ICM Pajama Party Saturday June 13th!

The Iowa Children's Museum in Coralville, Iowa is having a "Pajama Party this Saturday from 6:30-9:30 PM. This is a great activity for older children and a fun way for parents to get a little free time to shop or enjoy a dinner without kids. You have to register your child before hand so make sure to call by tomorrow afternoon.

This is the description off the ICM website. The description doesn't say what the age limit is, but typically these events are for children ages 5 and up. Go to http://www.theicm.org/ for more information or call the ICM to register your child.
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ICM PJ Party!
NEW evening drop-off program for kids!
Saturday, June 13th, 20096:30 PM - 9:30 PM
Kids! Put on your pajamas and come play at The Iowa Children's Musuem without Mom and Dad! ICM staff will provide outstanding fun and games, as well as an evening snack!
Cost is $20/child
Members receive 10% off
Reservations are required
To register, please contact Lori at 319-625-6255 ext 209 or lkaemmerer@theicm.org.
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IPTV Kids Day May 30th at the Blank Park Zoo

I'm thinking of doing this with the boys in Des Moines this weekend. IPTV is having a Kids Day at the Zoo. Kids can meet Dan Wardell from the Kids Clubhouse and "Duck" from Word World from 10-4 PM. There will be other activities as well. It looks like it will be lots of fun, especially if the weather stays nice. Maybe we will make the drive out there and see some animals and have some fun!

More details can be found here at:
http://www.iptv.org/iptv_news_detail.cfm?id=3776&type=press_release

Iowa Children's Museum

Calling all fellow Iowan moms! If you have not visited the Iowa Children's Museum in Coralville, Iowa then you really are missing out. The museum is in the Coralville Mall outside of Iowa City, IA off of I-80. Admission is $6 for ages 1-59 and $5 for seniors 60+. Infants under 1 are FREE. Also, the last Friday of every month is FREE admission as part of Family Fun Night in the mall. If you decide you love the museum as much as we do, get the Family Pass. It is $100/family (includes 2 adults and all children) and comes with several discount offers. So for our family of 4 (with our baby under age of 1) we simply must go 6 times a year to meet that price. That is only 1 time every other month, which is a great value!

Regular admission or the family pass covers a wide variety of activities for children of all ages. Some of the activities kids can do are:

• See real fish and turtles


• Put on their own puppet show with TONS of puppets


• Build with legos and blocks


• Visit the construction room


• Go down slides upstairs or through tunnels


• Plant and harvest their own "crops" in the farm room


• Visit the motion room with all things related to physics


• Play at the Thomas the Train table


• Visit the special exhibit room that changes annually


• Read books or listen to stories in the reading area


• See several shows that vary month by month


• Do MANY kinds of arts and crafts projects


• Build their own "pizza" in the pizza eatery


• Grocery "shop" in the mini grocery shopping center


• Pretend to be a doctor, dentist, or ambulance driver at the health center


• And much much more!

To learn more visit http://www.theicm.org/ Click on the membership tab to see all the details about the family pass. Also note that the children museum is not open on Mondays and has special hours that are different from the rest of the mall on the other days.

Creative Play

One thing my son loves to do is to dress up and play pretend. We have lots of costumes and outfits that he likes to try on during pretend time. Creative and pretend play can be really great for toddlers and preschoolers because it gives them the chance use all the new vocabulary and things they are learning. It doesn't have to be very expensive either. Here are a couple ideas you can use to 'build' your pretend play resources at home for your little boy or girl:

1. Start a pretend toy box or bin. Putting all pretend toys and outfits in place will help your child be creative easier.
   
2. Don't throw out old Halloween costumes. Save them and add them to your pretend play bin. If your child has outgrown it, donate it or give it to a friend with smaller children so they can enjoy pretending too.
   
3. Buy Halloween costumes on sale. Starting around the last week of October, Halloween costumes go on clearance since stores want to get rid of all those extra costumes taking up space. Often prices are slashed quite a bit and you can find very inexpensive finds this way. Year-round you might also find deals by searching online.
   
4. Use things from around the house. Old aprons, worn out Tupperware, extra measuring spoons, old spade and gloves, and even shoes you no longer wear yourself can become great sources of inspiration. Common things around the house can be great for getting children to explore new ideas and new things.
   
5. Make your own costumes. This can be as simple as taking an old undershirt or a shirt that you can't get a stain out of and letting your child make their own masterpiece from it. You can let them color on it with markers, tie dye it, or even buy patches or cut out felt pieces and help them attach them. So if your child likes dalmatians, cut out little black pieces of felt or even sew on black buttons.
   
6. Don't forget the accessories. Have cheap jewelry you no longer wear? Or broken watches? Things like old purses, ties, hats, shoes, jewelry, or even spare change for older children, can help make creative play more interesting and fun for kids. Kids like to be like mom and dad and what better way to do that than to dress up like mom and dad! Just don't be surprised if your child decides to be your pint-size double after that!
7. Check out your local party supply stores. We were able to find lots of toy badges and party hats for super cheap that doubled as great dress up costumes. Even small finds like these can be great for kids.
8. Play with your kids! Dress up is even more fun with a friend. Get involved by dressing up with your child and making up detailed stories about what a fire fighter or a tiger does. Make it an adventure for your child by encouraging all kinds of creativity!
   

Happy Playtime!
--The Unique Mom

"Kids" Chocolate Chip Cookies

This special recipe my son loves to eat up. Its extra chocolatey and super fun to make. You just take a basic chocolate chip cookie recipe and make a couple yummy changes. But try not to eat the whole plate right up!

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour


• 1 tsp. baking soda


• 1 tsp. salt


• 1/4 cup cocoa


• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened


• 3/4 cup granulated sugar


• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar


• 1 tsp. vanilla extract


• 2 large eggs


• Several varieties of chocolate chips (semi-sweet, milk chocolate, white chocolate, dark chocolate, chocolate chunks, etc.)


• Chopped nuts or small marshmallows (optional)


• 2 tsp. Hersey's chocolate syrup

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. **Note: For best results chill dough before baking for 1/2 hour.**


2. Combine flour, baking soda, salt, and cocoa in small bowl. Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract in large mixer bowl until creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add chocolate syrup. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in chocolate chips, marshmallows and nuts. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheets, or use an icecream scooper for perfect shape and easy scooping.


3. Bake 8-10 minutes or until done in center. Cookies will be a medium brown. Cool on baking sheets and remove to wire racks to finish cooling. Serve warm with glass of cold milk. Yum!

--The Unique Mom