KCKidsFun

WINTER BREAK. It’s coming like a freight train (and for some, it’s already here!)  It always seems to start out great, then the boredom sets in.  And the inevitable fighting begins.  What’s a family to do?  Is there anything to do that doesn’t involve a video game?!?!?   And that doesn’t cost an arm and a leg?

Here are some free, cheap or relatively inexpensive ideas for things to do with the kids that you might want to consider:

You’ll want to begin your search by heading over to www.visitkc.com.  This site is chock-full of great DEALS–especially the 2-for-1 “Season of Magic” printable coupons to many of the city’s greatest attractions!  Attractions include Paradise Park, CoCo Key Water Resort and Powell Gardens.

1. Swimming at indoor pools - lots of community centers have open swim during break for a daily fee of $3 to $7 – some of these pools are really neat with a water park feel – some of the less expensive ones include Park Hill Aquatic Center, Blue Springs and the KCMO Community Centers. We’ve got a fairly extensive list of indoor pools to check out.  Or you can check out your local YMCA for indoor pools, workout facilities and more!

2. Check out some of Kansas City’s museums with cheap or free admission – the Puppetry Arts Institute, the Johnson County Museum of History (with the new Kidscape exhibit), the National World War I Museum, the Toy & Miniature Museum, The Money Museum at the Federal Reserve (for older kids) and the art museums (Kemper, Nelson & Nerman). Some of these have free admission – others will cost you a few bucks a person (with lower admission prices for the little ones).

3. Kaleidoscope at Crown Center – FREE Family Art Sessions almost every day of winter break

4. Visit Moon Marble Company in Bonner Springs for free glass marble making demonstrations

5. Open Gyms - most are for the preschool crowd but there will certainly be some open to the school-aged kids over break – check our list of Open Gyms – prices range from $1 to $10 for several hours of fabulous, exhausting play!

6. We’ve written about ice skating in Kansas City–outdoor rinks can be found in Leawood at Park Place as well as at Crown Center in downtown KC.  The next few weeks will be perfect for enjoying KC’s outdoor rinks!

7. And don’t forget your local library! Many have fun holiday programming – there are regularly scheduled storytimes, craft sessions and holiday performances – or just hang out there for an afternoon for a change of scenery! Many library activities are listed in the KC Kids Fun Events Calendar.

8. Some of the local parks and recreation departments are also offering winter break camps and activities. For example, Blue Valley Rec is offering basketball camps, open gyms and art classes. I’m sure others are doing the same.

So, if Christmas has broken the bank – don’t despair. There are still great things to do with the kids that won’t involve the television, the computer or video games! Have a fantastic break!

WINTER BREAK. It’s cold outside (actually, warming up the next few days, then cold AGAIN after a lovely Thursday).  What’s a family to do?  Is there anything that doesn’t involve a video game?!?!?   And that doesn’t cost an arm and a leg?  We’re financially spent after a lean 2010 and school doesn’t start for another week.

Here are few free, cheap or relatively inexpensive ideas for things to do with the kids:

You’ll want to begin your search by heading over to www.visitkc.com.  This site is chock-full of great DEALS–especially the 2-for-1 “Season of Magic” admission coupons to many of the city’s greatest attractions!  Attractions include Harry S. Truman Library and Museum, National World War I Museum at Liberty Memorial and Toy & Miniature Museum.

1. Swimming at indoor pools – lots of community centers have open swim during break for a daily fee of $3 to $7 – some of these pools are really neat with a water park feel – some of the less expensive ones include Park Hill Aquatic Center, Blue Springs and the KCMO Community Centers. We’ve got a pretty extensive list of indoor pools to check out.  Or you can check out your local YMCA for indoor pools and more!

2. Check out some of Kansas City’s museums with cheap or free admission – the Puppetry Arts Institute, the Johnson County Museum of History (with the new Kidscape exhibit), the National World War I Museum, the Toy & Miniature Museum, The Money Museum at the Federal Reserve (for older kids) and the art museums (Kemper, Nelson & Nerman). Some of these have free admission – others will cost you a few bucks a person (with lower admission prices for the little ones).

3. Kaleidoscope at Crown Center – FREE Family Art Sessions almost every day of winter break

4. Visit Moon Marble Company in Bonner Springs for free glass marble making demonstrations

5. Open Gyms – most are for the preschool crowd but there will certainly be some open to the school-aged kids over break – check our list of Open Gyms – prices range from $1 to $10 for several hours of fabulous, exhausting play!  One of our advertising partners, Paradise Park, is offering a Winter Break deal where you can buy $20/get $5 worth of game room tokens.  They have lots to do– Foam Factory is a favorite of our kids!!

6. We’ve written about ice skating in Kansas City–the next few days will be perfect for enjoying KC’s outdoor rinks!

7. And don’t forget your local library! Many have fun holiday programming – there are regularly scheduled storytimes, craft sessions and holiday performances – or just hang out there for an afternoon for a change of scenery! Many library activities are listed in the KC Kids Fun Events Calendar.

8. Some of the local parks and recreation departments are also offering winter break camps and activities. For example, Blue Valley Rec is offering basketball camps, open gyms and art classes. I’m sure others are doing the same.

So, if Christmas has broken the bank – don’t despair. There are still great things to do with the kids that won’t involve the television, the computer or video games! Have a fantastic break!

I’ve written before about one of our favorite KC field trips–going to KC’s Waldo neighborhood (75th and Wornall) and hopping the Metro’s MAX bus for Crown Center/Union Station.  It makes for an excellent adventure, and many lessons to be learned:  the art of conserving gas and helping the environment by taking public transportation, not to mention the life skill of getting oneself from point A to point B by reading maps and following a bus schedule!

Another public transit trip has been brought to my attention– and this one is great for all you Johnson Countians.  Did you know that you can take “The JO” (Johnson County’s public commuter bus system) all the way to Union Station?  You could plan a half-day trip and check out Dinosaurs Unearthed–or Kaleidoscope– and save yourself the gas money while you’re at it!!

Route “M” (Midday) is your key to taking half-day trips to and from points in Kansas City from Johnson County, KS.  There are several major park-and-ride locations in Johnson County on the way to Crown Center, Union Station and downtown Kansas City.  These are: Great Mall of the Great Plains (151st Street at I-35), Downtown Olathe, Johnson County Community College (College Blvd at Quivira), Oak Park Mall (95th Street at Quivira), Metcalf South Shopping Center (95th Street at Metcalf), and the Transit Center at 6000 Lamar in Mission, KS.

From any of these locations, you can take a morning commuter bus to Union Station and return via Route M (leaving from Union Station shortly after 1pm), or take Route M to Union Station and return on one of the afternoon commuter routes.

Regular fare on The JO is $2.00 for adults, $1.50 for kids 6-17, and free for kids 5 and under.  For extra adventure, you can transfer from The JO to MAX or another Metro bus to visit other attractions up and down the MAX corridor stretching from Waldo on the south to Downtown and River Market on the north.  Your JO driver can give you a transfer good for 2 hours on any Metro route.  For your return, pay the regular fare on the Metro ($1.50 for adults, 75 cents for kids 6-17) and get a transfer that’s good on The JO. Here’s a summary schedule of some of the buses you can take in combination with Route M (note that it’s on 24-hour clock time!)