KCKidsFun

Happy New Year!  Hope 2012 is off to a good start for one and all.  We figured everyone was feeling somewhat lazy today…maybe even bumping around on our website looking for activities for kids in Kansas City for the coming weeks. Our various directories are jam-packed with info on local indoor pools, libraries, museums and open gyms!  Click around– you’ll be sure to find something to keep your kiddos busy and moving this winter.

New Year’s Day seems like the right time for a giveaway!  Thanks to our friends at Sprint Center in downtown Kansas City, we have 4 ticket vouchers to give to a lucky winner!  The tickets are to an upcoming Sesame Street Live performance of “Elmo Makes Music”– scheduled to run Friday, January 27, 2012 through Sunday, January 29, 2012. Each voucher is redeemable for one ticket to the performance of your choice (as long as tickets remain available – so, you’ll want to redeem your vouchers quickly!).

If you’re not our lucky winner, you can still take advantage of our special discount on tickets- click here for more info.   You can save $3 per ticket (regular price is $11 – $21/ticket).

So, how to enter? It’s simple.  Just leave us a comment, on this post, and tell us one KC-area activity you are MOST looking forward to seeing/doing in 2012!  Maybe you’ll give us some good ideas for future posts!  Please leave your comment by 12pm (Central Time) Friday, January 6, 2012.  One lucky winner will be randomly selected and notified via email and this site. Good Luck!

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Voucher may be redeemed at the venue box office. Additional tickets may be purchased at the time of redemption. A maximum of 10 vouchers may be redeemed at one time. For best seats, redeem this voucher as soon as possible. Voucher has no cash value, cannot be sold. One complimentary ticket per voucher. Not valid on Sunny Seats, Gold Circle or premium seating. Offer subject to ticket availability.

Must be 18 years of age to enter and win. Only one entry per household will be considered. No substitutions or transfers. Giveaway prize is not redeemable for cash. By entering, winner consents to allow the use of his/her name for promotional purposes without further compensation. Winner releases all sponsors of liability regarding use and enjoyment of the prize. No purchase necessary to enter or win.

It’s time to bid farewell to 2011 and a big hello to 2012.  Time really does fly when you’re having fun…and we’ve had lots of fun this year!  Kansas City continues to shine and continues to add to its already stellar collection of family-friendly activities.  2011 saw the opening of The Kauffman Center for Performing Arts and the big announcements that Sea Life Kansas City Aquarium and Legoland were breaking ground for 2012 openings.  In addition, our local theatres, libraries, parks & recreation departments and local businesses didn’t disappoint!

We are thankful to our readers and grateful that you keep us on our toes. We truly appreciate the comments, feedback and pointers.We’d also like to thank our loyal advertisers– many have been with us from the beginning (2008!) and continue to have an active presence on the site.  As we say goodbye to 2011, here’s one last “weekend rundown” of activities. Get out and have fun with the kids!  The weather is going to be AMAZING!  And here’s to a wonderul, fun-filled, activity-filled 2012.  Cheers!

Thursday, December 29, 2011

• Blue Valley Rec Open Gym (south Overland Park) – 1:30pm to 4pm
• Gym & Swim with Blue Valley Rec (activity center in south OP) – for kids ages 5-12. Time is divided between the pool and the gymnastics center. Time for a change of clothes. Bring a snack. Attend the whole week or individual days. Monday-Thursday 12/26-12/29, 9am-12:30pm Individual day: $16residents/$20non-residents; All week: $50residents/$63non-residents
• Family Fun Holiday Movies at Screenland Crown Center, Level 3. Screenland Crown Center offers a great family movie every Thursday through Sunday. The lineup: “The Smurfs” (November 25-27, December 1), “Zookeeper” (December 2-4 and 8), “Mr. Popper’s Penguins” (December 9-11 and 15), “Spy Kids 2″ (December 16-18 and 22), “The Polar Express” (December 23-25 and 29), “Dolphin Tale” (December 30-January 1 and January 8). Showtime is 12 p.m. $3 per person. Add a small popcorn and juicebox or small soft drink for just $2 more. 816-545-8034 orScreenland.com.

Friday, December 30, 2011

• Blue Valley Rec Open Gym (south Overland Park) – 1:30pm to 4pm
• Family Fun Holiday Movies at Screenland Crown Center, Level 3. Screenland Crown Center offers a great family movie every Thursday through Sunday. The lineup: “The Smurfs” (November 25-27, December 1), “Zookeeper” (December 2-4 and 8), “Mr. Popper’s Penguins” (December 9-11 and 15), “Spy Kids 2″ (December 16-18 and 22), “The Polar Express” (December 23-25 and 29), “Dolphin Tale” (December 30-January 1 and January 8). Showtime is 12 p.m. $3 per person. Add a small popcorn and juicebox or small soft drink for just $2 more. 816-545-8034 orScreenland.com.

Saturday, December 31, 2011

• Blue Valley Rec Open Gym (south Overland Park) – 10am to 1pm
• New Year’s Eve at CoCo Key Water Resort, KCMO
• Family Fun Holiday Movies at Screenland Crown Center, Level 3. Screenland Crown Center offers a great family movie every Thursday through Sunday. The lineup: “The Smurfs” (November 25-27, December 1), “Zookeeper” (December 2-4 and 8), “Mr. Popper’s Penguins” (December 9-11 and 15), “Spy Kids 2″ (December 16-18 and 22), “The Polar Express” (December 23-25 and 29), “Dolphin Tale” (December 30-January 1 and January 8). Showtime is 12 p.m. $3 per person. Add a small popcorn and juicebox or small soft drink for just $2 more. 816-545-8034 orScreenland.com.
• Wonder Eve at Wonderscope, Shawnee – 9am to 1pm – ring in the “noon” year!

Sunday, January 1, 2012

• Family Fun Holiday Movies at Screenland Crown Center, Level 3. Screenland Crown Center offers a great family movie every Thursday through Sunday. The lineup: “The Smurfs” (November 25-27, December 1), “Zookeeper” (December 2-4 and 8), “Mr. Popper’s Penguins” (December 9-11 and 15), “Spy Kids 2″ (December 16-18 and 22), “The Polar Express” (December 23-25 and 29), “Dolphin Tale” (December 30-January 1 and January 8). Showtime is 12 p.m. $3 per person. Add a small popcorn and juicebox or small soft drink for just $2 more. 816-545-8034 orScreenland.com.

* image courtesy of ernst vikne / creative commons

The 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic is nearing, and Union Station in downtown Kansas City is gearing up for a fabulous exhibit: “Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition” is set to open to the public on March 10, 2012.  The exhibit is being presented by the company that holds the exclusive right to the wreck site of the RMS Titanic.

Union Station had a similar stroke of good luck (from a timing perspective) when it hosted the Diana exhibit during the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton.

The ocean liner, struck an iceberg just before midnight on its maiden voyage in the North Atlantic and sank in the early hours of April 15, 1912. More than 1,500 people perished in the frozen waters of the Atlantic.  You might remember a Union Station Titanic exhibit from 2001- this one is reportedly much larger (by one-third) and contains additional artifacts found since 2001.

The Titanic exhibit will be set up in Union Station’s 15,000-square-foot Bank of America Gallery on the lower level and will include elements that were hits with previous visitors, including an ice wall to touch that simulates the fateful iceberg. Ticket holders will be handed a boarding pass with the name of an actual Titanic passenger and at the end of the tour they can check a wall to see if their person is listed among the surviving or the dead.

“Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition” will run March 10, 2012 through Labor Day 2012 at Union Station. Tickets: $19.12 for adults ($10 for Union Station members); $16.12 for children 3-12, seniors, college students and military and are available at Union Station, online or by calling 816-460-2020.

*image courtesy of unionstation.org