Indianapolis Children's Museum

We absolutely loved the Indianapolis Children's Museum, and it is HUGE!  We packed a lot of fun into the 3 hours we spent there.  The only negative thing was the number of other people who were also enjoying the museum.  It took us a while to find an exhibit where there was room to play.  We spent a lot of time in the Dino-Sphere, where the kids got to dig for dinosaur bones, dress up like dinosaurs, and check out a number of dino skeletons.

Road Trip! The First Leg

Last Friday, I climbed in the car with my traveling buddies, and we took a 3 day road trip to visit the Indianapolis Children's Museum (The biggest in the world), The Louisville Zoo, and Caribbean Cove Indoor Waterpark.  We had 3 hours of driving between us and the Children's Museum, and within 20 minutes, someone had to go potty.  Not a problem, when traveling with a 2, 4, and 6 year old, this is bound to happen.  We got back on the road, and were actually able to get an hour and a half of driving under our belts before the kids started to get restless.  We took a pit stop at Grissom Air Museum (Just south of Peru, IN).  It was closed, but we were still able to run around in the grass, and check one of their planes.  The last hour of driving took 2 hours, mostly because I am too cheap to buy a GPS.  Luckily, the kids had packed nearly all of their toys, so they had plenty to do to keep them occupied.  We made it to the museum with a few hours left before they closed, and we had an absolute blast.  The kids had so much fun, they forgot all about the 4 hours we spent driving.

Bucket List

My children and I were sitting at home, looking at a raised relief map of Colorado.  My son, who is 4, asked, "Are those the Andes Mountains?" I explained to him that they were called the Rocky Mountains, and showed him on the globe where the Andes Mountains were.  "Can we Climb the Rocky Mountains?"

"Yes!  Of course we can," I replied, "But it might be a while before we do."

 Later, we were putting together a jumbo United States puzzle.  Each state was a piece of the puzzle, and many of the states had pictures on them, showing what might be found in that state.  It was then my son informed me that he would like to go canoeing in Oregon, hug a cactus in Arizona, and visit some hay in Montana.

At 4 years old, my son is a little young to have a "Bucket List," but I guess he is getting an early start.  It is such a pleasure to see his sense of adventure, and his eagerness to explore the world.  And who knows, maybe our next vacation will be to Arizona, and we can all hug a cactus.

Relax, and Have Fun!

The other day I was at Sam's Club with my family, doing some shopping.  Well, my wife was doing some shopping.  The kids and I were chasing a bouncy ball up and down the aisles.  Occasionally, the ball would get lost under a pallet of juice boxes, or make an unexpected turn into the next aisle, leaving us searching frantically until its locati

on was determined.  After nearly losing the ball for good, the kids decided we should find something else to do.

Well, they sell mattresses at Sam's, and there are a few that out and available to try.  We tried each mattress at least once, and then settled on the one we found most comfortable.  We lay back, and watch imaginary clouds roll by.  "That one looks like a dragon!" my oldest daughter said.  My son answered back with, "That one looks like a balloon!"

We spent over an hour in the store, running around, watching television, and trying out the massage chair (Which doubled as a rocket ship).  It is amazing what mundane normal activities can become fantastic adventures when you relax, let your kids lead, and don't worry what other people will think about you.

Trash Can Band

There are few things more fun than a makeshift drum set.  The kids had a blast banging, smashing, and tapping.  It was a little too loud for my four year old son, so he opted for a smaller, quieter setup in another room.  The entertainment value is huge compared to the cost (which is ZERO!) and the time to prepare (Which is virtually zero!)

The possibilities are endless:  Pots, pans, boxes, totes, floors, cups, table tops, trash cans, buckets, and stools.

This kept them busy for hours, and they even let me take a shot at it!  We will definitely be trying this again.

The Setup

Mud Pies

Little Monkey received a Little Tikes "Makin' Mud Pies" Kitchen Set from her grandma for her birthday. While I was super exited about this, it didn't change the fact that all the dirt we would use for mud pies is fozen solid and buried under 20 inches snow. Monkey just turned two, and we all know that two year old's don't like to wait, so we had to quickly think of something to do with her new toy.  The day after her Birthday we gathered up some snow and made snow cakes.  The kids loved it! (I didn't take any pictures!) We also added a few drops of food coloring. This was an easy way for them to play with snow (which they love.) and for me to stay warm (which I love.)

Soon enough the Mud Pie kitchen was placed beside the toy kitchen waiting for the ground to soften. But I was itching to make mud pies! Maybe its because I was longing for spring, or maybe its because I remembered how much I enjoyed playing in mud as a child, but I couldn't wait any longer!  I began searching for ways to make "mud."  I found a recipe that involved mixing baking soda with enough water to make it feel 'muddy'. So I Put some Baking Soda in a bowl, added two packs of grape kool-aid for color, and slowly stirred in some water. The kids loved the way it smelled and dug right in.

In no time we were rolling and mixing up some pies. We added a small table with plates and other 'kitchen' toys. They loved the way it felt and smelled. Rane said it reminded her of goop but wasn't as slimy. Rye spent most of his time at the kitchen mixing. Little Monkey told me a dozen times that I couldn't eat it because it was mud.


 They made mud pies for a over an hour before Little Monkey started getting bored. Since the older kids were still enjoying them self's I gave her a tray of mud with some plastic animals she had picked out. Rane also loved playing with the animals in mud. Rye enjoyed writing letters in the mud with toothpicks. Which helped me to think of something else we could do with this new found mud.

They continued to play with the mud for a good forty five minutes longer. At this point it started getting a little dry and we all needed a snack. The Mud was a great activity That really seemed to help all of us to relax. (The same way finger painting does.) We saved the left over mud for another day. I know I can't wait to play with mud again! 

Ice Sculptures

Inspired by all the local artists' Ice Sculptures, and feeling like I haven't done enough 'wintery' stuff with the kids this year, we decided to create our own icy art. We started by collecting some containers to be filled with water. The kiddo's love playing with water so they had a blast filling the containers. Although little Monkey (who just turned 2) enjoyed dumping the containers a bit more than filling. The older two loved adding and mixing food coloring in.  We then we put them outside. (We had a winter storm advisory So I was sure they would be frozen by morning)  It was a great opportunity to talk to the kids about the phases of matter, and how the water would expand as it freezes.

The next day the real fun began! The Kids could hardly wait to get all the shapes out of their containers which to my surprise was very easy. (There were a few stubborn ones, but they came out just fine after running some warm water over them.) 

Little Monkey kept saying, "Ice! this is great!"  Rane (5) said, "This is really amazing," I was happy that they were so entertained by something so simple.

                                                        

Even Barbie came to join the fun! They also liked when it started to melt and the ice got slippery. I had to get my son Rye (4) his own cookie sheet to shoot his melting ice around on. (Rane was getting a bit up set that he kept knocking her beautiful ice sculptures.)


                                                  
This was so much fun!  I think we might try it again this summer when we need a little ice to cool us off.



After most the ice had melted we had fun washing the dishes we used to make the ice.  Some of the food coloring was still in the cups, so it colored the soapy water (even more fun!).  This was an activity I know they would love to do again and again.

(When you're playing with ice make sure you have a towel handy! The older kids also wanted some gloves after a few minutes of playing.)