I discovered that The Fountains at Roseville have some fun…and FREE ways to entertain your toddlers!  Right in the middle of this beautiful shopping center are a few amenties just for kids.  They can take a train ride, watching the dancing water fountain, get wet in the interactive fountain, and play on the playground.

The Train runs from 11am to 6pm daily, with a break from 2 to 3pm.  Tickets are $2.00 normally but on the last Wednesday of each month, Train Rides are FREE!

Here’s a place that you AND your kids can have fun!

4th Stop - MORSE PARK in Elk Grove

Our 4th stop on our Sprayground Tour was Morse Park in Elk Grove.  We have been to this park many times since it opened and continue to love it!  Besides the sprayground, there is a large playground for big kids, a smaller playground for the little ones, and a fitness area (that counts as a third playground according to my kids).  To top it off, the playgrounds are shaded.  You can really spend hours in this park!

This sprayground has water features for kids of all ages, from toddlers to 12-year-olds.  There is a palm tree that dumps water from its coconuts, fish water guns, and lots of less-intimidating fountains that are great for toddlers.  It is open 7 days a week, from 10am to sunset.  You cannot go wrong with this Elk Grove favorite!

Extras:
Bathrooms
Shaded benches
Skateboarding park
Dog Park

Stay tuned for several more stops on our Sprayground Tour!

Click here for a current list of Sacramento Spraygrounds which we are continuing to update.

Morse Park
5540 Bellaterra Drive
Elk Grove,CA

*Click on the location for directions

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Fri, June 25th - Sun, June 27th

1. Watch CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF MEATBALLS under the stars at Laguna Community Park.
2. Laugh with a singing and juggling VENTROLOQUIST at the Courtland Library.
3. Learn all about bats at the TrailMix.net Store’s GOING BATTY!
4. Build a MONSTER TRUCK at Lowe’s Grow and Build Clinic.
5. Get ready for the 4th and create a STAR SPANGLED WAVER at the Discovery Museum.
6. Last chance to see RILEY THE WILEY RABBIT puppet show in Fairytale Town.
7. Picnic at the POPS IN THE PARK concert in McKinley Park.
8. Enjoy TOY STORY 3 in 3-D at the IMAX Theatre.
9. Splash and play at one of the AQUATIC CENTERS’ pool playgrounds.
10.Eat, ride and be entertained at the PLACER COUNTY FAIR.

Fri, June 18th - Sun, June 20th

1. Listen to Native American stories under the stars at Maidu’s FAMILY CAMPFIRE.
2. Jump, eat pizza & ice cream at Bounce Spot’s FAMILY BOUNCE NIGHT.
3. See YOU’RE A GOOD MAN, CHARLIE BROWN! at Civic Theatre West.
4. Enjoy Curious George STORY TIME at the Arden Faire Barnes & Noble.
5. Create a WOOLY MAMMOTH banner at the Discovery Museum.
6. Laugh at the RILEY THE WILEY RABBIT puppet show in Fairytale Town.
7. Picnic at the POPS IN THE PARK concert in Bertha Henschel Park.
8. Sing and Dance with Elmo in SESAME STREET LIVE at the Arco Arena.
9. Celebrate World Juggling Day and LEARN TO JUGGLE at the McKinley Library.
10. Treat Dad to Free admission at Cal Auto Museum for FATHER’S DAY.

Big Spoon Yogurt holds a Storytime every 3rd Thursday from 1 - 2pm.  Kids 6 and under receive a FREE yogurt!    We decided to check it out last month and were excited that several of our friends had the same idea!  The kids loved the stories, a couple games of Duck-Duck-Goose and filling up their kid-sized cup with whatever yogurt and toppings they wanted.   So mark your calendars and tell your friends because this Thursday, May 20th is the next Storytime.

Participating locations:  Dixon, East Sac, Elk Grove, Fair Oaks, Folsom, Jackson, Land Park, Natomas, Rocklin.

If you are looking for something to do this weekend with the kids, here are 10 ideas to help you out.  There is such a variety of events to choose from and they all look fun!  Click on each link for details.

Happy Friday!

1.   The Little Mermaid and the Yellow Submarine at Fairytale Town Saturday & Sunday.

2.   Story Time at Barnes and Noble Saturday.

3.   Healthy Kids Day at the Sacramento Area YMCA Saturday.

4.   Indians Arts & Crafts Market at the State Indian Museum Saturday and Sunday.

5.   Toys R Us’  Thomas Playdate Saturday.

6.   Dinosaur Stamp-A-Rama at Discovery Museum Saturday & Sunday.

7.   Jazz in the Park at Robla Community Park Sunday.

8.   Sacramento Dog Show at Cal Expo.

9.   Artomotive Photography Class at The California Automobile Museum.

10.  Apple Blossom Festival at Apple Hill

Kids Birthday Parties are such a fun and important part of childhood but they are a lot of work!  After my daughter’s last birthday party at home I added up the cost and work involved and figured next year we should take the party on the road and find a great place to host it.  They can set up and clean up…and for almost the same cost we’ll have an exciting time!

So I’ve just created a new page filled with ideas for fun places to have your child’s birthday party in the Sacramento area!  You may be surprised by some of the places that hold birthday parties.  Some unique ideas are an Art party at Art Beast Studio, a Science party at Discovery Science Museum, a Safari party at the Sacramento Zoo, or an IMAX Movie party!

You can either go to the tab up above that says “Birthdays” or click here to go directly there.

Have fun planning some amazing parties your kids will never forget!

The Folsom Aquatic Center = an Affordable Water Park!  This could possibly be the best deal around for Summer Fun.  With this 100 degree weather, I am always looking for places to get wet and cool off with the kids.  After seeing these pictures, I am so anxious to make it there soon!  I think that know matter where you live in Sacramento, this place would be worth the drive.

With all the makings of a large water park on a smaller scale, this wet and wild zone offers something for everyone!  The pool features a beach-slope entry and two play structures.  The Tumble Buckets feature assures you’ll get soaked; its buckets continuously fill with water and douse anyone playing below.  The play structure features a slide, climbing ladders, water cannons and adjustable sprayers that kids can control.  And for the daring, their giant 165-foot twisting, turning water slide will keep you coming back for more fun!  There is also a shallow kiddie pool with a  little sprinkler and shooting fountain type features.  It is truly fun for the entire family!

Click here for more information.

FOLSOM AQUATIC CENTER
1200 Riley St
Folsom, CA
(916) 355-8318

Recreation Swim Hours: May 23rd – Sept. 7th
Monday - Saturday:        1 - 6:30pm
Sundays & Holidays:      1 - 6pm
Lap Swim/Recreational swim rates:
Ages 4 - 54             $6.00
Ages 2 -3                $4.00
Ages 55 & over        $4.00
Under 2                   Free
*snack bar is cash only

My daughter just started 1st grade on Monday and so now I just have my two boys to play with while she is at school.  I have been excited but nervous about finding things to do with them that don’t require big sister to lead the way!  Yesterday was my three-year-old’s birthday and I wanted to take him somewhere fun since he was having a difficult time being patient for his 6:00 party!  This was my criteria:  a place he could play hard (hoping to ensure a nap!), indoor (to beat the 90 degree heat), and suitable for one-year-old little brother.  So I decided on Funtastic Play Center in the Natomas.

The Experience:

I had a hard time getting the boys’ socks on fast enough!  They were ready to run and play as soon as they saw the colorful play equipment.  “Itsy Bitsy Spider” was playing and birthday boy got a huge grin as he recognized the music, while little one started bouncing to the beat.  There were quite a few kids there, from crawling to an eight-year-old.  They all played hard and my three-year-old even got sweaty!  He happens to be a very cautious boy and never got quite brave enough to venture up to the bridges and slides…yet was still occupied for 2 hours!  Another mom said the last time she brought her kids, they ended up staying for 7 hours!  Unbelievable!

Since my older boy is cautious and my baby is really active, I interacted with them almost the entire time, but most of the parents were able to sit and relax while watching their kids.  You can see them easily from the little cafe tables and they can not run off without running past you!  I met some very nice moms and enjoyed myself in this clean, air conditioned play center as much as my kids did.

Today my three-year-old looked at these pictures and said, “Me want to go there again Mommy, peeease!”

Expenses:

The cost is $8.00 per participating child of any age and free for adults.  So it was a total of $16.00 for my two boys.  Admission is for the entire day, which was a plus since many indoor play centers have a time limit of one or two hours.

Tips:

Don’t forget socks for the kids and yourself!  No playing without socks.  They do sell them just in case…but $2.00 a pair.

They sell drinks, snacks and even some hot food for very reasonable prices.

If you have little ones be prepared to help them figure out how to use the moveable play equipment.  There was a mom there that was even making up an obstacle course and building a tower which made it even more fun!

I definitely recommend this indoor playground for your little ones…especially when it is too hot or too cold to go to the park.

Funtastic Play Center
4421 Gateway Park Blvd. #130
Sacramento, CA 95834
(916) 263-9900

Open Monday - Thursday 9:30 - 5, Friday 10 - 8, Saturday reserved for Birthday Parties, Sunday 12 - 4

Age 8 and under recommended.

$8.00 per child; $65.00 for 10-pass VIP card

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