Fall Recreator

The fall Recreator is out! Well, the electronic version is out, you'll have to wait for the paper version but feel free to peruse early :)

Go Camping with the Family!

You really should try camping with the family. It's a lot of fun for the kids and adults. No equipment, don't know how, don't know where to go? REI has got it covered! There are several great talks coming up that are just for you! After that you'll be read for the Great American Backyard Campout on June 25th, or if you are feeling really brave, the Campout at The Farm at Lee Martinez Park.

Ft Collins REI — Camping Basics

* Date: 6/16/2011
* Event Fee: Free
* Time: 6:30 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. (MDT)

Description: Have you wanted to try camping but don't know how to get started? Join REI to learn what you need to take on your first camping trip. We will cover the basics including camping gear, how to stay warm and comfortable, ideas for fun activities, and local areas for car camping. Camping is a fun and affordable way to take a vacation--let REI help you get into the outdoors! No experience necessary.

Ft Collins REI — Family Camping Expo

* Date: 6/18/2011
* Event Fee: Free
* Time: 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. (MDT)

Description: It's camping season! Stop by REI to find out about the best places to go camping, practice setting up camp (tents, sleeping bags, camp kitchen), and learn some fun outdoor games and activities. Whether you're a first time camper, want to see the latest camping gear in action, or are just looking for new tips, we'll have something for everyone. Even if you're not ready to go to a campground, we'll help you get ready for the Great American Backyard Campout on June 25, when thousands of families across the country will turn their backyards into a campground for the night.

Ft Collins REI — Top Local Outdoor Areas

* Date: 6/20/2011
* Event Fee: Free
* Time: 6:30 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. (MDT)

Description: Did you know Larimer County parks & open spaces have over 70 miles of trails for hiking, mountain biking, and horseback riding and over 600 campsites in 7 different campgrounds? And that there are over 40 Natural Areas in Fort Collins? Rob Novak from Larimer County and Susan Schafer from Fort Collins Natural Areas will show off the best our local parks and natural areas have to offer, with top spots for camping, hiking, horseback riding, biking, climbing, boating, fishing, picnicing, and swimming. Plus they will have free recreation maps and event information for everyone. Come discover our local treasures.

Ft Collins REI — Farm Camp Out

* Begins: 6/24/2011 6:00 p.m.
* Event Location: The Farm at Lee Martinez Park
* Event Fee: See event details
* Ends: 6/25/2011 9:00 a.m. (MDT)


Description: It's the first ever camp out at The Farm! Bring your tent, sleeping bags, and the kids! Horseshoes, hayrides, singing around the campfire, s'mores, and a light breakfast will all be included in the $34 fee, which includes up to 4 people. Additional people are $5 each at the door. Registration is at the link below (event #75428-01) or call The Farm at 970-221-6665.

Ft Collins REI — Great American Backyard Campout

* Date: 6/25/2011
* Event Location: Your Backyard
* Event Fee: Free
* Leader: National Wildlife Federation

Description: Join thousands of families across the country in celebrating the Great American Backyard Campout by turning your backyard into a campground. Open the door and sleep under the stars. Roast marshmallows. Sing camp songs. Join REI and the National Wildlife Federation in the Great American Backyard Campout: a one-night event that brings together thousands of families, friends and neighbors to rediscover outdoor fun. REI is proud to be a national sponsor of the 2011 Great American Backyard Campout.

Library Programs Galore!

I've added many, many summer library programs to the blogger calendar. There are plays, puppet shows, K5 adventures and more! And don't forget to sign up for the summer reading program too - adults and kids :)

Lincoln Center Line-up

The Lincoln Center has released its fall line-up. I highlighted the Imagination Series below. Tickets go on sale August 9th. I can't wait!

Lincoln Center Announces 2011 Season Line Up, Grand Re-Opening Dates

Released on Wednesday, May 18th, 2011

Contact Information

Susan Herlihy
970-416-2752
http://sherlihy@fcgov.com

The Lincoln Center has stacked the deck (and not just its brand new Rooftop Deck) with a Grand Re-Opening Season featuring national tours of Tony-award winning Broadway musicals, dance, classical music and family shows. This year offers holiday specials, concerts and comedy events for extra appeal.

The Lincoln Center Performing Arts Grand Re-Opening Season will kick off the weekend of September 16th.

Season renewals began today, new subscriptions will be available July 1, and single tickets go on sale August 9. This year several shows are expected to sell out. Visit www.lctix.com for more information on shows and to purchase tickets when they go on sale.

2011/2012 Lincoln Center Shows

Grand Re-Opening: The Mid-Town Men – 4 Stars From The Original Cast of Jersey Boys. Tickets include grand opening reception with complementary drinks and appetizers

Showstoppers Series: South Pacific, Spamalot, 100 Years of Broadway, Straight No Chaser, Burn The Floor

Anything Goes Series: Get the Led (Zeppelin) Out, BeauSoleil Avec Michael Doucet, Tao: The Art of the Drum

Dance Series: Pilobolus, St. Street Jungle Book, Diavalo

Imagination Series: Extreme Canine Stunt Dogs, Mufaro’s Beautiful Daughter (The African American Cinderella Story), Stuart Little

Classical Music Series: Parker Quartet, Wosner & Koh, Calder Quartet

Special Events: Dallas Brass, A Christmas Carol, Celtic Nights – Journey of Hope, Béla Fleck & the Flecktones (The Original Line-up), STOMP, Brian Regan, Kathleen Madigan, Vienna Boys Choir

The Lincoln Center renovation and expansion will be completed in phases. Many areas of the building will be finished in July, when several weddings are scheduled for the new Rooftop Deck and completely renovated CanyonWest Grand Ballroom. The Performance Hall will be completed in August.

In addition to the new Rooftop Deck overlooking the Entry Plaza, other improvements include state-of-the-art acoustical upgrades in both performance halls, a new self-contained and climate-controlled arts gallery, greatly expanded lobby spaces with three new permanent bars, new (and more) bathrooms, and a newly remodeled ballroom and Outdoor Terrace.

“The ‘new’ Lincoln Center is all about improving the patron experience,” said Jill Stilwell, director of Cultural Services. “We’ve created new spaces to meet and mingle prior to shows, relocated the Box Office to a more convenient space, added 17,000 square feet of new space and renovated 55,000 feet of existing space. Now, we look forward to providing a community gathering spot for Fort Collins and Northern Colorado for the next 32 years.”

The Lincoln Center has also upgraded its ticketing system, and will now offer print-at-home ticketing as well as the opportunity to pick your seats when purchasing online.

The Lincoln Center will host a public open house from 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. Sunday, August 14. More information on the open house and the renovation is available at LCTix.com.

Natural Areas Summer Activity Guide is out!

Here's the email I received from the Ft Collins Natural Areas Program:

The Natural Areas Program's guide to free summer activities, Tracks and Trails, has been published online! The printed version will arrive soon and be available at trailheads and at 75 local businesses.
New this year:

• Nature Nuggets for children 3-7 years old, offered twice a month at Fossil Creek Reservoir Regional Open Space or Bobcat Ridge Natural Area.
  
• Natural Areas After Dark programs- more nighttime hikes with separate walks for families or adults. A Family of Stars includes a special starlab presentation, and discounted purchase of a telescope and star wheel.
• Natural Explorations including Nature by Bike, Prairie Grasses for Beginners, Soapstone in the Spotlight and more!
• Free online registration is available using the same system as the Recreator, webtrac. Free phone registration is also available. Registration for each activity opens two weeks before the date of the activity. Most programs do not require registration.

Enjoy this year's Tracks and Trails and we hope to see you at an educational program soon!

Free Bowling for Kids

Head over to KidsBowlFree and sign your kids up for free bowling this summer. You get 2 free games per day per kid! Locations in Fort Collins, Loveland and more.

$1 Movies!

Cinemark is running their Summer Movie Clubhouse again this summer. Every Tuesday and Wednesday at 10am they'll have a family movie for $1 (or all 10 shows for $5). Great chance to get out of the heat and catch some movies you missed the first time around (or want to see again.) Get there early though, it can get busy!

The Recreator is here!

Even if I don't sign myself or my kids up for a single thing, I still LOVE looking through the new Recreator. I haven't gotten my mailed copy yet, and the Harmony Library appears to be out already, but, they are online. Besides classes, I found a couple fun events:

• The Gardens on Spring Creek will be offering a Saturday program each week June through October. It doesn't look like the have a schedule set just yet, but it should be fun!
• Splash Drive-in - Friday night movies at City Park Pool. The only price is pool admission (have to be there by 7:30pm, movie starts at 8:30pm). It looks like this will be an every Friday event starting June 10th but the wording is vague.

Hear Louv Speak!

Richard Louv, author of the best selling book Last Child in the Woods, is going on tour to promote his new book The Nature Principle: Human Restoration and the End of Nature-Deficit Disorder. He's going to be at the Tattered Cover this coming June. If you've heard of Nature Deficit Disorder, then you'll want to attend. If you haven't heard of it, you NEED to attend!

Are you a homeschool family? Teacher? Principal? Other Educator?

Healthy Kids Run Series 2011

The Healthy Kids Run Series kicks off, as always, with the Colorado Marathon which is May 1st this year. You can sign up there or in advance (recommended). There is online registration as well as mail-in.

If you haven't done this before, it can be a lot of fun. We did this for several years before taking a year off. The kids got some sort of prize at the end of each race (one year it was rubber bracelets with the race name, another year it was dog tags, etc) along with a punch on their card. Then at the end of the year they get participation prizes if they've done 4 or more races. My kids have gotten fleece vests, trophies, gift cards, etc. There is nearly always a long and short version of the kid's race and the organization really doesn't care which one you do, even if they say the longer one is for age X and up. And if you want to run with your kids, no problem.

Because of their funding, the registration is only for 5-12 year olds. They are the only ones who can earn prizes. But, you can still run if you are outside that age range.

There is a Fit Teen series as well if you have teenagers. They get to run the 5K race for a special price of $10 with prizes for participating in 4 or more races.

Denver Metro Area Camps

Are you in the Denver metro area and need camp info? Or maybe you would travel for a really great camp. Check out the Denver Post's list of camps. Everything from film-making to chess, kinetics to cooking. You want it, they've got it. And there's a great little search tool too!

Ideas, ideas, ideas!!!

Need summer activity ideas? Who doesn't! A mother's group of which I'm a part did some summer activity sharing and brainstorming last week which I'm sharing with everyone. I'll keep adding and editing activities as I find them :)

Thanks to Julie E for hosting the meeting and bring lots of Mother's Center goodies and Charly for putting together most of this document, including so many links!

At home:

• Build and run an obstacle course - put kids on a "podium" and hand out ribbons from the dollar store (or make your own - another activity!)
  
• Write a poem or a play and then videotape the performance
• Make puppets and perform a puppet show
• With help from an adult, build a birdhouse, bench, or wooden sculpture. Ask the local lumber yard if they have any off-cuts to give you for free.
• Go to the library for activity books for young children or projects for older kids.

FREE activities:

• Teach kids to fish (adults do need a license) - here are some places to try
  
• Take a kid-friendly hike with NoCo Nature Tribe
• Take a guided (easy) hike. The Larimer County Natural Resources Department has many different choices.
• Get outside with a City of Fort Collins Natural Areas Program.
  
• Make and fly a kite. Try this website to make your own.
• Visit the CSU Environmental Learning Center. Pack a picnic and visit the raptors.
  
• Stop by the Gardens on Spring Creek. Play in the water at the giant watering can or be a human sundial!
  
• Bike all over Fort Collins and Loveland
• Visit all the city parks in Ft. Collins and Loveland.
• Swim at the beach at Lake Loveland or Windsor Lake
• Play in the Poudre river
  
• Go to a kid's workshop at Home Depot
• Visit the Garbage Garage Tuesday, Thursday or Friday between 10am and 2pm.
  

• Visit all the splash parks:
• Loveland Sports Park
• The fountain by the Bent Fork in Centerra
• Inspiration Playground at Spring Canyon Park
• Fossil Creek Park
• Oak Street Plaza
• Visit all the sculpture parks:
  
• Swetsville Zoo
• Chapungu Sculpture Park
• Benson Park
• Enjoy a concert
• Ben & Jerry's Concert Series, 7-9pm on Fridays in Old Town Square
• CSU Lagoon Concert Series, schedule not yet released
  
• Loveland’s Foote Lagoon Concerts, 7-9pm on Thursdays at Civic Center Park
• more concerts coming, just waiting for all the schedules to be released!
  
• See a Streetmostphere performer
• Check out the Poudre River Library District's summer schedule (summer schedule not yet released)
• See a free movie outdoors Friday nights at the Promenade Shops at Centerra. Entertainment starts at 7pm with the main feature beginning around 9pm
• Attend American Girl or Dangerous Boys clubs at your local Barnes & Noble store. I like the Centerra store. Notice there are lots of story times too. They often offer a summer reading program as well!
  

Activities with a fee:

• Visit all the water parks:
• City Park Pool
• Family Funplex in Greeley
• Chilson indoor pool
• Winona outdoor pool
• Crystal Rapids water park
• Mulberry indoor Pool
• Ride the Fort Collins Trolley weekends May - Sept. Board at noon at City Park (by the tennis courts).
  
• Swim, hike, boat, bike, and picnic at Boyd Lake State Park
• Hike along Horsetooth Reservoir. Picnic, swim, and boat in South Bay.
• Go to the Rialto's Tuesday Theater for Kids, 10am & 2pm at the Rialto in Loveland, $5/adult, $3/kid
• See an all-female cast of Shakespeare's Twelfth Night at CSU's Shakespeare at Sunset.
• Go to the Drive-in!
  

Summer camps and classes:

• Fort Collins Recreator - classes for every age and interest
• The Recreator is also offering Girls Slow Pitch Softball league and Tackle Football Camps. Other sports camps are available through Fort Collins Parks and Recreation via Skyhawks Summer Sports Camps
  
• Summer camps and classes through Ft. Collins PSD (2011)
• Contact your local church and ask about summer programs. I personally recommend the Foothills Unitarian Church summer day camp.
• Dance like a Disney Princess at High Country Dance
• Summer Camps at the Environmental Learning Center
• Summer Camps at the Gardens on Spring Creek
• Summer Camps through the Fort Collins Museum and Discovery Science Center
• Green Adventures Camps through Loveland Youth Gardeners
  
• Summer Sports Camps through CSU
• The Edge Sports Center summer camps and classes.
  
• Lone Tree Summer Camps through the Loveland Museum
  
• Learn to scuba or snorkel at High Plains Scuba
• Check out some art classes through the Loveland Youth Art Program
• One day Waste Ranger Camp is available FREE through the Garbage Garage. Offered for ages 8-12 on 3 different dates, June 22, July 13 and Aug 3, from 8:30am-2pm. To register call 498.5775 or 498.5772 or email mmcarthy@larimer.org or rwatson@larimer.org
  

Larimer County Natural Areas

Larimer County has many FREE and EASY guided hikes. Their calendar currently is only scheduled through the end of May, but I've added those to the activities calendar here on the blog.

Please do read all the notes as some areas do require a parking fee if you don't have the Larimer County Parks Pass. This is $6/vehicle. I believe Horsetooth Mountain Open Space is the only one that they have scheduled hikes that requires this fee. Devil's Backbone does not.

Thinking of camping?

If you are thinking of taking your first camping trip with your kids, check out REI's article.

It really is fun (most of the time) to go camping. The kids LOVE it - they get to be dirty and play outside 24/7! If you don't have equipment, REI and other places rent it reasonably. It doesn't have to be hard to do (we do a no pots/pans version where everything is grilled and the plates are burned so there's no meal clean up!) You can make things as simple as a tent in the backyard or as elaborate as a week-long road trip to numerous sites in South Dakota. Try it out, you might just love it :)

Would you like to be a Library Pal this summer?

The kids I've know who have done this, have loved it! Here's the release from the library:

Would you like to be a Library Pal this summer?

If you will complete grade 5, 6, 7, or 8 this school year, and enjoy working in a busy place filled with kids, consider applying to become a Library Pal.

What do Library Pals do?

• help with summer events
• appear with costumed mascot
• make book recommendations
• help with library tasks
• make new friends
• much, much more

Library Pals volunteer for one weekly 2-hour time slot for 8 weeks (June 6-July 29, 2011). Two training sessions will be offered in early June.

Application forms are available at all three libraries, and will be accepted through Sunday, May 16. A limited number of positions are available. The sooner you get your application in, the better your chances of getting a position. For more information, call 221-6680.

Kites in the Park

After you finish the Horsetooth Half Marathon, head over to Spring Canyon Park for some Kite fun!

Ft Collins REI — Kites In The Park Kite Festival

* Date: 4/17/2011
* Event Location: Spring Canyon Park
* Event Fee: Free

* Time: 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. (MDT)
* Leader: Fort Collins Recreation

Description: The 4th annual Kites In The Park is a free community event that encourages families to get outside and rediscover the fun and simplicity of flying a kite. Included in the festival is a free Kite Making Station, plus specialty kite flyers and performers, face painting, boomerang lessons, kite raffles, giant kites, booths, food vendors and a special section dedicated to kite flying around the world.

Nature Passport

REI and Children & Nature Connection (both great organizations, IMO) have teamed up to get kids outside in April. You can go to REI's site or Children & Nature Connection's to see what's happening outdoors in NoCo in April and also download your Passport. Too fun!

Ft Collins REI — Let's G.O. - Get Outside!

* Leader: Children and Nature Connection

Description: This April take your family on a nature adventure! Print off your Let's G.O. Nature Passport from the link below and take advantage of the wonderful outdoor activities available in Northern Colorado! The passport includes fun, free events and information on how to explore the natural areas, open lands and open spaces available for outdoor play and adventure. Then celebrate an awesome month at the LET's G.O. Celebration with prizes, snacks, and fun activities on Saturday, April 30th from 1-4pm at Fossil Creek Park. GET OUTSIDE with the Children and Nature Connection!

Passport link

Ready for Spring?

If the warm weather is making you think of gardening, then check out your favorite nursery's class schedule! Gulley's has classes for kids every Thursday at 4pm starting on March 17th. Check out the websites below and see what's happening :)

Gulley Greenhouse
Bath Garden Center
Fort Collins Nursery
Fossil Creek Nursery

Poudre River Friends of the Library Used Book Sale

Poudre River Friends of the Library Used Book Sale - Harmony Library, 4616 S. Shields on the Front Range Community College Campus.


More books added each day!



March 3, 5-8 pm

March 4, 10 am-6 pm

March 5, 10 am-5 pm

March 6, Noon-4pm Sunday everything is ½ price!

Fiske Planetarium

Groupon today is offering tickets to the Fiske Planetarium in Boulder as their daily deal. It's $7 for 2 tickets, which is half price. I thought some of the shows looked pretty cool, so I bought some for us.

Full disclosure: Link is my "referral link" so if you buy through that, I get $10 from Groupon.

http://www.groupon.com/r/uu20946640