Drop in art time at the Painted Poppy

The Painted Poppy (338 Main Street) offers Toddler Time from 10 am to 1 pm Tuesdays through Fridays. You and your child (5 and under) can enjoy a morning of arts and crafts, music and games. Each week has a different theme and they all sound like fun! The cost is $7.50 for one child, $12 for 2 and $20 for 4.

They also offer open studio time for kids ages 5 and up (adults too!) from 10 am to 6 pm Tuesday through Friday. The cost is $12 per project and includes activities like painting, jewelry making, decoupaging, mask making, etc.

Isn't it great we have so many fun things to do with our kids here in Longmont? I love it!

New business - Math Monkey

There's a new business opening on Ken Pratt - it's called Math Monkey and it seems to be a math specific tutoring service for kids ages 5 through 14. They are open during the day for homeschooled and 1/2 day kindergarten students and later in the day for kids to visit after school. Check out their website at http://www.mathmonkey.com/longmont.

They're having a grand opening on April 12th and they'll have games, food, fingerprinting for your children, raffles and of course information about their programs! They'll also be offering summer camps according to Kids Pages magazine but I can't seem to find any details on their website. I'll let you know when I find out more!

Longmont Humane Society Summer Camp

Join the Longmont Humane Society for their Kids and Critters Summer Day Camp! They offer a morning session for 7 and 8 year olds ($175/week) and an afternoon session for 9 to 12 year olds ($190/week). There are 10 weekly sessions available and you can sign up beginning March 4th. If your child is really into animals this would be a great way to spend some time this summer!! You can find more information here: http://longmonthumane.org/news/kids_critters/2008/index.html. Enjoy :)

Summer Camp Guides

I've found two great resources for statewide summer camp listings: The Colorado Summer Camp Guide and this Denver Post article. The Colorado Summer Camp Guide lets you search for keywords or by type of camp and that led me to some fun listings for summer camps in Longmont including Summer Horsemanship camp at Cornerstone Farms and a Youth Theatre program at the Longmont Theatre Company. The Denver Post article has some Longmont camps listed as well including Avid4 Adventure Day Camp and Bits, Bytes and Bots Computer Adventures. Not all of the sites have their summer camp info updated for this year but it doesn't hurt to start researching early so you can be sure to meet the registration deadlines!

You could also check out the 2007 Daily Camera Summer Camp Guide to get ideas for camps in Boulder County. Hopefully they'll be publishing their list for 2008 soon!

Edited 2/29/08: Click here to check out the Summer Camp Guide from the Rocky Mountain News!

NICHE Homeschool has a Yahoo Group

Longmont's NICHE Homeschool Group has a new way to stay connected - their own Yahoo Group! Ann e-mailed me to say "Folks can join us at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/LongmontNICHE/ where we enjoy an eclectic and fun loving group. All homeschoolers are welcome. For folks needing further information about homeschool, the Longmont NICHE's website offers the areas most comprehensive information. Check it out at http://longmonthomeschoolgroup.homeschooljournal.net/." Enjoy!

Boulder County 4H Carnival

As seen in the Times Call this morning:

The Boulder County 4-H Carnival will be held from 11am to 6pm March 8th in the Exhibit Building at the Boulder County Fairgrounds, 9595 Nelson Road, Longmont. Admission is free and open to the public. Tickets will be available for the food and game booths. Call 303-678-6238.

I looked for more information online about this year's carnival but the best I could come up with is this article about last year's event. Looks like it would be fun for all ages :)

Lunar Eclipse Viewing at Sandstone Ranch

Another mom posted this on the Moms of Longmont Yahoo group. I think we'll go to this if the skies are clear!!

Total Lunar Eclipse on Wednesday February 20, 2008
Join a team from the Longmont Astronomical Society in viewing the lunar eclipse from 7 to 9 PM at the Sandstone Ranch, 2525 E Highway 119 in Longmont or at Community Park, 955 Bella Vista Drive in Louisville. Telescopes will be available for viewing the eclipse as well as the planet Saturn, the Orion nebula, and other objects as well.

On February 20th, the Earth's shadow will totally engulf the Moon from 8 PM to 8:52 PM MST. The Moon will appear quite reddish as its surface will be dimly lit only by a thin ring of light passing through the outer portion of the Earth's atmosphere. Circumstances for the eclipse will be ideal if the sky is clear. The Moon will be high up in the sky and the entire eclipse will be visible from start to finish. The eclipse begins when the pale outer fringe of the Earth's shadow touches the Moon's edge at 6:05 PM. The shading will be subtle and won't be very noticeable until the Moon reaches the Earth's inner shadow at 6:43 PM. From about 7:30 to 8 PM is perhaps when the lunar eclipse will be the most impressive. The curved dark edge of Earth's shadow will be seen creeping minute by minute across the lunar landscape. After totality ends at 8:52 PM, events unwind in reverse order; the Moon's edge reappears in sunlight and gradually
returns to full at 10:45 PM.

Enter park on the east end just before the car dealership. Scopes will be setup in the south end of the park near duck pond.

Bounce in Loveland is closed

According to this site, http://www.coloradokids.com/bounce/, Bounce in Loveland closed on February 3rd and plans to relocate and reopen in a few months. Sad! I see a lot of you are searching for "Bounce Loveland" and getting to my site so I thought I'd post about it :) It was such a fun place for birthday parties and just a great indoor activity to burn off some energy!

Bounce Town in Longmont is still open though! Bounce Town has open bounce times Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 10am to 2pm and Tuesday and Thursday from 10am to 7pm. They also have Mommy Mondays when they charge only $5 to bounce!

Summer Camps

It's that time of year again! School is winding down and the first thought in our heads is "what the heck am I going to do with these kids for three months??" Ok, it's not that bad, but here are some things that could keep them busy this summer :)


Summer Day camp through the Longmont Rec Center:
For 6 (and completed kindergarten) to 12 year olds
Registrations begins Monday, February 25th


There are several options - week by week, 8, 10 or 11 weeks full or part time. Your best bet is to check out the details here: http://www.ci.longmont.co.us/rec/activities/documents/0308sumcp5.pdf

The YMCA also offers a great summer camp! There are so many options (all different types of sport camps, entertainment camp, full day, part day, etc) that you should view their full brochure at http://www.longmontymca.org/downloads/SummerCampBrochure08.pdf!

There's bound to be something great for your child in there! :) To see my other posts about summer camps, click the Summer Camps option under Labels on the right!

Discovery Days "Date Night"

From an email from the Longmont museum:

Get your tickets for Date Night at the Longmont Museum to Benefit Discovery Days
Friday, April 25
6:30 to 8:30 pm

Help support Discovery Days and enjoy an evening of great music, decadent desserts, and an elegant coffee bar. Music provided by the Longmont Symphony Orchestra Brass Quintet.

Bring the kids, too! Childcare will be provided along with special craft projects, a G-rated movie, and a dessert bar just for the young ones.

All proceeds go directly to support Discovery Days.

Tickets are on sale now at the Museum. Stop by the front desk, or call 303-651-8374. Just $25 per person, or $40 per couple.

Just in case you're not familiar with Discovery Days, it's a drop-in art program for kids age 2 to 5 at the Longmont Museum and Cultural Center. Each week has a theme and then the kids et to do several projects related to that them (i.e. durin space week they create moonscapes out of playdough, space packs out of paper towels rolls, etc). The crafts are so creative and it's so much fun for the kids! The funding for this program was nearly cut entirely by the City Council last year and is only partially funded for this year, thus the fundraiser. Learn more and view the weekly theme schedule here: http://www.ci.longmont.co.us/museum/education/discovery_days.htm.

LifeLongmontLearning.com

You probably saw the Times Call article this morning about the new LifeLongmontLearning.com website which, according to their site, "is dedicated to connecting people in the Longmont community with educational opportunities in their own backyard." It looks like it will be a great resource! And the best part? Anyone can add info to the site! Check it out!

Times-Call Reader Survey

Vote now in the 2008 Times-Call Reader's Choice Awards! You can vote in many categories (business, food and drink, etc) for who you think is the best in Longmont and the surrounding area! The results are always fun to check out too and find out what other readers like around town. Click here to vote by February 15th!

Stroller Strides

Stroller Strides, a fitness class for moms with kids in strollers, meets at Twin Peaks Mall on Monday at 9:00 am and on Thursday at 9:10 am. You can visit their website at www.strollerstrides.net/longmont for more information. They also have a group on Meetup.com. Happy exercising!

"Free" pancakes

IHOP is celebrating National Pancake Day on Tuesday, February 12th, by giving away a free short stack of buttermilk pancakes to every customer between 7 am and 10 pm! They only ask that you make a donation to the Children's Miracle Network or other local children's charities. The Longmont IHOP is located at 2040 Ken Pratt Blvd which is on the south end of Twin Peaks Mall. If you want to read more about National Pancake Day, check out IHOP's website. Yum!

Record setting day!

Local caucuses had huge turnouts last night and I'm proud to say this site had a record day too! Who knew when I started this blog nearly eight months ago that we'd get a small mention in the paper last week and that the most frequently visited post would be about the Colorado Caucuses? :) I was happy to hear from several readers via e-mail that they found just the info they were looking for and even more excited when I overheard someone mention this blog at my caucus last night! Thanks for reading, but most of all thanks for participating in our political process!

Valentine's Spa Packages

All moms could use a little pampering, right? Mystic Garden Spa and Salon is offering a deal for Valentine's Day:

Choose 2 of the services below for $99, 3 for $149 or all 4 for $199 (according to their website, all 4 would regularly be $233).

*Customized Facial
*Integrative Massage
*Customized Pedicure
*Spa Haircut

See http://www.mysticgardenspaandsalong.com or call 303-774-2541 for more info!

Craft Classes at Blissful Family

Again, I found this info on the BoulderLongmontMoms Yahoo Group:

Classes at Blissful Family, the natural toy and craft store in Longmont.

Magic Felting for Children and Adults

Make animals, forest creatures, flowers, baskets, eggs or vegetables through the age old art of felting. Felting is a traditional art using non-woven fabric formed with sheep’s wool. Hands-on experiences allow children to express personal creativity in three –dimensional art forms using color, shape and texture. Take home your creations.

Ages: 4 and Up
Saturdays, 3 - 5:30 pm,
Fee: $ 30/Class (includes materials)
Make a hand made gift for your loving family, friends
Mar 15, 22 Egg, Basket, Bunny for Easter
April 5, 12 Felting for Spring Fairy or Gnome
May 3, 10 Felting memory pictures for Mother’s Day
June 7, 14 Felting memory pictures for Father’s Day

Origami

Make a heart, a flower, a crane, a ball and more…Explore the beauty of Origami from the basics. Make your own handmade cards and a Crane mobile with Origami.

Ages: Children and Adults
Saturdays, 11-12 noon
Fee: $12/ Class (Materials included)

For more info: www.blissfulfamily.net

Blissful Family, Inc.
600 S. Airport Rd.
Longmont, CO 80503

Phone: (303) 682-0016
Fax: (303) 682-0966
Email: info@blissfulfamily.net

Music Playhouse demo class

As seen in the BoulderLongmontMoms Yahoo Group:

The Music Playhouse will host a free demo class Thursday, February 14th, at 11:00am at Airborne Gymnastics & Dance (near the corner of Boston & Sunset Ave). Class demos are offered in Boulder and Louisville too.

To register for the free Open House class or for more information, visit http://www.themusicplayhouse.com/ or call 720-226-0682.

A little more info about The Music Playhouse:

Spring registration for The Music Playhouse will begin February 3rd. Our spring session will be a 10-week session beginning March 17th and ending May 23rd.

We would love to have you come visit our classes and experience a taste of who we are, what we do, and why we do what we do.

The Music Playhouse classes feature music and movement classes for children, birth through five years, to attend with their parents or caregivers. Research documents that exposure to music in early childhood has positive developmental effects on the brain. Additional research connects early music exposure to greater success in languages, sciences and math. The Music Playhouse uses interactive children's music to stimulate learning through play. There are actions for each song – clapping, marching, singing, etc. Even infants participate as their parents or caregivers hold them while enjoying the activities. The Music Playhouse strives to provide the best early childhood music education possible. To ensure this, our lesson plans are carefully designed to include activities that develop pitch and rhythm, along with fine and gross motor skills. Classes meet once weekly for 45 minutes and fall, winter, spring, summer sessions are offered throughout the year.

Classes are currently offered in Boulder, Longmont and Louisville.

Reminder about the caucuses on Tuesday

It's exciting but surprising to me to see how many people are getting to this blog via Google searches like "How do I participate in Colorado's Caucus?" If you missed it, I posted in January about how to find your caucus location, check your voter registration and even how to find out more about the candidates. Just a reminder, the Republican caucuses start at 7 pm (registration starts at 6:30) and the Democrats begin at 6:50 pm (you can register beginning at 6:15). A reader asked me to find out whether her teenage daughter could attend and the answer from both parties was yes, observers are welcome, but one party's rep warned me that because of the expected high turnout, observers may be asked to leave if the number of participants exceeds the capacity of your caucus location.

It's also important to note that this caucus is not only to choose who you think the next President of the United States should be but each party will also vote on certain resolutions that will help determine their party's platform. This recent Times Call article talks about the issues a bit so be sure to stick around after the official count is done to help shape your party's ideas!