Your guide to activities and fun things to do with your preschoolers, toddlers and kids in baltimore, MD

Summertime Freebies

June 29, 2009

Perhaps you've heard about these super deals already--and if you have, great, because that means you've had more time to take advantage of the savings--but if you haven't, shoot, then I've got to bring you up-to-date.  You know, as much as we love being outside in the summer, in spite of the withering sun, in spite of the drenching humidity, there are times when an air-conditioned indoor activity really fits the bill.  Times when, say, it's 109 degrees and we've completely run out of ideas.  And while we're all very fond of going bowling and to the movies, it can be tough, particularly in these tight times, to justify spending a bunch of money on entertainment.  Which is why . . . wait for it . . . these deals are so awesome. 

Everybody gets excited about free stuff, right?  Well, if you like bowling or the movies, then these are the deals for you.  First, let's talk about the bowling:

Kids Bowl Free, a program sponsored by AMF Bowling Centers, allows kids to (guess what?) bowl for free all summer!  Don't believe me?  Just register for Kids Bowl Free online and begin enjoying up to two games per day every day this summer.  I know, right!  Plus, when you sign up the kids, you'll have an opportunity to purchase a Family Pass (starting at $23.95) that will allow YOU (and up to three other adults) to bowl up to two games per day, too!  Which, as far as I'm concerned, is an excellent value, because I have a hard time resisting the allure of the pins.  Anyway, can you believe it?  Summertime bowling for free!

And now, let's talk about some movie freebies:

Between now and August 19, you can catch a free kids' movie (or two) any Tuesday or Wednesday morning at Hunt Valley Stadium 12.  You heard me--it's FREE!  Following is this summer's free movie schedule:

Baltimore Free-Wheelin': Five Great Spots to Take a Bike Ride

May 19, 2009

I learned to ride a bike in the weedy, glassy, busted-up parking lot behind the closed-down Pantry Pride.  It wasn't scenic, but grocery cart ramps and concrete barriers added interest, and I loved to ride in figure-eights around the bases of the mercury vapor lights.  The point of this story?  That kids are highly industrious creatures who, in a pinch and on their bicycles, can find bliss just about anywhere.  But the point of this post?  That some bike-riding spots are better than others, and the best of these lack abandoned plastic milk crates and giant hunks of broken glass.

Play's the Thing: Five More Playgrounds

April 14, 2009

You know what you need today?  Some quality playground recommendations, and I'm just the person to lay them on you.  Several of these parks are places we visit regularly, and a few are spots we haven't hit in some time.  Now that it's springtime and practically warm out, don't you owe it to the kiddies to take them someplace different and fun?  Of course you do.  So here are my suggestions:

An Outdoor Play Toolchest

March 30, 2009

As glad as I am that you are reading this post, I really want you to go outside.  Because unless it's 12 degrees, raining or four in the morning, there's no reason for you and the kids not to be outside.  So bag the laundry; forget the cleaning; turn off the computer.  And grab a few of these outdoor-play basics for a run-around, get-out-of-breath, fresh-air good time.

Sledding, Anyone?

by Laura Stallard Petza

January 26, 2009

It seems almost pointless, given the scanty amount of snow we've gotten so far this winter, to talk seriously about sledding, and yet . . . here I am, making a list of excellent sledding hills. Why bother, you ask? Well, February is just around the corner, and February is, statistically speaking, Baltimore's snowiest month. So here, just in case we do get a little more of the white stuff this  Read more...

The Weather Outside Is Frightful, and My Toddler's Being Spiteful (Volume Two): Five (More) Things to Do in Baltimore on a Less-Than-Perfect Day

by Laura Stallard Petza

January 20, 2009

Winter. At its best, it's a season of light snow, of candy hearts, and at its worst, well, it's a season of boredom. There hasn't been much in the way of snow this winter, and it's too early, of course, for candy hearts, so what's left for you to do with the kids? Sure, there's ice skating--I wrote about skating venues a few weeks back--but perhaps you're still looking for a few activities that  Read more...

Five Ways to Enjoy Patterson Park

by Laura Stallard Petza

October 22, 2008

If you haven't been to Patterson Park in a while (or--gasp--if you've never been there), now's the time to check it out. Following are five sure-fire ways to make the most of Patterson Park with the little ones. The "new" playground Opened in the spring of 2005, this playground isn't as new as it used to be, but it's still the newest of the two in the park, and among  Read more...