Tiny Oranges – Fresh, fun blog for OC moms

A big celebrity in the eyes of little ones (and big kids too!) is coming to Pretend City Children’s Museum on Friday, June 11th, 2010.  Sid the Science Kid will be at the museum from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. for a very special Way to Play Day with Sid! Little ones of all sizes (that means mommies and daddies too) can dance, sign and play with Sid himself!  And, I have a fun giveaway to offer a lucky reader the chance to win the Sid the Science Kid Gotta Know Microphone as well as a Pretend City Coupon for 2 for 1 admission on Way to Play Days, details below!

Special activities taking place during Way to Play Day with Sid the Science Kid include…

* VIP viewings of a BRAND NEW Sid the Science Kid episode titled “No School Singalong Special” – this episode will not air until June 21st, so this special event invites your kids to see it first!
* “I’m looking for my friends” sing-along parade with Sid
* Photos with Sid
* Prize giveaways from Sid the Science Kid and Pretend City Children’s Museum
* Special activities with Sid and much more

The Way to Play Day with Sid the Science Kid is a partnership between KCET and Pretend City’s Good To Go From Head To Toe initiative. Good To Go From Head To Toe aims to educate children and parents about the importance of regular developmental checkups and encourages parents and caretakers to explore their children’s motor, cognitive, social and communication milestones through play. On this special Way to Play Day with Sid, activities will focus on the importance of exercise, discovering healthy foods and more.

Click HERE to download a Pretend City coupon for 2-for-1 admission on Way to Play Days which happen on the 2nd Friday of each month!

Learn more about Way to Play Day with Sid the Science Kid by visiting www.pretendcity.org or www.begood2go.org.

Hooray! It’s a Tiny Giveaway!

One lucky winner will receive the Sid the Science Kid Gotta Know Microphone that can be picked up at the event on Friday, June 11th!   Contest will run through June 9th at 5pm PST. Please leave a separate entry for each one.  The entry options are:

1. Simply comment below and tell me what you love most about Sid the Science Kid OR Pretend City – 1 ENTRY

2. {Like} Pretend City on Facebook – 1 ENTRY

3. Follow @PretendCity on Twitter – 1 ENTRY

Good luck!

Here is a sneak peek of the new Sid the Science Kid episode…

Do you have any little pixies in your household?   If yes, this event is sure to be a BIG HIT!  The Pitcher Park Community Foundation is hosting a children’s Fairy Party called ”PIXIES IN THE PARK” on Saturday, June 19th at Pitcher Park in Old Towne Orange.  Activities include face painting, a photo booth, crafts, games and story time.  The little Fairies and Pixies are encouraged to attend in wings and costumes!

Reservations are required. Click here to download the flyer and registration form.

They have staggered arrival times so all the little pixies and fairies can enjoy the activities to the fullest.  If they sell out, tickets won’t be sold at the event, so best to mail in your registration if you want to attend!

Ticket price is $20.00 per Fairy with an adult (a spouse or grandparent may also attend at no charge – please make a note on the registration form.)  Additional Fairies are $10.00 each.

For ticket information or if you have any questions, please call Pat Barrios at 714-532-5930 or email events@pitcherparkorange.org.

You can also see pictures of last year’s event and stay up-to-date at the Pixies in the Park page on Facebook!

Proceeds benefit The Pitcher Park Foundation.

Irvine Park Railroad is having a grand opening celebration for their Wheel Fun Rentals (I am a sucker for a good pun – and this name makes me chuckle) THIS weekend and I have a fun giveaway to offer!  Make sure to read below on how to enter.

The celebration will be held on Saturday, May 22nd & Sunday, May 23rd from 10am – 5pm.  When you rent a bike or paddle boat this weekend only, you will receive one free hot dog and soda (limited to one free hot dog and soda per person, per rental.)

The Wheel Fun Rentals are fun for the entire family and are available to rent by the hour.  Some of the rentals include a canopy bike for 3 adults and 2 kids, a 4-wheeled bike for a single ride, a tandem bike for two, cruisers, kid’s bikes and giant-wheeled paddle boats.   Rental costs vary by bike.

For complete details including pictures, click HERE.  Rentals are located adjacent to the historic Boathouse next to the lake.

Irvine Park Rentals are open daily through Labor Day Weekend, 10-4pm on weekdays and 10-5pm on weekends. Parking at Irvine Regional Park is $3/car weekdays and $5/car weekends.

Hooray!  It’s a Tiny Giveaway!

Irvine Park Railroad is giving away 6 train tickets and $25 towards the rental of a bike or paddle boat to one lucky winner! * Here are the entry options, please leave a separate comment for each in order to be counted! Contest runs through Thursday, May 27th, 2010 and the winner will be posted on my Facebook page next Friday AM!

1. Simply leave a comment below! – 1 ENTRY

2. Subscribe to my email updates (top right column) – 1 ENTRY

3. Leave a comment or new post in our Forum – 1 ENTRY

4. “Like” Irvine Park Railroad on Facebook – 1 ENTRY

5. “Like” Tiny Oranges on Facebook – 1 ENTRY

6. Follow @IrvineParkRR on Twitter – 1 ENTRY

7. Follow @TinyOrangesOC on Twitter – 1 ENTRY

Good luck!  Happy weekend everyone! xo Jen

{* Winner must sign release and provide photo ID. Kids under 18 must wear a helmet (provided fee of charge), winner cannot switch rental during the hour, and no change will be given for rentals that are under $25.}

Disclosure:  If my family decides to visit Irvine Park Railroad, we will receive free tickets.

So, my daughter is out of preschool this week so we have a busy week planned doing lots of fun stuff to keep her entertained (=and me sane!)

For those of you with kids off school this week too, three of my favorite blogs have written posts recently on great ideas to keep you busy. Even if your kids are not off, these blogs have some great ideas for local fun stuff. They are…

Daytripping Mom – Spring Break Ideas That Won’t Break the Bank
Fun Orange County Parks – 10 Ideas for Spring Break Family Fun Away From the Crowds
Just Spotted – April 2010 Calendar

And, of course, my “Outings” <- Click on Outings! Category has 46 Outing Ideas to peruse as well!

I might take a few days off blogging this week to hang with my daughter and take a little Spring Break myself too.  Or as much of a “break” as possible given the life of a stay at home mom of an almost 4 year old and 9 month old moving & grooving baby! Be back on my “regular” blogging schedule next week!

Congratulations! The winner of the Bag the Habit giveaway is….Teddi!

My family was recently invited to preview “A Clutch Powers 4-D Adventure” at Legoland a couple weeks ago and we HAD A BLAST!   My mom took the day off work and my husband stayed home with our baby so we could do a girls’ only trip to the park and take Emma, just the 3 of us.  Such a special day!

Clutch Powers is a brand new LEGO character and this 4-D movie brings LEGO to life with daily shows in LEGO Show Place.  Seeing all the kids in those 4-D glasses and watching them all squeal and try to grab the air was hilarious.   It was about 10 minutes long, perfect length for young attention spans, and included nonstop action and special effects like wind.   When I asked my daughter at the end of our visit what her favorite part was, she said, “the movie!”  She absolutely loved it!

It was our first time to Legoland and judging by how much fun we had, it definitely won’t be our last!  The park was about a million times more fun than I even expected.  I had NO IDEA.

It’s easy to get to right off the freeway, parking was a breeze, and there was SO much to do for a kid in her age group. She is now 3 years 9 months and it was a total wonderland for her.  Lots of rides for her age and hands-on sort of things.

Many of the rides did have a height restriction though, and required an accompanying adult, so something to keep in mind as 1:1 adult to kid ratio would be pretty important if you go with little ones.

I am seriously considering getting our family a Membership.  You could really go and just focus on one area and be entertained for hours.   And, a brand new Legoland Water Park is opening this summer!

It was super clean, easy to get around, and for being seemingly pretty crowded we didn’t have to wait long for hardly any of the young kid rides.

On the way out we walked through and explored Sea Life, the family aquarium located next door.  Boy oh boy, so much to see and do!

Here is a little slide show of our time at Legoland.  If you do end up going, do yourself a favor and MAKE SURE to get some Granny’s Apple Fries in Castle Hill.  I am still dreaming of those cinnamon-y whipped cream topped goodies!

Make photo slide shows at www.OneTrueMedia.com

{We received free admission to Legoland for this special preview event – lucky us!!!!  And especially lucky Emma!}