California Science Center

I had just found out that the California Science Center has FREE admission with $8 parking. It was a rainy day; but decided to take the drive anyway. I think this place is the best FREE place for the family; especially kids.

There are a lot of interactive things for the kids to do, such as building bridges, making buildings with Tinker Toys, learn how solar energy works when driving a car using a remote, touch an ice wall, building structures to make them earthquake proof and more. They had an earthquake simulator as well. I don't know why anyone would want to wait 15 min. line to feel and earthquake. I guess it's a good experience for kids to know what one will feel like if they never felt one.

They also have a couple play areas for kids. One area is for kids 7 and under and the other is for kids maybe 10 and under. The aquariums filled with fish and sharks as well as the small touch tank was fun to see. You can also pretend you're a barnacle trying to catch food (ping pong balls).

The place closed before we got to finish. We spent about 3 1/2 hrs there and could have probably spent at least another hour. We will definitely be back for another visit.

We Need CHNOPS! Comet at Griffith Observatory

I had not been to the Griffith Observatory in a very long time. The last time I was there was before the remodel and when the laser shows were around. I would really like someone to bring back the laser shows!

I thought my 6-year-old daughter MIGHT have some interest in watching a presentation on how to make a comet using household ingredients while exploring the nature of water as well as where we might find water or other life in our solar system. Here's a little science lesson that I took back from the presentation. We need Chnops! No, I'm not talking about the drink. Although some may need that too. In order for life to exist we need Carbon, Hydrogen, Nitrogen, Oxygen, Phosphate and Sulphate. The last 5 minutes of the presentation was spent on making a comet from water, sand, charcoal, Windex and dry ice. It was an interesting and fun presentation that my 6 year old actually enjoyed. My 3 year old on the other hand barely got through it as expected.

The girls also enjoyed looking through the telescopes, weighing themselves on each planet, determining who got the better constellation that appears on their birthday month, watching the different phases of the moon and learning about eclipses. The views are great! My oldest kept trying to spot our house which is nowhere to been seen; but she insisted she saw it! She also enjoyed getting a closer look at the Hollywood sign. She seems to have a fascination for Hollywood. I don't get it. Hollywood is overrated and it not pretty to look at IMO.

The observatory has free admission except for a few shows, and free parking. If you go on a weekend, be prepared to walk at least a mile to get up there. We sure got our exercise.

Snow in Santa Clarita!

It's hard to believe that we actually got snow in our own backyard! This was not man-made snow. This was the real stuff! It must have been about 20 years since it last snowed out here. It was neat to look out to white covered grass and see cars blanketed in snow who were parked on the street. The girls really enjoyed going outside and catching snowflakes, trying to make a snowman and having a snowball fight. The best part is that we didn't have to travel anywhere to play in it. It was dark and very cold; so we didn't stay out very long. It was long enough to have some fun, take pictures and video tape the rare occasion.

Noah's Ark at Skirball

I have been trying to get free Thursday tickets to Noah's Ark; but I could never get enough for all of us to go. I did get some coupons when we were at the Grove one day when they had brought over a sample of Noah's Ark. I saved a little bit of money but not much since I had to order tickets online and pay the processing fee due to them selling out quickly.

It was a rainy day and turned out to be a good indoor place to go. The girls had fun playing with plastic as well as stuffed animals on the ark, sending animals up into the ark, building the ark, and climbing around in the ark. The girls had fun for a little under 2 hours and actually wanted to go home. It was a fun one time experience; but don't think I would pay for it again. I'll try to wait until I can manage to get free tickets if we decide to go again.

Pretend City

The girls were on Christmas vacation. We normally go on a mini vacation; but this year we decided to do a couple day trips instead. We actually splurged and spent some money to go to Pretend City in Irvine. I was a little skeptical about going from what the reviews had said. I'm so glad we went! The girls had so much fun here.

We got there when it opened at 10:00am and left at 4:30pm. Many reviewers said their kids only got about 2-3 hours tops here. We got 6 1/2 hours here! The girls played in the Curious George room and took a picture with him. Played in a miniature house complete with living room, kitchen, 2 bedrooms, and bathroom. They went to the beach and played in the sand. That didn't last too long because there were not enough shovels to go around. The girls could pretend to be a chef or a waitress at the Mexican restaurant. They got to pick apples, oranges, strawberries and plant carrots and lettuce at the farm. They could play doctor in the Dr.'s office; but they were not too interested in that area. Another favorite was the water table. They have boats you can race with wind machines, go fishing, play with rubber ducks, shark and my youngest daughter's favorite- the lobster. They have a post office, a construction site and a road that goes around the whole place to drive cars.

They even let you bring your own food in and eat at their designated eating areas. Luckily, we had packed lunches to save some money and ate there. We had to end the day when our youngest crankiness caught up with her from her lack of a nap. 1 tired out girl made a quiet drive home :)

Winter Wonderland or Not

We decided to check out a free event in Castaic which they titled winter wonderland which consisted of games, crafts, snow, food and Santa. When we got there, there was no snow, no games and no food; unless you count the boxes of chocolate bars that were just sitting on the floor assuming you could take some. They did have Santa, which the girls sat on his lap and took a picture. Craft materials were on the tables to make a paper plate wreath, popsicle stick picture frame, and pipe cleaner candy canes. They also had face painting which there was no line for since there was not a lot of people. The girls had a good time making their projects. It was a rainy day; so it was nice to get out of the house and do something indoors.

Snow Day

I'm not a big fan of purchasing snow clothes that the kids will grow out of in a year or driving over an hour to find snow, then hear the kids say it's too cold after 5 min. of snow play. My alternative was to go to the local mall and participate in their man-made snow day.

We only drove about 15 min. and the weather was the warmest day in December - about 80 degrees. The girls had fun sledding down a small snow slope and making snowballs to throw at daddy. There was a sign as well as employees telling everyone not to throw the snow. What's the point of the snow if you can't throw snowballs? The mall also provided free treats to the 1st 500 kids which consisted of cookies, cotton candy, pretzel, popcorn or a churro. We stood in line for cotton candy. There were about 5 people in front of us before the machine stopped working. There was a bit of sulking; but the girls quickly chose something else to indulge themselves. We didn't bother waiting in the long lines for face paint or balloon animals that was provided. We spent about 2 hours playing in the patch of snow and headed off for our quick 15 min. drive home.