Chuck E Cheese's in Allen, TX

If you have a child, 9 times out of 10 you have heard of Chuck E Cheese's.  I have taken my kids there countless times.  However, hopefully, you will learn something new today.  Chuck E. Cheese's offers a reward program for kids to earn free tokens.  If you need a motivator/a bribe to get your child to do something right/good, then check this out.  

There are 15 different calendars and 5 different awards to use.  Kids get 10 free tokens for completing 2 weeks.  They can be awarded for good behavior, reading, chores, homework, etc.  Every child in the family can use one and get free tokens, but only one calendar per child per day.  Here is the link to the calendars and awards. 

Every now and then, I need a little something to get my girls motivated to do things.  It is nice to have these as an incentive.  

Cost:

FREE!

Safari Park in Plano, TX

Safari Park is a place to play indoors in Plano for ages 1-10 years old.  I want to show you what all there is to do at this play place, but at the same time let you know what to expect when you are there.  

There are several things for the children to do including miniature golf, riding a train in a circle, riding mechanical animals, playing on play structures, ceramic painting and bear factory.  Most of these activities are most enjoyable for the children under 5.  

We have been here twice, and we have been disappointed both times.  The staff needs customer service and other training.  The staff is not happy to take your child on any of the rides.  They are hard to find in between times of rides for purchasing something from the cafe or for admittance.  Basically, once you get inside, you are on your own... But, you need the staff to do the train, robotic animals, ceramics, and bear factory.  

Special advisement: Children over 10 are not allowed to play or participate in any of the activities.  

This place is, also, over-priced in my opinion.  I will get to that now.  

Price: $9.99-$29.99 depending on which package you want

adults are $1 each

Cottonwood Park in Richardson, TX

If you are in the Richardson area, you may want to stop by this updated park.  It is close to Belt Line and Coit in West Richardson.  When I was younger, I lived close to this park, but it has improved in the last 10 years.  A small pond with ducks and geese have been added.  There are play areas, picnic areas, bridges, tennis court, and during the summer a public pool is open.  This park is relaxing, and we had fun watching the ducks interact with each other.

Cost: FREE!

Bubble Lady in Frisco. TX

The Frisco Library is offering a free Summer event for children in kindergarten through 5th grade (an adult must accompany the child, and this means that younger and older children may come with as well). Tomorrow, Monday July 9th, they will have Bubble Lady. Come early to get a ticket. Tickets are available starting at 10:00am, and they do go fast. The event will run all day with 4 separate sessions available to fit every child in to the event. The first showing is at 10:30am and the 12:30pm. The last two showings are at 2:00pm and 4:00pm.

Cost:

FREE!

Christ Fellowship Vacation Bible School in McKinney, TX

One of the most exciting events at summertime is VBS.  Christ Fellowship is holding their VBS this week, and there is still time to register.  The theme for this year is "Operation Overboard".  The kids will learn about God and the underwater universe. 

By the end of the week, the kids will have learned to:

Depend on God

Dare to Care

Claim Jesus

Choose to Follow

Change the World

This year's VBS is divided into age groups so that the church does not become overly crowded.  Preschoolers and those entering kindergarten this year will go in the morning from 9am to 11am.  Children entering 1st grade through 6th grade will go from 6pm to 9pm.  Both groups start Monday and go through Thursday (July 23 to July 26).  Online registration is closed, so just show up a little early on Monday to get registered. 

Cost:

FREE!

Half-Price Books Reading Program in Any Town, TX

Looking for a way to keep your kids learning this summer?  Half Price Books has a reading program for the summer that should keep the kids reaching for book after book.  For the month of July, your child can get a $5 store credit just for reading 10 books.  This is the perfect way to motivate them!  You can pick up a reading log from any Half Price Books locations, or you can print one directly from their web-site.

Funky Monkey Bunch in Frisco, TX

The Frisco Library is offering a free Summer event for children in kindergarten through 5th grade (an adult must accompany the child, and this means that younger and older children may come with as well). Tomorrow, Monday July 9th, they will have Funky Monkey Bunch. Come early to get a ticket. Tickets are available starting at 10:00am, and they do go fast. The event will run all day with 4 separate sessions available to fit every child in to the event. The first showing is at 10:30am and the 12:30pm. The last two showings are at 2:00pm and 4:00pm.

Cost:

FREE!

Fort Worth Museum of Science and History in Fort Worth, TX

The Fort Worth museum of Science and History is the kind of place you can spend the whole day at and never see it all.  We had fun exploring everything from weather to dinosaurs. 

The part of the museum called the "Children's Museum" is a must-see for kids.  Inside this exhibit are reptile and amphibians to see, a water station, train station, play grocery store, play hospital, and more.  This area alone is something the kids will want to spend hours in.

The dinosaur exhibit includes recreated skeletons, real fossils, and tons of fun facts and hands-on projects.

The Cattle Raisers Museum area has play horses to ride.  There is even a simulated horse ride!

Energy Blast exhibit is for the older kids and adults really.  It includes a short video about energy and a model city.  My kids are young, so this was there least favorite exhibit.

Now through September 3, 2012, there is a mobile exhibit called Grossology.  It is an exhibit that teaches children about why are bodies do some of the gross things they do.  This includes burping, gas, vomit and more.  It is fun and interesting, so I highly recommend you visit before the exhibit is over. 

There are laser shows, movies, and a planetarium, in case you want to check those out when you are there.

Cost:

Child: $12

Adult: $16

Jump Mania in Plano, TX

Jump Mania is the place to go to get some fun exercise.  There is a space for the smallest of children to the oldest.  This is a great place to meet up for a play date. 

For the young kids, they have a toddler area filled with all kinds of play equipment.  Two small bounce houses, one with a slide, and one with basketball hoops are in this area.  There are, also, play houses, play kitchens, balls, ride on toys and more.  When we went, there were plenty of kids to play with in this area. 

For the kids over 3, there is a separate area.  Four bounce houses with slides, obstacle courses, and lots of places to bounce are in this area.  There is an air hockey game that the kids can play free of charge.  They have a total of 2 hours to play, and my kids were exhausted before the 2 hours was even up.

For the adults, comfortable couches abound.  They are set up in a circle fashion, so that the adults can talk and still keep an eye on their kids. 

Like all bounce house locations, socks must be worn at all times.  If you forget socks, they do have some available for purchase.

Cost:

Child 4 and over: $8

Child 3 and under: $5

Siblings: $7

Whole Foods in Fairview, TX

Whole Foods may not be on your list of fun places to take the kids for an outing, but it should be.  The Whole Foods in Fairview has a few surprises for you.  One of my favorite spots in the fall and winter at Whole Foods is the fire pit.  The fire pit stays lit and gives off a warm glow at night.  We usually grab something fresh to eat and drink inside and bring it out to eat around the fire pit.

At this same Whole Foods location, you will find a climb on tractor for the kids to play on.  This is conveniently located right next to the fire pit, so the kids can play after their picnic while the adults sit back and enjoy. 

Cost:

FREE!

Professor Brainius in McKinney, TX

McKinney Libraries (there are 2 of them) have summer events to keep the kids learning. My girls enjoyed the events last year, and I know this year will not disappoint. You do need to arrive early to get a spot, though, and there are a lot of kids participating.

 Professor Brainius is putting on a science show this week. It is for children 1st through 5th grade. On Tuesday July 10th at 2:00pm, the event will be at the Hall Library in downtown McKinney. On Wednesday July 11th at 10:30am, the event will be at the library on the west side of McKinney called John and Judy Gay Library.

Cost:

FREE!

Bongo Rod in Frisco, TX

The Frisco Library is offering a free Summer event for children in kindergarten through 5th grade (an adult must accompany the child, and this means that younger and older children may come with as well). Tomorrow, Monday July 9th, they will have Bongo Rod. Come early to get a ticket. Tickets are available starting at 10:00am, and they do go fast. The event will run all day with 4 separate sessions available to fit every child in to the event. The first showing is at 10:30am and the 12:30pm. The last two showings are at 2:00pm and 4:00pm.

Cost:

FREE!

Precision Gymnastics in Richardson, TX

Do you have a little gymnast in the making?  Well, Precision Gymnastics is a great place to take them to work on their skills.  I have nothing but praise for this gymnastics company.  The rates are reasonable and the skills they teach are real.  Check out some of the competitors, and then, check these guys out.  I bet you will be as impressed!

Children as young as 3 years old can be a part of home school open gym.  Home school open gym is open to any child who is available for the hours that they teach, and summer is a great time for all of the kids.  I should preface this by saying that Precision Gymnastics has many different classes at all skill levels, and those are available as well.  I am only telling you about the most affordable classes they have that still allow the children to learn and grow by leaps and bounds. 

Home school gymnastics is open to boys and girls ages 3 years and up, and all skill levels.  It goes for 2 hours.  One and a half hours of that time are instructor lead.  They start out stretching, jogging, playing games, and then go on to learn or improve on skills.  They are separated by age group, so they are kept at their skill level.  The last half hour is open for them to use the gym as they want to play games, practice skills or play with their friends.

Home school open gym is a year round program that happens every Monday and Thursday from 12:30pm to 2:30pm.  Walk'Ins are welcome, and there is no registration fee.  You can come whenever you want, and don't have to stay on a certain schedule or prepay for days you won't use.

Cost:

$5 per child

Finch Park in McKinney, TX

Finch Park is an older park with a playground and splash pad.  I especially like all of the older, large shade trees that keep the park cooler than most parks during the summer.  Slides and climbing equipment don't burn the kid's skin. 

The splash pad is small, but still refreshing.  Water shoes are a good idea because the trees leave limbs, nuts, etc on the pavement of the splash pad.  Again, like the play equipment, the splash pad is shaded.

Cost:

FREE!

The Village Fountain Fairview, TX

Whether you are looking for something to do in the day time or the night time, the Village Fountain is the place to gather. 

During the day, the fountain becomes a splash pad for kids young and old.  Adults can join in or sit on the sidelines on a bench or at an umbrella table.  Restaurants such as Gloria's, The Purple Cow, Twisted Root Burger and others are close by.

The Beach is right across the parking lot.  You can go to the beach and play in the sand, and then cross the parking lot to cool off in the fountain.  Towels are available for use as well.

In the evening, the fountain lights up and choreographed music plays on the hour: 7:00pm, 8:00pm, and 9:00pm

Cost:

FREE!

Build A Bear in Frisco, TX

Build A Bear is a unique store and activity in one location.  Children and adults alike can enjoy this project!  When you first walk into the store, you get to see all of the teddy bears and animals available for you to create.  There are always at least 30 to choose from starting at just $10. 

Once you have chosen your stuffed animal, you can choose a voice or music effect for him/her.  You can even record your own message.  If you are making the stuffed animal for a friend or loved one, this is a great time to tell them how you feel about them.  They have ones that say "I love you" or ones that have a heartbeat just to name a couple of options.

The next stop is to get your animal stuffed.  The employees run the stuffing machine, but you are in charge of how soft or stuffed you want the animal to be.  Give it a good squeeze to double check the hugability.

Now, your animal needs a bath.  The washing station has gentle fur brushes, so that you can make sure your new pet is nice and clean.

Unless you want to take your pet home naked, you will be choosing an outfit or two and maybe some shoes as well.  There are plenty of outfits to choose from: swimsuits, scuba gear, Halloween costumes, cheerleading outfits, police uniforms, baseball uniforms, tuxedos, etc.

Last, you will stop by the computer to register your pet and give him/her a name.  He/She will be packaged into a cardboard carrier and ready for transport to its new home.

Most of these stores are located in malls, but you can check the store locator on their site to find the closest one to you. 

Fourth of July Celebration in Anna, TX

For yet another year, Anna Chamber of Commerce is hosting a beautiful fireworks production.  As always, the event will take place on July 4th.  Even though this is a small town, their fireworks displays are first rate.  Beautiful patriotic music accompanies the sky art and lasts about 45 minutes. 

This year, all children under 12 years old will, also, receive a free glow necklace!

Gates to the football stadium off of Hwy 5 will open at about 8:00pm, and the fireworks will start around 9:30pm. 

Cost:

FREE!

Michael's Passport to Imagination July 2012 in Any Town, TX

Michael's has updated their Passport page!  I am so excited about what they are doing with this program.  This year, they have extra activities online such as a video and coloring page about each country.  Very exciting! 

You may remember my post from June about the Passport to Imagination, here is a recap:

What is the passport program? Well, three times a week, Michael's features a craft event. Each one of the events pertains to a different country. The events are Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays from 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm.

Want to get the most out of the program? We have attended every single event for the past two years, but we do it a little differently... Every country means that my kids are learning about a new country before the event. I used A Trip Around the World as well as the other 2 books that come after it (Another Trip and A New Trip). After my kids learned about the country, they then went to Michael's to do the craft that goes with that country. We have collected all of the activity sheets and crafts into binders using page protectors and separated by continent and then country.

Some of the countries they are doing this year are the same as ones they did in past years, but the crafts are new. Check out your local Michael's, and get there early!

Coming up:

July 3: United States

July 5: Kenya

July 7: North Pole

July 10: Thailand

July 12: Russia

July 14: Japan

July 17: Egypt

July 19: Spain

July 21: Chile

July 24: Brazil

July 26: Morocco

July 28: India

Cost:

FREE!

Lights on the Lake in Sherman, TX

Lights on the Lake is a fireworks option for those people in the northern part of the metroplex that can't make it to Addison.  This fireworks show is on July 3, 2012 as well.  There will be kids' activities, a live band, and food.  Gates open at 6:00pm with fireworks starting around 9:30pm. 

Cost:

FREE!

Kaboom Town in Addison, TX

Kaboom Town in Addison takes place on Tuesday night this year.  It starts at 5pm on July 3, 2012 in Addison Circle Park.  You can see the fireworks from anywhere in Addison, though, so you could take in the sights while eating at a restaurant outside even!  One thing that makes this fireworks show unique is that they include an air show. 

Cost:

FREE!

End of the Month Giveaway #2: Ripley's Combo Tickets!

I hope you have enjoyed hearing about Ripley's Believe it or Not, Wax Museum, and the Mirror Maze.  There is one more attraction you will find in this one building that I want to tell you about.  It is called Impossible Laser Race.  The Laser Race is extremely complicated for most people that aren't double-jointed.  Basically, you must try to make it from one end of the room to the other without hitting any lasers.  You are, also, timed, so you are trying to beat the clock, too. 

This month's giveaway is combo tickets to Ripley's!  That means you can get into all 4 attractions free of charge!!  I hope you will have as much fun there as we did.  Now, let's get this giveaway rolling...

Here are the details of what is being given away:

2 Combo tickets for all 4 attractions valued at $29.99 each (for a 59.98 value)!

I have a total of 6 tickets to giveaway, so 3 lucky people will get 2 tickets each!  To enter, comment on a blog post, put some of our posts on your Facebook page or pin them on Pinterest.  Then, leave a comment on this post letting us know what you did.  You can get as many as 5 entries per day until the drawing on July 10th, 2012.  For those dedicated readers who come back daily and make sure to get all 5 entries per day, you bump your odds of winning but you may even win more than one pair of tickets if your name is chosen twice from the raffle.  I know some of you have bigger families, so enter as often as possible. 

Good luck!

Celebrate Freedom in Parker, TX

Another year of KLTY Celebrate Freedom is upon us!  This year, it will be held at Southfork Ranch in Parker, TX.  In addition to great music, there will be fun things to do for the whole family. 

A list of performers:

Amy Grant

The Michael James Band

Jars of Clay

Kutless

Aaron Shust

Sanctus Real

Chris August

Jamie Grace

Leeland

Jason Castro

Hawk Nelson

Dara Maclean

Sidewalk Prophets

Jonny Diaz

For King & Country

The Afters

The event runs all day, and air conditioning will be avaiable in portions of the event, so that you can keep cool.  Food and drinks (non-alcoholic) are available for purchase. 

For the children, Hawaiian Falls has partenered with the event to bring a bunch of free activities to the kids.  There will be animal demonstrations, a petting zoo, animal mask making, sand art, face painting and more!  Disney stars will be on hand for autographs, and there is a full size stage in the Children's Village. 

A separate section is set up for those with money to spend.  $20 provides each child with an all day pass in the six acre amusement park.  Inflatable slides and bounce houses will be in this section.

Get there early to experience it all!  Celebrate Freedom starts at 9:00am on June 30, 2012 and runs way into the late evening with a fireworks show to top it all off.

Cost:

$20 per car*

*Discount tickets can be found at Care Now locations area wide, and will give you $5 off of parking.  Car pool and split the cost with a friend!

Ripley's Enchanted Mirror Maze in Grand Prairie, TX

Are you ready to get lost?  The Mirror Maze in Grand Prairie is just for you!!   With over 2,000 square feet of confusing two-way mirrors, you are bound to get lost a few times.  Plus, if you ever find your way out, you can go back in and try again as many times as you want.

It was fun to see everyone running around trying to find their way out.  We will remember this experience for the rest of our lives.  This was a great family bonding event.  We depended on each other to make it out of there.

Cost:

Adult (age 13 and up)= $16.99*

Child (age 4-12)= $8.99*

Child 3 and under= FREE

*There are 3 other attractions at this location so there are bundling pricing options as well. I posted about 2 of the others already, and you can find them here and here.

**All opinions expressed herein are my own, and I have not received any monetary or other gift for a positive review. We were invited to spend the day at the 4 attractions expenses paid, and we have been given tickets for a giveaway! The tickets will be given away this month, so stay tuned!

Dive-In Theater Dolphin Tale in Frisco, TX

Dolphin Tale is a true and endearing story about a beautiful dolphin who loses his fin and the people he touches in the process.  It is a movie that the whole family can enjoy.  Even my 5 year old was engaged throughout the entire movie. 

Now, you can see the movie while you swim!  The Frisco Athletic Center is offering a dive-in movie showing on June 28 from 8:00pm to 10:30pm.  You will be able to watch the movie from the comfort of the pool, and get in at a discounted price! 

Cost:

$5.00 per person

Ripley's Believe It or Not in Grand Prairie, TX

While on a hunt for the weird, quirky, and unusual, we headed to Ripley's in Grand Prairie.  We found plenty of odd inventions like the rocking chair shown that rocks itself.  It was actually for sale many years ago.  Very odd!

A vest made from human hair... anyone interested in wearing that one? 

People never stop being odd, and because of this, Ripley started traveling the world looking for the oddest of the odd.  Several of these items were added to the Odditorium in Grand Prairie for the enjoyment of the public.

We had a good time looking at how far humanity has come compared to 100 years ago.  The strange people were interesting as well.  We saw many things you would never find anywhere else.

Cost:

Adult (age 13 and up)= $16.99*

Child (age 4-12)= $8.99*

Child 3 and under= FREE

*There are 3 other attractions at this location so there are bundling pricing options as well. I will be posting about the other 2 attractions over the next few days.  You can see the wax museum that I posted about yesterday here,

**All opinions expressed herein are my own, and I have not received any monetary or other gift for a positive review. We were invited to spend the day at the 4 attractions expenses paid, and we have been given tickets for a giveaway! The tickets will be given away this month, so stay tuned!