Great online resource for Kids Education

http://www.education.com/

It's been a busy summer already

Hope your summer with the kids is going great! Apologies for the hiatus but we have been very busy this summer with lots going on. We have plenty to catch up on in the next few weeks to help keep you informed on fun & educational things to do with your kids in Orange County, CA.

We added a new puppy to our family. Haley, a 14 week old Basset Hound / English Bulldog mix. The dog aficionado refer to her as a basset bully designer breed. She is adorable and best of all, a smart, calm dog that is great with kids. So we will begin blogging about raising puppies with kids. Let me tell you, you haven't been challenged until you are potty training a puppy and a two-year old at the same time!

We've spent plenty of time at the beach already this summer, and even went camping at the beach, so we will post a nice camping check list for families with kids and dogs.

Don't forget the OC Fair is going on now at the Orange County Fairgrounds and the Circus is coming town: the Ringling Bros. And Barnum & Bailey circus will be at the Honda Center in Anaheim from July 23rd through August 3rd. And after that at the Honda Center is WALKING WITH DINOSAURS: For 200 million years the Dinosaurs ruled the earth, Now, they’re back roaming the arenas of Americain an extraordinary new theatrical production.

STAY TUNED for more exciting, fun and educational things to do with your kids in Orange County.

FREE Audio Stories for Kids

All kids love stories. Here is a great resource for FREE Audio Stories for Kids: Storynory where Prince Bertie the Frog brings you an audio story every week. Each one is read specially for him by his friend Natasha . But Bertie likes to share - so you can hear them too, ABSOLUTELY FREE!

Explore over 100+ Tales in the Archives

http://storynory.com/

Schools out, kids are home, now what to do them?

About to go crazy with all the kids home for summer? Having a list of fun things to do with the kids can be a great help. Here are some fun ideas of things to do with and for the kids this summer break.

Summer Fun
Library Reading Programs. Many libraries offer great reading programs for the summer. Many also have craft days, discussion groups, and parties. Get your kids in on the fun! Watch for sign up times in your area. If you don't want to get out, check out these ideas of activities you can do with your kids. There are several craft projects for your older readers.

Orange County Public Library
http://www.ocpl.org/

Get together with another family. Find another family with kids that range in the same age bracket as your kids. Host a child(ren) from the other family one afternoon and on another day have your children go to their house. This will give one mom a chance to get things accomplished without the kids or at least take a nap!


Walk for Charities. Get the kids involved with an activity that not only promotes physical well-being, but also the importance of helping others. During the summer are many opportunities to walk for various charitable events.

Giving Children Hope - be part of the GCH's very first Walk-a-Thon
http://www.gchope.org/walking-with-hope.html

Lessons or sports? How about swim lessons? Dance? Soccer? Art? This will teach the kids skills and give you a break. Here's a list of youth sports leagues:
http://www.dmoz.org/Sports/Basketball/Youth_and_High_School/Leagues/

Scouting. Scouting can be a great activity with plenty of learning and fun. There may be day camps available as well as over night activities.

Orange County Scouts website
http://www.ocbsa.org/site/c.khKQIWPBIoE/b.2627577/

Cultural Activities. Get the kids excited about learning about their culture. Many ideas can be found in this article: Focus on Culture.

Cultural learning website with lesson for teaching kids
http://www.lessonplanspage.com/SSLAOCICountriesandCulturesIdeas18.htm

Crafts. Family Crafts guide, Sherri Osborn, has literally hundreds of craft ideas to keep your kids busy for three summers!

Fun Kids Arts & Crafts
http://familycrafts.about.com/

Life books. What a great time to focus on updating or completing the children's lifebooks. Working on their lifebooks may be a learning activity that they may be able to do with little help, depending on the age of the child, from you.

http://adoption.about.com/cs/legalissues/g/lifebook.htm

Day Camps. YMCA offers a great kid's day camp.

YMCA of Orange County
http://www.ymcaoc.org/branches/noc.php

Take your kids on a bike ride

We love going on bike rides as a family. We have the trailer setup & the child seat which fits behind mommy's and/or daddy's seat. We usually cruise down the boardwalk at either Newport Beach or Huntington Beach. Today we decided to do something a little different and enjoyed the bike trail around Newport back bay. It's quiet, safe to take your kids and flat! Don't forget to protect your kids noggin and be sure to put a child helmet on their heads.

Here's a nice map that shows the trail:



For more great fun outdoor activities in Orange County, CA visit the Kids Fun Factory website.

Sesame Street - always a great go-to

Father's Day events in Orange County

Just in time for Father's Day, the Newport Beach Breakers of World Team Tennis have launched the "Dad Pack."

The package includes two matches: Newport Beach Breakers vs. St. Louis Aces (featuring Anna Kournikova) on Wednesday, July 16th and Newport Beach Breakers vs. New York Sportimes (featuring John McEnroe) on Tuesday, July 22nd. This package will only last through Father's Day, so if your Pop loves tennis, then this is the gift for him. Package cost is $75.

Other matches this season include:

July 5th vs. Kansas City Explorers (Bank of America Jr. Night)
July 10th vs. Springfield Lasers (Featuring Lindsay Davenport)
July 13th vs. Washington Kastles (Featuring Serena Williams)
July 14th vs. Sacramento Capitals (Free Women's Clinic with Tracy Austin)
July 21st vs. Boston Lobsters (Featuring Martina Navratilova)

Other Ticketing options include, Full Season General Admission and Full Season Club Box. For more info and to order tickets click to: http://www.newportbeachbreakers.com/teams/index.aspx

For more great gift giving ideas for Father's Day and other fun stuff to do with Dad in Orange County visit the Kids Fun Factory website.