What to do: Weekend of April 25-26th

Perhaps the best, and dare I say, ONLY thing to do this Saturday is attend the 2nd annual KidzArtz! Held at Junctionview Studios, and organized by Mother Artists at Work, there will be art on display, live performance, face painting, artmaking, and lots of fun to be had! To learn all about the show, visit their website. To learn all about its development, you can also read an interview on Columbus Underground. It was conducted with one of the members of the Mother Artists group. Admission to KidzArtz is free! Yay! We like that.


Another discounted event this weekend is Family Friday night at COSI, happening tonight starting at 5pm. Admission is discounted at $7 per person. This event happens every last Friday of the month, and if you are not a member of COSI, this is a great and inexpensive way to experience what this great mammoth place has to offer.

Have a daughter? She may just love what’s going on at the Golden Hobby Shop this Sunday. The American Girl Style Show and Tea will take place from 1-4pm. While admission at $10 is a little more than what we usually recommend for events, it seemed pretty unique. Check out this site for more information.

And since it’s supposed to be great weather outside on Sunday as well as Saturday, it’s a great time to get outdoors. Inniswood Gardens is hosting a Children’s Garden Day from 2 - 4pm. This is open to all ages and is free to attend. It takes place in the Sister’s Garden and will introduce the family to gardening.

And if you don’t want to go far from home, there’s always special time with the family. Take a bike ride, plant a flower, build a sandbox, or just go to a park and ride the swings, which is always free. Enjoy the great weather! I know I will!

Wild Workshop

The workshop at Wild Goose was great! Check out the review.

Weekend Watch

As the weather teases us with some above-30-degree-days, I’m not going to suggest a romp in the park just yet, but I would suggest shaking off that cabin fever because things are heating up around Columbus. New events and activities are cropping up all over. But as new things come around, others go out for good. One such event going out for good is the Rockwell exhibit at the Columbus Historical Center. My son attended last weekend, and to quote, “It was totally awesome!” Is that descriptive enough for you?

While my son is unique for his passion for old-fashioned times, there are truly many interesting things kids will enjoy at the Ohio Historical Center whether they are history buffs or not. Particularly, the presence of a two-headed sheep in the natural history section of the museum will surely bring awe and wonder. And this can be enjoyed beyond the closing of their special exhibit of Norman Rockwell.

“Rockwell’s America” is the largest Norman Rockwell exhibit in the world. Visitors will travel through time in this exhibit as they recreate true Americana. "Rockwell’s America" will be on display though this Sunday, March 15th at the Ohio Historical Center at 1982 Velma Avenue – across from the Expo Center. If you have ever driven on Route 71, it is a hard building to miss. Check out ohiohistory.org for admission prices and directions.

As for a new event cropping up, the annual “Blooms and Butterflies” exhibit at the Franklin Park Conservatory is coming back. The exhibit begins tomorrow on Saturday, March 14th. It’s truly a beautiful site to behold at the Conservatory’s Pacific Water Garden as you share the space with dozens of illuminating butterfly species, fluttering their wings around you throughout the large netted room. And for those really feeling the winter doldrums, a day at the Conservatory in March is a fabulous way to rejuvenate the spring spirit. Check out fpconservatory.org for admission prices and directions.

As for an ongoing event, the annual illustration contest at the Library is in full swing! For all the budding artists out there, it’s not too late to get your pencils, pastels and paints ready for the Illustration contest at the Worthington library. The theme of the contest is “Get A Clue. Read.” The contest is currently going on until March 31st. Bookmark templates are available at the Worthington Library locations. Winning entry gets his/her illustration made into a bookmark, which is used to help promote the summer reading program. This is a great competition for those who are artistically inclined! I remember when I was a kid, entering art competitions in our local street fairs, and feeling the exhilaration from exhibiting my work for everyone to see. It’s a great self-esteem booster and art can be a wonderful self-exploration tool. Stop in at your nearest Worthington branch to find out more information.

Some other events of interest this weekend:
- St. Patrick's Day Parade in downtown Dublin
- St. Patrick's day crafts at the Worthington Park Library
- The Baby Expo at the Alladin Shrine

Where the Wild Things Are

So for those of you keeping track, we have landed safe and sound back in the Buckeye state. Hooray! The fear and dread of possibly ending my life in a fiery crash is over! Seriously, every Sunday that I watch the “Amazing Race” I’m all “I can do that!”, and then think, How could I ever handle all the flight travel? I’d never make it.

When packing for the flight, Andrew surveyed his array of stuffed animals and it was a toss up over Elmo and Curious George. I lobbied heavily for Elmo, claiming that he was a much better traveler. (In other words, Elmo could fit in my handbag and George could not.) Andrew did amazingly well on the plane, making sure Elmo was safe and sound, although he embarrassed us by complaining about the chincy amount of pretzels they handed out. Can’t take him anywhere.

Now, back to business on what’s going on in this great capital of Ohio. While going through all my feeds, I came across an interesting workshop happening this weekend at Wild Goose Creative.

According to their website, Wild Goose Creative is a community driven arts company. They exist to support, encourage and promote all forms of art and artists in Columbus, Ohio. I’m totally paraphrasing, so please visit their site for the complete run-down of all their good will for the arts.

Their workshop piqued my interest because, considering I have both a toddler and a 1st grader, it sounded like fun. And it’s cheap! Admission to the workshop is a $5 suggested donation. Art + fun + cheap = good deal to me.

Wild Goose Creative is located at 2491 Summit Street and the workshop takes place this Sunday on March 15th at 3pm.

Traveling with young kids

Later this week, it will be time for me to embark on something only caped crusaders or drill sargeants would be brave enough to endure: a plane trip by myself with a 3 year old going through potty training. (I take that back. Caped cursaders and drill sargeants are usually men. They've got nothing on moms). The pro is that the plane trip is only 1 ½ hours –- from Columbus to Newark airport -- the con is that I’m deathly afraid of flying, and how do I entertain/calm/cajole/bargain with a 3 year old while I’m gripping the seat with white knuckles? I can’t drink. I can’t take a Xanax. Remember, I have a 3 year old that I have to take care of. But do you think he could fend for himself?

Anyway, I found a really cool website that has lots of information and links for traveling with your kids: travelwithyourkids.com. Written by parents who have traveled the world, they give a humorous take on the oh-so lovely situations that can come up while traveling 30,000 feet in the air and other means of travel. (30,000 feet in the air? Gulp). Their articles made me giggle and have taken the edge off a bit so far. But today is only Tuesday. The flight leaves Thursday. Ask me how I am Thursday morning.

So why am I braving the trip if I’m so deathly afraid of flying? My oldest friend is getting married and my list of excuses for “why I won’t be able to make it” didn’t outweigh the “why I should be there” ’s. We’ve been friends since shortly after we both learned how to walk, so of course I should witness one of the most special days of her life. It’s been a long time since I first learned how to walk, so we go way back. We spent summers surfing the ocean waves of the Jersey shore on our belly boards, running from pool to ocean, ocean to pool in endless hours of youth-inspired indulgence. We went through 12 years of Catholic school together, and I can say with certainty that she is much more moral than me. She’s made me laugh until I peed my pants and we’ve cried together through the losses of our parents, and various other personal defeats. We’ve had times where we were not such great friends, and times of being inseparable. For better or worse, she is someone that will eventually be in my life longer than anyone closer to me right now. So, I have to be there right?

So back to the plane ride with a toddler. While I’m gripping the seat during takeoff, doing my best impression of Barney’s “Airplane Song” through gritted teeth, once we get in the air, I’m sure the novelty is going to wear off for him. So here’s what I’m thinking I will pack:

• Coloring books (I know it’s obvious, but he actually loves to color, unlike my older son)
• A small familiar toy
• Curious George (his favorite stuffed animal)
• A small book
• A new, unfamiliar toy
• Finger puppets
• Pacifier

The last time I flew with one of my two kids was with my oldest son, who was 8 months old at the time. Again, not a really long flight, but nerve-racking enough. He fared better than me and really enjoyed the flight, sleeping through most of it from Newark to Milwaukee. Of the tips I’ve read, the best suggestion to pass along would be to pack things you absolutely know your child will enjoy. Don’t pack what you read is the best toy, but pack the toys you see him/her play with the most at home, assuming they will fit in the carry-on. That way, you don’t go overboard. See for me I’m trying to avoid the baggage fee and traveling light, embracing my inner cheapskate. Hey, times are tough right? I'm hugging tight.

Today's indoor recommendation

Here in central Ohio the roads are a little treacherous this weekend for getting out and about, so just wanted to share a neat little website that my son and I have been having fun with while we are stuck indoors.

When I lived in Vermont about 10 years ago, we lived in the most beautiful northern part of the state near Lake Champlain, and it was winter by early October and did not go away until May. So it was no surprise that, in our town, the most notable resident with a claim to fame was the long deceased "Snowflake Bently". He examined snowflakes under the microscope and became the first person to photograph a single snowflake in 1885. After photographing more than 5,000 snowflakes, he realized none were identical. Same could be said about the interactive website "Make-A-Flake" where you can virtually cut out a piece of white paper and create your own snowflake. By the site's count, more than 14,000 snowflakes have been cut by visitors to the site. I bet none of them are the same either! It's a lot of fun, and if you're reading this, you already have an internet connection, so it will cost you nothing for a little quality time and a lot of fun. Here's an example of what you can do:

We're Back! Happy 2009

Well, we are back. Happy 2009. Now that you’ve spent a gazillion quality hours with your kids over the holidays it’s time to, well, think of more things to do, right? Especially on those slow, cold, winter days when everyone is suffering from extreme cabin fever.

Well, to kick off the new year, I’d like to introduce the first in the countdown of “100 Things to Do With Your Kids in Columbus”. It will be in no particular order as far as better or worse, but will start with 100 and countdown to 1 by the end of this year. That way, by the end of 2009, we’ll have a snappy new button to add to our site that will give our readers a great resource for getting out and about around town with your kids. We’re already working on the “50 Things To Do Around the House with Your Kids That Doesn’t Involve Finger Paint” and “The Top Ten FREE Things To Do With Your Kids in Columbus”. If you have any tips and ideas, please feel free to send them off to kidseventscolumbus@yahoo.com.

So, to start off the new year, I present to you #100 on the list of “100 Things To Do With Your Kids in Columbus”.

As a kid in the 80s in New Jersey, when the ponds used to actually freeze, I had my own snazzy pair of girly white ice skates. The local police department had a hotline that you would call to check whether it was safe to skate. It was simply a dull recording that told you which pond in the town was safe to skate on (anybody from either Red Bank or Fair Haven, NJ would know exactly what I am talking about). I would be so elated when I would hear that it was safe to skate on the pond just a block away from my house, and I would get all my winter gear on—hat, gloves, parka, leg warmers (it was the 80s you know)—and sprint to the pond where I would skate for hours. It was so. much. fun.

Hoping to rekindle a little of that magic, late last winter I took my son to Chiller to go ice skating for his very first time. Most of his time was spent wobbling and hanging onto the railing, as I lapped him many times. He fell each time I grabbed his hands to pull him along the ice, and next time we go, I plan to bring his bike helmet for a little added safety (he’s still debating whether this is “cool “enough). While he never quite got the hang of balancing on the thin blades, he loved it and has talked about going back ever since. Which we plan to do very soon.

While it’s not the most inexpensive thing to do around town, the price wasn’t too bad, and we almost had the whole rink to ourselves since we went during a less crowded time. We went to Chiller Dublin for the noon skate during a weekday, and for each of us, the price was $4 for skating and $2 for the skate rental. There are other rates for skating at different times such as Friday and Saturday nights and weekends which get more expensive. But if you can steal some time away from work and school during the week, the noon skate was the cheapest way to go. Check their website to confirm schedules.

So until the ponds freeze again, enjoy the indoor ice rinks in town!

Ice Skating: #100 of “100 Things To Do with Your Kids in Columbus”.