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.