4th of July Fireworks Locations

It's almost the 4th of July - let the fireworks and festivities begin!! This weekend lots of great local fireworks shows will be taking place in and around Philadelphia with plenty of family fun for all. So grab your sparklers and get a head start on your July 4th festivities and enjoy one of these spectacular light shows!

Free Fireworks Viewing

Friday June 29th and Saturday June 30th

Columbus Blvd at Race Street Pier
Philadelphia, PA

Head downtown to Race Street Pier for some early fireworks from Campbell Field after the Camden Riversharks baseball game this Friday June 29th and Saturday June 30th around 9pm. Free.

Friday Night Fireworks
Friday June 29th
New Hope & Lambertville
Bridge Street New Hope, PA

Summer means time for Friday Night Fireworks in New Hope/Lambertville in beautiful Bucks County this Friday June 29th starting at 9:30pm. Enjoy this 10-minute fireworks spectacular this and every Friday night in New Hope now through August 31st. Many businesses on both sides of the river will also be open late for summer shopping. Free.

Taste of Philadelphia Concert and Fireworks 
Saturday June 30th
Penn's Landing
301 Columbus Blvd.
Philadelphia, PA

Philadelphia culinary favorites are served up for another day of food and free entertainment as our headliner lights up the stage with a toe-tapping performance. During the afternoon, Taste attendees will be the first to hear performances from the finalists of the 2nd Annual Wawa Welcome America! Singer/Songwriter Competition. The acts will perform before Philadelphia music industry judges on the RiverStage in the hopes of being crowned the 2012 winner. Later that evening, Taste will end with a bang – literally – as a brilliant fireworks display, sponsored by Adventure Aquarium, illuminates the sky over the Delaware River.

United Sports 6th Annual Fireworks
Friday June 29th
1426 Marshalton Thorndale Road 
Downingtown, PA 
http://unitedsports.net/

United Sports is host to this 6th annual fireworks in Downingtown on Friday June 29th with live music, games, a classic car show, food vendors, face painting, inflatables, and of course – fireworks! Parking is $5. Free.

Fountains and Fireworks
Tuesday July 3rd
9:15pm
Longwood Gardens
1001 Longwood Road
Kennet Square, PA

Glittering fireworks and colorful fountains light up the night sky and dance to exciting music on select evenings in the midst of Longwood Gardens' lush, natural beauty at Fountains and Fireworks. Stars & Stripes is a salute to John Philip Sousa, who gave 14 concerts with his band at Longwood between 1922 and 1930. This thrilling musical program evokes a Fourth of July parade. Cost is $38 for ages 16 and over, $22 for ages 15 and under and free for children ages 12 months or younger.

4th of July BBQ and Fireworks
Wednesday July 4th
5:00 - 6:00pm and 7:00 - 8:30pm
Sesame Place
100 Sesame Road
Langhorn, PA


It's a 4th of July celebration sunny days style at Sesame Place complete with a buffet BBQ dinner and character appearances in Big Bird's Riverside Pavilion. Then, after a fun-filled dinner stay for the 4th of July fireworks spectacular! $25 for adults, $17 for children ages 2-17, under 2 are free. Park admission is separate.

Philly 4th of July Jam and Grand Finale Fireworks
Wednesday July 4th
7:00 - 11:00 pm
Benjamin Franklin Parkway
Eakins Oval
Philadelphia, PA

The Roots are back as the house band for the “Largest Free Concert in America” alongside special guests Queen Latifah, Daryl Hall, Common, Joe JONAS and more on the main stage at Eakins Oval at the 4th of July Jam and Grand Finale Fireworks this Wednesday July 4th. Gear your eyes to the sky following this electrifying performance for an amazing fireworks display set over the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

And of course there are lots of other local fireworks displays, too. Check your local town/borough for complete details. You can visit Delco Deal Diva's listing of fireworks displays in Delaware County. Or, if you're in New Jersey, Jersey Family Fun has the scoop on New Jersey fireworks displays, too! Know of others not listed here? Or, want to include your round-up? Just email us and we'll add it.

4th of July Fireworks Locations

Wawa Welcome America Kid-Friendly Fun

We are so lucky in Philly to have the awesome Wawa Welcome America celebration to look forward to every year around the 4th of July!! What better place to celebrate our nation’s birth than in Philadelphia, where it all began?

From June 25th – July 4th, the free Wawa Welcome America festival, the nation’s biggest and most popular July 4th celebration, features 10 patriotic days filled with free activities, live entertainment, history, culture, food, movies, fireworks, games, family fun and something for everyone!

The Wawa Welcome America festival this year features:

• Two free dazzling fireworks displays 
• An Independence Day Parade 
• Party on the Parkway features seven blocks of free fun 
• Largest free concert in America starring The Roots and special guests Queen Latifah, Daryl Hall, Common, Joe Jonas and more 
• Free outdoor screenings of cinema favorites 
• Go 4th & Learn free activity series for kids 
• Wawa Hoagie Day
• Super Scooper All-You-Can-Eat Ice Cream Festival 
• Taste of Philadelphia features delicious dishes from 25 of the region’s top chefs

So how do you navigate all the fabulous fun underway? We're here to help!! Here are the phillyfun4kids top picks for families at the 2012 Wawa Welcome America Festival. 

Wawa Hoagie Day - Stars, Stripes and Hoagies Forever! 
Wednesday June 27th
12pm - 2pm
Independence Mall at Independence National Historic Park
Between 5th and 6th Streets on Market Street

Join Mayor Michael Nutter, Wawa associates and hoagie-lovers across the region to celebrate Wawa's Hoagie Day! Wawa associates will serve up a hoagie of heroic proportion - weighing more than 4.5 tons! During the event be sure to visit the "Letters From Home" station to show support of our troops, enjoy a concert by the Liberty Bells, the official USO Show Troupe, and more!

Go 4th and Learn About Fitness
Wednesday June 27th
10am - 2pm
SMITH Memorial Playground and Playhouse
East Fairmount Park

Families are encouraged to break a sweat in the 6.5 acre playground which includes the Ann Newman Giant Wooden Slide and more than 50 pieces of unique, age-appropriate and accessible pieces of play equipment.

Go 4th and Learn About Mummers
Thursday June 28th
10am - 12pm
Mummers Museum
1100 South 2nd Street
South Philadelphia

Bring the little ones to learn the "Mummers strut" and see how these famous performers got their start right in Philadelphia.

Go 4th and Learn About Animals
Friday June 29th
10am - 12pm
The Philadelphia Zoo
3400 West Girard Ave

Get ready to "Red, White, and Zoo!" Families are welcome to learn about the more than 1,300 rare and endangered animals from around the world that call The Philadelphia Zoo home. NOTE: A limited number of tickets are available to the public. Please visit welcomeamerica.cm to reserve your seat today!

Super Scooper All You Can Eat Ice Cream Festival
Saturday June 30th 12-5pm, 6-9pm 
Sunday July 1st 12-5pm
Walnut West Parking Lot
Columbus Blvd and Walnut Street


Guests are invited to enjoy an all-you-can-eat ice cream buffet benefitting the Joshua Kahan Fund, fighting to cure pediatric cancer. 

phillyfun4kids tips: The event starts at noon and gets crowded. Arrive early (around 10:30 am) to be one of the first people through. Parking is limited, so be prepared to walk. Little ones might need a stroller. Bring plenty of water and baby wipes. 

Concert and Fireworks and Independence Day 
3pm - 10pm
Saturday June 30th
Penn's Landing
301 S. Columbus Blvd.

The Wawa Welcome America Singer/Songwriter Competition finalists battle on the RiverStage for the grand prize. Plus enjoy a free jazz and blues performance and end the day with brilliant fireworks display sponsored by Adventure Aquarium.

phillyfun4kids tips: The best view of the fireworks display is from Adventure Aquarium.

Mural Arts Paint Day
Tuesday July 3
2-5pm
Independence Mall at Independence National Historic Park

Guests of all ages are invited to join the Philadelphia Mural Arts program and help them paint the newest edition to the city's mural collection - a design honoring THE ROOTS.

Philadelphia Independence Day Parade
Wednesday July 4th
11am - 12:30pm 
Historic Philadelphia 


The most diverse 4th of July Parade in the country takes to the streets! Witness more than 5,000 participants as they celebrate America's birthday marching through the nation's most historic square mile. 


Party on the Parkway 
Wednesday July 4th
12pm - 7pm
Benjamin Franklin Parkway
20th Street to Eakins Oval

Philly really knows how to throw a party! America's own birthday celebration features performances by various artists and kids entertainment within the Go 4th and Learn Fun Zone. The party will also feature exciting games, entertainment, interactive displays and food for purchase for the whole family to enjoy!

Philly 4th of July Jam and Grand Finale Fireworks
Benjamin Franklin Parkway
20th Street to Eakins Oval
7pm - 11pm

If your little guys can stay away or your kids are older, why not keep the party going and stay on the parkway for the "Largest Free Concert in America" featuring The Roots and special guests. Then, gear your eyes to the sky for an amazing fireworks display set over the Philadelphia Museum of Art to wrap-up your 4th of July festivities!

phillyfun4kids tip: The Jam and Grand Finale Fireworks are just as enjoyable when your little guys are asleep in their beds and you can enjoy a glass of wine and watch them live on tv, too!

Wawa Welcome America Kid-Friendly Fun

Weekend Phillyfun Picks

Happy Summer! It’s time for some hot fun in the summertime in the city this weekend. It’s officially summer and it’s officially a heatwave but there are lots of ways to cool off and have fun with the kiddos this weekend. Check out these great family friendly weekend picks for your best options for fun!

Tall Ship Weekend 
Saturday June 23rd - Sunday June 24th
Independence Seaport Museum
211 S. Columbus Blvd.
Philadelphia, PA

The Tall Ships are returning to Philadelphia this weekend to mark the Bicentennial of the start of War of 1812. Enjoy a tour of Lynx, a replica of a real 1812-era privateer. Families can also take a deck tour of the HMS Bounty or Philadelphia’s official Tall Shop, Gazela. This weekend only all three ships will be at the Independence Seaport Museum for viewing and tours. Tickets adults $5, children 3-12 $2, under 3 are free with admission to Independence Seaport Museum.

Friday Night Fireworks 
Friday June 22nd
9:30pm
New Hope & Lambertville
Bridge Street
New Hope, PA

Summer means time for Friday Night Fireworks in New Hope/Lambertville in beautiful Bucks County this Friday June 22nd starting at 9:30pm. Enjoy this 10-minute fireworks spectacular this and every Friday night in New Hope now through August 31st. Many businesses on both sides of the river will also be open late for summer shopping. Free.

Summer Solstice Celebration 
Friday June 22nd
6:00pm 
Riverbend Environmental Educational Center
1950 Spring Mill Rd.
Gladwyne, PA

Bring out the whole family to celebrate the summer solstice and the longest day of the year at the Riverbend Environmental Educational Center this Friday June 22nd at 6:00pm with nature explorations, a bonfire complete with roasted marshmallows and campfire games. Cost $15 per family.

Raspberry Festival Linvilla Orchards 
Saturday June 23rd
8:30am - 6pm
137 W. Knowlton Road
Media, PA

It’s the annual raspberry festival at Linvilla Orchards this Saturday June 23rd. Come out to celebrate all things raspberry! Raspberry picking begins at 8am. Kids will enjoy live entertainment from Silly Joe Sings, magic and balloon art from John Cassidy, plus character visits and of course facepainting, hayrides, and much more. And even enjoy an educational class on planting raspberries in your own backyard. Free. Some attractions ticketed.

Midsummer 
Saturday June 23rd
4-7:30pm
American Swedish Historical Museum
1900 Pattison Avenue
Philladelphia, PA

It’s a Midsummer celebration at the American Swedish Historical Museum this Saturday June 23ts from 4-7:30pm. Families can take part in this traditional Swecish celebration with food, drinks, homemade Swedish pastries, music, maypole dancing, and arts and crafts for the kids. Tickets $10 for non-members, $4 for children ages 4-12.

Festival De Aibonito 
Saturday June 23rd - Sunday June 24th
1pm
Camden Children’s Garden
3 Riverside Dr.
Camden, NJ

It’s a Puerto Rico Family Flower Festival this weekend at the Camden Children’s Garden. Families will enjoy a celebration of Puerto Rico including special Puerto Rican activities and delicious tropical fruits plus Hispanic arts and crafts, games and more. The celebration is part of Camden’s St. John the Baptist Parade. Cost is $6, ages 2 and younger free.

Manayunk Arts Festival 
Saturday June 23rd - Sunday June 24th
11am - 9pm
Main Street Philadelphia, PA

The 23rd annual Manayunk Arts Festival takes place this weekend Saturday June 23rd and Sunday June 24th from 11am – 9pm. Bring the whole family out for the region’s largest outdoor juried arts festival and lots of great summer fun, food and more. Free.

The Philadelphia Zoo Visits Free Play on the Parkway 
Saturday June 23rd
10am
Free Play on the Parkway
South side of Benjamin Franklin Parkway Between 21st and 22nd Streets
Philadelphia, PA

The Philadelphia Zoo will be visiting Free Play on the Parkway this Saturday June 23rd starting at 10am. The Zoo on Wheels will be presenting their “Fur, Feathers, Scales, and Skin” program with lots of live animals for the kids to enjoy. Free and open to all.

Weekend Phillyfun Picks

Building Your Digital Bag of Tricks

Today's post is a guest post written by Matthew McDonnell, a former educator and "local" boy from Clark's Summit just outside of Scranton, PA. Matt and the Famigo team are helping parents to build out their summer bag of digital tricks to keep the kiddos entertained and learning this summer!

Building Your Summer Digital Bag of Tricks
The arrival of summer is universally welcomed by children, but for many parents it is justifiably a cause for some concern. Without the regular structure of a school day, parents often assume the herculean role of educator and entertainer-in-chief.

I used to be an Outward Bound instructor, regularly taking twelve students on sailing voyages for up to 26 days at a time. At first, I found this twenty-four hour per day responsibility exhausting. Then I noticed that my more seasoned colleagues had a bit more spring in their step than I did. I asked for advice and they all kept saying the same thing: make sure you develop your "bag of tricks". The bag of tricks was shorthand for a mental library of brief activities that could be adapted to any situation or location without the need to plan or gather supplies. It took a while to develop, but once I had about 20 lessons that I could pull off at a moment’s notice, my life got dramatically easier.


Now I work for Famigo, a company with the goal of making mobile technology work for families. I play and review more kids apps than you can imagine and I’ve selected 5 outstanding, mostly educational apps to help you build your bag of tricks. That way, when you inevitably end up running errands with several kids in tow or find yourself less than halfway through the first leg of a family road trip with a backseat full of small, grumbling passengers, you can take a deep breath and know that Famigo has you covered.

The following apps cover a broad range of topics and ages; and some may very well end up on your phone or tablet for personal use. Click on the link for each app and you'll be redirected to a full review at Famigo.com and a download link. These apps aren’t free, but they are very good, lack anything approaching objectionable content, and won’t break the bank through in-app purchases. In other words, they’re worth every penny.

That's a good supply of tricks, but what about the bag to keep them all in? We've go that too.
The Famigo Sandbox is a great way to protect your kids from objectionable content, block in-app purchases, and generally provide a safe place for your kids to enjoy the outstanding apps that Famigo has hand selected for your family. It's already available for Android, and an Apple version is coming soon. Plus, it’s free!

The Rooster Who Lost His Voice

How does a visually striking, heartwarming, multi-generational, interactive book app sound? If it sounds like your cup of tea then this tale is for you. As you can imagine, the action opens when a young rooster looses his voice. Help him diagnose and cure his lost voice, while looking for a temporary replacement so that the whole farm won’t sleep in tomorrow morning!

Dummy Defense

I can’t stop playing this physics-based engineering game on my personal phone. The game play is delightfully simple, yet the physics engine which powers this game is remarkably realistic. You’ll have to design and build all sorts of structures to protect Melvin the dummy from an assortment of bizarre perils including bombs, giant sledgehammers and rooms with walls designed to crush your helpless dummy friend.

Cogs

Cogs is a three-dimensional puzzle game that will keep you busy for hours with its 50 plus puzzles. The object is to power everything from a single cog to a complex machine by moving mosaic tiles - that are themselves spinning gears or steam-filled pipes - into the correct position. This app nails a rare sweet spot in difficulty settings: it’s challenging without inducing high levels of frustration. Get ready to flex your spatial reasoning muscles.

Dr Panda Teach Me! Preschool

This is a one-stop shop for all of your toddler’s educational needs. Content areas include colors, counting, shapes, compare and contrast activities, basic logic, and much more. You’ll immediately be struck by how adorable every aspect of the app is. From the professorial panda to the bouncing background melody and the various sources of encouragement the user receives along the way, there’s plenty to smile about in this app.

Winter Walk

Winter Walk is a really simple, fun game for the whole family in which your only task is to keep your hat on your head while you take a walk on a cold, blustery afternoon. Whether Winter Walk gives you a welcomed momentary chill, or it reminds you of just how nice the summer is, it’s sure to put a smile on your face.

Matt McDonnell is currently pursuing his J.D. at the University of Texas School of Law, having already earned his MBA at the College of Charleston. With a varied past as an elementary school teacher, Outward Bound sailing instructor, and non-profit administrator he does a little bit of everything at Famigo.

Building Your Digital Bag of Tricks

Giveaway: Bright Horizons Educational Summer Tote

Have you heard the exciting news? Bright Horizons Early Education and Preschool is opening its newest center here in Philly! Bright Horizons at Center City plans to open early Fall 2012 at 1601 Market Street and will serve 108 children ages 6 weeks to 5 years old. The center will be open from 7:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. Monday through Friday, year round and will offer full-time early education and preschool, drop-in / emergency-care, and school holiday – vacation care. The World at Their Fingertips is Bright Horizons unique curriculum designed to engage children in active learning that prepares them for school while helping them achieve their individual potential. Built around extensive research, 21st-century technology, and developmentally appropriate instruction, the curriculum introduces concepts of math, science, language, culture, environment, art, and health. To learn more about the newest early education and preschool coming to Center City, call 215-563-3576. 

To celebrate the new Philly opening of Bright Horizons here's a chance to win a fun canvas tote bag filled with children's books, preschool activity cards, toddler activity cards and other goodies! The tote bag is a great perfect for summer lunchbox sized cooler tote with a Bright Horizons water bottle and toddler snack container and also contains four great books: 

123 Book – A great children’s book that exposes them to numbers and counting. 

ABC Book – A great children’s book that exposes them to the ABC’s.
Bear at Work – Accompany a bear a he delivers mail to his community

Octopus Opposites – Empty, full; push, pull; young, old; hot, cold! This book encourages youngsters to find opposites all over the place in their own worlds. 

and two packs of cool activity cards:

READY for SCHOOL Preschool Activity cards: educational  activity cards for suggestions of things to do with children to help prepare them for Kindergarten
The Growing World of Toddlers Activity cards: educational activity cards for learning activity ideas for toddlers

To enter to win this awesome summer canvas tote bag filled with children's books, preschool activity cards, toddler activity cards, and other goodies simply leave a comment below by Sunday June 24th at 12 AM EDT. The lucky winner will be chosen using random.org and announced and contacted on Monday June 25th. Please be sure to leave a way to contact you (email) so we can get you your totebag if you're the winner. 

Congratulations Barbara from Homeroom at Home! You are the lucky winner of our Bright Horizons Summer Educational Tote!!

Increase your chances to win by:
1. Like phillyfun4kids on facebook
2. Follow phillyfun4kids on twitter
3. Like Bright Horizons on facebook
4. Follow Bright Horizons on twitter
5. Bonus TWO ENTRIES -- You get a bonus two entries if you share the contest via facebook or twitter
6. Bonus TWO ENTRIES -- Get another two bonus entries if you blog about the contest on your blog

Just be sure to leave an additional comment for each entry letting us know that you posted/shared/followed/liked, please. If I'm doing my math correctly, that's a total of 8 chances to win!!

Disclaimer: Bright Horizons sponsored this post and provided the tote bag and its contents for this giveaway. All opinions expressed about keeping kids learning through the summer being awesome and free tote bags being fun are our own. 

Giveaway: Bright Horizons Educational Summer Tote

Father's Day Weekend Phillyfun Picks

It’s Father’s Day weekend which means time to celebrate all the super special dads out there for all that they do all year long for their families!! Check out these great family fun activities that both Dad and the little ones will enjoy to make Dad feel extra special this Father’s Day!

The Life and Music of Bruce Springsteen

Friday June 15 - Sunday June 17

National Constitution Center

525 Arch St.
Philadelphia, PA

215-409-6700

If you haven’t gone yet, it’s a perfect weekend to check out The Life and Music of Bruce Springsteen exhibit at the National Constitution Center. Dads will love a chance to see this unique exhibit from the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame featuring the life of Bruce Springsteen with over 150 artifacts including the guitar from Born to Run and even his 1960 Chevrolet Corvette - a perfect treat for dads this weekend! Runs daily Friday June 15^th – Sunday June 17^th. Cost $12 - $24.50 on Friday and Sat. Pre-summer special tickets are only $15 on Sunday June 17^th.

Bluegrass & Ice Cream Concert

Friday June 15th 

7:30pm
Church of the Loving Shepherd

1068 S. New Street

West Chester, PA

610-692-5662

Head out with Dad to West Chester this Friday June 15^th at 7:30pm for the Bluegrass & Ice Cream Concert at the Church of the Loving Shepherd. This next in the series of the Bournelyf Chamber Music series features the Joe Hillman Band, a local acoustic bluegrass band complete with fiddle, mandolin, banjo, bass and two guitars. Bring a blanket or lawn chairs to enjoy the concert outside (weather permitting). And enjoy delicious ice cream for the whole family, too. $5-$15. Call 610-692-5662 to reserve your seats.

Friday Night Fireworks

Friday June 15th
9:30pm
New Hope & Lambertville

Bridge Street

New Hope, PA

Summer means time for Friday Night Fireworks in New Hope/Lambertville in beautiful Bucks County this Friday June 15^th starting at 9:30pm. Enjoy this 10-minute fireworks spectacular this and every Friday night in New Hope now through August 31^st. Many businesses on both sides of the river will also be open late for summer shopping. Free.

7^th Annual National Fatherhood Festival

Saturday June 16th

Pennsylvania Convention Centre

1101 Arch Street

Philadelphia, PA

Fathers unite at the 7th Annual National Fatherhood Festival, a one-day conference on Saturday June 16th at the Pennsylvania Convention Center aimed to educate male parents and mentors. The conference will feature resources, classes and workshops on a range of topics from parenting, health and wellness, healthy relationships, financial/asset building and more. On-site childcare will be provided. Free.

Build a Rain Barrel Workshop

Saturday June 16th 

10am

Kingsford Community Room

31 Titus Mill Road

Pennington, NJ

609-737-7592

Got an eco friendly dad? Take him out to build your own rain barrel together at this workshop in the Kingsford Community Room in Pennington, NJ on Satruday June 16th at 10am. Lean out to capture and reuse rainwater in your own garden at home. Families welcome. $45 workshop fee includes all materials to make one rain barrel. Registration and pre-payment is required. Call 609-737-7592 to register.

Festival at Exton Golf Competition

Saturday June 16th 

10am

Exton Shopping Center

400 W. Lincoln Hwy.

Exton, PA

267-886-8166

What better way to kick-off Father’s Day weekend at the Festival at Exton Golf Competition at the Exton Shopping Center this Saturday June 16^th at 10am than with a golf competition, giveaways, refreshments and more sponsored by Golf Etc of Exton. Get a chance to win a round of golf at Applecross Country Club and other great prizes. Free.

Gary Papa Run

Sunday June 17th

Eakins Oval

Philadelphia Art Museum

Philadelphia, PA

This 10^th Annual Gary Papa Father’s Day Walk/Run and 1 Mile Fun Walk being held Sunday June 17^th benefits prostate cancer research and awareness. On-site registration is $35. Start at Eakins Oval at Philadelphia Museum of Art. Register online (save $5) or donate at http://www.kintera.org/faf/home/default.asp?ievent=1012702.

Grillin’ and Chillin’ At the Berlin Farmers Market Father’s Day Cook-Off

Sunday June 17th

8:30am

41 Clementon Road

Berlin, NJ

856-767-1246

There’s no more perfect combination than dads and grills, right? Well, the Berlin FarmersMarket will host this 1st Annual Father’s Day Cook-Off on Sunday June 17^th starting at 8am. 30 competitors will be allowed to compete using only charcoal grills (no propane allowed). Registrations must be completed in person at the Berlin Farmers Market main office. Prizes awarded. Families are welcome to come and just eat, shop and enjoy the competition, too. $30 entry fee for participants. Spectators are free.

Free Father’s Day Admission for Dads

Sunday June 17th 

10am - 5pm 

Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia

1900 Benjamin Franklin Parkway

Philadelphia, PA

All dads get special treatment with FREE admission to The Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia this Sunday June 17^th from 10am – 5pm. Bring the whole family to explore the dinosaurs, live butterfly exhibit, live animals, life-like dioramas and more. Free for all dads, $13 $15 for other adults, ages 2 and younger free.

Father's Day Weekend Phillyfun Picks

Family Fun Resources for Summer

Making Pinkalicious Week Cupcakes

So last week the girls and I started my 12 week summer literacy based curriculum. And, I have to say it actually went pretty darn well. My older daughter was thrilled that there was a "theme" to the week and sort of used it as a touchstone for how to dress and what to expect. Pinkalicious week was a perfect choice except it may have set the bar a little high. I'm going to have to get pretty creative for the next 11 weeks to keep up with our first week for sure.  This week our book is The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle so it'll be interesting to see how that plays out given it was picked with my younger (2 yr old) daughter in mind. I'm hopeful that the older one will have fun with it too!

But if planning a 12 week literacy based summer curriculum isn't really your thing (and truly I can appreciate that it  probably isn't) there are still SO many fun ideas to keep your kids engaged and keep you from going insane during these looong summer days.

First off, you've probably seen a lot of buzz about summer bucket lists lately. Lots of mommy bloggers have posted theirs and they offer cute and fun ideas to beat the heat and have fun this summer. Look some up on Pinterest and you'll be amazed at the number of ideas you can use this summer. Like this one from Dine and Dish (which ok, I love because it has so many food related activities - yay!) or this cute one from The Iowa Farmers Wife. There are soooo many of these out there. Troll them for inspiration and sit down with your kids to make your own!

Then, I was thrilled to discover there are lots of great FREE virtual summer camps and classed (the operative word being free here of course). Did you know that the awesome Melissa & Doug toy company is holding an online Camp Sunnypatch which has "all the fun of summer camp right In your own backyard" this summer. It's currently in Week 2 and each week has a theme and even giveaways! This week's post is by Melissa & Doug Blog Ambassador and "Camp Counselor" Amy from the amazing Teach Mama. She offers up a great summertime twist on an old standby with water bottle freeze tag. My kids will FLIP for this - can't wait to try it on the next sweltering hot day!

Michaels, every crafty mama's mecca, is also offering a FREE Passport to Imagination series this summer from June 19th through July 28th with free in-store craft events that let kids travel the world through 54 fun and educational craft projects. You don't even have to preregister (bonus for procrastinating mammas like me). You just show up and have fun! What I love about this is that you could have many related activities around geography and social studies based on the countries being highlighted. For event times and locations, see their Passport to Imagination website. Or stop in to pick up a free event brochure at your local Michaels.

And while they do charge, I happened to be in JoAnn fabric a lot recently (you know, stocking up on felt for 12 weeks of literacy based summer curriculum activities) and saw that they're offering Kids' Camp! with classes for "all ages" on sewing, cake decorating, quilting, knit and crochet, jewelry making, painting, papercrafting and more. Unfortunately, after checking the classes the "all ages" didn't exactly mean kids aged 4 (most classes are for ages 8 and older or ages 5-8). But still. A fun idea and not too terribly expensive. (Average class seemed to run about $35 for a 3 hour session).

Just a few more ideas to help keep you and your littles learning and having fun this summer. Do you know of other free or almost free summer "camps" this summer? I'd love to hear about them. Please share!

Family Fun Resources for Summer

Weekend Phillyfun Picks

School’s out for many local kids so summer is starting to be in full swing! Check out one of these great summer phillyfun family-friendly events this weekend! From festivals to fireworks and lemonade for all, this weekend promises to be a fantastically fun one for families with kids of all ages!

Friday Night Fireworks

Friday June 8th 

9:30pm

New Hope & Lambertville

Bridge Street

New Hope, PA

Summer means time for Friday Night Fireworks in New Hope/Lambertville in beautiful Bucks County this Friday June 8^th starting at 9:30pm. Enjoy this 10 minute fireworks spectacular this and every Friday night in New Hope now through August 31^st. Many businesses on both sides of the river will also be open late for summer shopping. Free.

Lemonade Days

Friday June 8th - Sunday June 10th

Local businesses and front lawns across the country

The national Lemonade Days are taking place this weekend June 8^th – 10^th so keep your eyes peeled for local fundraisers out selling lemonade to help raise money for Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation to fund pediatric cancer research.

Come out for Lily’s 4^th annual lemonade stand and enjoy lots of kid-friendly fun like a moonbounce, face painting, games and of course lemonade!

            Lily’s 4^th Annual Lemonade Stand

            Saturday June 8, 2012

9am – 5pm

Lily Adkins - Front Yard
528 6th Ave
Lindenwold, NJ

            http://www.alexslemonade.org/mypage/80920

           

When you’re out and about this weekend look for local businesses supporting Alex’s Lemonade and get a cup of lemonade to help cure childhood cancer! For more information see http://www.alexslemonade.org/.

Kids In Center City Playdate

Saturday June 9th 

11:30am - 1pm

The Market & Shops at Comcast Center

Philadelphia, PA

This Saturday June 9^th at 11:30am head to the Comcast Center for the Kids in Center City Playdate featuring a visit with the Phillie Phanatic and Scott Palmer, for the first public reading of his new book, The Phillie Phanatic’s Friendly Games. Kids and families will also have a chance to visit with the Phillies Ballgirls and receive a free rally towel (while supplies last). Plus Market merchants will be on-hand with lunch specials and puppet making arts and crafts, gaming station and even a cupcake decorating station from Philly’s own Termini Bros. Free.

WHYY Kids’ Club

Saturday June 9th 

1:00 - 3:00pm

150 N. 6^th Street

Philadelphia, PA

It’s the kick-off of the WHYY Kids’ Club this Saturday June 9^th from 1:00 to 3:00 pm featuring an around the world adventure complete with visits from Super WHY! and Woofster as well as games, crafts, dancing and an exciting scavenger hunt, too. Kids can get a temporary tattoo, collect special Super WHY! stickers and enjoy delicious Bassett’s Ice Cream too! $10 for non-members, $5 for members. Space is limited. Pre-register online.

Storybook Celebration

Saturday June 9th 

10am - 2pm

Tyler Arboretum

515 Painter Road
Media, PA

It’s a Storybook Celebration under the magical trees of TylerArboretum this Saturday June 9^th from 10am – 2pm with story readings, puppet shows and so much more enchanted fun. Plus, Give a Book, Get a Book in the book exchange and enjoy a parade of characters including the Cat and the Fiddlle and Br’er Rabbit. Free with admission.

Kids Fest

Saturday June 9th 

Delaware State Fairgrounds
18500 S. DuPont Hwy.
Harrington, DE 

In celebration of National Get Outdoors Day on Saturday June 9^th, the 15^th Annual Kids Fest Delaware will be offering free Kids Fest including a Healthy Kids Expo plus moonbounces, slides, arts and crafts, games, hands on activities and even a Be Great 5K Walk/Run with kids’ races, too all on the Delaware State Fairgrounds in Harrington, DE. Kids Fest runs 9am – 4pm. Free for kids, $3 for adults. Pay per activity.

Family Fun Fair 

Saturday June 9th 

11am - 2pm 

First Presbyterian Church 

356 Summit Ave

Springfield, PA 

Delco Mommies presents a Family Fun Fair at the First Presbyterian Church in Springfield, PA this Saturday June 9th from 11am - 2pm. The goal of this fair is to enjoy a special afternoon in honor of Delaware County mom, Tara Ertle, and raise money for the education fund for her children. Gabriel (age 5) and Madeline (age 3) Ertle lost their mom to stage four liver cancer in February at the young age of 35. For more information about the event and about Tara, please see the Ertle Education fund website. 

Get Outdoors Day
Saturday June 9th

National Parks across the country

It’s national Get Outdoors Day on Saturday June 9^th and the National Park Service is offering free admission to all national parks across the country to help promote the country’s national parks and encourage a healthy lifestyle by getting outside. Head to one of our area national parks for some fun exercise and fresh air get in free! Free.

5^th Annual West Park Arts Fest

Saturday June 9th 

11am - 5pm

40^th and Parkside Ave

Philadelphia, PA

It’s the kickoff to another fun summer at the 5^th Annual West Park Arts Fest this Saturday June 9^th from 11am – 5pm in Fairmount Park at 40^th and Parkside Avenue. The theme for the 2012 festival is “Friends Across Cultures” and will be a celebration of multicultural richness and diversity and brings together artists and cultural organizations from the region for a day of amazing fun and learning. Families will enjoy film screenings, live music, performance art, and so much more. Plus a children’s pavilion with drawing and theater workshops, crafts, storytelling, face painting and more! Free.

Flora & Fauna Event

Saturday June 9th

10am - 12pm

SMITH Playhouse

East Fairmount Park

Philadelphia, PA

Come out to SMITH The Kids’ Playplace in the Park this Saturday June 9^th from 10:00 am – 12:00 pm for Flora & Fauna Event. The Junior League of Philadelphia will be out with their friends from the Riverbend Environmental Center for a morning of visiting with the animals and learning about nature and wildlife. Kids will make a mini-greenhouse to take home plus decorate butterfly masks, and have a bubble party – just because! Free with admission. No registration required.

Once Upon a Nation Storytelling Benches

Saturday June 9th - Sunday June 10th

Historic Philadelphia

This unique living history experience from Historic Philadelphia offers families the opportunity to visit eleven storytelling benches scattered throughout historic Philadelphia to hear stories of our nation’s past in the places where they actually took place. On Saturday June 9^th and Sunday June 10^th starting at 11am kids can pick up a Story Flag on any storytelling bench and collect a star from each of the 11 storytellers on their journey. Flags with all eleven starts in place can be redeemed in either the Historic Philadelphia Center, the Betsy Ross House or Franklin Square for a History Hero certificate and a free carousel ride. Free.

StrawBEARy Surprise and Nature Art Day Family Festival

Saturday June 9th - Sunday June 10th

1pm 

Camden Children’s Garden

3 Riverside Dr.

Camden, NJ

856-365-8733

It’s a celebration of the strawberry this weekend running Sat. June 9^th through Sun. June 10^th at 1pm at the Camden Children's Garden with a special twist to honor Mum Bear, the Camden Children’s Garden mascot on her 7^th birthday. Kids will enjoy nature crafts and a planting activity. Plus cool off at the Very Berry Strawberry concession stand. $6, ages 2 and younger free. 

Weekend Phillyfun Picks

Planning A Literacy Based Summer Curriculum

My 4 year old has been out of preschool for two weeks now. That means I am now home with two small children (4 yrs and 2 yrs) with no break of even a few hours of preschool to mix things up several days a week. As all you mammas of small children out there know oh so well, that makes for long, looonnng days. As her last week of school approached I will admit I was pretty panicked. (Well, ok more like sheer terror). 

But thank you oh innernets you have saved me once again. After researching some local summer camp options and realizing that I really can't afford to send her to any of them (still have day care costs on the days when I'm at work), I came across some an inspired and fabulous mommy over at Creekside Learning who created a whole literacy based curriculum and I had my ah-ha moment. I'd create a 12 week literacy based summer curriculum to keep my kids entertained with a range of crafts, activities, printables and more all based on a book that we either already have and love or would love to discover and read. So I set out picking the books. I did some research on literacy based curriculum planning and then some research on childrens literature (including recent book preschool book lists and award winners) and after much searching and discovery came up with the following summer curriculum reading list:

Week 1: Pinkalicious by Elizabeth Kann and Victoria Kann
Week 2: Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle
Week 3: Fancy Nancy Bonjour Butterfly by Jane O'Connor
Week 4: Fancy Nancy and the Mermaid Ballet by Jane O'Connor
Week 5: Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss
Week 6: Brown Bear Brown Bear by Eric Carle
Week 7: Olivia Goes to Venice by Ian Falconer
Week 8: Madeline and the Cats of Rome by John Bemelmans Marciano
Week 9: The Carrot Seed by Ruth Krauss
Week 10: Little Cloud by Eric Carle
Week 11: If You Give a Mouse a Cookie by Laura Joffe Numeroff and Felicia Bond
Week 12: Kite Flying by Grace Lin

The selection of the books was a fun process for me and led to the discovery of some great new books that we'll be getting (like Oliva Goest to Venice). But the criteria for book selection was loosely as follows:
1) we already had the book:
2) there are activities related to the book:
3) we want to read the book and if the book is fun and sufficiently summerly.
The other factor I took into consideration was trying to get a mix of books for both ages of kids (4 yr old and the 2 yr old) and while some of these books, like The Very Hungry Caterpillar, are beneath my 4 yr old's reading level, they are beloved books for her and *should* be met with a warm reception anyway.

Each week I'll have a mini-curriculum ready to go with activities and fun for each book. For example, in Week 1 Pinkalicious week which starts this week (YAY!) I've got the following activities planned:
- Make strawberry lemonade
- Cupcake counting craft and math game via Creekside Learning
- Let the girls wear pink all week (if they want) via Creekside Learning
- Make pinkalicious glue for crafting via Creekside Learning
- Make a pinkalcious wand via Creekside Learning
- Play with pinkalicious paper dolls (Ok, so we took our kids on a very rare outing to Burger King last weekend and imagine my surprise that the kids meals toys and box were Pinkalicious themed! YAY! Now, I have pinkalicious paperdoll templates I can cut and glue onto popcicle sticks for the girls for this week's theme!)
 - Create a Pinkalicious activity book via Creekside Learning
 - Do Pinkalcious printables (including word matches, coloring and much more) at the official Pinkalicous website called Think Pinkalcious which has tons of other great resources, too!
- Listen to the Pinkalicious The Musical soundtrack (um, maybe...)
- Watch some snippets of the broadway musical of Pinkalicious (yeah, who knew, eh?)
- Watch/listen to Pinkalicous read by Victorian Kann on Barnes and Noble Online Storytime
- And of course, make PINK CUPCAKES ("Pink I said, Pink, Pink, Pink!")

You get the point... basically have a handful of activities, crafts and games at the ready all based around the main book for that week. That way, when it's only 9:15 in the morning and we've already painted, crafted and played outside and the kids are bouncing of the walls I can whip out yet another Pinkalicous activity and it seems somehow connected, relevant, at the ready.

I have to admit, I'm excited. I think it's going to be a lot of fun and it definitely helps ease my terror of just what the heck we're going to do all summer long. Plus it allows me to have fun "playing teacher" and even lets me use a teacher's curriculum like this one via Fabulous Classroom for Pinkalicious week. But perhaps most importantly it somehow fools my brain into thinking that I won't be quite so unprepared or taken off guard for the looong days of summer with my two kiddos. It lulls me into a sense of calm knowing that when things get rough I have the 12 week summer curriculum to lean on. (Shwew!... I feel better already.)

We'll see how it works out and I'll likely be posting some updates on it throughout the summer if you'd like to hear how it's working out for us. Unless of course it crashes and burns but if that happens I'll let you know that, too. (And maybe *then* I'll have to splurge for summer camp anyway.)

There are SO many blogs and resrouces out there for creating your own summer literacy based curriculum. Here are just a few of my favorites that I found in this process:

Creekside Learning
Little Family Fun
Mom to Two Posh Little Divas 
Teach Preschool
Teach Mamma 
Living Montesorri Now
Toddler Approved

What do you think? Am I delusional? Or, are you planning a summer literacy based curriculum too? What books and activities do you have lined up? What are your favorite blogs and resources for planning activities? I'd love to hear from you!

Disclaimer: This is not a sponsored post. There are no affiliate links in here. I'm not making a nickel off any of these selected books. Just another tired mamma trying to keep her kiddos entertained during the long summer days. All thoughts and opinions about the internet being AWESOME and reading being way cool are my own. 

Planning A Literacy Based Summer Curriculum