KCKidsFun

He sees you when you’re sleeping. He knows when you’re awake. He knows when you’ve been bad or good…well, you know the drill. For those of us using Santa as a bribe/threat/gentle reminder for good behavior this month, we’ve put together a list of local Kansas City appearances the jolly old elf will be making.

I think you’ll be able to find Santa in just about every corner of the Kansas City metro this year. And I’m sure we’ve missed a few – so feel free to leave the spots we’ve missed in the comments below!

Month-long Appearances

• Crown Center – Santa’s Crayola Christmas Land and Santa’s Gingerbread Village – thru December 31

• Town Center Plaza (Leawood, KS) – thru December 23

• Oak Park Mall (Overland Park, KS) – thru December 24

• Zona Rosa (Northland) – thru December 24

• Independence Center (Independence, MO) – thru December 23

• Metro North Mall (Northland) – thru December 24

• Legends at Village West (Kansas City, KS) – thru December 24

• Great Mall of the Great Plains (Olathe, KS) – thru December 24

• Santa’s Wonderland at Bass Pro Shops (Olathe, KS and Independence, MO) – thru December 24

• Cabela’s (Kansas City, KS) – December 12 & 13, December 19 & 20

Shorter Appearances

December 4

• Holiday Lights & Festive Sights, Mission KS – 6:15pm to 8:30pm – tree lighting, Santa, Dino O’Dell live and musical fireworks!
• Santa and Carolers – downtown Lee’s Summit – 6pm to 8pm
• KCMO Parks & Rec presents Santa’s Wonderland – Gillham Park, 6pm to 8pm

December 5

• A Visit from St. Nicholas, Shoal Creek Living History Museum, Kansas City north – a 19th Century Christmas experience! Take a horse drawn sleigh ride and meet St. Nicholas
• JCPRD’s Breakfast with Santa – 9am to 11am – Roeland Park Community Center – breakfast, games, crafts and SANTA!
• Holiday in the Tropics – meet Tropical Santa and Mrs. Claus at the Kansas City Zoo! – 10am to 2pm
• Santa & Me at Paradise Park, Lee’s Summit – 10am to 2pm
• Holiday Readings (by Madeline & Mrs. Claus), Letters to Santa and holiday crafts – Union Station, KCMO – 10am to 12pm
• Fairy Princess at Kansas City Museum, 10am to 4pm
• KCMO Parks & Rec presents Santa’s Wonderland – Penguin Park, 4pm to 6pm
• Santa Train, Belton, Grandview & Kansas City Railroad (Belton, MO) – 10am – Santa, cookies & hot chocolate on the train!
• Father Christmas and Christmases Past with Laura Ingalls Wilder, National Frontier Trails Museum, Independence, MO
• Holiday Fun with Santa, Powell Gardens, Kingsville, MO – 9am to 12pm (breakfast until 10:30am)
• Santa’s Express at the Agricultural Hall of Fame, Bonner Springs, KS
• Christmas on the Farm, Watkins Woolen Mill State Historic Site, Lawson, MO – 2pm to 7pm – caroling, treats, arts & crafts and Father Christmas – FREE!
• Lawrence (KS) Old-Fashioned Christmas Parade – 11am – horse-drawn carriages, wagons & coaches and SANTA!
• Whoville Holidays at City Market (KCMO) – 10am to 2pm – activities, projects, canned food drive, Cindy Lou Who look-a-like contest, photos with the Grinch! (Okay, so this one isn’t exactly Santa…)
• Santa and Carolers – downtown Lee’s Summit – 3pm to 5pm

December 6

• Holiday in the Tropics – meet Tropical Santa and Mrs. Claus at the Kansas City Zoo! – 10am to 2pm
• Santa’s Express at the Agricultural Hall of Fame, Bonner Springs, KS
• KCMO Parks & Rec presents Santa’s Wonderland – Barry Road Park, 4pm to 6pm

December 11

• KCMO Parks & Rec presents Santa’s Wonderland – The Parade, 6pm to 8pm

December 12

• Santa & Me at Paradise Park, Lee’s Summit – 10am to 2pm
• Fairy Princess at Kansas City Museum, 10am to 4pm
• Father Christmas and Lewis & Clark Celebrate Christmas, National Frontier Trails Museum, Independence, MO
• Holiday Fun with Santa, Powell Gardens, Kingsville, MO – 9am to 12pm (breakfast until 10:30am)
• Winter Festival, Whole Foods Market, 119th Street location, OPKS – 11am to 2pm – horse drawn hayrides, kids’ shopping & wrapping and lunch with Santa at 11 or 12 (lunch: $5/person – call 913-663-2951 to register for lunch)
• KCMO Parks & Rec presents Santa’s Wonderland – Swope Park (shelter 2), 4pm to 6pm
• Santa’s Express at the Agricultural Hall of Fame, Bonner Springs, KS
• Whoville Holidays at City Market (KCMO) – 10am to 2pm – activities, projects, canned food drive, Cindy Lou Who look-a-like contest, photos with the Grinch!

December 13

• Santa’s Express at the Agricultural Hall of Fame, Bonner Springs, KS
• KCMO Parks & Rec presents Santa’s Wonderland – Longview Tract, 4pm to 6pm

December 15

• Macy’s Santa National Tour, Summit Fair, Lee’s Summit, MO – 5:30pm to 6:30pm

December 19

• Kansas City Southern Holiday Express, Union Station – 9:30am to 5:30pm – an amazing Santa visit via train! FREE
• Fairy Princess at Kansas City Museum, 10am to 4pm
• Santa & Me at Paradise Park, Lee’s Summit – 10am to 2pm
• Father Christmas, National Frontier Trails Museum, Independence, MO
• Holiday Fun with Santa, Powell Gardens, Kingsville, MO – 9am to 12pm (breakfast until 10:30am)
• Lunch with Santa, Gladstone (MO) Hy-Vee, 7117 N. Prospect, 816-452-6500 – 12pm to 2pm – lunch, picture with Santa, treat bag & craft – $10/must RSVP and pay by 12/15 (was sold out last year!)
• Whoville Holidays at City Market (KCMO) – 10am to 2pm – activities, projects, canned food drive, Cindy Lou Who look-a-like contest, photos with the Grinch!

December 20

• Kansas City Southern Holiday Express, Union Station – 9:30am to 5:30pm – an amazing Santa visit via train! FREE

With my family’s purse strings pulled tighter than ever, the tendency will be to do it all at a big-box retailer this holiday season.  But, Kansas City has so many unique merchants and I think it’s important now, more than ever, to support them.   SHOP LOCAL, if at all possible, I say!  The metro has so many neat, one-of-a-kind, locally-owned stores brimming with interesting gifts. Why not visit a few and put together a unique gift this year? We’ve got some suggestions to make it easy on you.

• Reading Reptile create a Books Basket or treat a lucky kid to a Thursday Story Time at Reading Reptile followed by “select any book you’d like…and it’s yours!”—what a neat gift!

• A Train-Themed gift: The Learning Tree (Leawood, KS and Prairie Village, KS) has some wonderful trains and train gifts. Thomas the Tank Engine is there of course, but so are lots of other choices. Include a certificate for a special meal at Fritz’s Railroad Restaurant at the Crown Center Shops, or head to the new location across the state line in Shawnee, KS (just west of I-435 on Shawnee Mission Parkway) . What kid wouldn’t love to have her meal delivered tableside by a train?

• Unleash your child’s inner mad scientist! HMS Beagle is a wonderful store in Parkville, MO–”The Ultimate Science Store” according to their website.  You can introduce your child to science through a number of neat gifts from the basic chemistry set to a fantastic telescope.  They even have a science club with meetings for K-8th graders!  For the little ones–an easy introduction to science can be found by taking a trip toWonderscope Children’s Museum of Kansas City in Shawnee, KS, featuring arts and sciences exhibits for kids ages 10 and under.

• GO RETRO! Moon Marble gift shop, located in Bonner Springs’ Moon Marble Company, has some great toys and games that have withstood the test of time…remember Pick-Up Sticks, Chinese Jumpropes and the wooden paddle with the red rubber ball attached?  Find all of these and more!

• Enrollment in a class at one of the metro’s parks and recreation offices or community centers is a gift that will last weeks and even months! Your little one can try something new like a beginner’s martial arts class, a dance or ballet class or even try something exotic like fencing! What a great way to spend the winter months. Try Blue Valley Recreation or any of the parks and rec departments listed in our Classes directory!

• Don’t Forget the Music – How about guitar (or other musical instrument) lessons at the School of Rock (North Kansas City), the Toon Shop (Prairie Village, Lee’s Summit or Overland Park) or the Music House (Overland Park)?

• Stop by Laura Little’s Candies in Prairie Village or Topsy’s Popcorn(multiple locations) for sweet treats for stockings

• Shop Etsy Local for unique, handmade items created by talented Kansas Citians like Kate Williams (crayon holders and pinafores), three red trees (terribly cute sock dogs) and Becky Kelly (very sweet paintings and prints for a nursery or little one’s room).

There’s another place you might want to check out– because uniquely Kansas City traditions are being resurrected with each year!  Zona Rosa is a shopping district in North Kansas City at I-29 and Barry Road.  KC’s holiday past comes to life as the 2000-lb crowns are hoisted into place–near-exact replicas of the crowns that decked the streets of downtown KC for over 20 years!  You’ll also find the “Fairy Princess”.  She first appeared in the Kline’s toy department in 1936!  New this year is the return of the “Ice Igloo”.  Modeled from the original Kansas City Museum igloo, a new, more spacious one has been constructed so the younger generation can make holiday memories of their own.

Let us know if you discover something fun and different to do with your family–we’d love to spread the word!  Believe me, this site will be buzzing over Christmas vacation with parents looking for things to do with their kiddos!!!

Labor Day Weekend in Kansas City is already upon us! How did this happen?! Where has summer gone?!

I’ve got a second-grader and a first-grader (as well as two-year-old twins) and we’re already knee-deep in homework and reading logs and school projects. And I’m looking forward to relaxing this weekend with the kids. It will be the last non-soccer weekend for two months – so I’m going to enjoy the lack of schedule. But I also want to end the summer of 2009 on a fun note for the little ones.

We’re considering the Irish Fest at Crown Center and Pops in the Park. I know some folks who are headed to Independence for Santa-Cali-Gon Days. How about you? Does anything on our list of Kansas City’s family-friendly Labor Day events sound good?

Friday, September 4, 2009

• Royals vs. Angels- Kauffman Stadium – Buck Night (popcorn, small pretzels, small Pepsis and peanuts just $1!) and FIREWORKS FRIDAY!
• Secret Garden, Barn Players Theatre, Mission KS – August 28-30 and September 4-6 and 11-13
• Kansas City Irish Fest – Crown Center (KCMO) – thru September 6 – food, crafts, activities, music and dancing – admission free for kids 12 and under
• Santa-Cali-Gon Days, Independence, MO – huge carnival, games, food, music and more! – thru September 7
• Friday Family Fun Night – Kansas City Public Library, Plaza branch – 7pm – FREE!

Saturday, September 5, 2009

• Saturday Morning Storytime for Preschoolers, Toy & Miniature Museum (KCMO) – 10:30am – free with museum admission
• Free Movie at Kearney Amphitheatre (Kearney, MO) – movie starts at dusk – High School Musical 3
• Secret Garden, Barn Players Theatre, Mission KS – August 28-30 and September 4-6 and 11-13
• Kansas City Irish Fest – Crown Center (KCMO) – thru September 6 – food, crafts, activities, music and dancing – admission free for kids 12 and under
• Tallgrass T-Shirts – Anita B. Gorman Conservation Discovery Center (KCMO) – 10am to 3pm - FREE!
• Kid Flicks at the Library, Johnson County Library, Oak Park branch – 2pm (bring a pillow and a friend!) – under 7 must be accompanied by parent – FREE!
• Pops in the Park – Kansas City Symphony at Shawnee Mission Park, Shawnee, KS – concert at 7pm; gates open at 5pm with “Instrument Petting Zoo” at 5:30pm
• Saturday Dive-In Movies at the Westin Crown Center (KCMO) – movie begins at sundown; food/drink available for poolside service – this week’s flick: Wall-E (open to registered hotel guests only)
• Santa-Cali-Gon Days, Independence, MO – huge carnival, games, food, music and more! – thru September 7
• Renaissance Festival, Bonner Springs, KS – weekends thru October 18

Sunday, September 6, 2009

• Secret Garden, Barn Players Theatre, Mission KS – August 28-30 and September 4-6 and 11-13
• Kansas City Irish Fest – Crown Center (KCMO) – thru September 6 – food, crafts, activities, music and dancing – admission free for kids 12 and under
• Santa-Cali-Gon Days, Independence, MO – huge carnival, games, food, music and more! – thru September 7
• Renaissance Festival, Bonner Springs, KS – weekends thru October 18
• Kansas City Museum – First Sunday Family Fun Day

Monday, September 7, 2009

• Royals vs. Angels, Kauffman Stadium – Royal Nite – $5 upper level seats!
• Live at the Legends (KCK) – live music for mom & dad; Wonderscope Kids’ Zone for the little ones! – noon to 3pm
• Santa-Cali-Gon Days, Independence, MO – huge carnival, games, food, music and more! – thru September 7
• Renaissance Festival, Bonner Springs, KS – weekends thru October 18