KCKidsFun

Live in south Johnson County?  Head downtown for some fun at Crown Center or City Market.  Live in eastern Jackson County?  Give Briarcliff Village a try.  You’ll find a Farmer’s Market there, and even Saturday Night Movies! We’ve written about the Truman Trolley in Independence, and so many of the area libraries have fun activities on tap.  You see, there’s lots to do in Kansas City, it doesn’t always have to be the pool!

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

• Every Tuesday 6/7-8/9 in Barkley Square at Park Place, the Barstow School presents their Summer Kids Club! We’ll offer two 30-minute classes perfect for kids ages 3-10. Your child will love our unique activities, like Lego Madness, Farm Fun, Ultimate Recess Games, Cupcake Decorating and more! Classes are held at 10am and 11am and are $5 per child. Advance registration required atwww.barstowschool.org.
• Story Hour at Reading Reptile in Brookside – 11am – ages 3 to 7 – RSVP please ($2 per child for story and craft). This week: Stamping Fun
• Legends 14, KCK – “Madagascar 2” and “Ramona & Beezus” (these are indoors at the movie theater at the Legends Outlets every Tuesday and Wednesday at 10am)
• Workshop at Reading Reptile in Brookside – 1pm – RSVP required. $10 per person. This week: Papier Mache
• Popsicles in the Park - 6:30 pm – Popsicles, Puppets and Dinosaur O’Dell with the T-Rex All-Stars, Country Club Park, 2930 S. Norton Ave, Independence, MO – Free and Open to the Public
• Storytime at Antioch Library, 8700 Shawnee Mission Parkway – 10:15am

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

• Every Wednesday 6/8-8/10 in Barkley Square at Park Place in Leawood, kids gardening classes are back! Classes are 30-minutes each, held at 10am and 11am. Your kids will love playing in the dirt and learning about plants, bugs, and soil all summer long. Come every week! Children ages 3-10 are always welcome and classes are $5 per child. Storytime is free and takes place at 10:30am. Advance registration required, and be sure to check our newly added Tuesday Summer Kids Club too!
• Plaza Branch Kansas City Public Library – “Yogi Bear” at 2pm
• Waldo Branch Kansas City Public Library – Ice Age 3: Dawn of the Dinosaurs at 2pm
• Legends 14, KCK – “Madagascar 2” and “Ramona & Beezus” (these are indoors at the movie theater at the Legends Outlets every Tuesday and Wednesday at 10am)
• Workshop at Reading Reptile in Brookside – 1pm – RSVP required. $10 per person. This week: Papier Mache
• Museum Kids Summer Drop-Ins at the Kansas City Museum – Wednesdays and Fridays in June from 10am to 2pm – Drop in with your Museum Kids for games, music, stories and arts-and-crafts. Different historical themes will keep Museum Kids entertained and (don’t tell them!) they just might learn something.

Thursday, June 23, 2011

• Mahaffie Family Fun Nights – Mahaffie Stagecoach Stop and Farm is open 6-8 p.m. Thursday nights in June and July with free admission. Enjoy a variety of historic-themed activities each week. Special activities like stagecoach rides are $2/person. Kansas Farming – June 23; Mahaffie Stagecoach Stop and Farm, 1200 Kansas City Rd., Olathe, www.mahaffie.org, (913) 971-5111
• Independence Square, Liberty & Maple – “Cars”
• Screenland Crown Center Family Fun Summer Movies – “How to Train Your Dragon” (1 p.m. Thursday through Sunday. $3 tickets, plus $2 for a popcorn/juicebox combo)
• Story Hour at Reading Reptile in Brookside – 11am – ages 3 to 7 – RSVP please ($2 per child for story and craft). This week: Stamping Fun
• Thursday Night Summer Concert Series at Park Place Leawood! Join us for our FREE family-friendly concerts every Thursday night 6/2-8/11 in Barkley Square from 6-8PM. Bring your lawn chairs and picnic blankets and grab a bite from Ingredient or a treat from Paciugo or Cupcake A La Mode. Shops are open late on Thursdays too! This week: Separated at Birth

Friday, June 24, 2011

• Johnson County Museum Summer Arts Program, Fridays 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Runs through the summer June 3rd-July 29th, 2011. Drop-in program for kids 4-8 years old; registration not required. Weekly themes will introduce kids to art processes and fun! Parents must stay with children. DRESS FOR MESS! Fee: $3 per child, $2 for Museum Members
• Workshop at Reading Reptile in Brookside – 1pm – RSVP required. $10 per person. This week: Papier Mache
• Elms Movies on the Lawn, Excelsior Springs, MO – Twilight: Eclipse – 9:00 PM. $1 gate fee. Concessions are available. No coolers. Children must be accompanied by an adult.
• Street Flicks in Blue Springs – “Karate Kid”
• The Doo-Dads at the Record Bar, KCMO – 6pm to 8pm – great kids menu! (Kids get in free, moms/dads $5)
• Screenland Crown Center Family Fun Summer Movies – “How to Train Your Dragon” (1 p.m. Thursday through Sunday. $3 tickets, plus $2 for a popcorn/juicebox combo)
• 28th Annual Waterfest, Excelsior Springs, MO – June 24 thru June 26
• Museum Kids Summer Drop-Ins at the Kansas City Museum – Wednesdays and Fridays in June from 10am to 2pm – Drop in with your Museum Kids for games, music, stories and arts-and-crafts. Different historical themes will keep Museum Kids entertained and (don’t tell them!) they just might learn something.
• Snakes Alive at Ernie Miller Park, Olathe, KS – entertainment and education for the whole family – 7pm; $2.50 per person (2 and under are free)
• Theatre in the Park, Shawnee Mission Park – box office opens at 6:30pm; gates open at 7:30pm; show starts at 8:30pm – Les Miserables – School Edition – June 24-26 and July 1-3

Kansas City Public Library in conjunction with Reading Reptile welcomes John Bemelmans Marcian, author/ illustrator of MADELINE AT THE WHITE HOUSE!

The program takes place on Monday, February 14^th at 6.30 PM, and will be at the Plaza Branch, 4801 Main Street in KCMO. Reservations are strongly suggested, simply click here to get to the reservation site.  John Bemelmans Marciano, grandson of the late great Ludwig Bemelmans, original creator of the beloved Madeline stories, will present his newest book, Madeline at the White House. In Madeline at the White House, derived from the unfinished writings of his grandfather, twelve girls in two straight lines are invited to the White House by Candle, the president’s lonely only daughter, for the annual Easter Egg hunt and roll.  Madeline and the other little girls have a fabulous time, and introduce Candle to the joys of occasionally breaking the rules.

John will present the new book and take questions, with a book-signing to follow.   All of John’s books will be for sale on site, and only one book from home will be allowed in the venue.  A little background on the author:  John is the grandson of Madeline’s creator, Ludwig Bemelmans (John’s mom was the inspiration for Madeline).  And here is the story behind the book:  “The idea for sending Madeline to the White House was my grandfather’s and grew out of his friendship with Jacqueline Kennedy,” John explains.  “In a series of letters from late 1961 and early 1962, my grandfather sounded out the First Lady on ideas for the book, which he proposed calling Madeline visits Caroline, with text from Mrs. Kennedy herself. My grandfather died before the book was finished.”

If you haven’t been to Reading Reptile lately, you might want to stop by and visit Le Petit Rouge, the cupcakery/bakery located inside Brookside’s Reading Reptile.  Unique cupcakes are baked on-site and are inspired by fairy tales.  If these aren’t enough to warrant a trip to Brookside…then I don’t know what is!!!  Big Bad Wolf (large chocolate cupcake with a Grandma cupcake inside– topped with chocolate meringue buttercream), Goldilocks (lemon polenta lavender cake with vanilla meringue buttercream), Jack (chocolate cake with vanilla buttercream), Snow White (white cake with apple frosting), and Robin Hood (Boulevard stout and ginger cake with lime buttercream.)  WOW!!!

It’s time to start thinking about your holiday shopping (or at least your Thanksgiving meal plans!!) and we’ve got some ideas to help you. SHOP LOCAL!  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?

• Reading Reptile create a Books Basket or treat a lucky kid to a Story Time at Reading Reptile followed by “select any book you’d like…and it’s yours!”—what a neat gift!  And, you have to top off your visit with a unique fairytale-themed cupcake from Le Petit Rouge, the in-house cupcakery.

• 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 across the state line to 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 to Wonderscope 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 tulle totebags), three red trees (terribly cute sock dogs, with a portion of sales benefiting Humane Society of Greater KC) and Becky Kelly (very sweet original paintings and prints for a nursery or little one’s room).

• Consider gifts that support local causes and organizations – like the Zoo! A  Zoo Membership purchased now is good for unlimited FREE admission through March 2012!  And, a portion of the membership is tax deductible.

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!  You can also catch 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.

One of the most charming and unusual gift shops you’ll ever stumble into is located at the Puppetry Arts Institute, 11025 E. Winner in Independence. From simple finger puppets to puppet and marionette kits, books and finished products, there is a huge range of unusual products for kids of all ages.

Check out the Just Taffy Shop on the historic Independence Square. They have a fantastic selection of many flavors of homemade fudge, taffy and cotton candy and make it right there behind the counter. Owner Michael usually makes taffy Sunday afternoons about 12:30 or 1 p.m. and will use the big taffy pulling machine – he actually does free demonstrations for scouts, home schoolers, preschool groups (by appt.)  You might also visit Chip’s Chocolate Factory on Level 2 of Crown Center Shops.  Over 200 delicious
chocolate confections are made by hand using premium imported Swiss Chocolate and traditional confectioner’s techniques.

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!!!