Author Archives: daddyweekly

Ribbit! 13th Annual Frog Fest (3/31/12)

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Note: This was written in 2012. In 2013, the event is on Apr-5 from 11-3p.

I continue to be amazed about some of the more outlandish “Annual xyz events” I come across. This one looks promising though, for a couple of reasons: First, if an event has lasted for 13 years, it must be good. Second, I’ve had Crowder District Park on my list-of-parks-to-visit for a while, and this will be a good reason to do so.

The event promises educational activities for the whole family centered around frogs and clean water. Hours are from 11am – 3pm and ‘food is available for purchase’, whatever that means. (Hot dogs and snow cones, I guess!)

The park is a 25 min drive south of downtown, at 4709 Ten-Ten Road in Apex.

Ribbit!

NC State Vet School Open House (3/31/12)

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Note: This post is about the 2012 event. For the 2013 Open House, see this new post.
This will be the highlight of the weekend, in my opinion. The College of Veterinary Medicine at NC State University holds an open house event that showcases the new addition, the “Terry Center”. Based on the program, the Vet School went out of their way to make this interesting for everybody from the 2-year-old cow aficionado to the seasoned professor of veterinary medicine.

There is too much to see for one day – here are my recommendations:

For the little ones:

  • Gentle cow herding demo at 11a and 2p.
  • Teddy Bear Suture Clinic. Yup. Bring in Mr. Bear if he has received a bit too much love, and he will get taken care of.
  • New born foal. The website shows a foal that is not more than a few days old. I wonder how they timed the birth for the open house!
  • Milk a cow. Not a milk-filled glove that you see at other “milk a cow” demonstration. This is a real, life-size, actual cow. (These days, with all the regulations for farms, this is a rare opportunity.)
  • Visit a goat. If you go to vet school, you’ll learn to call a goat a “small ruminant”. But they are still cute.

Not for the little ones: (Perhaps you can leave the kids with mom (or dad) for a bit and go have a quick look at some exciting stuff that may be a bit too much for little eyes and brains…)

  • Ok, I had to first look up what that is: They have a fistulated steer (click at your own risk!) Gross. Fascinating. Eek. Wow!
  • Live surgery demo of spaying/neutering a dog.
  • Cardiology, Neurology, Oncology, Ophthalmology, Dermatology. Big words, small animals. The Vet school has it all.

The College of Veterinary Medicine is out by the fairgrounds, off Hillsborough street. View their excellent Open House website before you go.

Born Digital @ CAM & Toys @ History Museum (3/2012)

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Born Digital @ CAM, 1/28-4/30

Born Digital is a feature exhibition at the Contemporary Art Museum and is on display during February, March and April 2012. This is partially an ‘interactive exhibit’, and visiting with a young art lover requires close supervision; I recommend 1 adult : 1 child so that it is enjoyable for everybody. (You, the child, and other visitors.)

Daniel Rozin, Snow Mirror, 2006. Courtesy of the artist and bitforms gallery, New York.

Daniel Rozin, Snow Mirror, 2006, silk, projector, video
camera, custom software, computer. Edition of 6, 1 AP.
Courtesy of the artist and bitforms gallery, New York.

There are several pieces than can appeal to a very young child, and I’d like to mention two of them. Snow Mirror by Daniel Rozin creates a mirror image of the observer, but only if you are still for a few seconds – every movement translates only into blurred snow. My son liked how his ghost-like mirror image appeared out of nothing, and I was impressed that he recognized himself despite the grainy image.

Scenocosme : Gregory Lasserre & Anais met den Ancxt, Akousmaflore, 2011. Courtesy of the artists.

Scenocosme : Gregory Lasserre & Anais met den Ancxt, Akousmaflore, 2011,
Sensitive and interactive musical plants. Courtesy of the artists.

Another piece that is suitable for closely watched little fingers is Akousmaflore by Scenocosme (Gregory Lasserre & Anaïs met den Ancxt). Plants that are connected to a built-in music system react to touch and play a more or less excited bird sounds. It feels like you’re touching a tree, and somebody high above starts fussing at you. We both had a good time with this.

Toys, Toys and more Toys! @ NC Museum of History, until 4/15

Do you want to show your children what you played with when you were little, but you no longer own a Rubik’s cube? Are you curious what your parents played with when they were little? Check out the exhibit about toys old and new at the history museum.

This exhibit has been there quite a while, but it will end in two weeks so use your chance and go see it! This facebook album gives you some impressions.

Awww, a raccoon! (3/24/2012)

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I know you’re not going to say that, but your child will! Besides the quirky events on the fairgrounds and the Mythbusters show, this is perhaps a quieter, more regular way to spend Saturday morning with your child. These classes take place at the Stevens Nature Center at Hemlock Bluffs Nature Preserve in Cary. An age-appropriate book, an ‘investigative stroll’ and finally a crafts project all related to the topic. This Saturday, you and your little one (age 3-5) will learn about the cute little raccoons that inhabit our parks, streets and backyards.

PRE-REGISTRATION REQUIRED! If you’re planning to go, you should sign up as soon as possible this afternoon (course code 56377). If you haven’t used the somewhat cumbersome sign -up system, well, good luck. (The first time is complicated, but after that it quite easy to do online.) As of this writing, spots were still available.

The picture is Raccoon (Procyon lotor) 2 by Darkone used under the CC-BY-SA license and found on the Wikimedia Commons.

Mythbusters on Tour (3/25/12)

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The name pretty much says it all: Mythbusters, the famous TV show on the Discovery channel goes on tour. If you’ve never seen Mythbusters, well it is about proving or disproving urban legends and other myths, usually involving explosions and crash test dummies. Not something for the youngest among us, but if your child is old enough to watch it on TV and you’re willing to shell out $30 or more to see it live, go for it. Most reviews I read were positive, except that maybe the Q&As are a bit long for a young audience; on the other hand they promise ‘audience participation’, whatever that means!

[vimeo https://vimeo.com/31936113 w=550]

Overall probably an event for hardcore mythbusters fans; if you love that show it is certainly a memorable experience.

The show is downtown in Memorial Auditorium (so don’t expect too much explosive stuff then) and tickets are still available for both the 3pm and the 7pm show.

Take me out to the fairgrounds! (3/24/12)

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We have to wait another half year for the State Fair, but as most of you know, the fairgrounds serve as an event location throughout the year. This weekend sounds like a perfect time to just head out there and stroll around; because there are five (5!) events that might be interesting to checkout. So even if something does not appeal to your kids, you just move on to the next thing.

None of these events is specifically directed towards kids, but I think that children with their natural curiosity will be drawn to all these new sights, sounds and smells. Here we go:

Since this is not the State Fair, you can probably park inside the gates; I’d recommend to look somewhere near Dorton Arena (the large round modern building). (A fairgrounds map is available here.)

I would start with a little walk around the flea market,  the perfect place to find stuff you never knew you needed. You might be surprised what your little kids are drawn to, and the older ones may make their first supervised attempts at asking for the price and buying a little trinket that they absolutely, positively need to have. The flea market is hard to miss, situated inside and outside the old fairground building called “Education Building” on the map. This is of course free, but bring a little bit of spending money…

And just briefly mentioned on the side, there is also a consignment sale of kids clothes and toys in the Kerr Scott building nearby. Not worth a trip, but if you’re there and have something you need, have a look and hope for a cheap find.

As you get hungry for lunch, head over to Dorton Arena and India Fest. Over 150 acts perform on stage (dance, singing, music) over two days, and they are surrounded by booths selling crafts, clothes, and of course, Indian Food. I’m sure that the colorful saris and the sweet smell will capture your kids interest. Doors open at 11am, $5 admission (cash only) for everybody old than 5, under 5 free.

When you’re done with India, you can choose between dogs and horses. Several local kennel clubs hold the Kennel Dog Club Show in the Graham Building, next door to Dorton Arena. A poorly maintained website limits the information I can provide other than that it also costs $5, but I’m sure it is fun to watch the show dogs parade around in real life. (I’ve only seen dog shows on TV, and I think we all have.)

Maybe better to stick with the horses then, and head over to the Raleigh Spring Premiere Show in the Hunt horse complex (technically outside the fairgrounds, a short 5-minute walk away towards the RBC Center PNC Arena). Admission for spectators is free, and starting at 1pm, the ‘academy division‘ is showing. Think four-year-old girls riding show ponies in the big arena; excitement, laughter and drama guaranteed. The official website is also pretty bare, and I gleaned most information from a participating stable.

The flea market image is 5991247818 by storebukkebruse, used under the CC-BY license. The girl and horse image is 5873806568 by Sarah Elizabeth Simpson used under the CC-BY-NC license.

St. Patrick’s Day with Kids (3/17/2012)

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Yeah, I’ll jump on the bandwagon. But I won’t color my hair!

St. Patrick's Day

Instead of focusing on one event, I’ll give you a list of several St. Patrick-themed events, running the gamut from kids’ event with a St. Paddy theme to St. Paddy events where you could bring kids (to meet many adults celebrating it in the good old way, i.e. involving lots of drinking…)

First off, I’d like to mention Building Fairy Houses at Wilkerson Nature Preserve. from 10:30-12:00. This looks like the ultra-cutesy way to do something St. Patrick related. It’s for kids aged 3-5 years with a parent, and all about building “a fairy house in the woods for a mouse, bug, toad or other woodland fairy” using “our imaginations and natural materials”. I made a note to myself to check that out next year. NOTE: Pre-registration was required by yesterday. But if you’re nice and call, they may still let you in.

Next, still very kids focused, at the Leesville Regional Library from 10-12, kids of all ages can build a St. Patrick’s Day themed mobile at the Drop-In Craft event.

Then of course we have the big parade and festival in downtown Raleigh. This is also for ‘all ages’, including (and primarily for?) adults. But kids love parades, music and the dance performances usually delight toddlers. There are ‘childrens activites’, without further specifics. This sounds like a great afternoon program. You might want to head home as thunderstorms (and inebriated leprechauns) take over later in the day.

Lastly, if you feel St. Patrick’s day and kids don’t go together, S’Kids in Apex (a drop-in childcare center) has something for you. As posted on Carolina Parent (but not their own website), they Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with facepainting and a treasure hunt from 5pm-9pm, presumably while parents are out celebrating as well. I’ve never visited S’Kids and can’t say either bad nor good about their program.

The image above is leprechauns by garryknight , used under the  CC-BY-SA license

Art and Music in Durham (3/18/12)

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No sunny Sunday this weekend, so why not head out to Durham for a half day of art and music. The Nasher Museum of Art has a free family day on Sunday 12pm-4pm. No specifics are given for this coming Sunday other than the date – you might want to call ahead. Kids activities are for ages 3-12, but all kids are welcome.  A children theater group is scheduled for 1pm.

Parents – use the opportunity to at least catch a glimpse of the current Calder exhibit!

BigBangBoom (c) BigBangBoom

Big Bang Boom

When you’re done with the museum and getting hungry, head over to Broad Street Cafe where Big Bang Boom is performing children’s music at 4:30pm. Big Bang Boom is “a power pop trio that writes and performs parent-friendly children’s music” according to the Broad Street Cafe website. No admission is charged, but please be courteous and show your appreciation by purchasing their food and drinks.

Both Nasher Family Day and Broad Street Cafe Kids are recurring events to keep in mind for future Sundays…

Bug Songs by the NC Symphony (Sat, 3/10/2012)

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NC Kids Series (c) NC SymphonyFor me this is the highlight of the weekend. As part of the excellent NC Symphony Kids series, the symphony is performing Bug Songs  and will “imitate the sounds of the greatest musicians in the bug world“. To add color, the symphony will be joined by the Triangle Youth Ballet, and staff from the museum of Natural Sciences will be there as well and bring along a few creepy crawlies.

The program is “designed for” ages 4-12, and the concert will last about an hour. More information can be found here, and tickets are stil available (as of Friday morning) for both shows.

Cary Kite Festival (Sat 3/10/2012)

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Twirling with the kite by oddharmonic, used under the CC-BY-SA license_resized

Kite flying is fun!

Don’t let the rainy Friday fool you – tomorrow will be sunny. It will be a bit cold and not very windy, so I’m curious to see how the “expert kite flyer” will do his or her “stunt flying demonstration”. The kiting competition does not seem to be too fiercly competitive; there are awards for best crash, smallest kite, most un-flyable kite and so on. The event is at Bond Park in Cary – even if the kite flying is a lull, there is a lot of other stuff to do in this large park.

The picture is Twirling with the kite by oddharmonic , used under the  CC-BY-SA license.