Day 49 - Bass Pro Shop's Family Summer Camp

My kids are getting used to half-hour drives. Why is everything half and hour away?

Bass Pro Shops does a fun free event for the month of July. Every Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday they have Family Summer Camp. During this free event families can do a craft, participate in workshops, and practice shooting and casting. 

Workshops

During the "camp" there 20 minute classes offered every hour about different outdoor sports. The one we attended today was about archery. It was pretty boring. We couldn't hear anything because the class was right by the stream/waterfall. 20 minutes was also a very long time for my kids to sit and watch a PowerPoint with no interaction. They do get a lanyard and a pin showing they completed the course for each workshop they attend, but one was all we could do.

Craft

Every week there is a different craft offered. These are the types of crafts you'd buy through Oriental Trading Company. Today was a turkey footprint magnet that the kids colored with permanent markers. They were pretty cool and the kids enjoyed coloring them.

Camp Activities 

The big attraction was the BB gun range. Any age could par tipster and there was an employee to help them. My 3-year-old was really excited to try it. While the parents waited in line for BB shooting, the kids went around to the other activities; electronic shooting range, casting practice, and an "archery range" which was actually just a suction dart and target. 

Other Attractions

Bass Pro is just a fun place in general. There are taxidermied animals everywhere. It's like a taxidermy zoo with lots of bears, lions, mountain goats, you name it. There is also a huge fish tank with huge fish that the kids love to sit and watch for a long time. I don't know if this is true for all Bass Pro Shops, but ours has a little carousel kids can ride for free. My kids ride it over and over. And another fun freebies here: fudge samples. There is a little shop with a huge variety of fudge. My daughter and her cousin had at least 6 samples each. Delicious.

Day 48 - Halle Heart Museum

Backstory: We were going to check out the Tempe Historical Museum and their family friendly summertime events. BUT we drove all the way up there to find a sign on the door saying they were having power issues and the museum was closed for the rest of the day. So now we're up in Tempe with nothing to do. I had a groupon that I'd let expire for the Halle Heart Museum, so that was plan B.

The Halle Heart Museum is hidden in the corner of the American Heart Associate building. It's a cute little museum and a fun place to spend a hour or so. You can read my review from the first time we went here:http://www.trekaroo.com/activities/halle-heart-museum-tempe-arizona

Children 3 and under are free, 4 and up cost $5.

Discounts:

Halle Heart Museum participates in a free lunch program. If you come his summer between 11AM and 1PM you get free admission and kids 18 and under get a free lunch.

If your library participates in the Culture Pass program, stop by and pick up a pass for 2 free admissions.

Day 46-Disney Store Summer Play Days

We love to play at the San Tan Village in Gilbert, Arizona. They have a puppy store, Build-a-Bear, playground and splash pad, tropical smoothie, and one of our favorite stores, The Disney Store.

Every summer, the Disney Store hosts these fun little free events called "Summer Play Days." All Disney stores are required to offer free activities at least 3 days a week but most have something everyday. Earlier this summer we went to the Disney Store in Temecula, CA for storytime. They read a story about Jake and the Neverland Pirates, had the kids act parts of it out and gave them all gold doubloons with a picture of Cubby on them. Today we participated in the Art of Drawing at San Tan Village. The kids learned to draw Mickey Mouse and Captian America's shield. Each week kids participate, they can earn a new pin for their lanyard. Most of the activities only take about 15-20 minutes, so we usually make the Disney Summer Play Day part of a mall outing instead of our only activity for the day. Activities start in June and go through August. Times and activities vary every week so call ahead to find the schedule.

Day 43 - Swimming at Roper Lake

My sister recently moved to Safford, Arizona and we decided to visit for the 4th. Safford is home to Roper Lake State Park. I'd recently seen an article about camping at Roper Lake saying it was a great place. This seemed like a good day to see if that article was true.

The lake was beautiful. The mountains in the background and the greenery around the lake made the whole setting so picturesque. The water was warm. The lake floor was sandy, not rocky. And there wasn't too much gunk floating around in the water. It was a beautiful day. You can read my full review here: http://www.trekaroo.com/activities/roper-lake-state-park-safford-arizona

Day 37 - Phoenix Art Museum: PhxArtKids Day

 I've never been super into art museums and although the kids love making art, I couldn't see them really getting into walking around looking at paintings. Today the Phoenix Art Museum was having a special PhxArtKids Day. If ever I was going to try an art museum with the kids, I supposed today was the day to do it.

All the kids loved the projects and performances offered for the kids day. The contemporary gallery and kids gallery were also really interesting for me and the kids. Kids One and Two were really well behaved. Kids Three and Four wouldn't stop touching things and running around. It was pretty stressful, especially since a security guard talked to me twice about it. You can read by Phoenix Art Museum review here.

I didn't know how long we were going to last, so of course I didn't want to pay the full $12 for me and $6 for the older 2 kids. Yesterday while we were at the library I picked up a Culture Pass. I talked about them a little in this post. They are pretty awesome. Basically, you "check out" 2 free admissions to museums in the area. The Phoenix Art Museum passes are almost always available. Kids 5 and under are free at the art museum, so I should have only had to pay one child's admission, but the staff member told me not to worry about it and let us all in for free. Awesome.

If you don't care about waiting for a kids day and can't get a culture pass (or have to many people) Phoenix Art Museum offers free admission the first Friday of every month after 6 pm and every Wednesday for 3-9pm.

Day 13 - Commemorative Air Force Museum

My friend at the Mesa tourism office, Visit Mesa, hooked us up with some passes to the Commemorative Air Force Museum in Mesa, AZ.

This museum shows historic planes and teaches some of the navy history of past wars. I found the history of the planes fascinating. My 5 kids (ages 9, 6, 5, 2, and under 1) enjoyed getting a close-up look at the planes, engines, and bombs. This museum is somewhat small and not very interactive for young ones, so we didn't last here for too long (about an hour)... Read my full review on Trekaroo.com here)

 There was a B-17 that actually flew in WWII on display outside that we got to go inside of. We tried to count the number of guns and thought there were 7 but we missed about half because there were actually 13! For $850 you can ride in the gunner seat in the nose of the plane while it flies around Mesa. Anyone wanna spot me a thousand bucks?

These the the planes the kids were most interested in. Mostly the fought over who got to ride next instead of looking at the super cool and historical planes surrounding them. I did force them to take a break and walk around the exhibits with me for a while. I think at least Kids One & Two learned something.

Day 12 - Slickables & Downtown Mesa

I had to run an errand in Downtown Mesa, AZ. I hated to drag the kids all the way down there without a reward, so I found this cute new ice cream sandwich shop called Slickables. You can read all about it here. Turns out, it was just across the street from the i.d.e.a. Museum so we stopped by there for a couple hours as well.

I love the vibe you get when visiting Main Street in any town we visit. I love the little local shops and storefronts, I love the sculptures and festivals. Downtown Mesa is no exception. It is home to many family-friendly venues. They are even hosting "Kidtastic" events every Wednesday in May & June. Here is a list of what I love and what I'd love to try in Downtown Mesa.

Downtown Mesa, AZ for Families

• i.d.e.a. Museum-A children's art museum with fun play areas and crafts for all ages of artists
  
• Arizona Museum of Natural History-The local "dinosaur" museum. Also has Arizona specific history and panning for gold 
  
• Mesa Arts Center-Home to great performances, art, and festivals
• Sculptures-Cool statues that kids can climb on and pose with for fun pictures
  
• Sweet Cakes Cafe-I've heard great things about this bakery
• Farmer's Market-Every Friday, stop by to shop from local farmers and artisans
• Light Rail-Coming soon, we'll be able to hop on the train to Tempe or Phoenix

What do you enjoy doing in Downtown Mesa?

Day 9 - Chuck E Cheese's

We survived our first full week of summer. The kids did a pretty good job with their chores and earned some tokens (refer to my token reward system here). That meant today we needed to go spend them. We decided to try the new Chuck E. Cheese location in Chandler, AZ. You can check out my review of this location here.

I think of myself as somewhat of a Chuck E Cheese expert. We love to visit Chuck E Cheese around home, when we are traveling with Daddy on business trips, or going to Grandma's house. My kids even got a ton of CEC tokens from Santa this year. I love that all the games are only one token. I also love that I can get great deals on tokens.

Tips for Visiting Chuck E Cheese's (CEC)

• Never play $.0.25 for a token. The most you should ever pay for tokens is 20 cents, but I usually wait until there is a deal that makes tokens around 15 cents each. 
• There are always coupons on the CEC website (although not the best ones). Our best coupons come in the newspaper inserts. My favorite one is 150 tokens and a large 1-topping pizza for $22. 
• Our CEC also has weekday lunch specials when school is in session. One of these deals is "Buy 30 tokens, get 30 free." You don't have to use the tokens right when you buy them. I usually have a stash saved up of cheap tokens that I bring with us on vacations.
• Another was to get discounted tokens is to use CEC rewards calendars. You can print these reward calendars from the CEC website and redeem them for 10 free tokens. The drawback to these is they require a food purchase to redeem. I haven't tried it before but maybe you could just buy a drink?
• Play online CEC games for free tickets. The CEC website has fun games that reward you
  
  with real tickets you can redeem at CEC. You can use one printed ticket reward per child per day, so print one for each child. Again, these now require a food purchase to redeem (lame!).
• If you have a choice, choose a CEC with a playground. It is nice to have something for the kids to do that doesn't cost tokens. Right now, since my kids have an uneven amount of tokens to spend, some finish sooner than others. Having tubes to crawl around in keep them entertained instead of complaining. 
• Don't give your kids all their tokens at once. Parcel out a few and then they have to return for more. This has a few benefits. They have to keep checking in, they don't spill and lose their tokens, and they don't waste all their tokens on games that don't require any play besides dropping in the token.
• Try some of the games yourself. If I bring my husband, I know beforehand I'm going to have to set some tokens aside for him. It's fun to take a trip back to the old days and play skee ball. And the kids love getting all the tickets you earn.
  
• Save a token for the picture machine. Almost all CECs have a "sketch your portrait" machine. It is so fun to take a family portrait every time we go to save as a souvenir. 
• Help with ticket redemption for little ones. When we just had the kindergartners and under, everyone would turn in all their tickets to me. Then they would all tell me one thing they wanted within certain ticket categories. If there were still enough tickets left, I would let them choose one thing more. Everyone got the same number of prizes, regardless of ticket worth. If we had leftover tickets, I would save them for next time. Now that I have older kids getting varying amounts of tokens, they manage their own tickets, but I still help with the littles and have a ticket stash of my own for days when they don't quite earn enough to get the prize they want. (It has been my experience that CEC employees round up your total tickets)
• Visit on a weekday morning. Saturday mornings are usually very busy with birthday parties. Evenings also tend to be busier. To avoid crowds and have younger playmates, arrive as close to opening as possible. 

What are your Chuck E Cheese tips?

Day 8 - Mesquite Groves Aquatic Center

The public pools here are pretty awesome and cheap. Apparently, that's no secret because Mesquite Groves Aquatic Center in Chandler, AZ was filled to capacity today. Even with all the new friends playing nearby, we had a wonderful day.

Read my review about this great aquatics center here on Trekaroo.com

Day 7 - i.d.e.a. Museum

It's starting to get hot. That means we need more indoor activities. My oldest daughter hadn't been to the children's art museum, the i.d.e.a. Museum in Mesa, AZ and had been begging to go. We used my membership I bought with a groupon deal ( admission for up to 4 people) and Kid One's Pogo Pass (discount pass for multiple Phoenix attractions) for a free, fun outing. Read my review of the i.d.e.a. Museum here.

Why I Love Children's Museums

My kids love to craft, but I hate the wasted glue, tape, and paper and even more, the mess. That is why the I.d.e.a. is so great! The museum provides all the craft supplies and the glue and scraps don't get on my table. My kids can make all the junk they want and we can leave it on the table for other visitors to admire instead of bringing it home to clutter up the house.

Speaking of messes, I love that the employees are wandering around picking up stray trash and toys while I just get to play with the kids. I don't need to worry about the clutter around me when we are at a children's museum. I can enjoy my children without the stress of household responsibilities right in my face.

Another thing I love about children's museums is that everything is a novelty to my kids. We don't have a light bright wall at home so they think it's extra special and sit and and stick pegs in holes for half an hour. The toys are all new to them so it takes longer for them to get bored.

I like that there are areas specifically for babies. Kid Five gets attached my her brothers all day at home but in the baby zone, big brother's aren't even allowed. I know she is safe from bigger kids who do t know to watch out for little hands. I also know she has age appropriate toys that she can't hurt herself on.

Last but not least, I love that I can have fun too. I also like to create things out of old scraps of cardboard, but I don't have time at home. I enjoy putting on a puppet show with my son or doing puzzle on a giant touch screen while the kids play around me. I like interactive museums as much as my children.

What do you love about going to children's museums? 

Day 5 - Swim Lessons

It's important for kids to know how to swim at a very young age in Arizona. Even though we don't have a pool, most of our friends and neighbors do. Much of the summer fun here revolves around a pool. Although most of my children are already swimming, they could stand to improve their technique. These next two weeks, we will all be enjoying swim lessons through the town's recreation department.

City Swim Lessons

Gilbert offers great recreation programs for a good price. Swim lessons for all levels (except Tadpoles which is 3 students to 1 teacher) is only $25 for 8-1/2 hour lessons. The city of Phoenix has the same swim program for only $15 a session. I love that they have a variety of lesson levels to choose from. The baby and I are in a parent/tot class together. Kids over 5 have the opportunity to take diving lessons. Our aquatics department also organizes swim and dive teams. Check out what your town's recreation department offers.

Private/Semi-Private Swim Lessons 

Semi-Private Lessons 2014

I do have to say, if your child needs to learn how to swim, it is best to start with private or semi-private lessons. They do cost quite a bit more, but the difference in how quick a child learns is huge. Teachers are able to work on your child's specific needs instead of following a standard lesson plan for a class of 7 or 8 students. Usually, private teachers have more experience than city swim teachers. They know how to combine the right amount of play and learning. Sometimes it's necessary for a child to go under the water and an experienced teacher isn't going to be afraid to make them do it. When finding a teacher, ask for recommendations from friends and look for class sizes no larger than 4 students,

Day 4 - Silly Mountain Hike

My kids are not big fans of hiking. But c'mon, a high of 88 in Phoenix on Memorial Day? I had to take advantage of the weather and do something outside! I'd heard good things about the hiking for families at Silly Mountain in Apache Junction, AZ. It was a little challenging but we had a great time. You can read my full review of Silly Mountain Park here.

The Art of Persuasion

Sometimes I really want to do something and my kids don't (for example this hike). Usually, once we head out, they have fun. The problem is convincing them they want to head out in the first place. I could just drag them out with me (and sometimes I do), but everything is a lot more enjoyable without whining children. I have a few tricks of persuasion that work...sometimes. 

Trick #1: Combine the planned activity with something they like. Kid 2 loves climbing rocks, so I made sure to find a hike he could climb on. 

Trick #2: Make a deal. Let them choose the next day's outing if they agree to go along with yours without complaining. Kid 1 had been wanting to go on a date with Daddy. She was much more agreeable about today's hike after her breakfast out with Dad.

Trick #3: Bribe them. Yes, I sometimes bribe my children. Today, if they did a good job on the hike, we could stop by Chick-Fil-A for lunch. Kid 3 loves to go his own pace, which is slow. Telling him he could get a kid's meal for lunch if he kept up with his older siblings really sped him along.

I'd love to hear your tricks of persuasion! I could always use a few more tricks up my sleeve.
Find tips for hiking with kids here.