Your guide to activities and fun things to do with your preschoolers, toddlers and kids in houston, TX

5 fun and funky spots to wow preschoolers in Houston

June 23, 2009

All moms know about the zoo, the Children's Museum, the location of every jumping place (and free jump time) (or maybe that's just me), and the rest of the great, but standard, fare to entertain and wow preschoolers.

But what about going off the beaten path every now and again? I'll tell you about 5 fun and funky spots that will wow your preschooler!

The Art Car Museum

Museum highlighting art cars of Houston, custom-decorated cars with zany themes prominently displayed in the annual Art Car Parade. Free admission.
Open Wednesday-Sunday 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
140 Heights Blvd.
For more information, call (713) 861-5526

Lawndale Art Center

Known for its offbeat art happenings, such as the Hair Ball and the 20th Century Modern Market, Lawndale Art Center displays contemporary works by more than 500 artists each year.
Located in a period Art Deco building at 4912 Main Street in the Museum District.
Admission is free during regular gallery hours, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Monday through Friday and noon to 5 p.m. Saturday.
For more information, call (713) 528-5858

Museum of Health & Medical Science

The Museum of Health & Medical Science’s Amazing Body Pavilion gives visitors an exciting tour through the human body. The exhibit contains huge sculptures of human organs, including a 10 foot brain and a 22 foot rib cage, with more than 80 interactive exhibits.
Every Thursday is Free Family Thursday from 4-7 p.m.
For more information, call (713) 521-1515

The Mad Potter - River Oaks

The Mad Potters are “paint-your-own-pottery” studios, where children and adults alike can try their hand at becoming the next modern day Picasso. Individuals and groups come in and choose a piece of pottery from over 400 shapes and sizes. They then design and paint their pieces with The Mad Potter’s instruction, brushes, tools and paint... all you need to bring is your creativity and desire to have a great time.
Hours: Mon-Thur 10-10, Fri-Sat 10-11 sun 12-6
1963-A W. Gray
Houston, TX 77019
713-807-8900
central@themadpotter.com
(Three other locations around Houston---check the Mad Potter Web Site)

Armand Bayou Pontoon Boat Cruise

Start your weekend by enjoying a leisurely Saturday morning breakfast drifting down the bayou on our "Bayou Ranger" pontoon boat. Observe wildlife searching for their breakfast on the bayou. This trip through the heart of the Nature Center presents an uncommon opportunity to watch and learn about bayou life. Enjoy rolls, juice and coffee while underway. The "Bayou Ranger" will pick you up at the Bay Area Park boat launch. Maximum: 12 people
Hours: Saturdays from 8 - 9:30 am
Ages:  5 - adults (An adult must accompany children under 18.)
Fee:    Members: $20 adults, $15 children & seniors
Non-members: $25 adults, $20 children & seniors.
Armand Bayou Nature Center
8500 Bay Area Blvd.
Pasadena, Texas 77507
281-474-2551
Web site: http://www.abnc.org/things-to-do/pontoon-boat-cruises.html

 

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5 great services National Parks offer families with little ones

June 16, 2009

The fantastic Being Savvy Pittsburgh city editor Jennifer Signore recently took a trip to Cape Hatteras National Seashore. While planning her trip, she found five great services the National Parks Service (NPS) offers families.

1.  NPS parks list

Even if you don't plan to specifically travel to a national park, check this handy list to find out if ther eis one nearby where you are going, and see what fun it might offer your family while you are there!

2. Junior Ranger Program

The site asks kids, "Are you interested in exploring? Do you like art, science, history or nature? How about animals, sailing ships, dinosaurs or trains? Would you like to learn more about the national parks that belong to you?"

My kids are a 100% enthusiastic YES! to all of these questions. The Ranger program provides really great activities and fun lessons for kids---in age-appropriate ways. Many offer a reward such as a patch, badge or certificate at the end!

3.  Web Ranger

Without even leaving home, kids can still learn about---and protect!---national parks. This includes games and mroe age-appropriate lessons.

4. Passport to Your National Parks. 

Signore writes, "The spiral-bound booklet contains spaces for regional park stamps, which can be purchased at park visitors' centers or through the mail.  It also has space for you to put cancellations (ink stamps) to show that you have visited various national sites. The cancellations are available at the visitor center for each park and are free (the booklet costs $7.95 but will hold lots of cancellations if you stamp carefully). We bought one passport booklet to log family trips to the national parks and plan to use it often. What an unexpected way to add a fun and educational twist to your travels"

5. The national parks themselves!

You can buy an annual pass to explore as many parks as you like. The handy map or advanced search tool helps you find a park, and the main site offers fun information abotu history and culture for adults, too!

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top 6 lessons in your garden: how does your garden grow? With food and education all in a row!

April 14, 2009

Even more frugal than buying in season is growing your own garden. Houston has a nice, long growing season and can provide good conditions for a great crop of basic vegetables and fruits.

Houstonvegetablegarden.com is a good resource site. It has great information and frequent updates. The Houston Chronicle has a Gardening section that is comprehensive, offering a plethora of easy-to-follow gardening information.

You can start small or big, combine with trips to a farmer's market (and farmers are usually great for sharing tips!), and figure out what works for you.

Growing a garden for food is practical, but is also a wonderful activity with your preschooler.

Sharon Wilson, an inspirational friend who is living the rural life and dedicating herself to helping the environment, shared that she used her garden to teach her son well-rounded lessons in all disciplines, "I think one of the best green things you can do with a preschool kid is to grow a garden. You can teach children everything they need to know with a garden."

She and I both put down our favorite ideas of how to use a garden to teach many lessons:

Science: Study and research bugs, pollination, photosynthesis, sprout seeds, and each element of interest in the garden. See if the garden and its plants differs from day time to nighttime. Are there different insects? Are plants open or closed? Talk about the different elements (land, air, water, sun).

Math: Gardening offers many opportunities for math lessons. Word problems with real action can teach a preschooler basic numbers, counting, and pre-addition and subtraction. For example: let's count out five seeds to plant in this spot, or hold in one hand three seeds and five seeds in the other, then help your child figure out how many plants total will grow from those seeds. You can also study shapes (let's plant these seeds in a circle, let's plant these in a square. And you can learn units of measurement by measuring the plants as they grow and charting the growth. You can teaching sorting and grouping of similar seeds and plants, for example: these are all flowers and these are all vegetables.

History: Old World foods were foods in Europe before the Americas were discovered: carrots (carrots were used for stomach upsets), onions (onions were used to get across the desert because they are juicy), and so forth. New World foods were here in the Americas: corn, tomatoes, okra, and so forth. Kids also love stories, such as Johnny Appleseed.

Reading: Read books about gardens (find some ideas here), seasons, seeds, bugs, and all those interesting things you and your child see and wonder about.

Civics: by growing a garden, children learn where their food comes from and you can teach them about transportation--my son had a tricycle that pulled a wagon so he would pick up the vegetables from the farmer and "haul" them to the "grocery store," our kitchen.

Art: We made garden markets and stepping stones and rain gauges. Gardens are also great places to learn about colors and blending colors, too.

Let your creativity and interest guide you. The lessons are just a starting point---there are so many more places you and your child can explore and learn from in a garden. Have fun growing with your child---and remember to look up as well as down at your garden. Above you are birds, trees, and other interesting parts of our world.  Read more...

Seeing Stars at the George Observatory

by Rachel Mosteller

June 30, 2008

Sometimes, it is so easy in the city to forget that there are stars out there. Sure, we see a few at night if the lights aren't too bright, but really, we don't see even a fourth of what is out there. There's something about stars and space that children love ; that's why we have "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" and dozens of books about astronauts, planets and spaceships. They're cool, kids like  Read more...

Need Serenity? Take a Japanese Garden Stroll.

by Rachel Mosteller

June 12, 2008

I know it may seem shocking, especially when stuck in traffic in a concrete jungle, but there's a variety of parks and green space in Houston. While there are all kinds of places to walk and play, there is one place in town that is very different from the rest: The Japanese Gardens at Hermann Park. These gardens are the picture of serenity, something most parents of preschoolers (myself  Read more...

Fun in the Woods

by Rachel Mosteller

May 19, 2008

There are places in Houston that, when we visit, I'm always surprised we don't go there more often. Count the Mercer Arboretum and Botanic Gardens as one of them. Never heard of the Arboretum? A lot of people haven't and they're definitely missing a hidden gem. If you want to show your child nature's beauty (and plenty of flowers), bring them over to Aldine Westfield Road  Read more...