play time

Dinosaurs Invade Miniland USA at Legoland California!

Abby H.

If your kiddos are like mine, they love dinosaurs and Legoland.

Our friends over at LEGOLAND® California Resort have created more than 30 of the massive creatures that have taken over the Big Apple in Miniland U.S.A. Guests can get up close to Stegosauruses, Brachiosauruses, Triceratopses and the mighty Tyrannosaurus rex, among others, running rampant through the city. The fun scenes all depict what happens when a science convention has gone wrong and now families can join a LEGO® Mad Scientist in his search to find and identify all the creatures.

Each prehistoric reptile took a team of Master Model Builders more than 60 hours to design and construct. Each dinosaur weighs more than 20lbs and is built out of more than 30 thousand LEGO® bricks. Sharp LEGO® teeth, gigantic claws, and tiny T-rex arms are among the many identifiable characteristics of the carnivorous models. The Model Builders also had some fun creating silly and entertaining scenes in Time Square, Central Park, and high above the city skyline for all to enjoy.

LEGO dinosaurs will be roaming around the city that never sleeps now through summer at the Park… catch them fast before they go extinct!

The kids love Legoland, and they make it fun and easy for all families to enjoy their parks. If you are a family with special needs, check out my post about their Assisted Access Pass. And if you are trying to have fun on a budget- Legoland can be enjoyed on the cheap! Tips and tricks can be found here.

This dinosaur experience is included in the price of admission to LEGOLAND® California Resort. For LEGOLAND® California Resort ticket prices, Spring Break special offers, operating schedule, and additional information, visit www.LEGOLAND.com or call 760-918-LEGO (5346).

Tryazon: Puzzles and Princesses

Abby H.

We’ve been participating in Tryazon events for three+ years. We’ve gotten to try all sorts of fun toys, games, and food.  You can learn more about Tryazon here.

Piece together a fun and memorable game night with this Tryazon Featured Party opportunity, from Spin Master Games! Featuring puzzles from the wonderful world of Bluey, a tea party game with all your favorite Disney Princesses, and more! With Spin Master Games, there’s something for everyone!

They have 100 hosting spots open for this opportunity! Those selected get to receive a party pack with a variety of Spin Master Games to share with friends and family! Learn more and apply here: https://www.tryazon.com/spin-master-puzzles-and-princesses-party/ 

 

Tryazon: It’s Kids VS Parents in New Game Night Opportunity!

Abby H.

We’ve been participating in Tryazon events for three+ years. We’ve gotten to try all sorts of fun toys, games, and food.  You can learn more about Tryazon here.

It’s time for Kids vs Parents game night with this Tryazon Featured Party opportunity, from Spin Master Games! Featuring five great titles including  Beat the Parents, Jumanji, Hedbanz Blast Off, and more! Turn up the fun, hilarity, and antics with Spin Master Games!

They have 250 hosting spots open for this opportunity! Those selected get to receive a party pack with a variety of Spin Master Games to share with friends and family! Learn more and apply here.

Tryazon: Aerodynamic Football Party Opportunity

Abby H.

We’ve been participating in Tryazon events for three+ years. We’ve gotten to try all sorts of fun toys, games, and food.  You can learn more about Tryazon here.

Throw like a Pro with this Tryazon Featured Party opportunity, from Spin Master,  featuring the Aerobie Sonic Fin High Performance Football. Officially endorsed by Russell Wilson, the quarterback for the Seattle Seahawks, this aerodynamic football puts the power of a pro in your hands. Compete against your friends to see how far you can make the football go with the #sonicfinchallenge!

Tryazon has 250 hosting spots open for this opportunity! Those selected get to receive a party pack with this brand new football and another Aerobie product to share with friends and family! Learn more and apply here: https://www.tryazon.com/aerobie-football-air-it-out-party/

Guess in Ten Game Day (Tryazon Party)

Abby H.

Over the weekend while we celebrated Bitty Bird’s birthday. We also checked out the Guess in Ten games thanks to Skillmatics and Tryazon!

Skillmatics is a new age brand that develops innovative educational products and games that help children build core skills, ranging from math and language to science and logic, through the joy of play!

We played Animal Planet, but if animals aren’t your posse’s jam, Skillmatics makes many other Guess in Ten varieties:

  • Guess in 10 All Around the Town
  • Guess in 10 Things that Go
  • Guess in 10 Cities Around the World
  • Guess in 10 States of America

These games are available on Amazon, or in stores near you.

I’m not sure if the kids or the adults had more fun.

And if you want to learn more about Tryazon, their website has tons of information about all of the cool campaigns and parties they have coming up!

 

Host a Backyard Bubble Fun Party (Tryazon Party Opportunity)

Abby H.

Backyard family fun just got a whole lot bigger with this Tryazon Featured Party opportunity, featuring WOWmazing bubble kits from South Beach Bubbles. These giant bubble wands create long, GIANT bubbles thanks to a 2-handle design, which has been used to set every big bubble world record in the last 30 years. Passers-by will be sure to say “WOW… Amazing”!


 Tryazon has 100 hosting spots open for this opportunity! Those chosen will receive a party pack with a variety of South Beach Bubbles products to showcase and sample with friends and family! Learn more and apply here.

Legoland California Update! Build and Play and More!

Abby H.

My kids miss Legoland California like whoah. I won’t lie, I miss Grannie’s Apple Fries. I got an email from Legoland California this morning about some upcoming openings in the park and at the hotel.

LEGOLAND® California Resort’s “Build ‘N Play” Days starting March 5, 2021.  This new experience offers guests a chance to explore play structures within the Park such as Kai’s Spinners and Cole’s Rock Climb in LEGO® NINJAGO® World and DUPLO® Playtown, building activities, a scavenger hunt in Miniland U.S.A., live entertainment, character meet and greets, shopping at The Big Shop and more!

With ticket prices starting at $19.99, Build ‘N Play activities include a Miniland dance party where guests can do the LEGO limbo, design their own Minifigure on the roof of the Model Shop, rock out to live musical appearances in Fun Town, and taste crazy food concoctions such as deconstructed S’mores and colorful churros. Two building activities have been designed to stretch children’s imaginations with separate sanitized brick packs and space for children’s creations to stay on display each weekend.

And this is the part that is super exciting to me (and I know the kids will dig it too)…

LEGOLAND® Castle Hotel guests can double their splashing fun by having exclusive access to LEGO® CHIMA™ Water Park! From 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on visits between March 12 and May 2, Cragger’s Swamp, Lion Temple Wave Pool, Build-a-Boat, and Wolves’ Den Grill is open exclusively to Hotel guests.

Guests at LEGOLAND Castle Hotel can see movies outdoors at night, enjoy an outdoor play structure, listen to bedtime stories and meet their favorite LEGOLAND costume characters! Reservations for LEGOLAND Castle Hotel can be made online and guests can choose from three different room themes: Knights and Dragons, Royal Princess, or Magic Wizard rooms. Breakfast take out plus lunch and dinner take out and dine-outside options are available plus an in-room treasure hunt for the kids.

I’m going to start saving our pennies and see if we can make this happen over Spring Break! We’ve been to Legoland so many times, but we’ve never been to the water park. Both kids love Legoland, especially Chima and Ninjago-themed activities and rides.

Exploring Free Play- Fostering Imagination and Growth

Abby H.

As a Gen X parent, I never quite understood why we “had” to fill our kids afternoons and free time with 10,000 activities (sports, club meetings, scouting, etc.). My brother and I didn’t have tons of stuff each day after school. By the time I was in the 5th grade, both my parents worked, and frequently we were left home alone for a few hours after school a couple times a week.

We did our homework, played, read, and did chores. Even before that, there were plenty of times where we were home without structured activities. We still had scouts, soccer (my brother did AYSO for one season and decided it wasn’t for him), Key Club, Choir, JV Football. Many kids in my generation were latchkey kids and filled their afternoons with free and imaginative play.

Free play is an incredible learning tool for kids. It fosters imagination and gives kids opportunities to discover and explore. There are all sorts of toys that encourage free play- dolls, food toys, blocks, legos, to name a few.

My two love Playmobil. Playmobil is a German company that has been around since the 1970’s. They have so many different sets and types of toys- everything from princesses and fairies to knights and safari sets.

A jungle adventure after preschool. Complete with a feast

Recently, my son and daughter started pulling out some of their people as well as some of the animals and created their own adventure. Enter Carl the Mongoose and Mr. Chicken. Carl is a Meerkat, and Mr. Chicken is a Bald Eagle, but the names have stuck.  Other characters include The Birdkeeper and The Man with the Gray Hat, and Cleopatrick (my daughter named her). All of these people are from various sets, Cleo was the only one that sort of resembles her name, as she came from an awesome set of Cleopatra and Julius Caesar.

The animals and their people have all sorts of adventures. They have run a food truck, run a zoo, been on a cruise, gone on safari, hunted for wild animals, opened an iron and gold mine, run an orphanage (we have a lot of little kid Playmobil people), gone to college, gone to preschool, and taken a road trip to the “ocean” in Ohio. We paused the game for a bit to look at the US map to discover there is no ocean in Ohio, but they could go to Lake Erie instead. It was deemed the “Lake Erie ocean beach” adventure.

These adventures give the kids a chance to explore themselves and work on interpersonal relationships, even if it’s as a talking Bald Eagle and his keeper.

Even in these crazy times where nothing is certain, give your kids some time to play and explore. Taking a “brain break” (which is what the big kiddos teacher calls them) throughout the day for some playtime may help your kids more than you think.

Right now we are all home together, trying to scramble into some sort of routine of distance learning, being quiet while we all learn/work, breaks, and trying to play after school is over without making too much noise while grown ups work. It’s tough. It’s crazy. The house is messy, we’re frazzled, and we weren’t “with it” last week to follow our meal plan. But we got through it, and we’re trying again this week.

We’re all learning. And that means we should grant ourselves grace.

Be kind to yourself. Wash your paws, wear a mask, flatten the curve. Have a good week!

 

Looking for fun for your littles? Check Out Uptown Tot!

Abby H.

I’m taking the littlest one this week for Upotwn Tot!

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When the older kids are away, the little ones will play! Visit Uptown Jungle for a discounted playtime event where the little ones get the entire park to themselves!
Exclusive Toddler Playtime
Ages: 5 & Under Only
When: Wed 10am-1pm (Excludes holidays & school breaks)
Admission: $10. Additional sibling: $5. All parents play free!

And don’t forget- If your kiddos love Uptown Jungle and you visit frequently, consider checking out their memberships! Ifor and a discount code can be found here.

Uptown Jungle: Monthly Memberships Available (and a $15 off deal)!

Abby H.

84129633_2726225264134145_3004108003239526400_o.jpgBoth kids love Uptown Jungle, and I do too. It’s Clean, they have free WiFi, and there is an awesome parents area so I can get work done while the kids play. BUT- I do enjoy pelting the little monkeys with foam dodgeballs on the trampoline too.

For us frequent visitors of Uptown Jungle, the monthly membership is a great bargain. Check it out:

If you’ve got 2+ kids, the family membership is the way to go! For the price of four kids 2-hour admissions, you can take the kids to Uptown Jungle as much as you want all month long!

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The parents lounge

And parents play for free! WOO HOO! If you’ve got a friend or family member who has never been to Uptown Jungle, have them utilize the FREE Buddy Pass!

Oh, but check this out- I know y’all love a deal! I’ve partnered with Uptown Jungle, and they are offering my readers a discount! When you buy a membership here, use discount code HEWES15 for $15 off the first month of membership.

We’ve got our membership, and I plan on taking the kids AT LEAST once a week to get the wiggles out. We hope to see some of you there to bounce and play!