Hop Into Spring Weekend at Como Park Zoo & Conservatory

March 15, 2019 by Leave a Comment

Hop Into Spring Weekend

Spring is almost here…can you feel it in the air? Show your excitement by jumping up and down…or how about hopping? This Saturday and Sunday we can celebrate spring with Hop Into Spring Weekend at Como Park Zoo & Conservatory.

On Saturday, March 16th and Sunday, March 17th from 10 am – 4 pm each day, Como will be celebrating the wonders of frogs and toads during this special family-friendly environmental education weekend presented by Xcel Energy.

Hop Into Spring Weekend

Visitors will be able to create their own fun frog craft, partake in a music station for mimicking Minnesota’s amphibian chorus, experience free play for the younger ones on our pond rugs & tree log, enjoy our Noon Story Time featuring the story A Frog In The Bog and check out some interesting, rarely seen frog & toad species at our Amphibian Station. Our friends at Xcel Energy will also be on hand to teach visitors how to save themselves some “green” on their energy bills!

March 16 also marks the opening of the Spring Flower Show in the Marjorie McNeely Conservatory’s Sunken Garden. This year’s Spring Flower Show will showcase red and yellow tulips, yellow daffodils yellow crocus white hydrangeas, hyacinth, asiatic and calla lilies giving this show a unique aesthetic andwill provide some color therapy to Minnesotans weary of winter.

Daily Schedule
10:30 am – Polar Bear Program at Polar Bear Odyssey
11 am – Zookeeper Talk at Visitor Center Lobby
11:30 am – Gorilla Program at Primate Building
12 pm – Story Time: Frog in a Bog at Visitor Center Lobby
12:30 pm – Snow Leopard Program at Large Cats Building
1 pm – Gardener Talk at Conservatory
2 pm – Gorilla Program at Gorilla Forest
2:30 pm – Polar Bear Program at Polar Bear Odyssey

Como Camera Challenge – look for signs of spring in the Zoo Grounds & Conservatory that show the start of spring – such as buds on the trees, birds singing, bulbs blooming (conservatory), animals shedding, etc – take a picture with your phone or camera – show your love for Spring & Como by posting your photos to Instagram, Twitter & Facebook tagged with #SpringatComo and #MyMMC

Admission is always free at Como Zoo & Conservatory, with a suggested donation of $3 per adult and $2 per child.

Filed Under: Events, Kids, St. Paul

Kids at the Castle at American Swedish Institute: Over & Under the Snow

March 13, 2019 by Leave a Comment

American Swedish Institute

Are you looking for something to do with the kids this Friday or Saturday? Bring them to the Kids at the Castle event taking place at the American Swedish Institute. Admission is only $8 for the entire family, which is a nice price break from the typical $12 for adult admission.

Kids at the Castle

Kids at the Castle: Over & Under the Snow
Friday, March 15, 2019 – 9:00am to 10:00am
Make a morning playdate at the Castle!

Also on Saturday, March 16, 9-10 a.m.

Mark your calendars for the third Friday and Saturday of every month for this action-packed, kids and family creative playtime. For an hour before the museum opens to the public, families can join us for circle time, storytelling, crafts, visual play, and music inspired by the season.

Suggested for ages 2-5. Adults must accompany children.

Cost:
$8 per family. Registration not required.

Intergenerational Dance Hall™ with Kairos Alive!
Saturday, March 16, 2019 – 10:00am to 11:30am
Join us at ASI for an Intergenerational Dance Hall,™ an all ages and abilities dance party with Kairos Alive! Everyone is welcome at this free family-friendly event, which includes dancing, live music, and storytelling. Local band Carluster Crumplebee Orchestra, a hot club swing group, will be playing for the event.

Kairos Alive! is a social impact organization powered by the arts that transforms lives through dance, music, story and research.

Please email [email protected] for further event information. Learn more about Kairos Alive! at www.kairosalive.org.

Cost:
Free; no registration required

Filed Under: Attractions, Events, Kids, Minneapolis

Free Rides at Nickelodeon Universe to Celebrate WONDER PARK

March 13, 2019 by Leave a Comment

Head to Nickelodeon Universe this Friday to celebrate the wonder of WONDER PARK with FREE rides! Visit Nickelodeon Universe (South Entrance at the Mall of America) on Friday, March 15th from 10 am – 12 pm to get in on all the fun.

Paramount Pictures and the Mall of America are joining forces and opening the gates to offer families complimentary point passes (while supplies last) to explore the awe and wonder of Nickelodeon Universe in celebration of WONDER PARK‘s opening day in theaters.

You’ll also have the chance to win WONDER PARK prizes including sweatshirts, cinch bags, full-day wristbands to Nickelodeon Universe, and a gift card to CMX Cinemas to see the film.

 

 

Here’s a little more about WONDER PARK:

A precious 8-year-old with a knack for engineering designs a spectacular imaginary amusement park, only to discover that it has become real. But when her beloved park is threatened, only she can save her creation – with the help of her soaring imagination and some very special friends. A delightful and inspiring fable for all ages, WONDER PARK features a star-studded voice cast that includes Jennifer Garner, Mila Kunis, Matthew Broderick, Norbert Leo Butz, John Oliver, Kenan Thompson, Ken Jeong, Ken Hudson Campbell, and newcomer Brianna Denski.

Filed Under: freebies, Great Deals, Kids, Mall of America, Movies

Family Fridays at the Wedge and Linden Hills Co-op

March 13, 2019 by Leave a Comment

Bring the kids to one of the upcoming Family Fridays at the Wedge and Linden Hills Co-op.   These fun events take place the third Friday of each month.  The next one takes place March 15th and the one after that is April 19th.  The indoor fun happens from 10-12, it’s FREE and no registration required. Some of the activities include:

  • Crafts
  • Music
  • Dance
  • Activities are tailored to ages 6 and younger, but all ages are welcome.

A little bit more about the March 15th event:

Families with preschoolers & toddlers join us this Friday and let’s sing 🌷Spring🎶 in with Hopewell Music Cooperative-North! Hopewell will be leading music time with singalongs, dance, and simple instruments🥁! And our friends at Minneapolis ECFE will be doing craft activities, like face painting, produce prints and pipe cleaner crafts🎨! So let’s play, dance, create & have fun at Wedge Table from 10 a.m. -12 p.m. this Friday!

Filed Under: Events, Kids, Minneapolis

Free Basic Pass with Toy Donation at Urban Air Adventure Park (Coon Rapids)

March 11, 2019 by Leave a Comment

Urban Air Adventure Park Free Pass with Donation

Urban Air Adventure Park in Coon Rapids is having a toy drive for The Birthday Party Project now through March 18th. When you donate a brand new, unwrapped toy, you’ll receive a free basic pass to come back and play in March or April!

The Basic Pass is normally $13.99 and allows the jumper to jump on Basic Trampolines only. Note that you will need to use the Urban Air Socks which are $2.50 per pair (no personal socks allowed). They also have other attractions for a higher price, so your kids might get a little jealous. Still, (mostly) free is good, right?

The Birthday Party Project‘s mission is to bring joy to homeless children through the magic of birthdays. With the help of volunteers, they host monthly birthday bashes at homeless and transitional living facilities across the country.

Filed Under: Attractions, Great Deals, Kids

Family Friendly Irish Fun at the Landmark Center

March 11, 2019 by Leave a Comment

I was recently reminded that kids enjoy celebrating St. Patrick’s Day, however it’s not always easy to find kid friendly activities.  Lucky for those of with kids, the Landmark Center in downtown St. Paul has two days of family friendly fun:

  • Saint Patrick’s Day Celebration – Saturday, March 16, 2019
  • An Irish Day of Dance – Sunday, March 17, 2018

Both days are packed full of fun inside the Landmark.  Check out the schedule here.  Tickets are $7 for adults, $5 for kids 6-12 and seniors 65 and over and may be purchased at the door on either day.  Kids 5 and under are free.

Irish attractions include:

  • Local and regional Irish music throughout the day on four stages.
  • Traditional Irish dancers from area dance schools and adult groups performing high-spirited exhibition style Irish dance.
  • Traditional Irish music along with tea and scones in our Irish Tea Room.
  • The Irish Marketplace with authentic Irish merchants, artisans and informational resources.
  • Traditional Irish food and American style sandwiches, along with local and Irish beer.
  • Children’s crafts with an Irish theme, offered free of charge.
  • Children’s stage with special entertainment just for the ‘wee ones.’
  • Seminars on Irish topics, including Irish music and language.

 

Filed Under: Attractions, Events, Kids

Kids Bowl Free MN – Two Free Games of Bowling for Kids Each Day All Summer Long

March 10, 2019 by Leave a Comment

I know it’s crazy to think about summer right now…just looking out the window makes me wonder if summer will ever come. Well, time marches on and soon enough we’ll be looking for ways to keep the kids occupied during summer break.

One option is Kids Bowl Free in which registered kids receive two free games of bowling each day at participating centers, all summer long! You may need to pay for shoe rental, and every location has different hours for this promotion.

As for adults, there is a Family Pass you can purchase for $29.95 that allows up to 4 adult family members to bowl with your kids all summer long, too.

There’s a HUGE list of participating centers in Minnesota, so hopefully, you can find one that’s within driving distance for you:

Filed Under: freebies, Great Deals, Kids

Winter Sledding in St. Paul

March 8, 2019 by Leave a Comment

Sledding Hills in Saint Paul, Minnesota

We might not have mountains here in Minnesota but we have plenty of hills and plenty of SNOW this year.  Yes, most of you are saying too much snow right?  Well trying to make the best of it, there’s still fun winter activities.

Sledding in St Paul MN

Do you have a favorite sledding hill? I grew up in a rural area and loved our sledding hill, although it was kind of dangerous as there was a creek at the bottom. No major injuries but plenty of fun memories. The best part of sledding, you don’t need a fancy sled.  Find a cardboard box and give it a try or maybe even a paper bag.  Get creative and make your own sled!

List of St Paul Sledding Hills

St. Paul decided to make things easy for us to get out the sleds and have some fun by compiling an awesome list of sledding hills in their community.  They even rated the hills so you can decide if you want to try:  gentle, steep or medium.  Check out the full list here.

 

 

 

Filed Under: Attractions, Kids, St. Paul

Minnesota Children’s Museum Discount Admission – As Low As $9/Person!

March 7, 2019 by Leave a Comment

If you love the Minnesota Children’s Museum in St. Paul but don’t love the cost of admission, here’s a GREAT deal for you from Groupon!

Options include:

Personally, I think the Deluxe Membership offer is an especially good one as it gets you UNLIMITED admission to both the St. Paul and Rochester locations for one year for all children (under 18) in the household and two listed adults. Other benefits of the Deluxe Membership include:

  • Free admission for one flex member (e.g. a guest or caregiver)
  • Sneak peeks to St. Paul exhibits
  • Discounts at partner retailers and attractions
  • Discounted tickets for up to six guests (by $2 per ticket)
  • 10% discount at the museum café and store
  • 50% off admission for up to six people to children’s museums across the US

You’ll need to redeem your Groupon by 7/3/19, and if you choose a membership, it will expire one year after activation. The membership is valid for new members only.

There’s more than one way for kids to learn at Minnesota Children’s Museum, and none of them involve sitting at a desk and practicing their letters or multiplication skills. Here, kids learn through play as they take the lead in exploring the museum’s interactive exhibits and programs. Kids, friends, and even parents can experience the museum’s atmosphere unrestrained by screen time and strict schedules.

  • The numbers: The St. Paul museum features 10 permanent play exhibits and has a sister museum in Rochester; both locations see more than 550,000 visitors a year.
  • Climb on: The Scramble, a vertical climbing experience, soars four stories high with a netted catwalk and spiral slide for a fast, slippery ride down.
  • Our World: This exhibit puts attendees in a bite-size version of a Minnesota city, letting them explore the sandbox world and play the part of local firefighters, postal workers, grocery-store workers, and more, fostering a sense of community and teamwork.
  • Don’t miss: Super Awesome Adventures, an exhibit featuring a laser maze, a climbing wall, and a space race
  • For the family: Most exhibits aren’t child-exclusive: parents can help their children create new masterpieces in the Creativity Jam studio, stock shelves at the “local” hardware store in Our World, or help build forts at Imaginopolis.

Get your Groupon HERE!

PS – If this isn’t in your budget, don’t forget that you can get in FREE to the Minnesota Children’s Museum in St. Paul on the third Sunday of every month, or check out the Rochester location on the first Sunday of every month.

Filed Under: Attractions, Great Deals, Kids, St. Paul

Discovery Days at the Bakken Museum

March 2, 2019 by Leave a Comment

Discovery Days at the Bakken Museum

If you’ve never been to the Bakken Museum, it’s a place to put on your bucket list.  Tucked away in Minneapolis, in a residential area.  We’ve been to it several times and have enjoyed it each time.  After one of more recent visits, one of our daughters decided to write about Earl Bakken for a class project.

Discovery Days are specific themed events at the Bakken.  The next one is coming up on March 9th and the theme is Women in Science  If you cant make it then, perhaps another event or time will work for you.

Discovery Days at the Bakken Museum

About the Women in Science Event: 

Saturday, March 9th

Ask questions! Experiment! Learn about careers you didn’t event know exist!

During Discovery Days: Women in Science, youth, families, and adults are invited to meet women working in the STEM field doing everything from conservation biology to genetics. The day will feature hands-on activities and education opportunities included with the cost of museum admission.

This event is all ages.

Girl Scouts in uniform get $2 off admission.

Members of The Bakken Museum receive free admission

Adults: $10
Seniors and Students 13-24: $8

Children 4-12: $5
Children Under 3: FREE

Filed Under: Attractions, Events, Kids, Minneapolis
Next Page »