Family Day at the Opera (February 12)

I just received an email from KidsInCenterCity.com about the upcoming PNC Arts Alive Family Day at the Opera. It will be on Saturday, February 12 - all day - and it's free! Registration is required. Events are created for specific age groups,; below is the most toddler-friendly one:
Magic of Opera
Rehearsal Hall/Pre-K - 5yrs/10:15 AM – 11:00 AM
Co-produced by the Opera Company of Philadelphia and Temple Music Prep, toddlers receive their first exposure to opera and will be inspired to sing, dance, and act through Mozart’s fairytale The Magic Flute. The program culminates with a live performance of the opera’s iconic coloratura soprano aria, Der Hölle Rache, sung by the Queen of the Night. Taught by Temple Music Prep's Barbara DiToro, the session features soprano Patricia Vigil and pianist Jeremy Gill.

The Dinosaur Museum

Last weekend we went to the Academy of Natural Sciences. We had last been there in August 2009 (here is that post). Jeremy was barely walking then and wow, what a difference the year and a half makes! He LOVED it! We wound up joining as we'll be returning frequently! Admission for adults is $12 (but it is buy-one-get-one free with WHYY membership). Kids over 3 are $10. We didn't pay the extra $2.00 to see the butterflies this time. The museum is a perfect size to see the whole thing in a morning. We started at the top with the "Outside In" children's room. He loved the hands-on things (fossils, shells), and looked at many live animals. The staff was very friendly and answered our questions. We worked our way down and Jeremy loved identifying the animals in the dioramas, but he couldn't wait to see the dinosaurs! We were surprised at his willingness to wear the safety goggles and participate in the "Big Dig"! He really was interested in the Dinosaur Hall and kept asking us to read all of the information on the wall about each dinosaur! On the way out we visited the live animals near the exit. So fun! We will be back soon! Even Caleb enjoyed seeing the museum from the Ergo - he barely napped he was so excited!

Happy New Year!

Again, I apologize about the gap between posts. I now have my act together and plan to post more frequently in 2011! Let's start with the wonderful annual (and FREE) New Year's event at the Kimmel Center! The Kimmel Center had free children's activities all day long - balloon artistry (see Jeremy's Elmo!), face painting, and wonderful performances! This was our second time going and I think we will go every year! Seeing the Mummer's Parade on our way and our way home was an added treat.

Farm Trip!

A couple of weekends ago we visited a farm. Last year we went to Linvilla Orchards, but this year we tried Johnson Corner Farm in Medford, NJ. We had a wonderful time. It was very organized -- the hayride (around $3) went to the apple orchard and then to the pumpkin patch (rather than just a scenic ride to nowhere). Jeremy enjoyed picking a few apples -- the low-hanging fruit were conveniently toddler-accessible! For an additional fee we fed the animals (each person gets an ear of corn to slide down a shoot to the animals). We didn't have time for the playground. Caleb slept through his first farm trip (and car ride for that matter)! We had lunch and bought cider donuts and had a lovely morning. I think we will return during other seasons and pick a variety of fruits and vegetables and ride the hayride! Jeremy keeps asking to go back to the farm....

News!

Sorry about the very long hiatus! We are happy to announce the birth of Caleb Max on August 17, 2010! He and Jeremy are very much in love and I promise to post again (and regularly) soon!

World Cafe Live

Jeremy and I took Daddy to World Cafe Live for Father's Day. We had never been there before. On most Saturdays at 11:30 AM (doors open at 11:00) they have Peanut Butter and Jams (concerts for kids). The group we saw was called Shushybyes. We seemed to be the only ones in the audience who had neither seen the television program nor heard of them!

Tickets are generally $10 for adults and $7 for children over 1 (slightly cheaper if you buy them at the box office in advance). We purchased the kid-friendly all-you-can-eat lunch buffet ($10/person for adults and $7/person for kids). It was surprisingly good -- it included pizza, sandwiches, salad, hot dogs, fries, macaroni cheese, cut-up fruit (Jeremy couldn't be happier), and cookies. We ate at a a table and then moved to the floor for the rest of the concert. We had a great time and surely will go again at some point.

Sesame Place

We decided to take Jeremy to Sesame Place this summer as it is only 30 minutes away. He has never watched Sesame Street, but he LOVES the characters from his diapers and from books. We had a great deal from a coupon I picked up at Walgreens for about $33/person (children under 2 are free). The usual admission fee is $53/person, but you get two separate admissions during the season for that price. Sesame Place wasn't as big as we remembered it from our own childhoods, but it was fun!! Jeremy had a wonderful time, although he was scared of some of the attractions. He loved the parade and the shows. Unfortunately, we didn't go on any water rides -- they are at least half of the park, but it wasn't very hot the day we went. Even so, we still had plenty to keep us busy for the entire day. Eventually Jeremy napped in his stroller from 3:30-4:30. I am glad we went this summer, but I am sure he'll love it even more next summer.