Archive for the ‘pittsburgh kids’ Category

My weekend pick this week is all about reading!

Summer Reading Kick-Off Party

Carnegie Library Of Pittsburgh (North Side/Allegheny)

Saturday June 12 
12:30 – 1:30 pm
1230 Federal Street
Pittsburgh, PA 15212

Kick-off the library's
summer reading program with this literary party featuring a fishing
pond, games, activities, refreshments, and a fantastically funny (and
family-friendly) performance of "Fractured Fairytales".

For more information, call (412) 237-1890.

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My weekend pick this week is all about reading!

Summer Reading Kick-Off Party

Carnegie Library Of Pittsburgh (North Side/Allegheny)

Saturday June 12 
12:30 – 1:30 pm
1230 Federal Street
Pittsburgh, PA 15212

Kick-off the library's
summer reading program with this literary party featuring a fishing
pond, games, activities, refreshments, and a fantastically funny (and
family-friendly) performance of "Fractured Fairytales".

For more information, call (412) 237-1890.

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Pittsburgh Family Fun goes to Allegheny County Park's Newest Attraction: Spray Parks in Deer Lakes Park and Round Hill Park

I have a lot of friends in the state of Texas and I've been continuously jealous of them for the past five years.  They have these wonderful free spray parks (spraygrounds!) for kids to play in when it's hot.  I'm so thrilled that I have no more reason to be jealous! 

Last year, Pittsburgh City Parks announced a plan to put in several spray parks in city neighborhoods. The first one, in the Cowley Playground in Troy Hill, opened last summer (pictured right).  Their newest spray park in Vanucci Playground on Orangewood Avenue in the City's Beechview neighborhood, opened June 5, 2010. 
The spray parks each cost about $320,000 to build, and are far less expensive than pools to maintain.

The Troy Hill spray park has become one of the city's most popular water
attractions. The Allegheny County Parks Department saw that success and decided to jump on the spray park bandwagon, opening two spray parks at county parks -  Round Hill Park in Elizabeth and Deer Lakes Park in Frazier
and West Deer township.

So that brings our total of (free!) spray parks in the Pittsurgh area to four, two in the city and two in the suburbs.  I can now brag to all of those friends in Texas.

I had the opportunity to visit both of the County spray parks in the past two days (my boys think they've died and gone to heaven)

Deer Lakes Park Spray Park

The Deer Lakes spray park is located near the playground near Creighton Russelton and Mehaffey roads, right at the entrance to Deer Lakes Park.  We live about three miles from this park, so we visit the park a lot.  We spend a lot of Sunday mornings there feeding the ducks, taking walks and playing on the playground. This spray area is a perfect addition.

The operating hours, according to an employee of the park, are 10 am – 8 pm seven days a week, through Labor Day.  The water will occasionally cycle off for a few minutes at a time (we found it to be every 15 minutes or so).  To turn the water back on, the park is equiped with a sensor (on the blue fire hydrant) that you just need to put your hand over for several seconds. It sometimes takes a minute or two (and sometimes it seemed lke the water had to be off for 5 minutes or so before it would come back on), but if you're persistant, the water will eventually start again, don't fear. We found the be the cycling off a perfect opportunity to get the kids OUT of the water when we were ready to go.

The Deer Lakes spray park is conveniently located right next to the playground, so parents can park themselves on the grass somewhere and not have to move if the kids want to go back and forth between the water and the playground.

The playground not the newest or nicest playground I've ever been to. In fact, I'd probably use the word "tired" and in need of some TLC. I was somewhat surprised that Deer Lakes was chosen, given the condition of the playground. But it's safe and functional, just not as new or exciting as some other local playgrounds.

While no permanent bathroom is available, there is a porta potty right next to the spray park making urgent potty needs no problem.  There is no parent seating near the spray area, though, so bring a blanket.  There is also not much around within the direct area of the park so you might want to pack a lunch or snacks (although it appears that both a diner and pizza shop are opening right next to the entrance of the park).

Deer Lakes Spray Park – The park is small, just what you see here, but plenty enough sprinklers and fun stuff to keep kids occupied

The playground, taken standing right at the spray park, you can see it's right next to it

Round Hill Park Spray Park

The Round Hill Park spray park is located near the Clover Crest Grove on Hereford Drive in Elizabeth. Once you enter Round Hill park, instead of going right to park at the farm, take a left toward the groves and it is right at the first grove, you'll see it at the end of the parking lot.

The spray park is identical to the Deer Lakes park with the exception of the colors and the "farm" theme (as opposed to Deer Lakes "fish" theme).

The water is open the same hours as Dee Lakes (10 am – 8 pm through Labor Day) and the water works the same way (cycles off, hold the sensor for several seconds to turn it back on. Be patient and persistant).

Again there is no parent seating, so bring a blanket or some chairs. There is also no permanent bathroom and the porta potty is located at the other end of the parking lot, which I found to be a bit of annoyance (think of how often your kids have the urge to go when playing in water, the multiply that by the 7 kids we had there today).  There is also no playground directly connected. There is a small play area within walking distance, but you'd definitely have to make the choice to move your things.

There also doesn't seem to be too many eating options nearby so packing a lunch/snacks would be recommended.

One thing that I loved about Round Hill was the farm. I'd never been there before and it was such fun to go walk around the farm after we were done playing.  We got the kids dressed and drove over tot the farm. We spent an hour walking around and seeing all of the animals, petting the sheep and horses.  It was lots of fun.

Round Hill Spray Park.  As you can see, it's identical to Deer Lakes, but with a barn theme. Again, so much fun for the kids

The closest playground is what you can see peeking through the trees far in the distance in the center of the photo.  This was taken standing in front of the spray park

The Bottom Line

You really can't go wrong at either of these parks, especially since their design is identical (same size and positions of sprinklers, etc).  There are advantages to Deer Lakes (playground and potty vicinity as well as the ability to walk over to the lake and feed the ducks) and to Round Hill (farm to visit, beautiful park), but for a free, fun option on a hot summer day we should all count ourselves lucky to live in the region.

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Pittsburgh Family Fun goes to Allegheny County Park's Newest Attraction: Spray Parks in Deer Lakes Park and Round Hill Park

I have a lot of friends in the state of Texas and I've been continuously jealous of them for the past five years.  They have these wonderful free spray parks (spraygrounds!) for kids to play in when it's hot.  I'm so thrilled that I have no more reason to be jealous! 

Last year, Pittsburgh City Parks announced a plan to put in several spray parks in city neighborhoods. The first one, in the Cowley Playground in Troy Hill, opened last summer (pictured right).  Their newest spray park in Vanucci Playground on Orangewood Avenue in the City's Beechview neighborhood, opened June 5, 2010. 
The spray parks each cost about $320,000 to build, and are far less expensive than pools to maintain.

The Troy Hill spray park has become one of the city's most popular water
attractions. The Allegheny County Parks Department saw that success and decided to jump on the spray park bandwagon, opening two spray parks at county parks -  Round Hill Park in Elizabeth and Deer Lakes Park in Frazier
and West Deer township.

So that brings our total of (free!) spray parks in the Pittsurgh area to four, two in the city and two in the suburbs.  I can now brag to all of those friends in Texas.

I had the opportunity to visit both of the County spray parks in the past two days (my boys think they've died and gone to heaven)

Deer Lakes Park Spray Park

The Deer Lakes spray park is located near the playground near Creighton Russelton and Mehaffey roads, right at the entrance to Deer Lakes Park.  We live about three miles from this park, so we visit the park a lot.  We spend a lot of Sunday mornings there feeding the ducks, taking walks and playing on the playground. This spray area is a perfect addition.

The operating hours, according to an employee of the park, are 10 am – 8 pm seven days a week, through Labor Day.  The water will occasionally cycle off for a few minutes at a time (we found it to be every 15 minutes or so).  To turn the water back on, the park is equiped with a sensor (on the blue fire hydrant) that you just need to put your hand over for several seconds. It sometimes takes a minute or two (and sometimes it seemed lke the water had to be off for 5 minutes or so before it would come back on), but if you're persistant, the water will eventually start again, don't fear. We found the be the cycling off a perfect opportunity to get the kids OUT of the water when we were ready to go.

The Deer Lakes spray park is conveniently located right next to the playground, so parents can park themselves on the grass somewhere and not have to move if the kids want to go back and forth between the water and the playground.

The playground not the newest or nicest playground I've ever been to. In fact, I'd probably use the word "tired" and in need of some TLC. I was somewhat surprised that Deer Lakes was chosen, given the condition of the playground. But it's safe and functional, just not as new or exciting as some other local playgrounds.

While no permanent bathroom is available, there is a porta potty right next to the spray park making urgent potty needs no problem.  There is no parent seating near the spray area, though, so bring a blanket.  There is also not much around within the direct area of the park so you might want to pack a lunch or snacks (although it appears that both a diner and pizza shop are opening right next to the entrance of the park).

Deer Lakes Spray Park – The park is small, just what you see here, but plenty enough sprinklers and fun stuff to keep kids occupied

The playground, taken standing right at the spray park, you can see it's right next to it

Round Hill Park Spray Park

The Round Hill Park spray park is located near the Clover Crest Grove on Hereford Drive in Elizabeth. Once you enter Round Hill park, instead of going right to park at the farm, take a left toward the groves and it is right at the first grove, you'll see it at the end of the parking lot.

The spray park is identical to the Deer Lakes park with the exception of the colors and the "farm" theme (as opposed to Deer Lakes "fish" theme).

The water is open the same hours as Dee Lakes (10 am – 8 pm through Labor Day) and the water works the same way (cycles off, hold the sensor for several seconds to turn it back on. Be patient and persistant).

Again there is no parent seating, so bring a blanket or some chairs. There is also no permanent bathroom and the porta potty is located at the other end of the parking lot, which I found to be a bit of annoyance (think of how often your kids have the urge to go when playing in water, the multiply that by the 7 kids we had there today).  There is also no playground directly connected. There is a small play area within walking distance, but you'd definitely have to make the choice to move your things.

There also doesn't seem to be too many eating options nearby so packing a lunch/snacks would be recommended.

One thing that I loved about Round Hill was the farm. I'd never been there before and it was such fun to go walk around the farm after we were done playing.  We got the kids dressed and drove over tot the farm. We spent an hour walking around and seeing all of the animals, petting the sheep and horses.  It was lots of fun.

Round Hill Spray Park.  As you can see, it's identical to Deer Lakes, but with a barn theme. Again, so much fun for the kids

The closest playground is what you can see peeking through the trees far in the distance in the center of the photo.  This was taken standing in front of the spray park

The Bottom Line

You really can't go wrong at either of these parks, especially since their design is identical (same size and positions of sprinklers, etc).  There are advantages to Deer Lakes (playground and potty vicinity as well as the ability to walk over to the lake and feed the ducks) and to Round Hill (farm to visit, beautiful park), but for a free, fun option on a hot summer day we should all count ourselves lucky to live in the region.

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  Having just returned from a week at Disney World, I was happy to get an email describing the following event.  My kids are still in "Disney Mode" and will be thrilled to create a Toy Story Craft. It's my Weekend Pick for this week.

Toy Story 3 Craft Activity at Disney
Store in Ross Park Mall

Saturday, June 5th
11 a.m. – 2 p.m.

Parents no
longer have to worry about what to do with their kids during those long summer
weekends. Disney Store has the month of June covered! To celebrate the June
18th release of Toy Story 3, Disney Store locations nationwide will host
FREE events for kids every weekend in June. To kick things off, your local
Disney Store will be having a craft activity on June 5. Please see details
below.

Now kids can create their very own
adventure for Buzz, Woody, Jessie and the whole Toy Story 3 gang with a
2-D playset they will put together in the store (while supplies last). Parents
don’t forget to bring your camera because there will be plenty of great
photo opportunities you won’t want to miss.

To find a
Disney Store, guests can visit www.DisneyStore.com/storelocator
or call (866)
902-2798. Guests can also sign up for email alerts at , become a fan on Facebook www.facebook.com/DisneyStore or follow us on Twitter www.twitter.com/DisneyStore to stay connected to their favorite
destination.

(Minimum age for participation is three years.
Events are subject to change or cancellation without notice.)

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  This weekend's family pick is a great outdoor option (let's hope it doesn't rain!)

Gateway Clipper Memorial Day Weekend Special

on any sightseeing, good ship lollipop, or ice cream social cruise!

For reservations call 412-355-7980 or go to www.gatewayclipper.com

One Hour
Sightseeing Tour

Sit back, relax and listen as our Captain points out
landmarks and relates
interesting tales of past and present.

Good
Ship Lollipop

See Pittsburgh from the decks of our
riverboats while Lolli the Clown entertains the kids!

Sunday
Ice Cream Social

Enjoy a Dave & Andy’s ice cream sundae out on the water!
Cruise the three rivers aboard this two hour trip featuring
the beautiful city sights & lots of family fun!

P.S.

Did you know that the Gateway Clipper is starting a Kids Crew membership this summer?  Look for an upcoming contest and more details soon!

Join our family membership program, the “Clipper Kids Crew” for great family fun all year long. Member ship allows your family to cruise the three river s aboard the Gateway Clipper’s many Family Fun Cr uises as often as you like for just one price! Take advantage of this great savings and become a member today!

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  This weekend's family pick is a great outdoor option (let's hope it doesn't rain!)

Gateway Clipper Memorial Day Weekend Special

on any sightseeing, good ship lollipop, or ice cream social cruise!

For reservations call 412-355-7980 or go to www.gatewayclipper.com

One Hour
Sightseeing Tour

Sit back, relax and listen as our Captain points out
landmarks and relates
interesting tales of past and present.

Good
Ship Lollipop

See Pittsburgh from the decks of our
riverboats while Lolli the Clown entertains the kids!

Sunday
Ice Cream Social

Enjoy a Dave & Andy’s ice cream sundae out on the water!
Cruise the three rivers aboard this two hour trip featuring
the beautiful city sights & lots of family fun!

P.S.

Did you know that the Gateway Clipper is starting a Kids Crew membership this summer?  Look for an upcoming contest and more details soon!

Join our family membership program, the “Clipper Kids Crew” for great family fun all year long. Member ship allows your family to cruise the three river s aboard the Gateway Clipper’s many Family Fun Cr uises as often as you like for just one price! Take advantage of this great savings and become a member today!

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  Having just returned from a week at Disney World, I was happy to get an email describing the following event.  My kids are still in "Disney Mode" and will be thrilled to create a Toy Story Craft. It's my Weekend Pick for this week.

Parents no
longer have to worry about what to do with their kids during those long summer
weekends. Disney Store has the month of June covered! To celebrate the June
18th release of Toy Story 3, Disney Store locations nationwide will host
FREE events for kids every weekend in June. To kick things off, your local
Disney Store will be having a craft activity on June 5. Please see details
below.

Event: Toy Story 3 Craft Activity at Disney
Store

Date
& Time: June 5,
2010 from 11:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m.

Location: Your local Disney Store

Information: Now kids can create their very own
adventure for Buzz, Woody, Jessie and the whole Toy Story 3 gang with a
2-D playset they will put together in the store (while supplies last). Parents
don’t forget to bring your camera because there will be plenty of great
photo opportunities you won’t want to miss.

To find a
Disney Store, guests can visit www.DisneyStore.com/storelocator
or call (866)
902-2798. Guests can also sign up for email alerts at www.DisneyStore.com/Updates, become a fan on Facebook www.facebook.com/DisneyStore or follow us on Twitter www.twitter.com/DisneyStore to stay connected to their favorite
destination.

(Call your
local store to confirm participation. Minimum age for participation is three years.
Events are subject to change or cancellation without notice.)

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  I just found another great kids event for this Saturday that you should consider! If you're not familiar with Simon Mall's Kidgit Program you should be. It's a fantastic deal! 

For just $5/year your kid can be a member of the Kidgits program and every time you go to the mall you can stop at the customer service desk for a packet of coupons (we use the ChicFilA coupon nearly every time and often treat the boys to an inexpensive Build a Bear with the $5 off coupon).  Then the kids get a great present on their birthday.  The past two years we've gotten a back pack, tshirt and a small prize they can pick from.

The boys love it. And to top it off they have great events like the one coming up this weekend.

Kidgits Super Duper Mini-Chef Event!

Join us on Saturday, May 22nd from 2:00-5:00pm in Center Court as we host the annual Kidgits Mini Chef event. 

Ross Park Mall’s Simon Kidgits Club fosters a healthy appreciation
of food, while promoting family-fun activities that bring people
together. During the event, kids can pick up a coloring sheet from
event partner A Kid’s Life! as well as a Strawberry Shortcake™ doll and
recipe.  Simon Kidgits Club members will also receive a free chef’s
set, with mini rolling pin, cookie cutters, measuring spoons and a
whisk, while supplies last.

This fun, annual event will feature great activities, crafts, and coloring sheets – check back for more details!

Kids and their parents are also encouraged to bring a non-perishable
food item to help provide relief to families served by Pittsburgh Food
Bank.

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Pittsburgh Family Fun Goes to Jumpin' Castle

I think I may have a problem. I'm a stalker. I stalk new play places.  I'd seen a sign up near the Warrendale-Bayne Road and Route 19 intersection in Warrendale (think Cranberry) for a few months. The sign read "Jumpin Castle coming soon!".  That certain sounded like a kid place!  I Googled, I asked friends in other cities – nobody had ever heard of it. I was forced to put it out of my mind. Until one day, when driving by that same intersection I saw some balloons that announced "Jumpin Castle Now Open!".  I nearly got us killed finding a way to quickly change lanes and pull in to see what on earth this place was.  I left the kids in the car with Mike (which is very cruel…to leave the kids parked in front of a new playplace full of fun stuff with huge windows for them to gaze in to) and went inside to get some info and ended up talking with the owner.

Jumpin' Castle is indeed a playplace.  It's your typical "socks off, lots of fun climbing, jumping, pretend play, etc. playplace."  Their website bills it as "an interactive indoor children's play center complete with a huge castle-themed climbing structure, indoor basketball court, air hockey table, air bounce, and much more! "

Facilities
I think that accurately sums it up.  The inside is not large. It has everything listed on the site, tidily packed into a rather small square footage. This has both advantages and disadvantages:  on the upside parents can easily feel comfortable relaxing, reading a magazine or visiting with friends without the fear of "losing" a child, and on the down side it can get very crowded easily.

My kids were in love with the bouncy house (and the balls that they let you take in with you) and the huge blue slide on the climbing structure (about 5 kids wide, they can have races).  Matthew also played game after game of air hockey while Ben enjoyed playing with the MegaBloks Castle.

What I was most impressed with was the staff.  Not only are they professional and courteous, but they go out of their way to make sure the kids are having a good time. More than once I can recall hearing a staff member say "Matthew, want to play with me? Let's play air hockey!" or "Hey, Ben, I'll help you build that castle, how should we do it?".  The kids all wear their nametags on their backs so the staff can easily identify them and call them by name. By the time we left I felt as though they knew each of my kids for years.  The kids adored the attention and I appreciated the help/break. They even offer free WiFi for parents!

The facilities are obviously perfectly new and pristine. And the quality of toys is excellent.  The owner even replaced a trampoline early on because she felt the original one was starting to show wear and she wanted to keep everything in perfect condition.  Three are some beautiful painted murals and pieces (a puppet theater, etc) that the owner herself painted.   They definitely kept kids in mind when designing the site, including pint size toilets and plenty of soap (they prefer real soap over Purell).

Food
My only complaint is the eating situation. The rates advertised mention an "all day pass" but that does NOT include and and out priveledges.  And no food is served there.  And you're not allowed to bring food in (due to food allergy fears). So that means play all day until your kids get hungry.  They have begun to allow people to eat in the small lobby area if you want to bring your own lunch or snacks, so that's a workable compromise.  When we went we brought sandwiches and snacks and just went out to the lobby when we needed to eat.  They do sell some juice and other drinks at the front desk.

Price
The price is also a bit steep, at $12 per child.  After you start multiplying that by 2 or more it can really add up.  (*Although I see that they are now offering a $4 off coupon on their home page! Yay for coupons!)  The group rates ($10 for 4-7 kids, $8 for 8 or more kids) start at just four kids, so if you go with a friend and you each have two kids you can qualify for a group rate. They're very flexible on this, too, if you tell them a group is coming and you don't all arrive at the same time they'll still give you a group rate.  Everyone was so acoomodating.  Toddler rates are $6 (for kids 1-2, under 1 is free) or $4 for the group rate.

Birthday Parties
Birthday parties are very resonably priced. Starting with a minimum of just 8 kids (below the 10+ that most places require) and $10 per child for 2 hours of play and access to the party room, I think it's a great bargain.  Party guests can bring in their own food and cake and will have a dedicated party hostess. 

Babysitting
Jumpin Castle also offers a drop in babysitting service for kids 3-11, much like Giggles & Smiles.  At $10 per hour, it's cheaper than Giggles & Smiles, and again, the staff really goes out of their way to play with the kids, especially the ones they're babysitting (babysat kids have a different color name tag).  I'd have no hesitation dropping off my kids to play there. None at all.

The hours are also great, offering evening hours with the potential to play after work

*Another way to earn coupons is to join their Birthday Club

Overall, I'm thrilled to see a new play place in the Pittsburgh area and I think this one is a winner.  It's definitely worth a trip to the North Hills to spend a day jumping and playing.  Just make sure to pack a lunch and wear clean socks!

(and stay tuned for a Jumpin Castle contest – hint hint!)

Details

Jumpin Castle
901 Warrendale Village Drive
Route 19 & Warrendale Bayne Road
Warrendale, PA 15086
ph: 724-933-5272

Hours

Monday – Thursday – 9:30 AM to 9:00 PM

Friday – Saturday – 9:30 AM to 9:30 PM

Sunday – 11:00 AM to 5:00 PM

Price

Photos

The castle climbing structure was custom designed and offers many points of entry (including a staircase for the younger/shorter kids) and two slides

The bounce house and climbing wall are big hits with the slightly older kids

A toddler area offers plenty of play things for the smaller kids

The party room is spacious, clean and right off the main room so easy to access.

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