The Tigers Are At The Sedgwick County Zoo!

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And they are Awesome!  We were able to go Sunday morning for the members sneak peek.  The facilities look incredible.  Those are some really big cats!  And, as with the Gorilla and Penguin exhibits, they have a ton of volunteers on hand to give you wonderful information about the animals before you enter or to answer any questions you have. 

 As the zoo expands, it also finds more ways to create a realistic sense of what the animals real surrounding might be, for us.  It’s almost like waiting in line at Universal Studios or Disneyland.  RELAX I said almost. 

We were there for four hours, and didn’t even fit in half of the zoo!  It is an all day adventure, if you plan on taking it all in! 

There were also lots of babies to see.  Sweet little monkeys.  Beautiful lion cubs.  Goslings galore!  And I stress, we didn’t even see half of the zoo, so who knows what other babies there were to discover. 

Spring at the Sedgwick County Zoo is a must do, if you are not already making regular visits!  And if you want a wonderful place to go all year long, it is well worth the money for a family membership.

Plan a family adventure to the zoo soon!

Sedgwick County Park-Boundless Playground

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Today we made a visit to the Boundless Playground at the Sedgwick County Park.  If you are looking for something to cover all ages, this is the place.  Each age group has it’s own section, all enclosed in a gated area, so parents can feel a little at ease. 

  Not remembering all the features from our visit last year, we were not properly prepared for full blown play.  There is a very nice sand and water area for the smaller kids, so if you want your kids to get the full benefit, dress them for some water play.  You might want to take along sand buckets and digging instruments as well. (not to mention extra clothes to change into afterwards to save the car seats!)

We also enjoyed a stroll along the lake, crossing a small covered bridge, and spotting lots of geese and ducks. 

Although the Boundless Playground is worth the trip all on it’s own, you might want to consider packing a picnic lunch and making a day of it somewhere else in the park.  It’s a very large area with lots of room for everyone.

We’re going to give our adventure today lots of thumbs up!

Creating A Family Adventure-Bird Spotting

Wichita has had some unseasonable warm weather the last few weeks, and the birds are starting to become very active.  Along with their activity, the boys are really starting to take an interest in the different birds that visit our backyard.  We have a resident robin that appears to be collecting items for the spring home.  I haven’t seen the finch yet, but I have heard a lot of other birds calling to each other. 

Since the boys seem interested I decided we would start a family hobby of bird spotting.  For this I have downloaded a birding ebook with a few pictures for help in identifying some of the birds I’m not familiar with.  I also have used the enature site for bird calls and a list of birds for our area.  They can help you plan a bird spotting journal or chart.

To keep them interested over time, I’ll put a bird spotting book together for them, with pictures of birds I know they will easily recognize, and we’ll add information such as date and place spotted.  This family hobby can go anywhere with you, and gives the kids a focus on trips that might not usually hold their interest.

This hobby can also help the kids developan appreciation of nature, and all things living, making them more caring of their world.  And any time the family is doing something together, you give your kids a sense of love and stability and fond moments to remember.

Museum Of World Treasures-Our follow-up

Since visiting the Museum on Tuesday, the older of the two boys has requested we return with a host of family and friends, so that he can share this marvelous find with them.  It seems that he would have us popping in on the dinosaur bones every week.  So it appears that even though his reaction at the time was mixed, it has left a very positive fun memory with him.  And in the end, that’s what it’s all about.

Museum Of World Treasures, Wichita, KS-Our Review

As promised, we made our first visit to the Museum of World Treasures.  Our group included my two grandsons, who for a few more days are both 3, and myself.  Admission was for only me, since they are both under 4 and cost $9.51 total.  Dinosaurs are on the main floor, and it was a very nice layout.  The boys seem to have mixed reactions.  The younger of the two, just wanted to sit on a bench and watch a movie they were showing on dinosaurs in movies…I’m not sure of the title, and the older one just bounced from one spot to another.  It seemed to be more than his little mind could take in all at once.  After about 20 minutes there, they wanted to see something else, so we headed to the 3rd floor.  The second floor is mostly for older kids and adults with it’s military and presidential themes.  The third floor has a castle area with dungeon, and a play room with a puppet theater and toys to climb and ride on.  We never made it past these areas.  There is an area where you can look down at the dinosaurs on display, that I found very cool.  We stayed about 20 minutes on the third floor, then headed back to the main floor for one more look at the dinos.  We were there less than an hour.  It is a very nice kid friendly museum, but not a place I would want to visit several times a year.  A family membership does not seem like a good fit for us at this time. 

Once home though, the older boy went out to the backyard and started digging for fossils!

For more Wichita Family Fun visit my website www.wichitafamilyfun.com

Creating a Family Adventure: Upcoming Reviews

Beginning tomorrow, 2/24/2009, the boys and I will start hitting the places I have listed on my website www.wichitafamilyfun.com as Places of Interest and giving you our unsolicited opinion.  We will begin with the Museum of World Treasures.  I have not been there since they moved location, and the boys, (my grandsons 3 & 4) have never been there.  Because of their ages our focus will be on the dinosaur exhibit.  I will give you a first reaction and overall reaction, from the boys.  (I’ll include my own thoughts too).  Then over the course of the next few weeks, we will try a new adventure.  We’ll be saving our thoughts about the Sedgwick County Zoo for the opening of the tiger exhibit, this spring.  We will try to mix things up as far as outings for pay and for free.  I’ll give you my opinion as to whether a family might want to invest in a membership for multiple visits over the year.  Hands down, everyone should be a zoo member, and go as often as they can.  Everyday something exciting is going on there! 

So anyway, Wednesday you should be able to see our review on the Dinosaur Adventure.

Searching for eagles

Some sort of seagull, not sure, living in Kansas and all.

Run of the mill geese, all competing for the bread that was being thrown.

   I loaded the boys up yesterday afternoon and we headed downtown, lured by the promise of eagle sightings.  The Eagle newspaper printed an article about a possible eagle nest, which triggerd my memory that for the last 10 years, I’ve wanted to take a day and drive around looking for them, when they come for their winter visit.  I’ve haven’t followed thru, until now. 

So we headed right for Central Riverside Park, and drove the many roads along the river, looking in the trees and sky for the big guys.  We saw not a one.  However, we did spy some other foul and I thought I’d stop a take  a picture anyway.

We’ll try eagle hunting tomorrow, and see if we have any luck!

Check out www.wichitafamilyfun.com for my list of places to see.

What’s there to do in Wichita?

Since I have lived here all my life, sometimes I forget what really wonderful places are nearby, that help create a fun family memory.  For me as a child, going to Joyland in the summer was always a highlight.  There was the school’s out days, where good grades on the report card earned you tickets.  Beech Aircraft and Boeing always had employee days for families. So we always got a couple of opportunities to ride the roller coaster!

Unfortunetly, those days are gone now.  But does that mean there’s nothing for the kids to do?  Not by a long shot.  Wichita has one of the best zoo’s in the country.  We make several trips every year, making a grandparent plus membership a must.  But money doesn’t have to be spent to have a good time.  Central Riverside park and vacinity offers a full day of adventure for kids.  Start at the Keeper of the Plains, with a “Troll Hunt”, and some exploring of the surroundings, then head over to Central Riverside for many fun activities.  There is a Kansas Wildlife exhibit, Solar Calendar, (or strange rock formation as the boys call it) a pond, paths, and tons of animal friends to find. 

Plan a nature scavenger hunt before heading out, or make a map, and head off on an exploration expedition.  And that’s just one park among many.  The fun is only limited by a lack of imagination. 

So share your fun times and discover a few more.