Well, we've actually been meaning/trying to launch this PhillyFun4Kids endeavor for some time now but I guess well, you know how life gets in the way. We have big BIG plans for this blog and site and I'm truly hoping that maybe 2010 is THE year for PhillyFun4Kids. On that note, I wanted to do a post about surviving those dreaded months between the holidays and the first thaw. Those days when the playground is not an option and the playdates are scarce and there's just not much to look forward to and how many times CAN you go to the grocery store in one week anyway?
I'll be honest and tell you that even before the holiday fun started to die down, I was already secretly dreading the long days with nothing planned and near panicking about how I would fill these long days for my precocious little toddler. Sure, I could plop her in front of the tv all day. And, I won't lie to you and tell you I haven't let her watch more tv than I thought I would by this age BUT it's not something I feel good about and certainly do try to avoid where possible.
To ward off the panic, I starting making a list of different free weekly events that I could take Sophie to and put them in my iPhone calendar. If you haven't already done this yourself, be sure to check out:
- Story hours at your local library
- Story hours at Pottery Barn kids
- Story hours at Barnes and Noble or Borders
- Local mommy playgroups
And if you never picked up a copy of the free Metro Kids mag on your way out of the grocery store, you should grab one next time you see one or of course you can always just check them out
online. They have a calendar of events and I end up learning a lot about what is going on in the city from there. For example, that's where I learned that
Smith Playhouse has a free weekly story hour on Wednesdays at 10:30am for the 5 and younger crowd.
Between the story hours at two different local libraries and then knowing that if I got desperate I could always take Sophie to a bookstore or Pottery Barn story hour, it can start to fill your week with at least one or two organized kid events.
I've also started to do some research on trying to sign Sophie up for a class. We have really no budget for this so I'm trying to find one that is affordable. Ha. But in trying to find one, I have figured out that I can usually sign up for a trial class. This is how we got to experience
"The Little Gym" in Narberth last week. Of course Sophie loved it. And, of course we can't really afford it but she loved the trial class and would certainly have fun there if we did end up signing up. We also were supposed to try a music class through
"All Around This World" which is run by a guy named Jay Sand out of his house in West Philly. It's a really great sounding set of classes that he offers and we were supposed to go check out a trial class on Ghanna last week but unfortunately, due to a logistical snafu, we never got to do it. We'll try again this week though.
So what are YOU doing with your kid(s) to keep busy this winter? Find any good affordable classes or fun free weekly events to keep your little one busy and ward of the winter wearies?
Surviving winter
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