The Write Stuff Summer Writing Camp

Seriously, why go to a summer writing camp?  I mean it’s summer!

But you know what?  Writing is FUN!!  It doesn’t have to be paragraphs and essays and work, work, work.

Teaching children the tools to craft their own story allows them to become masters of their imagination, teaches them to communicate better, helps them capture ideas, and develops confidence.

Writing strengthens speech, vocabulary and sentence construction, but it also teaches skills like decision making and problem solving.  In addition, writing a story allows kids to explore their own feelings about situations and consider other peoples’ circumstances.

The Write Stuff Summer Writing Camp offers writing camps to get kids fired up about writing (the last session runs the week of August 16th, just in time to get kids jazzed about school!).

Every story has a hero or heroine, someone who’s on a journey, fighting the good fight, and who must overcome obstacle after obstacle before he or she triumphs!  Look at Percy Jackson.  He’s a great example of a hero.  And Mulan is a perfect example of a heroine.  We’ll look at these heroes and heroines and create our own!

Storytelling is filled with dark forces and characters we love to hiss and boo at. Delve into the world of villains and understand the motivations that make them so evil and complex! You’ll choose a dark and dastardly character and work to capture his/her voice and perspectives. Darth Vader wasn’t really all that bad, was he?

Once upon a time fairy tales were predictable; but at The Write Stuff, fascinating twists and turns can occur in the story!  We might “pretzel” those plots by scripting ebay ads for glass slippers, or creating recipe books for gingerbread-house-dwelling witches. We’ll make animals talk and give stories a twist.  Wizards, gnomes, fire-eaters, unicorns and other characters flung from afar in your imagination are welcome. Imaginations required!

Do the slithering serpents atop Medusa’s head truly turn men to stone? Just what’s with the symbolism of Pandora’s Box? Greek myths explain life’s mysteries.  We might create our own mythologies, fraught with heroes, monsters and enchanted lands.

Do it at The Write Stuff, or do it at home.  But keep those kids writing this summer!

Gems Found on a Hike Through the Woods

David Chicken appearing in Plano

We’re going to see David Chicken in concert on July 1st! My kids are so excited because he filmed The Mama Chicken video for his latest DVD in my kitchen! If you are in the DFW area, be sure to check out David when he performs, he’s won two Emmys now… he’s kinda good!

David and I are both graphic designers and have worked together for many years. He designed a great web site to keep your kids entertained for a little while… check out his video page to see some fun videos. I also love Super Joanie’s Amazing Tricks.

The Shops at Willow Bend 6121 West Park Blvd. Suite 1000, Plano, TX Thursday, July 1, 2010 Show time: 2 pm

Frank Buck Zoo

Last month we went to the Frank Buck Zoo in Gainesville.

If you have not been there, it is a nice small zoo that has a long and colorful history. Located right in the heart of Gainesville, Texas, the Frank Buck Zoo has been serving the children, schools and citizens of North Central Texas and Southern Oklahoma for over 50 years!  We even found out that in March 2008, the zoo inherited a fascinating collection of camp tools used to capture animals and media memorabilia from the 1930, 1940, & 1950′s.

That day, we pretty much had the zoo to ourselves.  They have a petting zoo area and you can arrange to feed the giraffes if you are there at a certain time.  They also have a nice wooden playground out front with lots of fun painted photo op signs!

The zoo is open daily, year round – so it’s great on a whim, or for a planned excursion!

Macey Hart is a Flower Mound photographer who specializes in family and child photography.

Cheap fun in Lewisville

I’m a country girl. I grew up in a farm town, and I didn’t even know there was such a thing as a community pool. Well, I saw them on television, but they looked kind of gross and dirty. So, when a friend mentioned taking her kids to the Lewisville Pool I was a little shocked.

She’s a good friend though, so I decided to trust her. I loaded up my kid, and we headed to the Old Town Lewisville Pool. This park is so cheap, and you bring your own food, so you can get out of there for next to nothing. It has a water slide for the bigger kids, and there’s almost never a line so they can slide down it all day. Your little ones can play in the beach entry pool or in the fountains.

My daughter brings her tea party set and just sits on the side all day serving tea to her friends. (Don’t bring toys you don’t want to get lost though–I had a small altercation with a woman over an ice cream cone scoop last year.)

They have season passes if you’re into the swimming thing, and they are good at both Lewisville Pools for the year. That’s nice because the other, more expensive pool across town has a lot more for kids to do as a special treat, but we usually avoid that one because of the insane crowds.

If you are like me and looking for some cheap fun this summer I suggest you check out the Lewisville Pools. Here’s all the important information you need to know!

Remember, each pool is closed one day a week, so that means the other one will be way more crowded that day, so I usually avoid Wednesdays and Thursdays all together.

SUN VALLEY AQUATIC CENTER
801 S. Valley Parkway
click for map
972-219-3743

HOURS

• Sunday 2:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.
• Monday 12:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
• Tuesday 12:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
• Wednesday CLOSED
• Thursday 12:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
• Friday 12:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
• Saturday 1:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.

Lap swimming will be available on weekdays at
Sun Valley from 6:00 pm. to 7:00 p.m.

ADMISSION

• Sun Valley Admission Cost $5.00
• Resident Admission Cost* $4.00
• Twilight Admission Cost $3.00
• (Monday – Friday from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m.)
• Under 3 Free

OLD TOWN AQUATIC PARK
535 W. College Street
972-219-3744

HOURS

• Sunday 2:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.
• Monday 10:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m.
• Tuesday 10:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m.
• Wednesday 10:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m.
• Thursday CLOSED
• Friday 10:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m.
• Saturday 1:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.

ADMISSION

• Old Town Admission Cost $3.00
• Resident Admission Cost* $2.00
• Twilight Admission Cost $2.00
• (Monday – Friday from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m.)
• Under 3 Free

SEASON PASS

• Individual Season Pass $65.00
• Individual Resident Season Pass* $50.00
• Resident Family Pass** $175.00

Season passes are good at either facility for the entire swim season.

*Proof of residency is required for discount.
**Up to 6 family members.

Jamie Harrington is an aspiring author that spends her days frantically writing about super heroes and band geeks. She’s married to a pretty cool guy, and has a beautiful three year old daughter that’s the topic of most of her blog posts at Totally the Bomb.com. You can also find her mindlessly chatting away all day on twitter.

Spring Lake Park in Flower Mound

Today Stuart and Nicholas went to Spring Lake Park on Windmill Lane in Flower Mound. This park was recently part of a beautification project through Keep Flower Mound Beautiful. There is a great fishing pond, pavillion, amphitheater and trails. It’s just a nice place to walk around with your children.  One of my favorite parts are the interactive nature-based educational stations along the trails that teach about the levels of a forest such as floor and canopy as well as how to identify leaves of the trees in the park. What a great way for children to learn about nature while enjoying the great outdoors!  And, of course, nature is always a fun free activity

The guys spent most of their time fishing in the pond. Nicholas has his own little fishing rod and tackle box and is quite a good little fisherman. What fun! These fish usually bite well on little bitty pieces of hot dog which makes for cheap and easy to find bait. But, at least for my child, I find that he wants to snack on the cold hot dog while he is breaking off pieces to put on his hook. Ewww, you just touched a fish and pond water with that hand that you are putting in your mouth! But (fortunately) today we didn’t have any hot dogs at the house so the guys used some regular store bought fishing bait that Stuart had in his tackle box. They were quite successful. Nicholas caught four sunfish in a short amount of time!

Lewisville Lake Environmental Learning Area

As Environmental Chairman for the Greater Lewisville Early Childhood PTA, I had an outing scheduled for today for the children to go on a nature scavenger hunt at the Lewisville Lake Environmental Learning Area (LLELA). I thought about cancelling it because it was 40 degrees outside which seemed a little cold to go on a nature walk with little children. But I talked to some of the moms who had signed up and many were still excited about going so I bundled Rachel all up and we headed out.

The scavenger hunt was awesome! Most of the children attending were in the range of 18 months – 4 years old and it was a great activity for this age group. We had laminated sheets with pictures of what we were supposed to find and dry erase markers to circle the items once we found them.

I love our trail guide because she “planted” some cool items along the trails in advance just so the children could find some really interesting items.

We found colorful leaves, animal burrows, coyote jaw bones, turkey feathers, turtle shells…

…deer antlers…

…grasshoppers…

…coyote and raccoon tracks in the mud…

…flowers…

…evergreen trees.

We saw Lake Lewisville…

…and an original log cabin from the 1860s…

I’m so proud of our group of moms and kiddos. We spent about an hour and a half on our nature walk and had a great time despite the cold temperatures.

Even though Rachel spent the whole time in the stroller, she was worn out and fell asleep on the way home.

LLELA is open to the public on the weekends. You can hike on three trails, camp, canoe, picnic, birdwatch, or just enjoy spending time with nature.

Christmas In The Square

Last night we went to Christmas in the Square in Frisco. There were bounce houses, carriage rides, pony rides, games, food, and fun things for sale. We were hoping to see the highlight of the event at 5:15 when Santa Claus parachutes down into the square. Unfortunately, it must have been too cloudy because he wasn’t able to do it. We were really bummed. But we enjoyed the watching the light shows on the buildings around the square. They showed snowflakes falling down the sides of the buildings. It was really pretty. But it was incredibly cold and windy even though we were all bundled up like Eskimos.

We also enjoyed strolling along the street where we found a store that we had never heard of – Love, Peace, and Popcorn. They sell gourmet popcorn and it’s incredible! We have recently developed a new love for popcorn with the beginning of Family Movie Night at home on Friday evenings. Popcorn is always required. It was fun checking out all of the creative flavors of popcorn. Of course, there were the basics like cheese or caramel. But have you ever tried pizza popcorn or dill pickle popcorn? What about eggnog and rum flavored popcorn or s’mores popcorn? They may sound a little weird but give them a try. You can request a sample of any flavor but good luck deciding which ones to buy by the bag to bring home.

A Homestead Christmas – Lewisville Lake Environmental Learning Area

LLELA is hosting A Homestead Christmas on Saturday, December 12 from noon to 3 pm.

My family and I attended last year and had a really good time. It created some family memories for us while stepping back in time at the log cabin in the woods of Lewisville Lake Environmental Learning Area.

There is no additional fee for this event – admission is the usual $3 per person entry gate fee. Once you are parked, the Homestead is a short “hike” through the woods.

The trails are wide open and great for little ones to run ahead and explore.  I have negotiated the area with a stroller in the past with no trouble.  The distance to the log cabin homestead is less than 1/2 mile.

If you peek through the trees, you can see the homestead log cabin area which consists of two cabins and a smoke house.  The larger cabin is the 1869 Minor-Porter Log Home which was quite large and fancy for it’s time.

LLELA staff and volunteers were there to welcome us with hot spiced cider cooked over the cabin’s fire.  There were also other holiday treats that would have been enjoyed during the times of the original homestead.  We tried the candied orange rinds…

I really liked them, but the boys decided they preferred candy from the present.  They didn’t seem to mind cookies from the late 1800s…

In the smaller cabin which also has a dirt floor, the boys took part in the craft.  They made a toy that might have been a Christmas gift in Homestead days – an animated horse.  When the paper spins the horse appears to move.

One of the things I find fascinating is how they used to keep bugs off the table.  Check out the muli-layer bowls at the bottom of these table legs.

This kept crawling bugs out of the food that was stored on the table.  The outer ring was filled with water creating an elaborate insect trap.

A Homestead Christmas at Lewisville Lake Environmental Learning Area also featured music, additional crafts and wildlife tree trimming.  Overall, great fun for 2009 from a 1869 perspective.

The Texas State Fair…Our First Visit!

Thanks to BurbMom.net and GMC, Reese and I enjoyed a free day at the Texas State Fair a few weeks ago!

We met up with lots of our buddies, rode tons of rides, had a fantastic *free* lunch at the GMC tents, & even got to check out the 2010 GMCs. I was truly impressed with the gas mileage of the new crossovers!

We LOVED the Lego Tents!

Where is Reese anyway?

Lots of building opportunities at the Lego Tents…

We were challenged to build something that “started with an A, but not an apple” in 2 minutes…Reese built a jail for our Alpaca…

We had never visited the State Fair before (and I’ve lived in the DFW area for 11 years now!) and I’m glad BurbMom provided this opportunity so I would drag myself out there. The weather held out and stopped raining for a day, the rides were fun, the crowd was not bad at all, & Reese and I had a fantastic time.

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