having the “appearance of an apple” with a “refreshing pear flavor.”  Their website also mentioned the browning issue that I had noticed at lunch time:

The Apple Pear has a wide range of uses.  They are a fantastic back to school item because they don’t turn brown like your typical apple.  They are quite possibly the perfect fruit for your perfect little one.  Its sweet flavor and crunchy texture make it a perfect healthy addition to any lunchbox.  Apple Pears also make an elegant solution at a dinner party or watch them disappear during a football game.  Either way, Apple Pears are sure to excite your guests’ taste buds.

Wow, you just never what new things you’ll discover on any given day!  This really was a nice discovery to enjoy on a nice spring day.  If you haven’t tried out an Apple Pear before keep an eye out for them in your produce section and give them a shot.  I’ll absolutely be picking up some more again for our family to enjoy!

If you have a moment check out this interesting video, I found on the Kingsburg Orchards website that show the process of the fruit going from the farm to the supermarket:

DISCLAIMER:  I have NO association with Kingsburg Orchards and had never heard of them or apple pears until I recently discovered this fruit at the grocery store.  The opinions in this post are my own and based entirely on my appreciation of the product.

Their first "Big Kid" bikes!

Our 4 year old twins had outgrown their tricycles and it was finally time to move them up to bicycles.  My wife secretly went out to buy the bikes and I put them together in the basement.  When we had a nice sunny and warm weekend recently, I slipped the bikes out the side door and placed them on the sidewalk in front of our house without our children suspecting anything.  Then my wife asked the twins to go outside to check the mail with her and they ran unsuspectingly out the front door to see their first big kid bikes!

Now the kids were going to be riding real bicycles, I thought it was a good time to check out some safety tips from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) about bike riding.  When I was a child no one wore helmets when they went for a bike ride, now it is a must do.  So I wanted to make sure I was up to speed on the dos and don'ts of bicycle etiquette and safety.

The NHTSA website recommends that if children are less than 10 years old they are better off riding on the sidewalk rather than having them go in the street.  If you are going to have your child ride on the sidewalk though you need to check with your local ordinances to see if sidewalk riding is allowed.  If your local jurisdiction has strict enforcement of ordinances and bans bicycles on sidewalks even if it is "just a kid" riding the bike you could get a ticket and have to pay a fine.  So make sure you check that out to avoid an unwanted surprise from a zealous police officer.

When riding on the sidewalk, people should also:

• Watch for vehicles coming out of or turning into driveways;
• Cross a street at corners or marked pedestrian crossings and NOT between parked cars;
• Stop at corners of sidewalks and streets to look for cars and to make sure the drivers see you before crossing;
• Alert pedestrians who are also using the sidewalk that you are near them by saying "excuse me" or "passing on your left."  Installing a bell or horn on a bike and using it to warn people that you are approaching is another option.

The NUMBER 1 tip for bicycle safety from the NHTSA is Wear a Properly Fitted Bicycle Helmet.  Did you know that more children ages 5 - 14 go to hospital emergency rooms for injuries associated with bicycles than with any other sport? A majority of these injuries involve the head! Wearing a properly fitted bicycle helmet reduces the risk of head injury by as much as 85% and the risk of brain injury by as much as 88%.  There isn't a federal law requiring bike riders to wear a helmet, but some States and cities have passed mandatory helmet requirements. By our house here in Michigan one of the local Metro Parks requires ANYONE riding a bike on the park grounds to wear a helmet and one of the cities by us, Farmington Hills requires anyone under 16 riding a bicycle to wear a helmet.  Other than those two examples Michigan is pretty lax when it comes to laws requiring bike helmets and leaves it to parent discretion.  On the other hand, California has a statewide law requiring helmets on anyone riding a bicycle under the age of 18.  CLICK HERE for a list of state and city bike helmet laws to see what is applicable near where you are living or may be planning to visit courtesy of the Bike Helmet Safety Institute.

How do you know if a helmet is fitted properly?  Here are some steps to follow in wearing one:

STEP 1 - SIZE

Measure your child's head for approximate size.  Try on the helmet to ensure it fits snuggly.  While it is sitting flat on top of the head, make sure the helmet doesn't rock side to side.

STEP 2 - POSITION

The helmet should sit level on the head and low on the forehead - one or two finger-widths above the eyebrow.

STEP 3 - BUCKLES

Center the left buckle under the chin. On most helmets the straps can be pulled from the back of the helmet to lengthen or shorten the chin straps.

STEP 4 - SIDE STRAPS

Adjust the slider on both straps to form a "V" shape under, and slightly in front of the ears.  Lock the slider if possible.

STEP 5 - CHIN STRAP

Buckle your chin strap. Tighten the strap until it is snug so that no more than one or two fingers fit under the strap.

STEP 6 - FINAL FITTING

• Does your helmet fit right? Open your mouth wide...big yawn! The helmet should pull down on the head.  If not, refer back to step 5 and tighten the chin strap.
• Does your helmet rock back more than two fingers above the eyebrows? If so unbuckle, shorten the front strap by moving the slider forward. Buckle, retighten the chin strap, and test again.
• Does your helmet rock forward into your eyes? If so unbuckle, tighten the back strap by moving the slider back toward the ear.  Buckle, retighten the chin strap, and test again.
• The helmet should fit now! Have fun & be safe!

For more information on bike helmets, visit the Bicycle Helmet Safety Institute www.bhsi.org

The NHTSA also recommends that you Adjust Your Bicycle to Fit.  Stand over the bike.  There should be 1 to 2 inches between the rider and the top tube/bar  for a road bike and 3 to 4 inches for a mountain bike.  The seat should be level front to back.  The seat height should be adjusted to allow a slight bend at the knee when the leg is fully extended. The handlebar height should be at the same level with the seat.

Also before every bike ride check your equipment before riding to make sure that the brakes work and tires are properly inflated.

One final tip would probably be to post pictures on your kids and their bikes on Facebook for your family and friends to enjoy and so that in a case like mine your brother-in-law can point out that you put the front wheel on backwards for your son's bike...OOOPS...we got that fixed pretty quickly.  Hey the things that social media can help you out with ... gotta love it!

We'll be having a summer filled with bike riding this year!  Hope you and your family have lots of fun adventures in store for you this summer as well!

PBS airing brand new episodes of ARTHUR: May 6 - 10

Have you ever found yourself humming a tune to yourself at work or when you are out and about on an errand that you might be embarrassed if someone realized what it was?  I’ll admit it happens to me; in fact I seem to find myself singing the theme song to one of the cartoons my kids watch on television all the time.  You have to admit though that the Ziggy Marley reggae beat which serves as the theme song to ARTHUR is a great tune! Haven’t heard it? Take a listen:

ARTHUR is the second longest running cartoon in the United States behind The Simpsons and has been broadcast on PBS since 1996.  The show follows the youthful misadventures of an 8 year old aardvark named Arthur Read and his friends in their hometown of Elmwood City.  It’s a show that I can sit down as a parent to watch with my children and find it enjoyable and entertaining myself.  The stories for the episodes are really well written and they often include inside jokes that will make parents chuckle without the kids realizing something humorous is going on.  More importantly, the shows contain important educational messages and themes with teachable moments children can learn from while they are being entertained by the show. I am a big proponent of finding ways to incorporate FUN into learning as an educational tool.  I believe parents should be careful in limiting the amount of television that children watch, but also some tv programs like ARTHUR can be a beneficial experience for kids too and are a fun way to help your child with learning some life lessons.

In its 16 seasons on PBS, ARTHUR has approached some weighty subjects in an age appropriate manner for young children:  adoption, Alzheimer’s disease, cancer, the death of a pet, dyslexia, and food allergies.  As the parent of a daughter with a severe food allergy, I really appreciated the episode “Binky Goes Nuts” which dealt with the topic of peanut allergies (watch it here or click on the video at the bottom of the post).  For more information on the educational elements of the show, CLICK HERE, for a great post on the PBS website written for teachers on how to utilize ARTHUR for their lesson plans.

Each half hour episode of ARTHUR is divided into two 15 minute stories.  New episodes of ARTHUR have been on hiatus since December 2012, but Season 16 continues from May 6 – 10, 2013 with 5 brand new episodes (10 stories).  This week ARTHUR will be addressing a new issue for its young audience, the topic of BULLYING.  As a kid, I was personally bullied to the extent that it still has negative consequences on my own self esteem and confidence. Based upon the incidents I experienced in my youth, I’ve devoted a significant portion of my professional career as an adult addressing the topic of reducing bullying in our society. So I am excited to see ARTHUR tackling this topic in its newest episodes!

Airing on Monday, May 6 in the story “The Last Tough Costumer” the school gang known as the “Tough Customers” realize it is time to stop bullying and find a new hobby.  But can their leader Molly ever truly change her ways?  Than the week concludes on Friday's episode with the story “So Funny I Forgot to Laugh” where Arthur thinks his jokes about Sue Ellen are in good fun but her feelings are hurt.  Has Arthur become a bully?!

Check out this clip from “So Funny I Forgot to Laugh” dealing with bullying:

According to PBS, other new episodes airing this week include:

“Brain’s Chess Mess”
Brain starts a chess club at school to improve his game and beat Los Dedos, the local chess master. Who knew the best player in the club would be…Rattles?!?

 “Baseball Blues”
It’s Grebelings season and George can’t wait to play! After all, no one knows more about baseball than George. But when he realizes knowledge of sinkers doesn’t guarantee success in the field, will he throw in the towel?

“Brain’s Biggest Blunder”
When Brain gets teamed with Buster and Binky in the annual Arithmattack competition, he immediately enrolls Buster in binomial boot camp. Can Brain transform Buster into a mathematic marvel? Or will he be forced to eat humble pi?

 “Buster’s Book Battle”
Lakewood Elementary has just instituted IRP; a program where kids can earn points (and prizes!) for reading. Buster’s thrilled and gets to work straight away! But will he earn enough points for a skateboard?

“On the Buster Scale”
Buster and Brain never agree on movies. Buster rates every film a 10+, while Brain doesn’t seem to like anything…Only one of them can be right…or so they think.

 “Fern and the Case of the Stolen Story”
The unthinkable has happened! Fern has writer’s block! Fortunately, Ladonna’s full of stories. Faced with a tight deadline, Fern decides to “borrow” the tales and simply change the names. Has Fern confused write and wrong?

“Sue Ellen Vegges Out”
When Sue Ellen decides to stop eating meat, Muffy and Francine compete to be the best vegetarian. Can they successfully resist meat? Or was this a missed steak?

 “Best Day Ever”
It’s a beautiful afternoon and everyone is reminiscing about their “best days.” Everyone, that is, except Arthur. Is it possible he doesn’t have one?

ARTHUR is a top notch show with great writing and stories that delve into important issues that is both entertaining and educational.  If you haven’t seen the show before I encourage you to check it out.

For more information on ARTHUR visit http://pbskids.org/arthur/

Free Comic Book Day has lots of offering this year for the youngsters in your house

The first Saturday in May is one of the favorite days of the year in our house … it’s FREE COMIC BOOK DAY!!!  While you may think this event is aimed to cater only to teens and adults, it actually has a very large array of giveaways aimed at preschool to elementary school aged children.  I took my children last year to a local comic book store for the event when they were only 3 years old and we picked up a lot of great age appropriate stuff that they could flip through on their own to enjoy the artwork or I could enjoy spending some time reading to them.  Some of the titles we picked up last year were The Smurfs, Yo Gabba Gabba , Disney’s TinkerBell, and Sonic the Hedgehog.  

The kids are 4 years old this year learning the alphabet and their letters but still can’t read.  Nothing less we’ll be going to Warp 9 Comics on Saturday, May 4, 2013 to pick up some more titles that we can enjoy together as a family and can be fun tools to encourage an appreciation of artwork and reading with our children.   Hey and you can’t beat the price … FREE!!!!  

Here’s a list of a few of the comic books that will be available this year that are focused to a preschool to elementary school age audience:

SESAME STREET & STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE 

On side one, Elmo, Cookie Monster, The Count and Super Grover teach you about the magic of reading comics! It's GUARANTEED to chase the clouds away!

On side two, join Strawberry Shortcake and friends on 3 berry sweet adventures!

Includes "The Blue Flu", "The Hunt for Blackberry's Treasure", and "Blueberry's Book Tour".

It's a bushel of fun! 

CLICK HERE for a preview

THE SMURFS 

THE SMURFS return to Free Comic Book Day with two stories never-before-seen in the US! Gargamel has tormented the Smurfs time and time again, always vowing his revenge on the small creatures. But what happens when he is forced to tangle with someone bigger than him- a nasty Ogre? Will the Smurfs let the Ogre destroy Gargamel, or will they decide to help their oldest foe?  Find out in "The Ogre and the Smurfs"! 

CLICK HERE for a preview

DISNEY FAIRIES: TINKER BELL

Papercutz presents DISNEY FAIRIES featuring Tinker Bell, along with comics from the new hit series, STARDOLL! There's only one fairy in Pixie Hollow who can't fly- Water-Talent Fairy, Rani. Why doesn't Rani have wings? Was she always this way? Find out in "Tinker Bell and the Wings of Rani".

CLICK HERE for a preview

SONIC THE HEDGEHOG

"Worlds Collide: PRELUDE" - It's TWO free comic books in ONE! Just in time for the start of the epic Sonic the Hedgehog and Mega Man crossover event, "Worlds Collide," comes a primer issue exclusively for Free Comic Book Day! Witness the journey these two epic heroes from both Sega and Capcom took to finally meet each other - Mega Man's journey chronicled on one side, and Sonic the Hedgehog's on the other! This is the must-have primer for the biggest comic book event of 2013 - as video game icons Sonic the Hedgehog and Mega Man meet for the very first time anywhere - featuring art from both Sonic and Mega Man comic book fame! 

CLICK HERE for a preview

NFL RUSH ZONE

 A referee's flag is corrupted by the power.  The Guardians must arrive at the Bengals-Titans game and get that flag before the referee throws it, bringing it to life.  And the villainous Coach Carnage is on the recruit for his interstellar team "The Visitors," and it's up to the Guardians, with the help of previous draft picks, to stop him from ruining the draft and taking this year's recruiting class.

CLICK HERE for a preview

PIPPI LONG STOCKINGS

Drawn & Quarterly offers a second FCBD title for the first time this year and it will feature one of the world's most beloved and popular characters, Pippi Longstocking! The Pippi Longstocking Color Special will offer a sneak peak at the brand new Pippi Longstocking title that D+Q will publish in May 2013 to coincide with FCBD. Pippi Longstocking was created by Astrid Lindgren and has developed a dedicated fan base of both children and adults for over six decades. The comics presented here were originally published in Swedish in the 1950s and are now being presented for the first time ever in English. This will be the perfect All Ages comic book, ideal for developing a new readership of kids in the 6 to 10 age set. 

CLICK HERE for a preview

 KABOOM! COMICS

An explosion of All-Ages awesomeness from KaBOOM! this Free Comic Book Day! Sure to be one of the most popular offerings this Free Comic Book Day, the KaBOOM! Summer Blast is 48 pages chock-full of the most popular all-ages comics on the stands today! Featuring excerpts from Adventure Time, Peanuts, Regular Show, Bravest Warriors, Garfield, Ice Age and some brand-new surprises

CLICK HERE for a preview

Don't know where to go to find a comic shop participating in FREE COMIC BOOK DAY? No problem, just go to this link, enter your zip code, and viola you will be provided with the information you need:  http://www.freecomicbookday.com/StoreLocator

On a finale note WOLVERINE ( aka Hugh Jackman ) wants you to go ... watch this video message and make sure you take advantage of this great event:

MAY THE FOURTH BE WITH YOU

Workouts Don't Need to be Complicated - Go for a Walk

Combining parenting two rambunctious four year olds with the obligations and commitments of maintaining a professional career to put it simply can be challenging at times; but that doesn’t mean fitting in time for exercise should suffer. Leading a healthy, active lifestyle doesn’t mean you have to hit the gym or run a 5K, rather making a specific effort to walk for 30 minutes a day can be a great way to stay fit. One of my favorite things to do with my kids is go on a walk about adventure – checking out the various nature trails and parks in surrounding communities, frequent trips to our local zoo, and checking out museums or historical sites are all fun ways to bring together enjoying time with your children while getting some exercise through walking.

It doesn’t have to be as complicated as going on a road trip to make time for walking though. When driving someplace for work or errands, I tend to park at the rear of the parking lot and take a stroll to where I’m going. When practical I skip taking elevators or escalators and take the stairs. My wife keeps sneakers at her office and puts them on during her lunch hour for a thirty minute walk every day. As a family we often go for a walk around the neighborhood after dinner as part of our evening routine. In today’s day and age it can be very easy to get caught up in leading a sedentary lifestyle so by doing little things regularly to get off the couch, away from the desk, or out of the house it makes being active more of a routine way of living rather than a chore you feel you need to do.

One of my favorite television programs was “The West Wing” which has become known for its scenes of walking dialogue between the cast to enhance the political drama of the show. Recently, the cast of “The West Wing” reunited to do a spoof video of the show that promotes the merits of walking to help the U.S. Surgeon General’s EVERYBODY WALK! Campaign. Check out this video, especially if you are a fan of “The West Wing”, it is funny but also makes some good points and provides some tips about the value of walking:

 

Walk & Talk - The West Wing Reunion from Martin Sheen

RODALE has published an interesting article that lists the "8 Astonishing Benefits of Walking":

#1 It deflects diabetes;

#2 It soups up your sex life;

#3 It saves you money on gym costs;

#4 It can get you off medications;

#5 It can help fade fibromyalgia pain;

#6 It helps beat breast cancer;

#7 strolling reduces stroke risk;

#8 It can save your mind.

Additionally, Dr. Graham Colditz of Washington University School of Medicine told Jocelyn Milici Ceder in her article - TOP 10 HEALTH BENEFITS OF WALKING - for Walk Score Blog that "walking is the closest thing to a magic bullet for health."

So are you and your family getting your 30 minutes of walking in every day? If not, why not?  

Best time to go to the zoo: try a winter road trip!

It wasn't a busy work week for me following the Easter weekend so I took a day off and decided to enjoy a trip to the local zoo with my kids on one of the nice Spring days we were blessed with.  I was surprised as we pulled into the zoo driveway to see the parking lots closest to the entrance crammed full of cars and to find ourselves parking in one of the outer lots with a trek to the entry gates.  I shouldn't have been shocked because as the weather becomes warmer and it is more enjoyable to be outside the zoo is a great family day trip.  It's just that our family has become used to having the zoo as our own private place the last few months because we regularly go during the winter and during those colder months we practically have the place to ourselves.

Yes, it may be a little cold out but not only are there no crowds to bump up against for a good view but without the noise and distractions created by all the human visitors many of the animals are much more comfortable and are more active while you watch them during a winter visit compared to a trip in the spring or summer months.  Going to the zoo with my kids has actually become one of my favorite WINTER activities. Most zoos are open to the public all year long - check with your local zoo and see what they have to offer during the months of November - March.

Here's a video from a trip we took to the Detroit Zoo in February that shows some of my kids favorite animals to view: lions, rhinos, lemurs, and meerkats:

We have an annual pass to our local zoo and go throughout the year.  The Detroit Zoo is actually open 362 days per year.  There are fun things to do in the warmer months that you can't do in the winter like riding an animal themed carousel, hand-feeding giraffes or playing on the kids playscape but there are a lot ot fun things that you can do in the colder weather too!

 

 

The Detroit Zoo's Reptile House (aka Holden Reptiles Conservation Center) is kept a warm tropical 80 degrees all winter long to keep its 250 residents happy and comfortable.  During the summer when the place is crowed with visitors it often seems as if the snakes, lizards, turtles, and alligators who call the reptile home hide out in their exhibits.  If you can brave a frigid run or walk through the zoo's grounds in the winter months you'll find without all the motion and sound created by crowds these animals are very active slithering and swimming around their display areas.  My kids really enjoy racing the turtles along the window in their tank everytime we go ... they aren't as fond of the snakes though. 

 

 



A visit to the Giraffe Encounter during the colder months is always a treat for the kids, and parents, because you can get closer to the animals than when they are outside.  You can walk right up to a glass partition and see the giraffes up close and wow does that really let you get a feel for how tall these animals are!

 

If you're going during the cold weather than that is the perfect time to stop by the Artic Ring of Life where you can see foxes, seals and polar bears.  While it is a little bit of a trek through the outside of the exhibit you eventually will be able to observe the seals and polar bears from indoors either through an underwater tunnel or a mock up of a north pole scientific exploration station.  We've seen the polar bears from the underwater observation area more often during the winter months than during the spring, summer or fall and the only times we've seen the artic foxes out on the grounds of the Ring of Life where we could get a good view of them has been in the fall and winter months.

 

 

You can also get out of the winter air and explore the National Amphibian Conservation Center ( aka Amphibiville ) at the Detroit Zoo which my kids love to go and look at all the multi-colored varieties of frogs they have on display.

 

 

 



Like the Reptile House, the zoo also keeps the Matilda Wilson Free Flight Aviary & Butterfly Garden at a nice tropical 80 degrees all year long and we can't go for a visit without stopping by to see the butterflys and parrots.

 

 







Other animals with indoor buildings where you can get out of the cold and observe them include the chimpanzees and gorillas in the "monkey house", the meerkats have their own building as well as the lemurs, the otters may be outside all year long but you can view them from indoors in the heated Mardigian Otter Habitat building, and you can even go indoors to view the rhinos up close.

 

 

Depending on the temperature outside you never know what might be outside roaming around during the winter months and you could get an upclose unobstructed view of a lion, tiger, kangaroo, or grizzle bear.

 



 

You can't leave the zoo without one final stop which is a visit the the Penguinarium, this building was the first facility ever built in the United States to specifically house penguins and has been a highlight of a visit to the Detroit Zoo since 1968. It is located right before you get to the exit and is always the last stop we make before heading back to our car to head home so we can enjoy a nice mug of hot chocolate to warm up with and discuss our adventures at the zoo over.

 

If you haven't taken a trip to your local zoo when it's cold outside I urge you to give it a try!

 

For more information about planning a zoo roadtrip visit the Association of Zoos & Aquariums at www.aza.org



Little Passports: Month Deux

Last month I posted about receiving our introductory package from the Little Passports program (Little Passports opens up the world of travel to little ones).  Little Passports is a subscription service that sends your child(ren) a package in the mail each month with fun and informational items focusing on either highlighting a foreign country or spotlighting two of the states in the USA.  We choose the USA package for our 4 year old twins.  Here's the reveal of what came in the mail this month:

This month's Little Passports package featured the states of Arizona & Rhode Island.  It contained a booklet with historical facts, informational tips, and workbook activities like connect the dots, puzzles, and word games about these two states.  Also included were stickers reflecting important things from Arizona & Rhode Island and a post card from each state.

The items that my kids were most excited about and had the most fun with were cardboard a cardboard lighthouse and cactus that we could build together.  There were two sides of the coin when it came to building these projects though.  It was nice that these weren't tab insert constructions - you have to follow instructions and GLUE these creations together - so they are pretty sturdy once you've completed putting them together.  That being said, the other side of the coin when it comes to these projects is that it does take some time, effort, and GLUE to put them together versus being able to quickly and easily snap together tabs.

Unfortunately, this pack was a little too "mature" for my 4 year old preschoolers, but it was a well packaged kit that I believe any elementary school aged child who is studying geography would be excited and thrilled to get as a special little extra something in the mail.  My opinion overall of Little Passports from the first two packages we've received in the mail is that they really do a nice job of making education fun through their monthly mailings that help promote to kids an interest in geography, history, culture, and travel.  The product is probably best suited for children 7 - 10 years old.

For more information about Little Passports, visit their Web site:  www.littlepassports.com

Disclaimer: I was provided with a complimentary 3 month subscription of Little Passports United States Edition from Little Passports.  The views and opinions in this article are my own.