Craft: Homemade Light Box

My dear daughter, Marisa, is an inspiring artist.  She loves all things art.  I will thank her super-terrific-fantastic-wonderful-awesome art teacher at our local elementary school for her inspiration.  Mrs. Clark we love you!  While Marisa is still young and views my artwork with rose colored glasses I will accept every compliment until the magic is gone. She recently asked how I learned to draw.  I said, “I traced my coloring books.”  I remembered how much fun it was to trace and how tricky it could be to see the lines.  That’s when the light bulb went off.  We made our own light box!  How?  Like this…

Gather the following items: Flashlight (more like a work light, something you can lay flat); flat plastic container to put over flashlight. (I used my Pampered Chef Pitcher); Removable tape (painters tape worked well); coloring page to trace (taped onto pitcher); blank piece of paper; pencil or marker to trace.

Lay pitcher on flat surface. Turn flashlight on and insert into pitcher. Tape coloring page onto pitcher and secure with painters tape. Now, place blank sheet of paper on top of coloring page and secure with painters tape. Have your kiddo trace their heart out and then enjoy their artwork!

Free Family Thursday

The Health Museum:  Free Family Thursday is an opportunity for the entire Houston area community to enjoy the programs and exhibits at The Health Museum, at no charge. This community-minded program is generously sponsored during June 2012 by M.D. Anderson Cancer Center.  Visitors enjoy free general admission on Thursdays from 2 to 5 p.m.

The Children's Museum:   On Thursday evenings from 5 to 8 p.m., the Children's Museum hosts Free Family Nights.

All admission fees are waived and families are able to come to the Museum and experience everything it has to offer. The free admission provided to visitors not only includes access to all of our hands-on exhibits but to a wide variety of programming that extends from the cultural arts to science and math.  Free Family Nights are courtesy of the Houston Endowment, the Wortham Foundation, Inc. and the John P. McGovern Foundation.  Parking in our garage is $3 during Free Family Night.  

Musum of Fine Arts Houston: 
No Need to Pay General Admission If . . .



• You are visiting the museum on a Thursday, when general admission is free for everyone, courtesy of Shell.
• You are age 5 or younger. This age group receives free general admission every day.
• You are age 6 to 18 and visiting on a Saturday or Sunday with a library card from any public library in Texas. The library cardholder receives one free general admission; offer does not apply to ticketed exhibitions or events.
• You are a visitor to Cafe Express, Hirsch Library, MFAH Shop, or Glassell School exhibitions.
• You are a teacher visiting the Kinder Foundation Education Center, located on the lower level of the Law Building.

Water Play On the Cheap

You don't have to spend a dime to have a watery good time. The emergence of the splash pad or spray ground in recent years has certainly been cause for celebration for families on a budget. The water features vary by park but include water cannons, geysers, misters and sand "beaches."

One of the most popular splash grounds can be found downtown at Discovery Green. The park's Gateway Fountain boasts a granite field of water jets with arching streams as high as 14 feet.  Nearby, the large stainless sculpture called Mist Tree has 80 nozzles that produce a curtain of misty, squeal-inducing rain.

The city of Pasadena got a drenching with the opening of three new splash pads. You'll find them in Memorial Park, Red Bluff Park and Sunset Park.

You can also find great splash pads in Pearland, TX at Independence Park and Westside Event Center.

And don't forget the splash zones found in some of the area's most popular commercial districts. Dancing Fountains are a magnet for kids (and sweaty adults) visiting the Kemah Boardwalk and the Downtown Aquarium.

Use the following splash pad locator to help you find a spot to cool off:  http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?hl=en&ie=UTF8&msa=0&msid=202917162904798080787.0004700c6c0d274a2ae67&ll=30.094049,-95.326996&spn=0.958845,2.113495&z=10

Article credit to SYD KEARNEY, STAFF WRITER at Houston Chronicle.

Craft: Origami Paper Cup

Can you drink from a piece of paper? With some origami know-how, your kiddos can create their own drinking cup.

I remember learning how to do this craft at Melcher Branch library when I was a little girl.  It is fun, simple, and useful.  I’ve made cups out of paper towels at the movie theater so kids can share popcorn and candy.  All you need is a square piece of paper (i.e. writing, copy, gift wrap, etc.)  and a printout of the directions. Give it a try and let me know how it worked out for you.  Happy crafting!

Directions found on Family Fun web site:  http://familyfun.go.com/crafts/origami-drinking-cup-1007595/

Free Bowling for Kids

I want to thank my friend Trecia B. for the following entertainment tip.

AMF is having a summer unplugged. Free bowling for kids all summer long! At AMF, kids 15 and under can bowl for free all summer. Simply register and you'll get a weekly voucher for two free games per child per day through September 3. Shoe rental is not included. The cost of shoe rental at my local AMF Alpha Lanes is only $4.35 per person (prices may vary per location). Sign your kiddos up by clicking on the following link: https://freebowling.amf.com/   Adults can join the fun too for a fee of $29.95 for the entire summer. See web site for details.  Happy bowling everyone!

Summer Break!

Ah summer break!  School’s out, no more early morning rush of waking kids, fixing lunches, finding shoes, finding lost homework, finding backpacks, keeping clam so I don’t pull my hair out.  Sorry, I think I may have spoken the truth too loudly.  What I was leading up to is this.  My children know only two words that go with summer break.  Those works are…we’re bored!  We’re bored usually translates to cha-ching!  How much will it cost me to keep my kiddos entertained this summer?

My quest is to find as much FREE entertainment for my teen, tween and princess as possible.  It should be easy to find something to do in the metropolis of Houston, TX.  The trick is to find such entertainment for a low cost or my favorite word…FREE!  As I find deals and steels I will share them with you.  I hope you will share your finds with me too.  So here’s to summer break!  May the odds be ever in your favor!

Here are a few of my favorite web sites/publications to begin your journey:

Space City Publishing - www.spacecitypublishing.com

Harris County Public Library – www.hcpl.net

Discovery Green Park – www.discoverygreen.com

Bank of America Museums on Us

Attention Bank of America customers.  Did you know that you can enter select museums for FREE, during the first full weekend of each month, just for being an account holder?  Take a look at the following link for complete detail.  http://museums.bankofamerica.com/