KCKidsFun

So, here’s a suggestion for a fun Saturday.  Something a little out of the ordinary, perhaps.  Wake up early and head downtown to The City Market. This market starts rocking at 6am!  The Farmers’ Market really gets fun in mid-May…but it’s open year-round.  In season right now? Asparagus, spinach, lettuce, onions and peas.

The City Market isn’t JUST vegetables…there are several dining options and you can buy fresh flowers, unique gifts and specialty grocery items. Because I am eternally addicted to carbs, my pick for good eats would be Bloom Baking Co.  Fresh baked breads, flaky pastry and croissants, tarts, cupcakes and cookies are just a few of the treats you’ll find here. Saturdays at the Market = cultural melting pot.  FUN!

From downtown, jump on I-70 and head east to I-470.  Go south/west on 470 to the Colbern Road exit until you reach Paradise Park!  A neat way to welcome Spring and Easter awaits you.  One of our advertising partners, Paradise Park in Lee’s Summit, MO, is hosting “Ollie’s Egg Hunt” this Saturday!

In case you didn’t know, “Ollie” is an otter, and he is the official mascot of Paradise Park.  All Paradise Park guests with a paid admission to the children’s edutainment center on Saturday, April 16, 2011 and again on Saturday, April 23, 2011 can hunt for eggs with Ollie the Otter in the Outdoor Adventure Play Garden. The egg hunts take place at 10:30 a.m.& 1:30 p.m. and the day will be filled with games and prizes.

I just checked the weather forecast for Saturday, and it’s supposed to be nice!  A perfect day to spend outside with the whole family.

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!

We had an overwhelming response to our Paradise Park giveaway!  329 of you entered– our biggest and best response to date!

I will email each of you with details on how to claim your wristbands from Paradise Park.

Here are the four lucky winners:

1.  Amber from Garden City, MO.

2.  T Turner from Shawnee, KS.

3.  Mary Ludwig from Blue Springs, MO.

4. Jason from Lee’s Summit, MO.

Again, thanks for playing.  We have the best readers and it makes us happy to make you happy with fun giveaways and free stuff!  And, of course– we like giving you useful info for your kids and families, too!  Hope you all are enjoying the new look and feel of the site.  Happy St. Patrick’s Day!