Christmas Break Fun

If the kids are getting stir-crazy, here are a few activities going on this week in and around Atlanta.

Snow Mountain Once again this year Stone Mountain is offering tubing with man-made snow! Children have to be 42 inches tall to tube, and the tickets, which cost $25 for children and adults, are good for 2 hours of tubing. Little ones can play in the snow play areas, and tickets provide unlimited admission to these areas. If you plan to go, check out the FAQ's for more information about discounts, parking, what to wear, when to arrive, etc. You are strongly encouraged to buy tickets online because there are limits to how many people can be on the tubing hill.

This is not an inexpensive event: a family of four will pay $100 if two children tube, because parents have to have tickets, too. But it's rare for Georgia children to get to play in the snow! Snow Mountain is open every day this week (weather permitting) and weekends until March 7th.

Dahlonega Gold Mines Click on the link to read my review of the gold mines. We went in December, and though it was chilly, it wasn't miserable - the temperature underground at Consolidated is in the 50's, and Crisson had space heaters in the panning area. I highly recommend this trip if you have out-of-town visitors; panning for gold is a great Georgia activity!

Yellow River Game Ranch Bundle up and take the one mile walk to see the animals. Many people recycle Christmas trees here to provide food and shelter for the animals. If your kids love animals, this is a fantastic value!

Imagine It! Children's Museum Don't want to go outside? Head downtown to the children's museum - the Curious George exhibit ends in January. The link mentions free admission on the second Tuesday of each month, which won't apply this week, but you'll still find a review of the museum.

Georgia Aquarium - Free Admission to Princesses and Frogs!

Update: boys can dress as either frogs or princes for free admission.

On Saturday, November 21, from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., children 12 and under can get into the Georgia Aquarium for free with a paying adult if they dress up: girls can be princesses and boys can be frogs. Disney has a new movie coming out called The Princess and the Frog, and the Aquarium is using this day to promote frog conservation. I'm glad they're including boys, but the day seems to be very princess-focused, with parades, arts and crafts, and photo opportunities.

I love that the Aquarium is offering these free admission days, since it is usually an expensive outing for a family. It also makes it a little easier to take that some of the best exhibits are under construction, as I mentioned here.

Georgia Aquarium - Free Admission to Kids in Costume

It's a rainy Halloween day, unfortunately, and that puts a damper on the last minute pumpkin patch and other fun fall events. So check out the Georgia Aquarium: kids 12 and under in costume get in free today with a paying adult (2 kids per adult). Children can get candy in each of the aquarium sections. This is a huge savings over the regular admission prices.

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I do have a couple of caveats, as we went yesterday. First, it is likely to be crazy busy today (though for future reference it wasn't busy at all yesterday afternoon). Second, a number of the best exhibits are closed or under construction, such as the climbing play area, the otters, the penguins, the sea lions, and the beluga whales.

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We had a great time, anyway, and if you go, I hope you do, too!

Make Halloween Monstrously Fun!

Monster Bites

Here's a fun Halloween treat to make with the kids. Follow the instructions for Bakerella's spider bites, but leave off the shoestring licorice legs. Use candy you have around the house to make your monsters - be creative with those Smarties and Mentos!

If you use a brownie mix and Candiquik Chocolate Melt (in the baking aisle), these are fast and fun to make with children.

Happy Halloween!

Read for the Record - October 8, 2009

It's the 40th anniversary of Eric Carle's A Very Hungry Caterpillar, and Jumpstart, an early education non-profit, has chosen this childhood classic for its annual "Read for the Record" day. The goal this year is for 1,000,000 children worldwide read this book with a valued adult.

If you want to participate, go to the website and sign up. You can read to one person or to a group. You might even find a local event you can attend for the reading! So far, Atlanta, Duluth, Woodstock, Lawrenceville, Gainesville, and Marietta are hosting events.

You may already have A Very Hungry Caterpillar, but if you don't, go to WalMart: they are donating the proceeds to Jumpstart, and the special edition is on sale.

After you read the book to your child, go back to the site to be counted.

The website has activities and certificate of accomplishment for your children. I like this fun way to make reading a big deal for kids - you could have a caterpillar themed day! Oh, now I have to start looking at cake ideas . . . .

Disney's A Christmas Carol Train Tour - October 6 - free!

On November 6, Disney will release A Christmas Carol, a 3-D version of Dickens's classic. It looks similar in design to The Polar Express. To promote the film, a Disney train has been traveling around the country to different train stops offering lots of activities and a sneak peek at the movie - all for free! And Tuesday, October 6, the train will roll into the Southeastern Railway Museum in Duluth.

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From 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., you can check out the train. SRM says that it should take 30-45 minutes to go through. The train is wheelchair accessible, so that means you can bring your stroller, too. Update: apparently this event has been huge in other locations, so be prepared for crowds or go early! Thanks, Debbie!

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USA Today gives a preview of what to expect:

"•A digital gallery of the film's characters and their design evolution; each portrait will digitally change and show how they were created.

•Artifacts from the Charles Dickens Museum in London, including a first edition of the original novel and some of the author's personal writing paraphernalia.

•A display of performance-capture technology, in which the real actors' movements and expressions are recorded and digitized, then used for animated renderings.

•Interactive games, including a face-morphing photo booth that will blend the visitor's visage with Scrooge's.

The fantasy will extend beyond the train cars, with the holiday spirit re-created with decorations, local carolers and even artificial snow. And in the parking lot: a portable theater to show early footage."

If you live outside between Atlanta and New York, you haven't missed the train yet - click on the link above to see when it's coming to your town!

Hillcrest Apple Orchards

We are right in the middle of apple season in Georgia, and Hillcrest Orchards in Ellijay is the most fun place to get apples. You can buy them all over Ellijay, but Hillcrest has an Apple Pickin' Festival on September and October weekends. Besides having great apples and products to buy in their store, there are tons of fun things to do while you are there.

You can watch a pig race, go to the petting zoo, pick apples, take a hay ride, play on a playground, walk through the woods to see nursery rhyme recreations, slide down a huge slide built into a hill, and milk a cow. There's a band and lots of festival food like barbecue, turkey legs, hamburgers, and hot dogs.

The store has great apple cider donuts and frozen cider slushes, among other things. Buy some Honeycrisp apples while you're there - they are so sweet and crisp, and much cheaper than the grocery store. Mutsu apples are great for baking.

The cost for the festival is $5.00 per person - the petting zoo is $3.00 extra.

Hillcrest is definitely country, and it is a gorgeous ride up there. Don't forget that you can store fresh apples for months sometimes in cool, dry conditions - it's worth stocking up!