Disney Junior Play Date

On March 24, noon-1:30 p.m. in the JCPenney Court at Briarwood Mall, area families can come to a Disney Junior play date with Muppet Babies. This free event will feature sampling from Dole, balloon tying, street magic, juggling, Bingo with shapes, and other family friendly activities.

The event is free but space is limited, so please reserve your space online. The ticket will entitle event goers to receive a Make and Take Disney Muppet Babies Color Wheel, a game piece for Color and Shape Bingo, Dole snacks and more. Craft supplies are limited to attendees who reserve their spot, but a ticket is not required to participate in the music and entertainment portions of the event.

Support Beginning & Struggling Readers with Circus Vowels

A few years ago I wrote a blog post about a book called Circus Vowels. My children and I really did enjoy reading the book, and even today I still use some of the analogy even though my kids are in middle school.

Now, author and creator Jodi McMaster, is launching a Kickstarter campaign for Circus Vowels: Empowering Beginning and Struggling Readers. Through the campaign she is hoping to bring awareness to the interactive teaching tools she has created that get children up and moving while working on phonics skills. 

Her book includes reading strategies that give children the power to get up, move around, and act out the story while wearing letter vests. The book is called, Circus Vowels: The Long and the Short of It. It makes learning to read easy, fun, and simple. It is for parents to read with their children or teachers to read to their students. Basically, it teaches any beginning or struggling reader a trick that helps them understand which vowel makes which sound within a word. 

The Circus Vowels interactive reading strategies have already helped over 100,000 children learn to read and are being used in thousands of classrooms across the country. You can check them out at www.circusvowels.org. 

For individuals who become Circus Vowels Kickstarter backers, they will receive awesome rewards and feel good knowing that books/kits will be donated to children and schools in need. 

Critters Up Close

On Saturday, August 13, 10:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m. and Sunday, August 14, 1:00-4:00 p.m. The Leslie Science and Nature Center and the Ann Arbor Hands on Museum offer a special animal-oriented program with hands-on activities for kids of all ages. This month features snakes! Be sure to come and see the animals visiting the AAHOM and stay to explore the rest of the museum.

March Building Clinics for Kids

Find the fun building clinics being offered in March on the Ann Arbor Mom Blog. The nice thing about these events is that they are both free and perfect for kids ages 5-12. My kids have participated in many if these free building clinics and have loved every one they have participated in.

Build a Toy Wagon: This hands-on workshop at Home Depot allows kids to build a real rolling toy wagon for their tiny toys. Once the wagon is built, your child can decorate it with The Home Depot stickers. All participants get to keep their craft, receive a FREE certificate of achievement, a Workshop Apron, and a commemorative pin (while supplies last).

To register for this free event on, visit the Home Depot website. This program is on Saturday, March 5, 9:00 a.m.until noon.

Snowy Owl Friends Craft

On Saturday January 17,  join other kids ages preschool through grade 5, to create a Snowy Owl friend. At 2:00 p.m. at the AADL Malletts Creek Branch learn how to turn a pinecone and assorted materials into a one of a kid owl friend! Sounds like a hoot.