Montana: Disc Golf Family Fun

Even the teenagers were talking about how much fun they had on our family outing to Makoshika State Park to play a round of disc golf. And you don’t have to be the parent of teenagers to know how impressive that is!

We had planned to spend some time checking out the park, and started our visit with a stop into the gift shop and museum. On a whim, we picked up a set of Frisbees from the park gift shop. Three brightly-colored discs in hand, we picked up a map (score card on the back) and pencil and set off down the road.

It was the first time playing for most of us (Justin had a little experience), and we didn’t take the time to read the rules, but if you’re planning an outing and want to be a little more official, check out this page for some direction. (We would have benefited from reading the part about out of bounds throws.)

This was a great fit for us because it was not restrictive of age – our three-year-old wasn’t competitive, but she was still able to play – and got us all out in the sunshine and fresh air for several hours.

According to the map, the full course was about a mile long, but we quickly learned that would only apply if we went directly from hole to hole. With a crew of inexperienced players, we were running all over the course and got a lot more exercise in than that! In the end we decided a 9-hole game was the best fit for our first foray.

On the way home, one teen was on his phone Googling locations of other disc golf courses, and one was talking about how we should make it our new family hobby. Success.

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Nevada: A Buffet of Learning in Vegas

When you are three, everything is an opportunity for learning. Even a buffet! Here are some ideas for engaging your preschooler in learning by playing…with their food.

Colors

Challenge your child – how many different colors can you find to put on your plate? This is a great way to encourage kids to eat a variety of items from a variety of food groups. Bria found purple beets, green grapes, brown roast beef, and a white egg. We took our time browsing, talking about all the different hues we could spot.

Meatball math

As we explore early math, Bria has been talking a lot lately about “more than.” Is this more than that? Who has more, me or dad? To reinforce and play with this idea, we lined up six meatballs, and separated them into groups. There in two in this group and four in that one – which is more? Which is less?

Letters

What letter does beet start with? It’s B, just like Bria! What other letters can you find? Meatballs start with an M, what other words do you know that start with the M sound?

Vocabulary

What words can you use to describe the foot on your plate? Is it sweet or salty? Warm or cold? What consistency does it have? Have fun with your child, exploring different words that can be used in reference to the meal.

How Does it Grow?

Carrots grow in the ground, grapes grow on vines…where did this orange grow? How about this potato? Our daughter loves to learn about growing things with her Grandpa, so bringing that knowledge back around to the practical application of the food on her plate is an easy step that brings it home for her.

More Ideas

We had a lot of fun at the buffet making food fun. What other ideas do you have for turning dinner into a learning experience?

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Nevada: Las Vegas Monorail

On the day we decided to explore the strip, we thought we’d try out the Vegas Monorail. The map showed it going from one end of the strip to the other, so we thought it would be a great way to explore and get around.

From the beginning we found that the conditions were not quite ideal for us. Staying at Circus Circus as we were, it was a fair distance to a station (You see that block on the map where it kicks back to the Las Vegas Hotel? Well, they do everything big in Vegas. So that block is not exactly a kid-friendly jaunt.)

In the end we decided to drive to the Las Vegas Hotel and board there – the last thing we wanted was a tired preschooler before we even started our adventure.

The monorail is clean, seems well-maintained, and is easy to go on and off. Since it is on the back side of the strip hotels, though, you can’t see much from the ride, so it isn’t a good way to cut through traffic and check out the sights.

We each purchased a one-way ticket, deciding we would buy another one-way trip if we decided to take it back. A single ride ticket is $5, and an all-day ticket is $12. Children five and under ride free.

For our purpose – exploring the strip, we ended up taking the monorail from the Las Vegas Hotel (note that even though the Sahara is no longer there, the station is, but there is not easy parking at that site) to the MGM Grand and walking back to Circus Circus. This left Dad to walk over to retrieve the car while Mom got the little to the room.

We struggle to see a situation where it would be a convenient way for families to get around. Maybe if you were going to a wedding at one place on the route and staying at another location on the route, and didn’t want to drive back and forth? In short, it just doesn’t feel like a family fit to us.

Have you used the Vegas Monorail to get around with your kiddos? We’d love to hear how it went for you! Leave your feedback in the comments.

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Nevada: Visiting Hoover Dam (and dispelling the myth that all dams are made by beavers)

During one day of our accidental vacation in Las Vegas, the three of us made a trek to visit the massive feat of human engineering that is Hoover Dam.
The 726 foot dam forms a towering border between Nevada and Arizona. Shaped like a huge curved axe head, the dam is 45 feet wide at the top and 660 feet (that’s two football fields!) thick at the bottom.

Justin and I had both been to the dam before, but that was prior to 2010, when the new O’Callaghan-Tillman Memorial Bridge opened, which allows traffic to bypass the dam. So this was a new experience!

We had been planning our visit to the dam for a while (in fact we missed it a few months ago, so she had plenty of time to think on it), and Bria was very eager. Every time we discussed the stop, she had more questions. So when we arrived, she was ready to go with her list of discoveries to make:

• Did beavers make it? Or was it people? (though she was pretty sure at the beginning that beavers make dams)
• What is it made of? Wood? Cement? Something else?
• How big is it?

Now that the bridge is in place, access is only available from the Nevada side (there may be future plans to change this – check my facts before you drive around to be sure they are still current). We stopped at a security checkpoint, then continued down to a parking garage where we left our car and hoofed it onto the dam.

There are some restrictions on what vehicles are allowed to drive over the dam. Check out this pdf for details on the regulations.

By the way, pets are not allowed anywhere on the site, so if you are traveling with your four-legged friend, you may need to make other arrangements.
From the parking garage you can access the tours, the visitor center, and also a small snack shack (hooray for ice cream on a hot day in the desert). You can also walk down onto the top of the dam itself.

We opted not to explore the interpretive center or pay for a tour, instead checking things out for ourselves. We walked across one side of the dam and came back the other, stopping to talk about the signs we saw, photograph the view, and discuss Bria’s list of questions. It really is quite a beautiful site, and amazing to think of what went into it.

TIP: Parking in the garage is $7. If you drive over the dam and park on the Arizona side, there are several lots with free parking available. It is more of a trek if you want to walk down over the dam or to the visitor center, but the view from that side is better than any view on the Nevada side.

For another fantastic view of the dam after you have explored, head to the bridge interpretive center, which allows you access to walk out onto the pedestrian walkway alongside the new bridge. It can be found on the left side of the street as you head west back toward the highway.

Want to find out more? There is a learning packet available for download here.
Lake Mead National Recreation Area is a great addition to this itinerary. Check out our post on that visit here!

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California: Orange County Great Park on a Monday afternoon

Just off Interstate 5 in Irvine, there is a beautiful, vast metropolitan park called Orange County Great Park. If you have been there before for an event, we think it is time you rediscovered this peaceful gem in the hustle and bustle of the OC.
Preferably when there’s not a thing on the park’s calendar.

We visited on Monday afternoon, and it would have been the ideal location to shoot a zombie apocalypse movie. Where IS everyone? Oh right, sitting in traffic.

The vast parking lots were completely empty, and acres of gorgeous park land was going completely unutilized. We even hit the park’s website to make sure it wasn’t closed. When an Irvine Police officer drove by, we wondered for a moment if we would be in trouble! But sure enough, the park is open from 10 a.m. to dusk on Mondays. (Check the site here for complete hours.)

Orange County Great Park is home to a list of fun events for the whole family, including free concerts in the park, a solar decathlon, farmer’s markets, and much more. Programming and events are great, but it’s the in-between time – the time when this is just a beautiful metropolitan park – that is where the action’s really at.

If you haven’t visited the Great Park during those in-between times, you’re missing out on a beautiful oasis in the city of Irvine. It has been called one of the great metropolitan parks in the country, and we see such potential to live up to that. Built by focus group and working hard at creating identity in this community, the idea for Orange County Great Park was born after Marine Corps Air Station El Toro closed in 1999. This is one of the things we loved most about this beautiful park – it is being reused and recycled! How cool is that?

This park is a beautiful space for reflection, and it is so much more. A trip to the park is one of the most budget-friendly, healthy activities you can do with your family. So…unplug the kids, get them in the car, and drive on over to the Orange County Great Park. Here are the directions.

Not sure what to do when you get there? Maybe one of these ideas will strike a chord.

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Chasing Lions – Following Our Passions

Our three-year-old has recently become absolutely obsessed (as only a three-year-old can) with the movie Lion King, and as a result, with lions.

“Mom, did you know lions can jump really high?”

“Dad, do you know what lions eat?”

And so on, and so on. You get the idea.

There is nothing better than the joy we see on her face when she sees something she loves. So we take her to see the lions. There are more around than I ever realized! There are real lions, statute lions, and stuffed lions. There are lions on TV, lions in movies, and lions guarding city buildings.

The web is full of lions, too. We enjoy curling up with the tablet and watching baby lions play on the Savannah, and learning more fun facts about lions, too. There are Lion King coloring pages here, which can be printed out for hours of entertainment.

When you are on a mission to find something, it is everywhere! It’s a bit like the old “slug bug” game when we are out – everyone is on the look for lions.

What does your child love, that you could “chase”?

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California: Getting around the San Diego Zoo

The San Diego Zoo is big. I mean, really big.

Check out this map to see just how big.

But have no fear! There are lots of transportation options available through the 99 acre park. The zoo is shaped like a bowl, which means there are many hills to climb. Take advantage of the guided tour to see more of the park at once, and the express bus and skyfari to take some of the load off.

Guided Bus Tour

The guided tour buses are double-decker, open-air buses that allow you to see 70 percent of the zoo. It takes about 35 minutes, and while it isn’t a great way to see most of the animals, and it is a good way to get acquainted with your surroundings and decide which places to visit and in what order. Included in the fare is unlimited use of the express bus throughout your visit. Once you know where you want to go, use the express buses to get yourself a little closer!

Our daughter loved riding the bus just for the experience of riding the bus – seeing the sights was a completely added bonus for her.

The fare is included in a one-day admission ticket, and is $8.50 for adult pass holders and $5 for pass holders 3-11.

Kangaroo Express Bus

Unlimited use of the express bus is included in your guided tour ticket. The buses travel continuously through the park – just find one of the green signs and one will pick you up (they run about 15 minutes apart). There are five stops available – a simple way to slice up the zoo into more manageable pieces.

Skyfari Aerial Tram

Included with your membership and most other pass types, this is a great way to get from one end of the park to the other. We used it to start from the far end and work our way back toward the gate. Really, we could do this on half a dozen visits, taking a different route back each time, very happily.

TIP: Double strollers are not allowed on the skyfari tram, but single strollers are!

Other Transportation

If you need a motorized cart, wheelchair, or stroller, visit Guest Services just inside the entrance to the zoo. There are multiple options available. There is also a shuttle available for guests with mobility issues – be sure to ask at the desk for details.

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California: Baby Beach in Dana Point

We had seen it several times as we visited the harbor for various events – Baby Beach. It is a beautiful spot at Dana Point Harbor with calm water for little ones to play in. Sometimes the waves of the ocean beaches is just too much for our three-year-old, so this harbor beach is just the trick.

Since it is such a great place for kids, you’ll find that most of the crowd is families, which is nice. The little ones are sure to find other children their age, and they won’t be bothering any serious beach-goers with their play.

Even cooler, you can see the “pirate ship” from the beach! The Ocean Institute is nearby, and makes a great outing if you need a place to move out of the sun or wind for a while. You will also find a lifeguard during the summer months.
Parking is free, and fairly plentiful. Check out this parking map to get the lay of the land.

Note, though, that calm waters come with a price. Because the ocean waves are not washing the muck away, this is one of the most polluted beaches in the area. Be sure to check warnings and do your homework before trekking out. (Six of the seven beaches at neighboring Doheny State Park are also repeat offenders when it comes to contamination. You can read more about that here.) You can also check out report cards here.

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California: Busking on Hollywood Boulevard

One of Bria’s favorite things is buskers. It doesn’t matter if they are singing, dancing, or pretty much anything else, she is enamored. In this video, she is cutting a rug with a group of young men dancing on the sidewalk on Hollywood Boulevard.

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