Waterloo Recreation Area New Year's Day Hike

Want to start the new year with a breath of fresh air? Literally! On Sunday, January 1 from 11:00 a.m. - noon at the Waterloo Recreation Area (16345 McClure Rd., Chelsea 48118), families can enjoy a casual hour long hike followed by a bonfire with snacks! You need only to bring warm gear and wear comfortable shoes. Kids might also want to bring a roasting stick, watter bottle, binoculars and a story to share around the fire. Families that have the Recreation Passport on their vehicles get in totally free too!

Get a jump-start on a healthy New Year with a family hike at the Waterloo Recreation Area in Chelsea!

Fun at the Ann Arbor Hands on Museum

Zach making snow at the Ann Arbor Hands on Museum.

I was given the opportunity to check out the Ann Arbor Hands on Museum the other day. Funny thing is, my kids have been there and I never have, so it was a fun experience for all of us! We were invited to check out the Winter Games activities (There was an ice carving demonstration, the kids had fun making snow and even got to create their own pocket hand warmers.) however we stayed to play too!



My children, as most children do, LOVE to get dirty and mostly love to be involved in things. At almost 6 and 8, they are also becoming very interested in "science" type projects and experiments so the day was not wasted. We got to learn more about water, light, motion, nature - Pretty much everything you can imagine being tucked neatly into one little downtown 4-story building. The kids LOVED running from exhibit to exhibit dragging mom along, and they loved experimenting!
I think my son mostly enjoyed the WA2HOM Ham Radio operator and my daughter favored stepping into a bubble, but with so many things to see and do, it's easy to forget what your favorite might be. I certainly would have liked to be able to play more myself, or maybe explain a bit more about the science behind each of the activities, but they were too busy checking everything out.
 
 If you take your family, I recommend having at least 4 hours to explore - and don't worry about your child becoming bored, as there is so much to see and do.

Future Survivor contender? Gabby was challenged to catch the 4
balls before they dropped into the basket! The balls beat her though.

As a parent I would recommend tag-team parenting when you visit the AAHOM though. Even with my own two, it was hard not to get pulled into two directions; As one child found something amazing in one corner of the room, the other was running across the room finding something else! I did like though, that much of the space allows mom and dad to have a clear line-of-sight connection to their child. Another tip would be to either skip the water area on the lower level saving it to your last stop, or consider bringing a dry shirt. Even my two were all too happy to get wet!

Getting wet at the Ann Arbor Hands on Museum!

I found the museum to be bright and colorful, neat and well managed. The staff was all to happy to help too! And of course my kids LOVED the gift shop...  Thankfully it's not too difficult to say yes to educational toys.

A visit to the Ann Arbor Hands on Museum would be a great way to introduce out-of-town visitors to one of the many great Ann Arbor attractions while keeping your youngest visitors happy too. For those in and around town, families can always find fun, exciting and educational events and activities at the Ann Arbor Hands on Museum (like this weeks Winter Games) that keep you coming back for more.

Ann Arbor Hands on Museum | 220 E. Ann St., Ann Arbor 48104


Museum Hours:
Mon. - Sat.: 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. (Open Tuesdays 9:00 a.m.)
Sunday: noon - 5:00 p.m.

Museum Admission:
Members: free
Admission (ages 2 and up): $10
Under 2: free admission
ACM Travel Passport Museum Guests: free admission
ASTC Travel Passport Museum Guests: Museums within 90 miles- $5, +90 miles - free admission

Happy Holidays!

Cat-zilla contemplating the destruction of the village.
Merry Christmas & Happy New Year Ann Arbor,
may your holidays be bright!

I'll admit it, I have a couple posts in my mind that I'd like to get to before the end of the year, however time is quickly escaping... So just-in-case, I wanted to take the opportunity to wish all of my readers a happy ending to your year. May your house be filled with warmth, love and family!

My journey is made ever-better by your comments, and presence on my website. May 2012 be an exceptional year for you and your family. I'll for sure be back at the start of the year if not before. Don't forget, you can find plenty of activities and events for the family during holiday break on my Holiday Break Events post.

New Zoo Play Cafe Open Today

Today in Ypsilanti Township, the New Zoo Play Cafe opened!
Excited area families were already enjoying the re-opened indoor play structure too.

Today in Ypsilanti Township, the New Zoo Play Cafe opened in the old Zoobilee space. Hours of operation are Tuesday through Saturday 9:00 a.m -the 7:30 p.m. and Sunday noon- 5:00 p.m. What I really liked was that when we met with Doug the owner, a family came in and he told them that all kids must use hand sanitizer before entering! That makes a mom happy.

New Zoo Play Cafe
1834 Whittaker Rd., Ypsilanti Township
(734) 547-0966

Admission:
Children 12-24 months - $3.25
Kids 2 years and up - $6.50
Family admission rates - $20.00
Adults and infants always receive free admission.

Looking for Prize Winners

Hello Ann Arbor Mom readers, I am trying to track down several prize winners from recent contests. If winners would please contact me at tmayrend at gmail (dot) com, I with get their prizes shipped out. (I need complete mailing addresses for each prize winner.). If I do not hear from winners by Monday December 19, I will re-draw for new prize winners. The winners I am looking for are:

Eventual Farmer Fabric Gift Bags: Jill Kynaston
Aquaphor Baby Products: Sara (the 4th entry in the comments)