Day Trip to Cologne

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February 11, 2019 By Jennifer Leave a Comment

We had long wanted to visit Köln or Cologne, the fourth largest city in Germany.

We were counting down to our move back to the States and had to make it a day trip. We had to get a special emissions test and sticker to travel into the city.

We parked and walked around the Cathedral.

Our first stop was Früh.

Even though 90% of the city was destroyed during WWII, the brewery was spared.

While we didn’t partake in traditional Halve Hahn, we did have a lovely meal of fish, cold beef, potatoes, veggies, and salad.

After lunch, we toured the Cathedral.

St. Agilulfus altar and shrine

The Shrine of the Three Kings is the largest reliquary in the world.

We watched a chalk artist and some musicians in the courtyard.

It was a very warm day and we dipped our toes in a fountain!

We had some lovely ice cream before heading home.

More Things to Do and See in Cologne:

Fragrance Museum
Chocolate Museum
Cologne Zoo
Boat Trip on the Rhine
Hänneschen Theatre
Köln Triangle Panorama
Olympic Museum
Kolner Seilbahn Cable Car
Groß St. Martin
St. Maria Im Kapitol
Ludwig Museum
Romano-Germanic Museum
Wallraf-Richartz Museum
Museum Für Angewandte Kunst Köln
Kolumba Museum
Schnütgen Museum
Belgian Quarter
Cologne’s Old Town
St Gereon’s Basilica
Botanical Garden
Hohenzollern Bridge with Love Locks
National Socialism Documentation Center
Rheinauhafen District
FC Köln
Gamescom
Christmas Market Cologne

We had a great time in Cologne!

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SunWatch Indian Village and Archaeological Park

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February 11, 2019 By Jennifer Leave a Comment

SunWatch Indian Village offers exploration and learning both indoors and out. Visitors will enjoy watching an introductory film in the indoor theater, viewing artifacts and learning about the history of the Village and its inhabitants in the Interpretive Center, and immersing themselves in the 800-year-old lifestyle by visiting the reconstructed structures, located in their original, exact locations. Learn more here.

The indoor museum teaches about Ohio native peoples and how European white people came for trade and decimated the native populations. It’s very accurate.

There are lots of artifacts that are family-friendly like clothing, musical instruments, and toys.

Native houses and a garden are in the courtyard.

We attended a special event last year to learn about native food.

Our Boonshoft membership is reciprocal.

Guides taught us about native foods – growing, preparing, and preserving.

We tasted some stew with hominy and bear meat.

Native foods and preserving

There are lovely hiking trails along the river.

There are events all year round for families to learn about the area and the native peoples who inhabited this area.

We’re excited for summer field camp!

Sunwatch Hours and Admission

April–November
Tuesday-Saturday
9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.
Sunday: noon-5:00 p.m.
Closed on Mondays

December–March
Saturday
9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.
Sunday: noon-5:00 p.m.
*Closed Monday-Friday, except by appointment

Closed: New Year’s Eve, New Year’s Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, Easter

Adults $7.00
Seniors (60+) 6.00
Students (6-17) $6.00
Members are always FREE!

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Boonshoft Museum of Discovery

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December 9, 2018 By Jennifer Leave a Comment

Our favorite event every month is the Boonshoft Homeschool Day.

It’s the first Thursday of the month from September through May.

I purchase a membership each year since we all attend the homeschool days each month and it pays for itself in two sessions.

My middle girls attended invitation only Summer Field Camp and loved it.

There are homeschool science activities all day long. The earlier activities are geared for younger kids.

We like to show up for the 1:30 Do Lab activity.

They usually have stations set up at lab tables around the theme of the day. My kids like to learn together.

Safety first!

We’ve learned about ponds.

They have great equipment we don’t otherwise have access to, like microscopes.

The kids have learned about coding and robotics.

We’ve learned about African American inventors and their inventions.

We’ve learned about Native American history and archaeology.

We like chemistry and physics.

Testing water salinity from the pond.

We all shocked pennies and watched them change color.

Biology is not a favorite.

Bone density day was ok.

We dissected eyeballs and a heart for the last homeschool day last year!

After the 1:30 Do Lab, there are often animal meet and greets at 2:15 and science theatre at 3:30.

Boonshoft offers a small zoo, StarLab, hands-on science exhibits, special exhibits, NOVA weather station, archaeology exhibits, space exhibits, a children’s museum with a fun playground, treehouse birdwatching, pond and walking paths through the woods. There are fun special events throughout the year.

Boonshoft is a fun afternoon for our whole family!

Hours

Monday – Saturday: 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Sunday: Noon – 5:00 p.m.

Admission

Children (3-17) $11.50
Adults $14.50
Seniors (60+) $12.50
Children (under 3) Free
DSNH Members are FREE

Check for discounts and deals or how to become a member.

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Corn Maze

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November 5, 2018 By Jennifer Leave a Comment

The kids wanted to do some fun fall activities.

It’s getting harder the older they get. Most of the fun things seem to be for little kids.

We went to the homeschool day at Pot-Luck Greenhouse.

We went for the corn maze. It was ok. It was near our house, and we went through a couple times. There were activity books.

We’re already lost!

I have this same shot when Alex was 18 months old in Utah!

I love this shot of the bridge!

Fun games!

We took a hay ride to choose pumpkins. They were already cut, to my kids’ disappointment.

Our Other Fall Field Trips:

Black Island Farms in Utah

Sunshine Pumpkin Farm in Germany

Appel Happel in Germany

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Sunshine Pumpkin Farm

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November 5, 2018 By Jennifer Leave a Comment

We took a homeschool field trip to Sunshine Pumpkin Farm.

We travel a lot in fall, so this was exciting for us to do something a little more normal.

The kids liked visiting the animals.

Katie loves cows.

We took a wagon tractor ride to pick our own pumpkins.

Yummy cider and cake for sale in the farm shop!

You can also visit their English and German website. They’re about 10 minutes away from Landstuhl.

There’s a milk and egg dispensary.

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Dayton Art Institute

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September 24, 2018 By Jennifer Leave a Comment

The Dayton Art Institute is a great beginner art museum for people of all ages.

It’s small and doesn’t take long to go through. There are some important examples of art for every era.

For military families, DAI is FREE all summer long. Students and kids are always FREE.

My teen daughter and I visited to check it out.

We were a little silly.

Some of our favorites:

Visit DAI:

REGULAR HOURS
MONDAY	Closed
TUESDAY	Closed
WEDNESDAY	11 a.m. – 5 p.m.
THURSDAY	11 a.m. – 8 p.m.
FRIDAY	11 a.m. – 5 p.m.
SATURDAY	11 a.m. – 5 p.m
SUNDAY	Noon – 5 p.m.

Leo Bistro is now open!

MUSEUM ADMISSION
Suggested general admission to the museum’s collection galleries:

Adults: $8
Seniors, Groups & Active Military: $5
Members, Students, & Youth: FREE

NOTE: Special exhibitions, programs and events may carry an additional admission charge.

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Road Trip with Kids

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June 14, 2018 By Jennifer Leave a Comment

Road trips can be fun…or nightmares.

We’ve done a lot of day trips. Those are like practice for real road trips.

Our experiences:

We drove from Atlanta to San Antonio with a preschooler for our first PCS.

We had to travel from San Antonio to Illinois with an infant and preschooler for a funeral. Breast feeding and diaper changes during a long road trip is…stressful.

We drove from Destin, FL, to Galveston, TX, with a screaming baby who would not be soothed for anything. We tried everything. She just wanted to be held and out of that carseat.

With four kids, we traveled to Yellowstone and Grand Teton for vacation.

We drove from Utah to Georgia over several days before PCSing to Germany.

We traveled from Atlanta to Ohio with four kids and two cats when we returned from Germany.

The key to road trips with kids is to be prepared.

Talk to your kids and explain what they should expect. Tell them and show them the route and how long it will take.

Bend the rules a bit during a road trip. Allow some things you ordinarily don’t at home – like screens and video games or special snacks. Load the tablets or laptops with books, videos, games – download beforehand from online sites or the library.

Throw the schedule out the window. If you expect it to take a certain number of hours to get there, tack on a bit. It will take you longer than you expect.

Plan stops every couple of hours to let off steam and use facilities. We love rest stops or parks with playgrounds and open nature spaces. We often plan to have picnic meals.

While it may seem like a great idea to drive overnight and let the kids sleep, it’s not always possible nor do they always cooperate, and then your sleep schedule is messed up.

If possible, consider seating arrangements. I often tried to sit near my babies and young toddlers to help them and soothe them when necessary. Older children can help younger ones too.

Stay calm. Meet needs. Stop often to refresh.

What to bring on a road trip with kids:

Emergency gear

Be prepared in case something goes wrong. It most likely will.

a change of clothes that’s easy to get to (for everyone)
first aid kit
spill clean up kit – for bodily issues or drink spills. I like using reusable wet bags for messy and wet clothes.
calming essential oils for tantrums. We’ve used them during long trips and they really work!

Snacks

You’ll want healthy ready-to-eat items that are easy to clean up. Offer a new snack every hour or so to keep it interesting – not everything all at once. It’s fun to keep snacks in little plastic cases or reusable baggies.

clear or light-colored drinks…or just reusable water bottles for everyone.
fruit – ready to eat or cut up in bite-size
veggies – small, bite-size or cut up
cheese
crackers
fruit snacks or gummies

Activities

Long hours in a small enclosed space can be boring and tiresome. Keep lots of items available to keep them occupied! Offer a new activity every hour or so to keep it interesting. Travel trays are a great investment. Also, teach and play car games! We went on road trips as kids and didn’t have portable electronics, so we had to occupy ourselves with car bingo and songs.

Books – either Kindle or real
Audio – Books on CD are still fun! Audible has lots of audiobooks. Cracker Barrel has a good selection.
Video – tablets, laptops, or players with shows, movies, and games.
Coloring
Stickers
Activity Books
MagnaDoodle, AquaDoodle (maybe), Etch a Sketch – These were a HUGE HIT with our kids.
Wikki Stix
Bag or Toob of small animals
Silly Putty (maybe) or Play Dough – you can make your own with calming scents
Magnets – there are lots of fun alphabet or theme sets or you can use a little magnetic tray
Pretend play sets- purse, doctor bag, maps, compass, toy camera
Comfort toys: Don’t forget the favorite blanket and snuggly!

Alex didn’t have much wiggle room as we drove from Utah to Georgia!

What are your travel tips for traveling with kids?

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Spark Art

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April 9, 2018 By Jennifer Leave a Comment

We are so thrilled to have found Spark Art Studio.

As a home educator, I don’t usually outsource my kids’ education. I can teach art history just fine.

But hands-on arts and crafts is something I often skip at home. While I absolutely love art, I fail in the actual hands-on part of art. I don’t like the setup, research, mess, or cleanup. I don’t have the time, talent, supplies, space, or aptitude. I don’t feel I do art justice or often enough.

These classes are worth every single penny.

The homeschool classes encompass all sorts of fabulous art techniques and art history.

Miss Jamie really goes all out with getting the kids involved in the process and creating amazing and fun projects.

I love this sign that hangs in their waiting room:

Sometimes when we arrive a few minutes early, I overhear the interaction with the previous class. I just love the kindness in Miss Jamie’s voice as she ever so gently guides the toddler and baby in their art exploration, play, and projects. Their mother also is exemplary in her respectful tone and words with her young children. They both are such role models!

I’ve never heard Miss Jamie get exasperated with a child. She must have the patience of a saint!

My kids adore Miss Jamie and the homeschool art class.

Here’s a lovely tribute wall to her mom:

I will sacrifice in other areas of our budget to ensure my kids get their art on.

Spark Art just moved to a new and improved permanent location and it’s just wonderful.

I’ve been so very impressed with all the incredible art my kids have learned about and created each week.

The kids loved making prints and learning about lithographs.

They learned about the Huichol people in Mexico and made some inspired texture designs.

Miss Jamie often gives me neat printouts of the artists and art history for me to bring home for my files. I love that.

I have no interest in glitter.

One of my favorites are these drip paint pieces. I sprayed them with polyurethane and mounted them on our wall.

I also love these circles paintings. I plan to frame those and hang them.

The kids really enjoyed making clay sculptures.

They learned about Helen Frankenthaler one week and painted these amazing rubber band boards. They’re still being stored on the shelf to dry.

They’ve learned about story book illustrators, painters, performance artists, sculptors, and pop art.

They’ve worked on stop motion videos, anime, drawing, painting.

I love the variety.

Each homeschool class includes a lesson and/or story and often up to 3-4 projects!

There are classes for everyone!

You can order a whole session of 5 weekly classes or do a drop-in to see if you love it. (You will.)

Mommy and Me
Preschoolers
After School
Teens
Homeschoolers
Adults

There are special holiday workshops, Scouts events, and birthday parties!

The lineup for summer camp looks amazing.

If you live in the Dayton, OH, area…you must visit Spark Art Studio!

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Oahu with Kids

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August 14, 2017 By Jennifer 4 Comments

We lived on O’ahu for three years. Living in Hawai’i isn’t the same as a vacation there. But every single day, there’s a rainbow!

My husband was stationed at Hickam AFB. We lived on base. It was mostly magical. The kids still call it home and we all long to go back.

The thing about living in paradise is that you’re living in paradise. It’s not a vacation every day. Dishes and laundry still have to get done. We homeschooled. Everything is expensive. Gas and food prices are high. Traffic is terrible. You have to watch out for centipedes.

But you can go to the beach whenever you want. There are lots of lovely parks and gardens and hiking opportunities. Those are FREE!

O’ahu is a great place for families!

Be sure to check out:
Hawaii Activities
Non-profit Sustainable Tours
Reef Safe Advocacy

Attractions in Kaneohe

The Windward Coast is a tropical paradise.

Ho’omaluhia Botanical Garden
Bellows Air Force Station
Sea Life Park
Hanauma Bay
Kualoa Ranch – Lots of movies and shows filmed there like Jurassic Park, Pearl Harbor, Lost, and Hawaii Five-O. There are ATV tours.
Kane’one Sandbar

North Shore Attractions

The beaches on the North Shore are best for families to visit during summer months. The waves get huge mid-November through March and host the famous Triple Crown of Surfing Championships.

There’s TONS to do on the North Shore of Oahu!

Matsumoto’s Shave Ice
Shrimp Trucks
Ted’s Bakery
Haleiwa Joe’s
Uncle Bo’s
Ray’s Chicken
Art Galleries
Surf Shops
Puu O Mahaka State Monument
Waimea Beach and Falls
Turtle Beach
Sharks Cove

Honolulu Attractions

Honolulu is the Hawaii state capital and of course, there are lots of fun things to do in the big city!

Honolulu Zoo
Waikiki Aquarium
Discovery Center Children’s Museum
Pearl Harbor
Pacific Aviation Museum
Diamond Head
Ko’olina
Bishop Museum
Friday Night Fireworks on Waikiki Beach (FREE)
Lili’uokalani Botanical Garden (FREE)

We loved living on Oahu for three years, exploring most of what the island had to offer. Some things we didn’t get to see or do since we had very little children. We’d love to go back!

We also traveled to Mau’i, Kaua’i, Ni’ihau, and The Big Island.

Booking.com Linking up:

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Honolulu with Kids

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August 9, 2017 By Jennifer 32 Comments

Attractions in Honolulu, Hawai’i for families are plenty!

Honolulu is the Hawaii state capital and of course, there are lots of fun things to do in the big city!

Honolulu Zoo
Waikiki Aquarium
Discovery Center Children’s Museum
Pearl Harbor
Pacific Aviation Museum
Diamond Head
Ko’olina
Bishop Museum
Friday Night Fireworks on Waikiki Beach (FREE)
Lili’uokalani Botanical Garden (FREE)

Be sure to check out:
Hawaii Activities
Non-profit Sustainable Tours
Reef Safe Advocacy

Honolulu Zoo

This is a nice zoo with mammal, birds, and reptiles. There are also lovely gardens to enjoy.

There’s a great children’s area with a petting zoo and playground.

We loved the exhibits you can climb inside for closer looks!

General Admission
$14.00 – Adult 13+
$6.00 – Children 3-12 yrs.

Kama’aina/U.S. military*
$8.00 – Adult 13+
$4.00 – Children 3-12 yrs.
* I.D. required for kama’aina/U.S. military rates.
FREE – Children 2 and under

Waikiki Aquarium

A lovely Hawaiian aquarium with coral life, monk seals, aquaculture, seahorses, and jellyfish.

We loved viewing the shallow aquariums and experiencing the touch pools.

General Admission
$12.00 – Adult 13+
$5.00 – Children 4-12 yrs.

Kama’aina/U.S. military*
$8.00 – Adult 13+
* I.D. required for kama’aina/U.S. military rates.
FREE – Children 3 and under

Hawaii Children’s Discovery Center

A fun children’s museum featuring the temporary special exhibits and permanent exhibits like the human body, busy town, world cultures, farming, rainforest, and Hawaiian habitats.

General Admission
$12.00

Kama’aina/U.S. military*
$10.00
* I.D. required for kama’aina/U.S. military rates.
FREE – Children under 1

Friday Night Fireworks in Waikiki!

Every Friday night around 8 PM, Hawaiian Hilton Village sets off a fireworks show – and it’s FREE! It’s great to plan a picnic, watch the sunset, and then view the fireworks!

Lili’uokalani Botanical Garden

Portions of this garden were once the property and favorite picnic grounds of Queen Lili`uokalani, the last reigning monarch of Hawaii. She later donated her land to the City and County of Honolulu to be used for the public’s enjoyment. This developing garden is devoted to native Hawaiian plants. It’s FREE!

Diamond Head

This is a great hike with gorgeous views!

$5.00 per car or $1 per person for pedestrians. CASH ONLY. NO PETS.

The 0.8 mile hike from trailhead to the summit is steep and strenuous, gaining 560 feet as it ascends from the crater floor. It was hard for us with little ones!

Pearl Harbor Historic Sites and Memorials

USS Arizona Memorial
Battleship Missouri Memorial
USS Bowfin Submarine Museum & Park

Kids have to be over 8 years old to go on tours, but most of the smaller memorials are accessible to military ID holders.

We took my parents on the private tour of the USS Arizona for military members and it was something we’ll never forget!

Pacific Aviation Museum

Over 70 years of Pacific aviation history. Full access to 50+ aircraft and all exhibits, including WWII Hangars 37 & 79, MiG Alley, historical videos, the Museum Store, Laniakea Café and the award winning Pearl Harbor documentary East Wind, Rain.

General Admission
Adult: $25
Child (Ages 4-12): $12
Kama’aina & Military Admission
Adults: $15
Child(Ages 4-12): $10
FREE – Children under 4

My daughter is a history buff and went to a Tuskegee Airman presentation and book signing.

Bishop Museum

Hawaiian cultural heritage and natural history, a planetarium and science museum.

We also loved the Farm Festival in July.

General Admission
Adult: $22.95
Child, ages 4-12: $14.95

Kama’aina/Military Admission
Adult: $14.95
Child: $10.95
FREE – Children under 3

Ko’olina

Kapolei has great quite lagoons and kid-friendly beaches. It’s just a short drive from Honolulu.

Whale watching is another great activity in this area. We saw honu, dolphins, a few spouts, and some fins.

Ko’Olina is a romantic location for couples to stay or dine or visit. The marina offers lots of options for fishing, snorkeling, and whale watching. Ko’Olina also has the Aulani Disney Spa and Resort now.

The area around Honolulu offers so much for families!

We loved living on Oahu for three years, exploring most of what the island had to offer. Some things we didn’t get to see or do since we had very little children. We’d love to go back!

We also traveled to Mau’i, Kaua’i, Ni’ihau, and The Big Island.

Booking.com