Family Fun This Weekend

It's going to be another gorgeous weekend in the ROC. I hope you have some time to get out and enjoy it with your kids. Here are a few ideas for you, if you're looking for something extra fun.

Animal Tales Drop-In Story Time
Friday, June 15 at 11 a.m.
Lollypop Farm, 99 Victor Road, Fairport, NY
All are welcome to stop in and listen to an animal-themed story. Afterward, check out the dogs and cats inside the shelter, as well as the rabbits and other animals in the barn. Then head outside to pet the sheep and goats, and walk along the farm path to see horses, pigs, ducks, and more. Free of charge.

Shortsville Firemen's Carnival and Parade
Friday, June 15 and Saturday, June 16 - times vary by date
Budd Park, Water Street, Shortsville, NY
Parade at 7 p.m. on Friday, followed by live music from 8 - 9:30 p.m. Saturday features a chicken barbecue, rides, prizes, and music from noon to midnight. Fireworks on Saturday at 10:30 p.m

Little Links Family Fun Day at Wickham Farms

Saturday, June 16 from 1 - 4 p.m.

Wickham Farms, 1821 Fairport Nine Mile Line Road, Penfield, NY

Free event from the Eastside Family YMCA includes arts & crafts, face painting, farm animals, an inflatable, and more. Tickets for jumping pillow, mini golf, batting cages, and concessions sold separately.

Early June Special at Seabreeze
Saturday, June 16 - Sunday, June 17 from 11 a.m. - 9 p.m. each day
Seabreeze Amusement Park, 4600 Culver Road, Rochester, NY
Save $5 at the gate; click here for coupon. Not valid on Under 48" pass, Night Rider pass, or other offers. Up to 5 people may use this coupon for $5 off each person.

Freebies for Father's Day - Sunday, June 17
- Free Mini Golf for Dads at Clubhouse Fun Center, 70 Jay Scutti Blvd., Henrietta, NY
- Free ice cream cone, mini golf, and jumping pillow for Dads at Wickham Farms, 1821 Fairport Nine Mile Line Road, Penfield, NY
- Free $3 Berry Bucks Coupon (print & bring along) good toward any purchase at Brown's Berry Patch, 14264 Roosevet Highway, Waterport, NY. Pick fresh strawberries, feed the goats, play on the spiderweb, jump on the jumping pillow, and more.
- Dads play free mini golf at Adventure Landing, 3340 West Ridge Road, Greece, NY. Dads play free mini golf with each paying player at regular price.


Enjoy the weekend, and I hope all the ROCpoppas have a wonderful Father's Day!

Birthday Party Idea: Bike Party

It seems as though my soon-to-be-five-year-old son has quite the social calendar lately. He's been going to a few birthday parties and I'm always impressed with the things that parents create. Personally, I like to go crazy with our kids' parties. Before Party City, my mom used to make awesome cakes and decorations for our birthdays, and she came up with the coolest games. I'm trying to pass that tradition on to my kids. Plus, I was an event planner for about ten years, so I pay attention to the details.

Last weekend, my son went to a B.Y.O.B. party: Bring Your Own Bike (and helmet). His friend lives on a cul-de-sac which provided the most perfect location for a celebratory bike rally. My fellow ROCmomma Kathy created such a fun party, I just had to share it with you, dear readers.

When we arrived at their house, the cul-de-sac was decorated with large chalk arrows on the ground, to ensure all bikers rode in the same direction. There were road signs made from Pipeworks: a stop sign and a one way sign. They even made arch out of Pipeworks and tied different colored streamers on it, so the kids had a fun obstacle to ride through. Even the driveway was lined with a chalk-drawn "parking lot" for the bikes. The tables had black-and-white checked tablecloths, and there was a matching banner with black-and-white checked pennants, just like racing flags.

After riding around for a while, the kids took a break to make license plates and decorations for their bikes. ROCmomma Kathy had punched two holes at the top of a foam sheet for each child, and pre-packaged adhesive foam letters to spell each child's name. She had other stickers on the table - bowls of sports stickers and flower/butterfly stickers. When they were finished, the grown ups helped attach the license plates with zip-ties.

The bike decorating station also included beads, wraps for the spokes, streamers (clusters of ribbon, tied together with another piece of ribbon that is used to tie the streamers to the bike - you can make these), ribbons, and rolls of crepe paper streamers. Once the bikes were decked out, it was time to ride again.

Here's a shot of the license plate and streamers on my son's bike:

 Here are the wraps for the spokes:

 And some bike beads:

After lunch, the kids played Pin the Seat on the Bike. ROCmomma Kathy had made a poster of a bicycle, with the seat missing. It was a big hit.

A bonus tip if you're considering a bike-themed party: keep a first aid kit handy. There are bound to be a few scraped knees. Or the same kid will scrape his knee repeatedly (that would be my son; unfortunately, he gets his coordination, balance, and dexterity from me).

The kids had a blast at the bike party. My son didn't want to leave when it was over; we had to promise to come back for a bike-riding play date soon.

If you're tired of licensed-character themed kids' parties, why not try a Bike Party? If you live on a cul-de-sac, or near an open area with room to ride (a park or playground, perhaps), this might be your go-to idea for your child's next birthday.

As always, thank you for reading. Please Post a Comment to share your great birthday party ideas.

Rochester Museum & Science Center Has a New Exhibit

Over the weekend, I showed my dominoes-obsessed almost-five-year-old the Rochester Museum & Science Center newsletter and told him about their new exhibit, Keva Planks. Both of my sons love to build with blocks and Legos, plus they build some pretty fantastic domino runs so I knew the new exhibit would be a hit with them. Since it rained buckets today, it seemed like a great day to go.

The Keva Planks exhibit is on the second floor. We bypassed everything and headed straight up there. The perimeter of the room is lined with Keva structures, obviously built by people with infinite patience and time, and extremely steady hands. And I wonder if they actually used glue...hmmm...

There is so much space to create! A large, steady table is available, or you can grab a kneeling pad and create your masterpiece on the floor. Bins of planks await, or you can wheel over one of the large crates and get started. There are idea cards for inspiration, or you can just use your imagination and go crazy.

Or you can ignore the planks entirely and just play with the kneeling pads. My younger son had a blast stacking them (see below), and lining them up to make a "bridge" so he could hop from pad to pad.

Collectively we attempted a castle, a boat, a train, a couch, a coffee table (which became a tower of coffee tables), and lots of towers. My boys also set up the planks as dominoes and had fun knocking them down. We spent over an hour just at this exhibit alone!

Yes, they really are just wooden planks. There's nothing particularly special about them. But hand a bin of them to a child (or a grown up!) and you have endless entertainment. I highly recommend checking out this exhibit at least once before it's gone on September 3rd. On the drive home, my older son informed me that we need to go there each day. So I guess we'll be heading back again soon.

If you've never been there, RMSC is located at 657 East Avenue in Rochester, NY. There are parking lots, and parking is free. There is at least one restroom per floor, and there are changing tables in all of the women's and family restrooms (I'm not sure about the men's rooms, however). Mario's Cafe is located in the basement level, or you can bring your own lunch. If you purchase your lunch, there is plenty of indoor and outdoor seating. If you bring your own, you must sit at one of the tables located to the left or right of the staircase in the basement level.

As always, thanks for reading. If you've built some fun things at RMSC with Keva planks, be sure to Post a Comment and tell us about it.

French Toast Bake & Cookie Dough Dip...Who's Hungry?!

I know, I know. We're all watching our carb intake, limiting refined sugar, cutting fat, starving to fit into a swim suit, blah, blah, blah. But, come on. Life is short and sometimes we all just need a treat. Calories, be damned!

There are two recipes that I have to share with you, dear readers. If you are hosting a brunch or a play date, these are perfect. Or if you are just having a crappy day and want to bake away your stress, keep these handy.

First we have a Stuffed Apple, Blueberry, and Walnut French Toast Casserole from the February/March 2012 issue of Kiwi magazine. I made this for breakfast not too long ago when my brother and his girlfriend visited for the weekend. It is wonderful with breakfast sausages (we had Morningstar Farms Sausage Links...we're vegetarians), and plenty of maple syrup.

It takes about ten minutes to prepare, and 45 minutes to bake. You can toast the walnuts and cube the bread the night before. Just store both in air-tight containers.

Stuffed Apple, Blueberry, and Walnut French Toast Casserole

4 large eggs (or equivalent amount of egg whites, Egg Beaters, etc.)
1 c. milk (skim, 1%, 2%, soy, almond, rice...whatever's in the fridge)
10 slices whole wheat cinnamon swirl bread with raisins, cut into 3/4-inch cubes
1 small Golden Delicious apple, peeled, quartered, cored, and very thinly sliced
2 Tbsp. brown sugar, divided
1/2 c. frozen or fresh blueberries, divided
1/3 c. walnuts, toasted and coarsely chopped, divided

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly coat an 8-by-8-inch baking pan or dish with olive oil or nonstick cooking spray and set aside.

2. Place the eggs and milk in a large bowl. Whisk together until well combined. Kids can help by dropping in the bread cubes and mixing well. Let stand at room temperature for 10 minutes. Stir occasionally to make sure all the bread is covered with the egg mixture.

3. Arrange half the bread mixture evenly in the prepared pan. Kids can help by topping with the sliced apples. Kids can sprinkle with 1 tablespoon brown sugar, half the blueberries, and half the walnuts. Arrange the remaining bread mixture evenly on top and have kids help by following with the remaining blueberries, walnuts, and brown sugar.

4. Bake until the casserole is set and a food thermometer inserted in the center registers 160 degrees, about 40-45 minutes. Let sit 5 minutes before slicing and serving. Top with maple syrup, if desired. Serves 6.


Second, I bring you Cookie Dough Dip. Yes, for all of us who lick the spoon while baking, there is an egg-free way to get that cookie dough taste in a social setting. Yesterday, my fellow ROCmomma - also a Kim - came over for a play date with her son and daughter. After lunch, we satisfied our sweet teeth with this amazingly delicious dip. Apple slices, graham crackers, and chocolate graham crackers served as the vehicles to deliver the cookie-dough-goodness directly to our taste buds. YUM!

This recipe calls for toffee bits. You can find them in the baking section of your grocery store, along with the chocolate chips. Here in the Rochester area, Wegmans carries Heath brand Bits'O Brickle toffee bits.

Cookie Dough Dip

8 oz. cream cheese (reduced fat works well)
1/3 c. margarine or butter, softened
1 c. powdered sugar
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 to 1 c. mini chocolate chips
1/2 to 1 c. toffee bits

1. In a food processor - or with a hand-held mixer - blend the cream cheese and butter until well combined. Kids can help by adding powdered sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla, and then mix again.

2. Kids can help stir in the chocolate chips and toffee bits by hand. Transfer to a storage container and chill in the refrigerator for at least an hour.

3. Stir again before serving; serve with sliced fruit, cookies, graham crackers, you name it!


Happy eating, and as always thanks for reading. When you try these recipes, Post a Comment and let us know how they came out, or how you tweaked them.

Family Fun This Weekend

Hopefully the meteorologists have it wrong for this weekend. Friday: high of 71 with thunderstorms. Ugh. Saturday: high of 65 with a low chance of rain. Eh. Sunday: high of 71 with a pretty good chance of rain. Yuck.

Let's keep our fingers crossed and do a sun-dance...otherwise, there is plenty of indoor excitement to be found in the Rochester area this weekend.

Opening Day for Strawberry Picking
Friday, June 1 - until the berries are gone
Various Farms, Rochester Area
Pick your own strawberries at one of several farms in our area! Be sure to call the farm before you head out, to be sure the berries are ready to be picked that day. Don't forget to dress for the weather.

Friday Family Fun Night: Roller Skating
Friday, June 1 from 5:45 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.
Southeast Family YMCA, 111 E. Jefferson Road, Pittsford, NY
OPEN TO THE COMMUNITY!
5:45 p.m. - ? - Pizza available in the Lobby ($1/slice)
6:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. - Crafts in the Lobby
6:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. - Roller Skating in the Gym (skate rental is $4/person)
7:05 p.m. - 10:00 p.m. - Family Swim
7:30 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. - Parachute Games
8:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. - Adventure Center (bring/wear socks)

Fairport Canal Days
Friday, June 1 (4:30 p.m. - 9 p.m.), Saturday, June 2 (10 a.m. - 6 p.m.), Sunday, June 3 (10 a.m. - 5 p.m.)
Fairport, NY
Food, music, crafts, and more along the Erie Canal. Be sure to check the web site for events schedule, directions, and lots more information.

Exhibit Opening: Design Zone
Saturday, June 2 from 10 a.m. - 8 p.m. - Sunday, June 3 from 12 p.m. - 5 p.m.
Strong National Museum of Play, 1 Manhattan Square, Rochester, NY
Design and test a virtual roller coaster, skate park, and bike race. Test your spinning skills in a DJ Recording Studio, engineer your own light show for a dance party, and more. We can't wait to check out all the fun features of this new exhibit. Free with general admission.

Exhibit Opening: KEVA Planks
Saturday, June 2 from 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Rochester Museum & Science Center, 657 East Avenue, Rochester, NY
Use your imagination and build your own masterpiece. Create castles, bridges, trains, buildings, or farms...then have fun knocking them down when you're through. Free with general admission.

CLOSED for Zoobilation
Saturday, June 2 - ALL DAY
Seneca Park Zoo, 2222 St. Paul Street, Rochester, NY

Bike Rodeo & Child Safety Day
Saturday, June 2 at 1:00 p.m.
Winslow Elementary School, 755 Pinnacle Road, Henrietta, NY
Outdoor event to learn and practice safe biking and other practices, for children ages 2-13. Must bring your bike and helmet to participate in the bike rodeo. Check out the fire safety demos, school bus tours & safety, bike safety inspections & training course, plus register to win prizes. This is a free event. For more information, contact Robin Watson at rwatson@rochester.rr.com

Stroll for Strong Kids Walk & 5K Run
Saturday, June 2 - 8:30 a.m. for the 5K, or 10:30 a.m. for the 1.5 mile Stroll/Walk
University of Rochester's River Campus, 252 Elmwood Avenue, Rochester, NY
This year's superhero-themed event is family-friendly, and all proceeds benefit the Golisano Children's Hospital. Check out the web site for registration information, a pledge form, map, and to make an online donation. There will be a bounce house and more. Free to anyone who raises $30 or more for the hospital.

CowapaMOOza
Sunday, June 3 from 12 p.m. - 3 p.m.
Wickham Farms, 1821 Fairport Nine Mile Point Road, Penfield, NY
Kick off National Dairy Month with a dancing cow, games, a milk mustache photo booth, and butter making. Meet a baby calf, and enter the MOOOOOing contest. The dairy events are free; other Wickham Farms activities (mini-golf, batting cages, jumping pillow) are regular prices.

Trolley Rides
Sunday, June 3 from 11 a.m. - 5 p.m.

New York Museum of Transportation, 6393 East Henrietta Road, West Henrietta, NY

Purchase a ticket for a unique trolley ride when you arrive. While you wait for your trolley, explore the train cars, antique cars, fire truck, and the model trains in the museum. At your departure time, board the trolley and enjoy the 1-mile ride to the Rochester & Genesee Valley Railroad Museum. Explore the second museum before boarding for a ride back to the Museum of Transportation. 

Stay dry and have fun this weekend! As always, thanks for reading.

Crafty Gift Idea: Make Your Own Watering Bottle for Plants

Last weekend, we celebrated my brother's birthday. I had asked him for some ideas from his wish list, and one of the things he mentioned was a glass watering bulb for plants. A quick online search yielded some options at Target, Home Depot, and Amazon. But I also came across a blog post with instructions to make your own. I was intrigued.

The instructions were simple: find an empty wine bottle, rinse well, fill with water, insert into a potted plant, and you're done. I decided to take this one step further and decoupage the bottle.

PLEASE NOTE: I was so excited about this project, I wanted to share it with all of you. However, since it involves a wine or liquor bottle, you might not want this to be a craft for your kids. Right now, my kids don't know about wine or liquor, and they don't recognize the bottles as such. I didn't see it as an issue, but obviously it is up to you.

I grabbed an empty bottle from the recycling bin and then rummaged through my bins of random craft supplies. Jar of Mod Podge? Check. Foam brush? Check. Paper for decoupaging? Card stock seemed too heavy, but I remembered some patterned tissue paper that once came with a craft kit. I've probably had that stack of leftover tissue paper for ten years; sometimes it pays to be a semi-pack-rat.

Now, homemade gifts can go one of two ways: (A) it looks like a boutique item, the recipient is truly appreciative and impressed, and he or she will put it to use, or (B) it looks like your kid made it then sat on it, the recipient is gracious but disappointed that you didn't just get a Visa gift card, and he or she will put it in the next donation box for Volunteers of America.

This gift is simple yet has that boutique-quality potential if you follow one rule: When selecting paper for this project, choose 3 colors and stick with shades of those colors. The easiest options are cool colors - greens, blues, and purples - or warm colors - reds, oranges, and yellows. Of course, if you are artsy, you know the color wheel and can choose some complimentary colors with an accent color. Admittedly, I am not that artsy. I just went with cool colors.

SUPPLIES:

• Empty glass bottle, well rinsed
• Foam brush
• Mod Podge
• Lots of torn paper: tissue paper, remnants of rolls of party streamers, magazines, wrapping paper, etc. 
• A stand for the bottle (I used a baby-bottle drying rack; an upright paper towel holder would work well, too)

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Place the empty bottle on the stand and start brushing on Mod Podge in sections. If you're working with your child, have them choose whether they'd like to brush or stick on the paper.

2. Place a piece of torn paper on the wet Mod Podge and brush another layer of Mod Podge on top.

3. Overlap with another piece of paper, and brush another layer of Mod Podge on top.

4. Continue this process: brush Mod Podge on first, add paper, brush on more Mod Podge. 

5. When the bottle is completely covered, let dry, then add another layer of Mod Podge. Repeat with at least one more layer; I did two.

6. If you want to be fancy, add a tag with a pretty ribbon around the neck of the bottle.

It's "green." It's functional. It's practically free. And it's super-cute, too. 

As always, thanks for reading. I hope you and your kids (or just you) have fun making your own watering bottles. Post a Comment and let me know how yours turn out! 

P.S. My Mom gave me a helpful tip for any type of self-watering bulb/bottle/ball: dig out some dirt to create a shallow channel for the neck of the object. This prevents it from getting clogged with dirt, and helps it function properly.

Have You Been to Kings Bend Park?

The other day, after subjecting the kids to running errands and dragging them to more than a few stores, I wanted to treat them to some playground time. They were so well behaved, which is no easy task for a two- and four-year-old. Into the car seats, out of the car seats, into the shopping cart, don't touch, we're not getting that today, out of the shopping cart. Repeat.

But, where to go? There are myriad playgrounds in the immediate area and my kids love them all. The problem is they love them too much. It's hard to limit our time; once we're at a park, we're committed. We run, swing, slide, and climb til we drop. No amount of bribery seems to work; they won't just leave without a huge scene unless they decide they are done playing. Usually, that's not a problem.

On this particular day, we only had about 30-45 minutes before my younger son would need to nap. I needed somewhere low key...so I turned onto Jefferson Road and pulled into Kings Bend Park. Perfect!

If you've never been to Kings Bend Park - 170 West Jefferson Road, in Pittsford - after pulling into the parking lot, continue around to the right and park close to the playground. There is a playground structure with a climbing wall, a few climbing/swinging features, a bridge, slide, and more. Not too big; not too small.

There is a separate, smaller structure with a slide that's perfect for toddlers. Plus there are swings - two regular and two baby swings. A few benches line the playground perimeter for pooped parents.

The pond beyond the playground gives us a nice break. My boys like to take a walk along the fence to count the number of ducks they can find. And the super-colossal, can't-be-beat, stupefying bonus of this park: A TRAIN. Yes, there are train tracks on the other side of the fence running along the parking lot. The highlight of our day was getting to see a diesel engine pulling some tanker cars and box cars. Life doesn't get much better.

The one down-side to Kings Bend Park is that the restrooms are only available when the lodges are open. (there are two winterized lodges on the park grounds, which are available to rent) Be sure to "go" before you go.

As always, thanks for reading. I hope you have fun with your kids at Kings Bend Park soon.