Cabbage Patch Hospital

When I was 8, my grandparents were living in Atlanta and we came to visit. They took us to the Cabbage Patch Hospital and I can still remember watching the babies being born from a cabbage. My sister was here visiting recently and we debated about visiting it again. For those of you with girls, it may be a fun place to go. It's free and only 1.5 hours from Atlanta.

http://www.cabbagepatchkids.com/

Day Out with Thomas

Take a 25-minute ride with a full-sized Thomas the Tank Engine, meet Sir Topham Hatt, enjoy storytelling, listen to live music and more.
Ages 2 and up.

July 24-28; July 30-Aug. 2.

Visit www.gsmr.com for a schedule of departures.

Great Smoky Mountains Railroad, Bryson City Depot.
Bryson City, N.C. 800-872-4681. Advance purchase is recommended. $18/person.

Recess Monkey - CD release show

Recess Monkey’s “Field Trip” CD Release Show.

Decatur Public Library
215 Sycamore St., Decatur. 404-370-3070

July 16. 7 p.m.

Listen to hip new songs and fun oldies from the award-winning trio of Seattle schoolteachers, Recess Monkey. Be sure to arrive early for a spot, as seating is limited.

Tanglewood Farm

Celebrate our nation with patriotic pony rides, bluegrass music and a hayride through the Wild West Town. Pet and feed more than 100 miniature animals and participate in Little Britches Rodeo contests.

Tanglewood Farm, 171 Tanglewood Dr., Canton. 770-667-6464.

July 1-31. Wed.-Fri., 10 a.m.-2 p.m.; Sat.-Sun., 10 a.m.-5 p.m. $10/person.

Children's Museum

Target Free Second Tuesdays. Imagine It! The Children’s Museum of Atlanta. Admission is free for all visitors who come during special event hours. Tickets are issued on a first come, first serve basis. Ages 8 and under. July 14. 1-7 p.m. 275 Centennial Park Dr., Atlanta. 404-659-5437. Free.

http://www.childrensmuseumatlanta.org/

Park Days

It looks like our weekly park days are back! The new summer schedule is:

Tuesday Mornings: Avondale Park

Thursday Mornings: Lucky Shoals Park

Kennesaw Mountain

We took the boys on a hike to the top of Kennesaw Mountain a few months ago and really enjoyed it! This weekend is the 145th Battle of Kennesaw Anniversary and there are family-friendly activities planned all weekend. If this weekend doesn't work, its worth the drive another time. The hike up to the top is steep, but do-able. There are old cannons at the top that are interesting as well a museum full of history. The only drawback is the parking (the lot is very small.)

http://www.nps.gov/kemo

Lakeshore Craft Workshops

Here is the free craft for the 4th at the Lakeshore store. Ages 3 and up.

http://www.lakeshorelearning.com/general_content/store_locations/storeCrafts.jsp?f=m

Fourth of July Celebrations...

Here are a few locations for fireworks on the 4th:

• Fantastic Fourth Celebration at Stone Mountain Park. On July 4, fireworks choreographed to music are shot from the base and top of Stone Mountain. July 3-5. 9:30 p.m. Hwy. 78, Stone Mountain. 770-498-5690. Laser show and fireworks, free; parking, $10.

• Dunwoody Fourth of July Parade in Dunwoody Village. July 4. 9:30 a.m. 1500 Dunwoody Village Pkwy., Dunwoody. Free.

• Pied Piper Parade, Concert and Fireworks in Downtown Decatur. Fireworks at dark. July 4. Parade, 6 p.m.; concert, 7 p.m. Parade starts at First Baptist Church of Decatur and ends at Community Bandstand. 404-371-9583. Free.

• Fabulous Fourth Festival at Georgia International Horse Park. Fireworks display at dark. July 4. 5 p.m. 1996 Centennial Olympic Pkwy., Conyers. 770-602-2606. Free admission.

• Fourth of July at Lenox Square. The largest fireworks display in the Southeast. July 4. 6-10 p.m. 3393 Peachtree Rd., Atlanta. 404-233-6767. Free.

• Marietta's Fourth in the Park at Glover Park. A fireworks display ends the night at 9:30 p.m. July 4. 10 a.m.-10 p.m. 50 Park Sq., Marietta. 770-794-5601. Free.

• Fourth of July Celebration at Centennial Olympic Park. Fireworks display at dusk. July 4. Noon-dark. 265 Centennial Olympic Park Dr., Atlanta. 404-222-7275. Free admission.

Pirate Ship Workshop - Lowe's

This Saturday Lowe's is hosting one of their Build and Grow Clinics. The project this week is a pirate ship which looks really fun. The clinic is free. Here's the link for the sign-up directions. I've signed both Kai and Austin up for Saturday at the Chamblee store (Peachtree Industrial). Austin's probably too young, but he'll enjoy hammering nails regardless of how the finished product looks.

https://www.lowesbuildandgrow.com/default.asp

Swimming

What with moving and all, I'm not sure how many times I will do this this summer, but on Friday, June 26, at 9:30 am., I will be hosting a swim.

It will be mostly the same as last year. (1) I will let people for about 10 minutes (dial R Davis from the gate) and then join you all. If you come late, you will need to ask the office to buzz you in. (2) Bring your own snacks. (3) The water is a little cool. (4) There is not much of a super-shallow end (no zero-entry).

There are a few changes for this year. (1) I have no guarantees that the bathroom in the office will be available. Management has changed. My apartment is a little further away, but you are more than welcome to rush there. I'll make sure it's clean. (2) Fritz usually lasts about an hour, so we probably won't go 2 (or 3) hours.

Thomas and Friends - Fox Theatre

Thomas and Friends Live! On Stage: A Circus Comes to Town.
The Fox Theatre.

Sing along during this musical adventure, as the engines on the Island of Sodor work together to prepare for an event under the Big Top.
June 26-28. Fri., 7 p.m.; Sat., 10:30 a.m., 2 p.m., 5 p.m.; Sun., 2 p.m.
660 Peachtree St., Atlanta. 800-745-3000.
$15, $25, $40.

Free Craft Workshops

I don't know if any of you are familiar with the Lakeshore store or not, but it is a fantastic educational store. They are offering free crafts for kids 3 and up this month. Here's the schedule for the two remaining Saturdays in June.

June 27: “It’s a Party!” Hat.
11 a.m.-3 p.m.
2757 Cobb Pkwy., Atlanta.
770-951-1700.
Free.

Summer Schedule

This is something my sister does every summer with her kids. She and another family combine activities and the moms take turns hosting and teaching. I have attached their schedule and what all the color blocks mean. My sister has older kids, and this is more suited for them, but I thought the idea was great and merited passing along. It could be easily tailored to suit the needs of any family.

Here are the categories, as she explained them to me:

Exercise everyday: self explanatory
Cooking with mom: teaching kids kitchen skills
Gospel Study: twice a week they choose a gospel topic and discuss choices and consequences. The two moms take turns teaching/hosting this, so it is more than just a FHE lesson, but you are learning with another family too.
Craft: self explanatory
Learn Something New: This is where they learn a new skill, and invite others to participate (for example, Nate taught this today...he showed the kids how to do stop motion animation and create a movie).
Organize me: learning how to set goals, get organized and keep up with everyone's activities, etc.
Mirror mom: this is when the kids learn how to run the washer, pay bills, etc.
In the Service of Others: A weekly service project, combined with another family.
Lighten Dad's Load: this is where they learn to do things to help their dad. (for example, my sister's kids have been learning how to post items for sale on craig's list, and doing yard work)

Anyhow, I just thought it would be fun to pass along!

UPDATE

Thanks for all your comments. I think I'm going to use this blog as a place to post upcoming events (thanks Allison and Steph) as well as a place to organize the summer activities. I'll try to post more details about the activity schedule later this evening.

Bowling

I signed our kids up for this "free" bowling. It's free in that your kids can bowl two games free (everyday if you wanted) and you just pay for the shoe rental (which I called the place and it's $3 per child). If others wanted to sign up, I think this would be a fun group activity and something good to do indoors during the summer heat. The bowling center in our area that participates is Suburban Lanes on N. Decatur. We could have a kids bowling league!

http://www.kidsbowlfree.com/