KCKidsFun

If you live in Johnson County, you are well on your way into getting back in the swing of things…and if you reside in KCMO, you have 3 precious days of summer left!  We are on School Day #4 in our house and still haven’t got used to the alarm going off at 6:30am.  There are a handful of activities you might consider doing as you bid Summer Vacation 2009 a fond farewell!

It’s your last chance to enjoy the Missouri State Fair in Sedalia, MO. The Fair ends on Sunday, August 23, 2009.  Kids under 12 years old will enjoy FREE admission!

Those fabulous FREE outdoor movies that have cropped up all over town are beginning to wind down, too.  Check our listing from the beginning of summer and grab a blanket and enjoy!  Take advantage of these cool August temps and enjoy the evening outside with your family.

If Sedalia is too far away, try the Ethnic Enrichment Festival at Kansas City’s Swope Park, which runs August 21-23, 2009.  This festival gets larger and better each year, and you’ll want to go with an empty stomach; there are numerous choices for food and drink, representing cuisines and cultures from all over the world.

And last but not least–a FREE event at Kansas City’s Toy and Miniature Museum.  Celebrate Back to School with an action-packed day at the museum on Saturday, August 29.  All-day activities include: periscope making, scavenger hunts, a temporary tattoo parlor, and marble playing lessons.  Other activities include Storytime with Ms. Rachel at 10:30 a.m., walk-up tours of the museum at 11:00 a.m., 1:00 p.m., and 2:30 p.m., and a magician and balloon animal artist from 1:00-4:00 p.m.  The Museum is located near the Country Club Plaza at 5235 Oak Street.

Around here, we’ve always operated under the assumption that there are 100 days in summer.  We know each and every word to Phineas and Ferb’s theme song, which waxes on about the “104 Days of Summer Vacation.”  Imagine my son’s horror when we decided to open the calendar and actually count the days–weekends included–and discovered that there were only 86 days of summer vacation!!  GASP! School pictures are to be taken on August 10.

A while back, I posted a sweet “to-do” list of summer activites in the McKinney household.  I don’t know how they are faring over there, but the Rosses haven’t done so well.  We’ve logged a few days at the pool, but it seems like we’ve had a wetter summer than usual.  We were fortunate enough to send our son to Outdoor Eduation Laboratory’s day camp for a week.  That was a real highlight.  And baseball.  Lots of baseball!

That being said, the Rosses have a busy few weeks ahead of them!!  Here are a few of our “summer wishes”–straight from the refrigerator door.

• Catch a T-Bones game at Community America Ballpark.  We try to see one game each summer and always love it.  We love how you can park your car (for free) and be in your seat in under 5 minutes.  It’s awesome!  Throw in a healthy dose of fun promotions and you’ve got a fun family night.
• Kansas City Zoo- I can’t even believe we haven’t made it to the zoo yet.  I know that my daughter has never seen anything like that–didn’t recall seeing a zoo in close proximity to her orphanage in India–so she’d really enjoy it.  Gotta get there next week.  Kate beat me to it–check out her blog post from earlier!
• Worlds of Fun–I really like Worlds of Fun but I’m seeing that this will morph into a boys-only outing this summer to check out the new Prowler.  I have no interest in carting a 2-year-old around the park in the heat.  Does this make me mean or insensitive?  Only smart, if you ask me!
• Moon Marble in Bonner Springs, KS–I really like Moon Marble.  I think my son has been twice and it’s one of those places you can keep going back to.  In fact, I think “the Moon” was one of the very first places I blogged about. The marble-making demonstrations are very cool and hold the kids’ attention because there is FIRE involved!! We have to go back this summer.
• Farmers Markets–I regularly shop the markets myself and have been visiting several different ones throughout the metro.  But I haven’t taken the kids yet this summer.  I read in all the “foodie mags” what a neat experience it is to take the kids, introduce them to the farmers, allow them to choose vegetables and then prepare a veggie-centered dinner as a family.  Am I completely delusional for thinking that this could happen?!?  It sounds slightly too Beaver-Cleaver to actually be pulled off.  I don’t know who would be most turned-off by the vegetable-heavy dinner:  my husband or my kids.  Stay tuned.
• Miniature Golf–there are so many places around town to play and we haven’t visited one yet.  Kind of embarrassing.  I’d like to head over to Lee’s Summit’s Paradise Park one evening and do two or three activities, including mini golf and bumper cars!
• My mom picked up a flier on the new Adventure Oasis water park in Independence, MO.  It looks really cool!  And it’s not expensive.  Daily admission is $22/family of four for Independence residents and $25 for non-residents.  There are water slides, a lazy river, climbing wall, lap pool, sun deck…you  name it!  Call 816-325-SWIM for info.

Until we get it together and start crossing things off the list…we may just have to resort to sleeping (camping) in the tent (see above picture).  Now THAT says summer!