KCKidsFun

We’ve had the good fortune of welcoming some new advertisers to the KC Kids Fun advertising community these past few months!  All are family-friendly and all would appreciate your business.  Especially as the holidays draw near, we like to encourage readers to shop and buy local first.  There are so many terrific locally-owned businesses right here in KC, and you can feel good knowing that your hard-earned money is staying here in the metro!

Thanks to all of our advertisers throughout the years.  We’ve been very lucky to have worked with a tremendous group of business people and business owners from the community who recognize the importance of family and kid-friendly activities!

Our first welcome is to Kansas City Repertory Theatre– where you will want to catch the annual production that is quintessential Kansas City Christmas– A Christmas Carol. Tickets are available now and the production runs November 19- December 26, 2011.W

We also want to welcome The Ice at Park Place in Leawood, KS.  The Ice is Johnson County’s ONLY outdoor ice rink!  It’s size makes it perfect for a beginner’s first spin on the rink, and Park Place is home to some wonderful shops and restaurants for pre- or post-skate.  You can satisfy your sweet tooth at Paciugo Gelato or Cupcake A La Mode, or enjoy a freshly-prepared meal at Ingredient Restaurant or Carmen’s Cafe.

Thanks also to our long-time advertisers:  Sprint Center, Kansas City Allergy & Asthma (KCAA), Paradise Park, Coterie Theatre, Burleson Orthodontics, Kansas City Art Institute (KCAI), The Language Workshop for Children,College Nannies & Tutors, Revisin, Midland/AEG and Faulkner’s Ranch.

We also have many businesses advertising in our various directories as Sponsored Listings.  These include: Yogi Bear’s™ Kansas City Jellystone RV Park and Resort, Zonkers, Little Masters…big art, Pinnacle Gymnastics, Successful Sounds, Christian Youth Theatre (CYT) and Camp Kidz Rock!

Were you one of the 50,000+ people who attended yesterday’s Open House at Kansas City’s Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts? Even if you weren’t, it’s not hard to tell that our city is THE place to be to experience the arts–be it performing arts, galleries or art fairs.  Unveiling of a world-class venue last weekend…and this weekend, it’s the 80th edition of the Plaza Art Fair!

This fall classic features artists from all over the world, showing (and selling) their best in pottery, jewelry, painting, metals, wood and so many more forms.  It’s always a great way to get out, see and be seen, get some fresh air, see some amazing art, visit with the artists and sample food from the Plaza’s restaurants.  The restaurants set up outdoor tents and sell portable versions of popular menu items.

The 80th annual Plaza Art Fair gets underway this Friday.  Hours:

September 23, 24 & 25, 2011
Friday: 5 – 10pm; Saturday: 10am – 10pm and Sunday: 11am – 5pm

• 240 Artists
• 26 Plaza Restaurants
• Three Live Music Stages
• Kids Art Workshop
• Kemper Street Museum
• Experience ArtsKC

The Plaza Art Fair always has fantastic projects for kids.  The School for Continuing and Professional Studies at the Kansas City Art Institute will be hosting the 2011 Kids Art Workshop (located on Broadway, across from The Apple Store).  Join in helping to make a collaborative art project or try out printmaking techniques to create your own cityscape with a project you can take home.

*images courtesy of countryclubplaza.com and kauffmancenter.org

It’s that time of year…when thoughts turn to SUMMER! And more specifically, “How am I going to keep my children busy for those 100 days?!?”  Did you know that you can send your kid to Space Camp?  (Kansas Starbase, KCK).  What about cartooning, sculptural mask-making and pinhole photography?  Got that, too!  (Kansas City Art Institute, KCMO).    Kate and I have been working the past few months to collect, sift through and organize the various camp offerings found in the KC Metro.  And let me tell you, there are TONS of them!  Last year’s Camp Directory was wildly successful, and we will build on that and follow a similar layout.

We will group camps in to 6 general categories:  General Day Camps, Visual Arts Camps, Performing Arts Camps, Science and Nature Camps, Sports Camps and Special Needs Camps.

You will want to check in this Monday, March 9, as the new 2009 Directory will be published.  Pass us on to your families, friends and neighbors–we have made finding and registering for camps less stressful!  Don’t put off doing your homework…camps are filling now and summer really is right around the corner.  (Step outside if you need a gentle reminder!!!)

***IF YOU REPRESENT A LOCAL CAMP AND ARE READING THIS…HOW WOULD YOU LIKE YOUR CAMP TO APPEAR AT THE TOP OF THE LIST? DON’T DELAY…CONTACT ME AT:  Kiran@KCKidsFun.com or simply leave a comment!  IT’S NOT TOO LATE!