Things to do this summer in NJ

Festival of ballooning
Visit shore and boardwalks
Visit Cape May and see old architecture
Visit Atlantic City
See a show at PAC
Go see Northlands
See a show at the State Theater
Visit a PYO farm
Go to a local lake
Go to a town fair or festival
See a movie
Visit lots of parks
Go to a baseball game
Visit a winery
Go to a local pool or waterpark
Visit an amusement park
Go to the races
Do a library show
Visit a state park
Buy things at a farmers market
make smores on a camp fire

did I miss any of your favorites?

XO

Turtle back Zoo!

We love museums but my younger son really loves animals.  So off we went to the Turtle Back Zoo in West Orange, NJ recently with friends.

It is fun filled wild afternoon in Essex county, NJ.

Attractions include a giant python, animal theme play area, walk thru prairie dog exhibits, farm petting area, pony rides and mini train ride.

You can rent strollers or bring your own or just walk around, it isn't too big for older toddlers.

There is a picnic area for BYO food, or buy something in the cafe.

They have educational worksheets for readers and activity sheets for all ages.

It is mostly open 10-4 but hours vary depending on the season or day of the week.  Also they have a discount afternoon when some services are limited but great for walking around.

Note: the kids slide in the play area is almost always mobbed with kids of different ages so beware with younger kids.

Parking is ample and free!

XOXO

Dinosaur time!

We love museums and the boys are especially drawn to dinosaurs and natural history.  So off we went to preview Field Station Dinosaurs recently and it was amazing.

It is like walking back in time to the Jurassic age (90 million years ago). It is a huge complex near the Meadowlands, but not at the Meadowlands (a Laurel Hill park ground in Secaucus nearby).

There are 31 life sized animatronic Dinosaur displays; the trip was fun and educational. There are workshops and games and worksheets. There is a fossil dig site half way thru the trail that gives the kids a break and they have fun digging up fossils.

There is a crayon site where the kids get to draw dinosaur related pictures. There is an amphitheater with regularly scheduled talks and workshops (we got to see various baby dinosaurs up close and ask questions).

There are a couple more archaeological outposts for viewing various archaeological site formats with objects an archaeologist might use in real life at a real dig site.

Lunch needs to be brought or pre ordered, as there is only a small gift shop with limited snacks available.

Photos are available at the gift shop with pics of the site near the entrance, however the pictures didn't seem to upload very quickly so we didn't get a chance to purchase any.

There are bathrooms at the venue but they are the nicer but portable ones.  Parking is available at a small fee.

My favorite displays were the raptors, seem like an amazing feat to be able to fly with that size bird.

Enjoy our pics.

XO

Review & comparison of craft kits for a rainy day

We love and use lots of craft kits but we are not craft gurus so we love the easier types of kits.  There are lots to choose from and a couple were in my house so we decided to do them one rainy day.  I thought I would share our experiences for all those other parents wondering what to do with the kids on a rainy day.

CrazArt Funtastix. 

 

The box looks bright and fun.  Inside you will find baggies of wax sticks in different colors.  The box we had didn't have instructions on how to make those shapes do there was lots of trial and error and some pictures on the back of the box.  However a step by step sheets would have made all the difference.  Below are some of the shapes we did together.  So a fun kit but not one for just kids alone. Maybe good for older creative kids.

 Alex Window stickers.

 This is more our style, a color and cut type of activity. However not too neat as the paint takes a long time to dry and painting is not a neat activity anyway.  The plastic is a colorform type and once dry, clings on to windows.  Below is a sample shape made at home that my 8yr old made, it was too fiddly for my 4yr old to finish alone so we are still working on his.

 Make your own wooden vehicles.

 Not really make your own as the vehicles are supplied but you paint and stick on to personalize your own vehicles.  Boys love this activity, and paint again is fun but never too neat.  But you can set the area up with newspaper, smocks and let them at it.  Not as fiddly as coloring plastic with the kit above.  And my 4 & 8 yr olds both made a vehicle easily enough.

We got these kits ourselves and wrote this post for the blog.  All comments and experiences are my own for the purpose of sharing experiences.

XOXO

Trailside

NJ is taken for granted and likes to poke fun at itself (see any TV show on NJ).  However we have some great local and free or low cost activities and centers nearby.  We should consider ourselves lucky!

We have so many great parks and wildlife centers.  I particularly like Trailside Nature and Science center.  My boys love that place and I love to take them there.  

However take a GPS at I often get lost driving around Watchung reserve.

Also make sure you check the hours, I think it is open every day after noon ie 12 midday.  We love to check it out once a quarter on a rainy afternoon.  Or if it is a nice day check out the park or trails in the morning and do a picnic lunch.  There are tables everywhere for picnics.

The boys first stop is usually the animal displays but they love the teepee hut and the theatre show.

It is such a hands on place that encourages kids to look closely and open/shut things, check out every corner, do puzzles and more.

I love the recycling hints and the native wild plant displays and love to pic up a polished rock from the gift store as a memento from our trip there.

Downstairs is an aquarium and bird watching area along with more hands on activities, such as excavating (ie Sandpit) and I particularly love the geology displays (in particular the fluorescent minerals).

Upstairs is my favorite center, the library with kids books on nature and adult gardening and other books.  However we are usually worn out at this point and never take enough advantage of the library to sit and read.  Perhaps when the kids are older.

Outside they were working on the playground when I was there but I heard that the playground was finished very shortly after my trip.  So we will definitely be there again very soon.

xo

Trailside Nature and Science center