San Francisco Exploratorium Review

 

"We are the music makers, And we are the dreamers of dreams," - Arthur O'Shaughnessy

 

   I remember elementary school field trips to the San Francisco Exploratorium. The building was next to the Palace of Fine Arts, but has moved to Pier 17, which is just as cool of a location. This is a great place to visit at any age. My children eat it up, as they can touch just about anything. Given the rules of the house, my 'Lil Man was so beside himself with glee, that the night before our visit he stated, "I can't wait to go to the place tomorrow, 'cuz I get to touch EVERYTHING!" It was clear that it was going to be a heck of a time. I mean, I can remember running hard and fast all day as a kid there. I came home burned out from a day of learning, trying things out, spinning on the centrifugal chair and trying not to throw up etc. I'd say about 40% of the exhibits were original. I asked a volunteer kid who was manning the suspension doodle pad how old he was. He told me he was 17, which meant the exhibit was there for me to see before this kid was born. Ouch! We be old!

 

   One of the exhibits was rather large for how little was in it. It was a large dark room with a large flat screen right in the middle. A ghosted image was visible with a small sign that instructed you to put your hand on the upper right of the screen. I did and the figure SLOWLY put her hand up to mine. Then she SLOWLY wiped the "mist" from where her eyes were, and put both hands down before staring at me. It was all prerecorded, but creeped me out. I had my 'Lil Man with me and I hear a soft voice say, "Daddy, I'm scared." We both jetted out of there. Seems there's better use of the space, but then, they have a ton of space to expand into, so I guess you can place odd modern art installations wherever you want. The rest of the stuff was hands on and a ton of fun. It messed with their senses, expanded their imaginations, and taught them a little bit about a LOT of stuff.

 

   In the end, it was a great time. There were a lot of people there, but I didn't really mind as there was a lot to do. As we had a baby in tow, we got there with 2 hours to closing and it was JUST enough time. We could have used another hour, but only because we'd been there over the years and knew what was worth our time for our families ages. A newbie might need most of the day to see it all. We ended in the sound room, where there were all types of xylophones to bang on. We missed it years back with our 'Lil Miss was a bit younger, and I'm glad we ended on that. It was just the Cheek Clan, making their own sweet obnoxious music. We all had a great time and each had our personal favorite exhibit. If you're in the area and are looking for some additional places to visit, this might be a great one for your family.

 

   Parking right across the street is $45 for the day, which is atrocious. We went another block away and it was $25 through 8pm. It's about a 20 minute walk to Pier 39, where there's a bunch of restaurants, shops, a carousel, and the famed sea lions resting on the docks.

   I love San Francisco. Born and raised, returned and appreciated. I'm glad we got to go, and happy we now have the memories.

 

J. 

Cheap Summer Fun Activities

 

"If we didn't have any money, WE didn't know it." - Grandma Schofield

 

   My grandmother past away this past year, and one of the lessons she taught me was that you don't need money to have fun. She pointed out that the days as a married couple with little money were some of the best memories she had. Granted, looking back one can say that. While in the midst of things being tight, I can have a MUCH different perspective. As an adult you have a more complicated set of responsibilities.

   That being said, there are some fantastically cheap summer fun activities out there to participate in. When I was a kid, my mother bought a super cheap plastic pool, filled it with water, and then gave us old Cool Whip bowls to play with. If a toy or ball flew out into the dry weeds (no grass yet at that point), we'd put the bowls on our feet as "shoes" and walk into the brush to retrieve whatever was lost. We were young, broke, and happy.

   Fast forward to today, and while we're not "poor as church mice" as we were once labeled, we're still in a place where we need cheap entertainment. While on a work trip, we stayed with family and the weather got warm. My mother, in her traditional way, grabbed two buckets, turned on the hose, and my little ones were on their way to a pile of summer fun, right in the front yard. I came home to the scene pictured above. Memories came rushing back and I'm grateful The Wife and my mother could provide a much needed diversion for some VERY active minds.

   So here's my short list of cheap summer activities you can try out:

 

Home based water park - Get creative and it can be ten times the fun you think.

Treasure Maps – I did this with the kids once, and they now ask to do it again a least once every two weeks.

Public Library – Whether you grab some new books, or find a free event, there’s a lot to do there.

Costume Party – Mom or dad, you get dressed up too. Join the fun.

Home Theatre Production – This can follow on the heels of the costume party!

Craft Day – Throw down some newspaper and get messy.

Nature Walk – There’s more out there to look at than you’d think, if you’re looking.

Movie Night – You can rent movies for a buck these days. See something new.

Ice Cream Night – Grab a few flavors and a bunch of toppings and go “nuts”.

Fort Building – Find boxes, blankets, couch cushions and get to work. Combine with movie night! Childhood Outdoor Games – Hopscotch, kick the can, tag, hide-and-go-seek, kites, etc. all work.

Farmer’s Market – There’s always one nearby. Search one out and try something new.

Marshmallows – Get a fire going and toast some mallows. S’Mores optional.

Lemonade Stand – We’re doing our first this summer. They were always more work than profit, but fun regardless.

Picnic – Always a good excuse to get out, have lunch, play at the park, beach, or wherever.

Stargazing – Can be fun no matter the location, but I saw my first satellite fly over while looking at the stars with my dad.

Local Baseball – This can be super cheap and good old American fun.

 

Hope your summer will be as great as ours!

 



 

J. 



Life Hacks

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Favorite Disneyland Rides

(photo courtesy of Daveland)

"You're dead if you aim only for kids. Adults are only kids grown up, anyway." - Walt Disney

   The kids were watching Disney's "Alice In Wonderland" and my 'Lil Miss mentioned how much she liked the ride at Disneyland. Now, I know that the price of admission to one of these themed parks has become a decision between your children's college education and a family trip, but this is a post about the rides we loved. We'll do a Disneyland cost/fun analysis another time.

   I first went to Disneyland when I was around 8. That was somewhere in the neighborhood of 1983. I don't remember the lines being bad, so either they weren't as bad, or it was just too darned magical to care. I got my first couple of pins, was blown away by Peter Pan's Flight, and remember seeing my first lesbian couple kiss (older couple, weirded me out). It truly was a magical time. Our family hit Disneyworld once a few years after, but that was headed into my parents divorce, so not as good of a time.

   Since then, The Wife and I were married and headed to the Magic Kingdom with siblings, nieces and nephews. We were the catch all for helping out, making things that much more fun, and having a blast ourselves. As our family started and grew, we shared the magic with our little ones. Our favorite rides changed with the times. They were the fast Space Mountain and California Screamin'. These days it's more Casey Jr. and It's A Small World. My favorite will always be Peter Pan's Ride. There are some GREAT pics of the ride on Daveland's blog. The kid's favorites vary from each trip, and when you ask them.

(me and dad, Great America in CA, 1983)

 





   We all crave the thrill of the ride. Whether you're a speed demon, or look for a 3-5 minute escape from reality, theme park rides have always delivered. My favorites have always been at Disneyland, but I'm wondering what favorites you might have. Drop a comment and let me know, what's your favorite theme park ride?

 

J. 

When The Grinch Visits Your School

 

You're a mean one, Mr. Grinch. You really are a heel.

You're as cuddly as a cactus, You're as charming as an eel,

Mr. Grinch.

You're a bad banana with a greasy black peel.

(listen/see on YouTube)

 

   As I paid my daughter's school a visit to pick up some items today, there was a buzz in the quad. The kids were happily freaking out about a visitor. I heard the word "Grinch" and wandered over. The above picture is of a local dad, all decked out, just to have some fun. The kids all loved it and there were pics taken by one of the staff.

 

   It made me think of all the things I, or dad's I've known, have done for our kids. In fact, as I think back, I remember things my father did for us, and friend's dads did for them. My dad went a through painstaking process to be dressed up as a werewolf for halloween one year. He spent all day prepping and cooking for a Chinese dinner for a group of us for homecoming my senior year. For two years he led the restoration of a 1928 Model A Ford that finished (and started for the first time) at 4 a.m. the night before my senior ball.

 

   Think about all that's been done for you, and all you've done for your own. When it's done out of love, it's never a chore. More of a labor of love. Isn't that what it's all about?

 

Merry Christmas, Grinches.

 

J. 

Treasure Maps

Andy: Do you think there's really any treasure here? 

Mikey: Andy this whole ship is a treasure.

- The Goonies (1985)

   I've always wanted to do a treasure map, ever since I was a wanna-be Goonie. I remember the Map of One Eyed Willie oh so well. I did a small, lame one a few weeks back that went over extremely well with my older two pirates. They begged for another. So we found the right treasure, that the kids were kind of in need of for their rooms anyway, and I set to creating the map. This took me about two days of minimal time in between stuff. 

   I started with pencil, to map out the rooms with a ruler. I then penned them in with Micro pens (ohhh....I've got a thing for these pens...). I did some tracing and some lettering for the letters that would eventually lead the kids to the "treasure". I did some water color to give that "weathered" look. It ended up better than I thought it would. 

   The treasure hunt was fun. My 'Lil Miss was going way to fast, so I had to carry the 'Lil Man a bit. I put sticky diamonds in the locations where the letters would be in each room. After they were found, they were numbered so they would spell a sentence of where the final treasure location would be. The hunt was super fun for the kids and lasted around 15-20 minutes. I know I can add layers to add more time. A word find, maze, etc., would help, but this was my first attempt. I know we're all at different levels of creativity, but anything will do. The kids are worth it, as they are our treasures. Have fun!

J.