Lowell Lanes is offering a great deal for Spring Break.  For $5 per person, you get 1.5 hours of bowling...and that includes the shoe rental!  This is valid during any open time except during evening leagues.  It's best to call ahead to check availability:  (616) 897-8443.  Enjoy! (And be sure to tell them that you saw this special on Grand Rapids Kids, grkids.com!)

Do you know of any other spring break specials going on?  Please email me or leave them as a comment here!  (This will enter you in the blog comment contest, too!)

Hi Grand Rapids Kids Moms, Dads & Friends!

Do you know of a VBS that is happening in your area?  Or a similar type of summer program for children?  Please tell me about these things...you can leave a comment on the blog, or email me if you'd prefer.

Here is a link to what we've already found for this summer...

Vote with your feet.  Tell other grkids.com fans what activity looks tempting to you.  And when you get there, please tell the organizers/owners that you saw the event on grkids.com.  Help let other people know that you're using Grand Rapids Kids to find neat things to do.

As for us, this Saturday we're going to the Health and Wellness Fair at Genesis UMC in Cascade.

They have fabulous, free activities for the kids planned.  Come join me!

11:00 - 11:30 am
Youth Room
Making Plant Buddies Art Activity: Make it, Take It
Robin Roberts, Pharmacist and Local Artist

11:45 am - 12:15 pm
Entrance (Outside)
EcoTrek for Children Outdoor Exercise Activities
Cari Draft Elliot - EcoTrek Fitness www.ecotrekfitness.com

11:45 am - 12:15 pm
JAM Room
Movement to Music Gymboree Music (Ages 0-5)
Nicole Johnson, OT - Movement to Music

1:00 - 1:30 pm
JAM Room
Sing Song Yogaâ„¢ Children learn poses through songs (Ages 4-11)
Deb Weiss-Gelmi - Yoga Studio www.sinsongyoga.com

1:30 - 2:15 pm
Conference Room
Applied Aromatic Science for Family, Fellowship, and
Profession Slip off shoes, roll up sleeves, experience
therapeutic-grade essential oils of old; address challenges of body, mind, and spirit with the gifts from plants
Kathy Spohn, FCCI, member ABMP, C.A.R.E Instructor, Facilitator

Share what you think and win!For the next two weeks, until April 8th, anyone who makes a helpful comment on the blog will be entered to win a $5 starbucks gift card.  Easy.  Fun.  Tasty!

Registration is due by Wednesday!  Act quickly!

Monday - Wednesday, April 6 - 8
9 am - 12:30 pm for 3 days.

This spring break camp is sponsored by the Humane Society of Kent County

Camp Kids & Paws lets kids interact with animals, learn about pet care, and help them become responsible pet owners. Kids will also make crafts, play games, give presentations, and eat snacks.

Camp is for kids grades K-5 and it costs $30 (Camp Kids & Paws t-shirt included!) To register for this camp download an application or contact Jennifer Self, Humane Education Coordinator at (616) 791-8066 or jennifer@hskc.org. Applications are due March 25, 2009.

Now that spring has arrived and the weather is a bit better, most of us have found ourselves outside.  If you have kids, I'm sure you've been out to play at least once this year.

Where do you like to play?  Do you have a favorite playground or trail that beckons?  Or are you stuck in a rut and don't know where to find the best playground experience?

Here are my favorites.  Please add yours to the list.  Other parents will thank you for it!

1. Frog Hollow Park, on the campus of Metro Health Hospital's new Wyoming location.  This park was designed to provide accessibility for all.  Bright colors, fun equipment, and easy access make this a favorite for the kids and I.

2. Millenium Park
It would be a crime to leave out this beautiful new park.  Where else can you go to the beach on a hot day, just a few minutes out of town, or visit a pretty cool splash pad?  There is a small entrance fee for the water activities, but if you just want to enjoy the trails or the nice playgrounds, you can do that for free. This is a great place to get that "out of the city" feel without having to pay for a lot of gas or spend a long time in the car to get there.

3. Ada Township Park (pictured above)
Take a drive to Ada Park, but don't forget your fishing pole.  There is a pond for fishing for kids under 12.  You might also want to bring a picnic basket because there are so many pretty spots to toss a blanket.  The wooded park also has short nature trails, a butterfly garden, and the requisite playground equipment as well.
 
A grkids.com parent also suggested the GR Ford Airport Viewing Area situated on Kraft Avenue north of 52nd Street.  While you're there, turn on your radio (AM 1650) and listen to air traffic controllers and pilots communicate as they safely land the planes.

The parks that you suggest may make it to the Places to Play Page.  Please take a moment and "vote" for the best parks in Greater Grand Rapids.  Thanks!

Grand Rapids has yet to offer a universal pass for all museums and the zoo.  The closest we've come is that some institutions offer reciprocal memberships (some place call this an cultural membership exchange) during the summer.

The Grand Rapids Children's Museum offers the membership with the most reciprocal benefits.
The cost to join the GRC Pals is anywhere between $40-125, depending on the type of membership you purchase.  A typical family membership costs $60, (that is for 2 adults and all of the kids of one household.)

Here is the schedule for reciprocal memberships with the Childrens Museum in 2009:
May: Frederick Meijer Gardens
June: GR Ford Museum
July: Grand Rapids Art Museum (GRAM)
August: John Ball Zoo

If you are visiting the Childrens museum during the month of May as a member of another institution, you will be allowed to bring up to 2 adults and 4 kids per membership.

The swim lessons season is upon us.  Grand Rapids moms and dads longing for warmer days are signing kids up for swim lessons hoping that their kids will be ready for the summer swim season.

There is no shortage of choices when it comes to swim lesson offerings in Grand Rapids.  Local schools, YMCA branches, college pools, and community facilities are host to youth swim programs.  Most community education programs offer at least one swim option at reduced rates for residents, although non-residents may participate as well.  I have a list of local continuing education facilities here.  If you have access to a private pool, one option is to hire a college swim team member to teach your children.  I've had Calvin College students recommended to me by some grkids.com participants.

Swim programs vary in their depth and scope, but most aim to teach water safety as one of the basics.  Check to make sure this basic necessity is included in your child's swim lessons.

Based on feedback collected from grkids.com participants, here are the most recommended places for swim lessons.  (If you love a place that's not included, please leave a comment and let us know where you go and why you love it.)

Love It:
-East Hills Athletic Club
-Calvin College
Rockford Middle School
MVP Sportsplex
Hudsonville Highschool


Like It:
-The aquatic center - good but cold water. Good teachers though.
-YMCA

Leave It:
-Suggest some places to steer clear of!



Comments from Moms & Dads:

"I liked the program at East Hills because the instructors (we had) have been there for a long time and are very confident in how they teach. I think the kids grasp swimming quicker when they sense safety and confidence shown to them.
We now belong to MVP and it seems they have a good program too. My daughter is on the swim team there, and she gets good instruction from her coach." - Michelle

  "I have heard great things about Rockford Middle School..." - Sara

"I love the instructors at the Aquatic center the best (Miss Sandy is GREAT!) - though I have heard that she teaches at East Hills too some. She is firm and strict, but teaches in a fun way. The pool there is FREEZING though.

The Y has a nice and warm pool and if you go to the Downtown Y, they also get to play in the fun swim area when they are done. That pool is warmer too - but their instructors aren't as strict.

For example - one of my girls cried the whole time. At the Y, they let her sit on the side and cry and didn't push her and never even made her get in the pool. At the Aquatic center (set up through enjoylearning.com) she taught her while crying and eventually she got used to it." - Stephenie

"Our kids take lessons in Hudsonville at the pool in the HS there. My mother-in-law registers them. They do a good job, and the kids love it." - Steve

" We have been quite happy with East Hills too. We went to the Y for years and hated it.  My son didn't learn how to swim there at all. He caught on at the East Hills right away. The other thing I like about East Hills is the water temperature is always 84 or more. Kind of nice if you have little ones, or if you are a wimp (which I am). I always found the water at the Y to be too cold." - Soraida

"We have done swim lessons at both the YMCA and EGR at Wealthy Pool. I like EGR better for younger kids as the pool is smaller and not so scary. There is also an observation room so you don't have to sit in by the pool with chlorine air!" - Jennifer

"Two words: Calvin College. They offer a brand new facility, reasonably priced lessons, and the best instructors - former or current Calvin swim team athletes who are always patient and amazing with the kids." - Laurie

I was a brave mama yesterday and took both kids to the circus by myself.  Had I realized that it was a 2-hour show, I probably would have made a different decision.  However, once we were there and into it, it was a fun experience.

Here is a summary:

Highlights
- Lions and tigers, elephants and camels, the kids loved the animals
- A huge variety of acts...something for everyone
- Reasonably priced 4 pm show...$11 per ticket + $2.25 service charge, Norah was free because she's under 2
- Delta Plex is easy to find and parking is free
- Concessions prices were decent
- Elephant & Pony rides available at intermission for a fee
- Human Cannonball & Acrobats, along with many other acts were amazing
- Petting zoo after the circus was free, included baby farm animals, chickens, and more.

Lowpoints
- Endless hawking of glow-in-the dark gadgets got old fast
- Noisy
- Smells like a circus, if you know what I mean.
- It's hard to hold a 2-year old on your lap for 2 hours.

We had fun and I'm sure we'll be back in the future.  It would be interesting to compare this to the circus that comes to the VanAndel.  Anyone ever been to both?

The circus is in town for this weekend.

Last weekend I went on a women's retreat, which meant that dad was flying solo for the whole weekend.  Before I left, I pulled up the grkids.com Calendar and ran through the options with my husband (even I don't remember everything that's happening and I'm the one who entered it into the calendar!)

The Home Depot kid clinic held the most appeal, so he took the kids to the Cascade Home Depot store at about 10am.  That day the project was building a race track.  They were lucky and got one of the last racetrack kits.  Other families had to make do with a book-end project.

Norah and Ethan both took turns helping dad pound the nails, all the while wearing their new (free) Home Depot Aprons.

Dad reported back that the place was pretty busy, but he didn't have any trouble doing the project with a 2 and 4 year-old.

Home Depot clinics occur regularly on the first Saturday of the month from 9am to 12 noon, while supplies last.
As always, you can find this children's event and more the Grand Rapids Kids event calendar!