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

6 best things to know about bat viewing in Houston

July 21, 2009

It's bat season in Houston right now! So if you and your kids really want a nighttime animal viewing adventure, venture down to the Waugh St bridge to catch the sunset emergence of the bats. You might even see some baby bats because it's "maternity season."

It's best to go view bats with an expert or some solid knowledge in hand. Diana Foss with Texas Parks and Wildlife gives free 20 minute bat presentations on the East side of the Waugh Street bridge at Allen Parkway on the first and third Friday and Saturday of the month. Here are some upcoming dates:

Saturday, August 1
Friday, August 7
Saturday, August 15
Friday, August 21 

But before you go check out bat colonies, here are a few things to know:

1. During maternity season, you might see some small bats -- probably babies -- on the ground. Or you might have a close encounter with a bat. Keep your distance, and don't try to touch the bat. Remind kids that this is a "look not touch" experience.

2. Swooping bats are probably not interested in you. They are likely using their sonar to find food or water. Keep number 1 in mind. Bats are gentle and unlikely to harm you, but they might carry disease and you might unintentionally harm them, so "look, no touch" is always the best policy.

3. Bats come out at sunset. It might be hard to see them in the dark, so put red cellophane over a flashlight and use that to help enhance your ability to see. But make sure to keep that light dim with the red cellophane.

4. The Waugh St Bridge bats are Mexican free-tailed bats and there about 250,000 of them. They eat fruit, nectar, and insects such as moths. In fact, they can catch up to 1200 tiny insects an hour.

5. Most bats migrate south during the winter, but many of the Waugh St. Bridge bats remain here all year round.

6. There is a bat observation deck, and the city suggests that you park in the free public parking at Spotts Park, located at 401 S. Heights Boulevard at Memorial Drive. The park is a short stroll across Buffalo Bayou from the observation deck along the Waugh Drive Bridge.

For more information see the Buffalo Bayou Partnership's PDF about the bat colony and the city of Houston bat page. The city of Houston bat page offers more great information and tips:

 

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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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Discovering Seabrook, a charming coastal town just outside Houston

June 22, 2009

Just south of Houston, a charming coastal town is tucked in between Galveston Bay and Clear Lake. Most Houstonians speed west of this town, Seabrook, on the way to Galveston or Kemah, and when they do, they miss a lovely spot that is very family-friendly.

The town motto is, "As grand by land as by bay, and why many choose to stay."

The town offers wonderful outdoor activities along with water fun and beautiful bay views. Seabrook has 15 parks and 10 miles of hike and bike trails, and is only 30 minutes from downtown Houston and four miles from Johnson Space Center.You can learn about the trails in the easy to follow Seabrook trails map the Parks and Recreation Department includes on its Web site. While enjoying a seaside trek, consider helping your kids spot and identify some of Seabrook's beautiful land and sea birds with the helpful birds of Seabrook species list.

We are always, always awed by the pelicans---the town bird! In fact, there are artistic statues of pelicans throughout Seabrook, which makes for some fun art appreciation and also attention-catching and time-passing spotting car games. The Pelican Path Project provides some good information about the artistic pelicans.

For nature, try the Seabrook Wildlife Refuge & Park at 700 Red Bluff Rd. This 10+ acres, primitive nature site provides trails for bird watching and observing other wildlife in their natural habitat. Armand Bayou is very nearby, too.

For a day of good family fun, we love Pine Gully Park. It has a fun play area for the kids, easy hike trails, is seaside, has a fishing pier on Galveston Bay, includes a Karawankawa Indians camp site, wetlands, wooded area, nature trails, restrooms, picnic tables and BBQ grills. It's easy to access off of 146 at 605 Pine Gully Rd.

Seabrook is the third largest boating community in the US, and there are plenty of boat rides, dinner cruises and fishing charters.

It also includes many wonderful, family-friendly restaurants. Although our beautiful town was hit hard by Hurricane Ike and lost quite a few cherished establishments, many are back in business or new ones are claiming our respect. Our favorite is T-Bone Tom's---which is back in business!---but you can also venture down to Kemah and eat seaside at one of the Boardwalk restaurants. Seabrook Tourism has a good guide to other restaurants.

I always told visitors to stop by our fresh fish markets, but most were wiped out by Ike. A couple have opened, though, so exit 146 and drive down Waterfront to stop in. I noticed another Grand Opening sign today!

Seabrook is closer than Galveston---which is looking fantastic, by the way---and offers so much day trip fun for Houston families.

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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...

Bird-watching with your preschooler: Help the Houston Audubon Society Track Chimney Swifts

March 18, 2009

Bird watching is a fantastic way to engage your preschooler in the outdoors and learn about nature, colors, seasons, and birds---how they migrate, nesting, roosting, eggs, caring for baby birds, and more. In Houston, Mid-March is the perfect time to see many species of birds nesting in your yard! In fact, the Houston Audubon Society says that locals are reporting seeing Chimney Swifts---small birds, about 5 inches long and dark-gray in color, that are closely related to hummingbirds---roosting and nesting.

That's why the Houston Audubon Society is currently tracking Swift reports and sightings, on a map. If you and your preschooler look for Chimney Swifts and write a short report, then send it in, they'll track your results on a map.

Your preschooler can see your family's Chimney Swift sighting report on the We site, and alongside other reports. It's a great way to introduce your child to basic science and scientific process.

Here's how it works according to the Houston Audubon Society's "Help us track Houston's Chimney Swifts!" site:

1. Look for Chimney Swift activity - both nesting and roosting.
2. Send us your reports. Tell us if you observe Chimney Swift activity and where it is.
3. We'll track your results on a map and post them on this site. Only the neighborhoods will be posted. No home addresses will be displayed.

 For more information about chimney swifts, click here.

For more information about the Houston Audubon Society's chimney swift tracking program, click here. They even tell you what to look for and have recordings of swift calls!

TIPS for OBSERVING:

1. Teach your child about watching quietly. You can even make it more fun by wearing "camouflage" clothing and talk about blending in with the environment.

2. Ask your child what he or she sees, and take notes. Draw pictures, too. What do the birds look like? Are the birds in the trees or on the ground? What do they do in trees? What do they do on the ground? What food do birds eat?

3. Do some research; for example, see where the birds live, look at maps for migration routes, or whatever points about the birds most interested your child(ren). Don't worry, of course, about getting too technical. Just follow your child's and your own interest.

Keep it fun and enjoy!

 

 

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