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Get ready to load up the kids and geek out in grand style humming along to the theme to Halo 3 with Video Games Live (VGL) because they may be coming to the concert hall near you. They are an amazing multimedia concert event featuring music from the most popular video games of all time. Top orchestras & More »
Tags: family event, family fun
Flying a kite with the kids is yet another golden activity that holds great potential for learning, bonding and just having a little fun. Ever wonder exactly why and how a kite flies? Chances are at some point your kids may ask you, right? With a little digging around I have found some great sites for explaining why and how kites fly, believe it or not NASA’s Glenn Research Center has a fantastic (and thorough) explanation of exactly how and why a kite flies.
While the forces on all kites are the same, each kite flies a little differently. Some kites are highly maneuverable and some kites are very stable. There are kites with multiple control lines that can perform stunts, while other kites can be flown to high altitudes. We can use math techniques that you learn in school to determine the altitude of a kite graphically. With a little more knowledge of mathematics, you can actually calculate the altitude at which the kite is flying” ~ Kite Flight, NASA’s Glenn Research Center
I got my kids into kites last spring with a simple $5 classic delta design and 200′ of line. I think it was a Diego design, surprise-surprise. They were thrilled at the action we got from the nearby ocean breeze. But kids being kids, More »
Tags: 3-5 years, 6-8 years, 9-12, educational, family fun, simple kids projects
Perhaps it’s a rainy day or a snowy one, or maybe the kids have finished all their homework and they’ve built every puzzle in the house or they’re just driving you a little crazy and the usual tricks aren’t working. Enter Kongregate, a website with over eleven thousand free games to play.
I understand there’s a time and place for mindless drivel and let it be said, I am a huge proponent of limited screen time for kids and parents alike, be it television, game console or computer screen time. Whenever I try to talk about the redeeming qualities of video games and the likes of, it’s as if I am trying to argue the nutritional value of Twinkies.
Depending on the genre and the game, there is some value in some of them. Personally, I am drawn to builders, multi-players, strategy games and puzzle solvers. One could argue that these have a fair number of redeeming values assuming they are well designed and executed, sure some may think I am stretching here but I concur, it beats watching re-runs.
Many feel like “sketches” of games with placeholder art, stick figures and all, while others have a very impressive professional ‘gloss to them. But when you get down to game play many of them are quite fun, dare I say (a tad) addictive. With titles like Shopping Cart Hero, Fantastic Contraption, and Monsters’ Den there is plenty to explore. Set the egg timer (otherwise, you’ll lose track of time) and have a blast.
We were greeted at the Rose Bowl parking lot by a small army of Rose Parade workers (known simply as “White Suitors” because of their pristine white suits and white straw hats which are a throwback to the Parade’s 100 history), that directed us with mechanical precision to an open field that quickly swelled into a tightly packed lot full of SUV’s and Minivans.
We arrived kinda early, so they lines moved faster than we could scoot our kids along and we were on our way to one of the many chartered school buses taking us across town to the floats. Knowing that three Park N’Ride locations were feeding bus-loads of us to the same neighborhood, things got pretty congested. The three parking locations are the Rose Bowl, Pasadena City College, and the Community Education Center in Pasadena.
If you are planning on going here are some parent tips to make the trip a little easier;
If you want to sit down and take a break, check out the 15 minute documentary about the making of a float for the Rose Parade at the 1600 theater at Pasadena High School. It puts some perspective on the massive effort put forth every year. I guarantee you won’t watch the parade the same way.
Some of the highlights of the showcase for me was being able to look into the underbelly of these homemade monstrosities. Many of the ones with heavy animatronics rigs looked like they had full server racks next to the driver’s seats! Sure that is probably on of the geeker fun facts, but it really is interesting to get up close to these works of art after seeing them on TV.
Float Detail | 2009 Rose Parade Float Showcase
The Nintendo Wii is one of this year’s hottest items. And if you’re lucky you might be able to get your hands on one. That is as long as you don’t mind standing in line before the stores open praying they won’t sell out before you reach the front of the line.
That’s why meta-DAD has teamed up with Noobie.Com and is excited to announce we are giving away a brand-new Nintendo Wii, valued at $250, this holiday season as part of Noobie’s “I want a Wii” contest. All you need to do is fill out the form below for your chance to win. That’s it, no purchases, surveys or other trickery.
Of all the consoles out there, I personally think the Nintendo Wii is the best choice for families with young school-aged children. Developers of games for the Wii have done a great job at putting a focus on great gameplay and the novelty of the revolutionary Wii remote has stuck. The people have voted and the Wii has won with games like Super Mario Galaxy
IMPORTANT CONTEST INFORMATION:
Noobie’s “I want a Wii” contest will end on December 12th, 2008 at 11:59 P.M. ET. The drawing for the Nintendo Wii will take place on or about December 14th, 2008.
By entering your name and email address the fine folks at Noobie have assured me that your information will not be sold or given away to any third party companies (i.e. spam), so fire away and enter with ease. Heck, get Grandma to enter, too! I guarantee she’ll love the bowling on Wii.
Noobie.Com specializes in teaching beginners how to use their technology gadgets. Think digital cameras, iPods, DVRs, cell phones, etc.
Tags: family fun, games, technology
When Pumpkin Picking Season comes around, I always think of the Faulkner Farm. I’m not sure it is the most sincere pumpkin patch around but I’m sure the Great Pumpkin would approve. Through the month of October they have a Pumpkin Patch and Harvest Festival that is a great destination for those of us who are kid-strapped and looking for something fun to do.
They have all sorts of stuff going on besides the pumpkin patch – face painting, pony rides, live music, hay rides, the list goes on. Do yourself a favor and go on an empty stomach because the food is really good fresh corn on the cob, tri-tip sandwiches, fresh lemonade, kettle corn, baked goods and so forth.
They’re located in Santa Paula, CA which is in Ventura County midway between LA and Santa Barbara. Coming from LA, we like to take the Pacific Coast Highway for obvious reasons – the view is a perfect way to end the day.
Related Sites;
Santa Paula Pumpkin Patch Festival
UC Davis | Faulkner Farm Story
