Philadelphia Moms

Square

My, my the weather has taken a turn for the better, no?  It's been positively glorious outside and this weekend promises more of the same. 

And great news: Franklin Square is officially open.  Not that the playground itself ever closes, of course, but now the merry-go-round and mini-golf are open too.  Better yet, Square Burger is back to provide burgers, dogs, salads and sundaes. 

Okay, so yeah, it's a little touristy and yes, it can get crowded.  But there's something so idyllic about bringing my kid to ride the carousel and buy him a hot dog afterwards that I don't even care. 

OrKid Days

A friend of mine mentioned this series of events called "OrKid Days" happening at Longwood Gardens.  They involve kid-friendly music and traveling zoo animals.  The next OrKid Days is tomorrow, February 20th from 12pm-3pm.  Tomorrow, the Suzi Shelton Band will be playing and animals will be on display from the Brandywine Zoo.

If you're feeling a touch of cabin fever (and really, who isn't these days?), this may be something new and different to do with the kids.  Plus, there's always the Indoor Children's Garden, open all year long.  I have heard that it's pretty easy for the little ones to get wet in the fountains though, so you may want to bring a change of clothes.

Party Like It's (Almost) 2010

As a reader, Christy, mentioned on the post below, there will be an "early" set of fireworks this year at 6p.m. on the Delaware River at Penn's Landing.  The time is perfect for families of small children and I can't tell you how excited I am that Philly is doing this.  For a lot of reasons, but one being that, at 9 months pregnant myself, it's entirely possible that I won't be awake at midnight anyway. 

Go here and here for some more details. Bundle the kids up and have at it!

Countdown to Noon!

Looking for something to do with the kiddies on New Year's Eve (and do you have a lot of patience)?  The Please Touch Museum is hosting their annual "Countdown to Noon" event on December 31st.  The PTM will be opened from 9 a.m. until 3p.m. on Thursday and will count down at noon and 1p.m. 

By all accounts, this tends to be a very popular event with long lines and wait times, so if you're considering going, get there early.  But I think the idea is adorable: getting kids involved in the New Year's Eve celebrations WITHOUT the late bedtime!

Who Doesn't Love a Parade?

Last year, my husband took our then-16 month old son to the Thanksgiving parade, in part, so that I could get things started in the kitchen without him underfoot.  At the time, I was thankful for the quiet so that I could develop my "game plan" for hosting dinner that day.  But when my boys got home and my husband recounted how wide my son's eyes got at all the BIG BALLOONS! I began to regret that I didn't get to see his reaction first hand.

This year, we're not hosting Thanksgiving, so I won't be turning my oven on at some ridiculous hour (or at all) and we're again taking our little dude to see the parade.  I can't wait because kids young and old love a parade, especially ones with big balloons.

You can find parade details here.  It runs from 8:30am until 12pm, beginning at 20th and JFK and ending in front of the Art Museum.  Last year, my husband got to 20th Street around 8:30 and found that most of the parade had already passed, so the 8:30am "start time" might be when it arrives in front of the Art Museum. 

It's something fun and local to do with the kids.  It might not be the Macy's Parade in NYC, but it's still pretty cool.

Halloween

Just a reminder of the following Halloween options for your little one tomorrow:

Please Touch Museum--all day Halloween fun--plus all the usual PTM fun!

Franklin Square-- Trick or Treat Trail from 12-3 p.m.

Seger Playground--Halloween Party from 3-5p.m., located at 11th and Lombard Streets.

Plus, there's a Halloween Festival at Three Bears Park at 5:30p.m., located on Delancey Street, between 3rd and 4th Streets.

Have a fun and safe Halloween!

Trick or Treat!

So Halloween is next Saturday and maybe you're wondering what do to with your little one?  Especially those of you, like myself, who live in a neighborhood that doesn't exactly seem trick-or-treat friendly.

Well, you can start the fun off this weekend with Boo at the Zoo at the Philadelphia Zoo. The festivities are both Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. and the whole family is encouraged to dress up! There are magic shows, crafts, games and even a presentation on the animals of Harry Potter (?!?).  The events are free with admission and children should bring their own bags to collect Halloween treats.

For October 31st itself, there are a couple of good options.  Check with your local playground or recreation center to see if they are hosting any Halloween-related events.  Seger Playground at 11th and Lombard Streets is hosting a Halloween party and parade on Halloween from 3p.m. until 5p.m.  The party is free and open to all.  There will be treats and food for the kids. 

Franklin Square is having a Trick or Treat Trailtomorrow, October 24th and Saturday, October 31st from 12p.m. until 3p.m.  Kids can make their own treat or treat bags (while supplies last) and collect some treats throughout the park.

Also on October 31st, the Please Touch Museum is hosting a not-so-spooky Halloween with healthy treats for kids, themed presentations and $1.50 off admission for anyone in costume.  The PTM knows how to party, so you can bet it'll be a fun destinations for kids this Halloween. 

Remember that Harvest Festival I posted about last week at Reading Terminal?  Turns out the weather was so abysmal that it was postponed until tomorrow, October 24th.  It's supposed to rain (yet again!) so who knows if it'll actually happen. 

Lastly, in case you're looking to leave the city and kill two birds with one stone, I just received an email about the Marketplace at Garden State Park's Fall Festival, this weekend, both Saturday and Sunday.  Located in Cherry Hill, NJ on Route 70, there will be pumpkins, wine tasting, music and face painting. PLUS, you can get a jump on your holiday shopping. Elmo will be at the Learning Express Toys, located within the shopping plaza. 

If you have heard of any other great fall/Halloween events, either leave a comment or shoot me an email so we can share!

Reading Terminal Market Harvest Festival

Well, the weather's supposed to be crappy this weekend and these rainy days always leave me wondering what to do with my toddler.  Sometimes we head to the Please Touch Museum, sometimes Adventure Aquarium, but if it's not raining too hard I'm going to make a trip to the Reading Terminal Market at 12th and Filbert Streets. 

Tomorrow, from 10 a.m. to 4p.m., is the Reading Terminal Market Harvest Festival.  The plan is for Filbert Street to be closed to traffic and transformed into a farm-like environment, with hay, a pumpkin "patch" and food stands. Inside, there will be face painting and arts and crafts.  Plus, of course, there will be all of the awesomeness that Reading Terminal Market always offers: great food, fresh flowers and seasonal goodies. 

Even if the outside farm idea is a wash-out, you might want to come on down and give the kids a little taste of the harvest in the city.

Got Milk? At the Franklin Institute

Looking for something to do with the kids next week?  Well, I received the following press release from the good folks at the Got Milk? campaign:

The “got milk?” Official Drink of Halloween Tour is stopping in Philadelphia on Tuesday, October 13 to host an event at The Franklin Institute for moms and children to provide some quick and easy tips for a healthy and safe Halloween. At the event from 11 a.m. - 1 p.m., families can enjoy Halloween-themed recipes made with chocolate milk, snap celebrity-inspired Chocolate Milk Mustache photos and enter to win “got milk” giveaways and Halloween-themed prizes – all while learning tips on how to make this Halloween a little healthier!

Here’s a spooky fact: two out of three kids fail to get enough calcium and studies show that kids who drink chocolate and other flavored milks have higher calcium intakes than those who don’t. They also tend to drink fewer sugary sodas and fruit drinks and are more likely to be at a healthy weight compared to kids who drink little or no milk.

 

EVENT DETAILS:

Date: Tuesday, October 13

Location: The Franklin Institute

      222 N. 20th St.

  Philadelphia, PA 19103

Time: 11 a.m. - 1 p.m. 

 

At the event, Philadelphia moms and kids can:

- Snap a celebrity-inspired chocolate Milk Mustache photo to take home as a souvenir

- Participate in Halloween activities and answer the latest “Twivia” question posted by @MilkMustache on Twitter for a chance to win fun prizes

- Sample delicious and nutritious lowfat and fat free chocolate milk from local milk processors

- Taste and learn how to make fun Halloween-themed recipes

- Interact with fun educational museum exhibits

- Receive tips on how to make this Halloween a safe and healthy one

Fourth Annual Fall Festival in Midtown Village

Do you know what Midtown Village is?  I didn't either until this time last year, when Midtown Village hosted last fall's festival.  At any rate, it's an organization of businesses either on or clustered around 13th Street.  Now when I first moved to Philly 12 years ago, 13th Street was not necessarily an area where you'd want to hang out.  But over the years, it's been transformed, with many lovely restaurants and boutiques.  Among my personal favorites are Open House and Duross and Langel. 

At any rate, Midtown Village is hosting its annual fall festival this Saturday, October 3rd, from 12p.m.-8p.m. at 13th and Sansom Streets.  The event is rain or shine, and unfortunately, the weather forecast is calling for rain at the time of this post, but let's hope it holds out for awhile.  There will be music, food and a "little villagers" area that I believe will involve a moonbounce.  Because what party is complete without a moonbounce?

So let's do an anti-rain dance and head on over on Saturday.  Turns out you don't have to leave the city to get in a little fall fun after all.