Your guide to activities and fun things to do with your preschoolers, toddlers and kids in philadelphia, PA

Jazz, Trout, Prisons & More: This Weekend's Events

by Cecily Kellogg

February 20, 2009

It's supposed to be another cold and possibly snowy weekend again. What to do with the kiddos? Luckily I'll be gloating in sunny and warm Houston while you all suffer (heh) but if you need a place to go this weekend, I've got the buzz. Plus these are all the places I'm sending my husband and kid to while I'm gone. Heh.

Friday

3pm: Please Touch Museum is hosting a jazzy theater show with Scat Cat's Junior Jazz Jamboree. Along with everything else Please Touch has to offer, this is a win/win. Plus, all day long on Friday is the Please Touch Museum's annual Jazz Festival so there will be plenty of fun music for both kids AND grownups.

Saturday

11:30 & 1:30pm: One of the greatest things about living in Philadelphia is the awesomeness that is the radio show Kid's Corner on WXPN every evening at 7pm. Kid's Corner is proudly hosting one of their favorite bands, Trout Fishing In America, at the World Cafe Live Venue today! Don't miss this chance to see this fun band in person.

Sunday

All Day: Learn some history, spook the kids, and have some hot chocolate at the Eastern State Penitentiary with their winter tours. This historic prison is creepy even when it's not all decked out for Halloween.

6pm: The Discovery Museum in Cherry Hill, NJ offers a special open play time for families with children with Autism. Not only is the after-hours event closed to non-Autistic children, it's also FREE. Please check link and email to register.

Celebrating a Snowy Weekend

by Cecily Kellogg

February 05, 2009

We were lucky enough to get some snow this week (okay, some of you might find that not good news, but I love snow). So what to do? It's not the right kind of snow for snowmen, alas, but we can still have some fun out there if you dress warmly and plan ahead.

Go sledding! There are lots of great spots to enjoy some sledding, no matter what part of Philadelphia you live in. Check out my great list of sledding spots here.

Go for a walk! I know I just mentioned the area around the Wissahickon Creek the other day, but the great thing about walking there is that if you park near the Valley Green Inn, there is an excellent snack bar that sells yummy hot chocolate, the perfect thing to warm you up after a nice snowy stroll.

Go Cross-Country Skiing! Want to burn some serious calories and really tire your kids out? Check out this list of our best local state parks that permit cross country skiing.

Go REAL skiing (or Tubing)! Blue Mountain, just a short drive away, offers several great skiing and tubing options. In 90 minutes you can be on the slopes.

Go shovel a neighbor's walk and impart good karma! If you live near someone that is older or maybe has a newborn, teach your kids great neighborly behavior by getting them to help you shovel their walkway and driveway. Another great way to bond, and burn some extra energy!

Adjusting To The Time Change

by Cecily Kellogg

November 06, 2008

There are so many things that make Daylight Savings Time--even in its new, shorter form--challenging. It's hard enough for adults to adjust, but for kids, it's impossible, especially those children too young to understand things like "time" and "winter" and "planets revolving around the sun." Heh. In our house, we HATE the time change in the fall. I hate that it gets dark so darned early, I hate  Read more...

Top Five Spots For Sledding In Philadelphia

by Cecily Kellogg

September 15, 2008

Wintertime in Philadelphia does, upon occasion, offer that perfect type of winter weather: soft, juicy snowflakes that make for perfect sledding and snowman building! So where are the best spots in Philadelphia that are safe for kids and near to purveyors of hot chocolate? Here are the top five sledding spots in the city and suburbs. 1. Clark Park, 45th & Baltimore . This awesome park in  Read more...