Field Trip Mom

It's New Years Day, Christmas, Hanuka, and Kwanzaa festivities are over and countdown is complete with the last glass of champagne served.  Now, what to do?  There are many things a family and singles can do to start their 2016 memories.  Here are some of our favorite ideas. New Year's Day is a typically a slow admission day at most Southern California theme parks.  Most will be sleeping off a late night or nursing a really good hangover while you can get an early jump on the rides at places like Disneyland, Magic Mountain, Knott's Berry Farm, Legoland San Diego and Universal Studios Tours. Be part of the Venice Beach Penguin Swim, held annually on January 1st.  Registration is free but require calling 310-390-5700.  The swim starts at noon.  Learn more by going to Visit Venice .   If jumping into the fridged waters of the Pacific is not your thing, there are plenty of great bars and eateries off the b...

Over 20 Southern California Museums are offering free admission on *January 30, 2016.  Take advantage of this great opportunity to visit some of the most amazing places in Los Angeles and Orange Counties for free.  While the admission is free, please keep in mind that special-ticketed events, parking or IMAX is not included in this special offer.  Plan to take cash for food, incidentals and  souvenirs. *  A few museums will be closed on January 30th, for this reason they will extend the offer on January 31, 2016 to help you take part in the 11th annual Free-for-All Museum Day. SoCal Museums' website  is putting this event on. List of the museums that are participating in the event.  Annenberg Space for Photography Armory Space for Photography Autry Museum of the American West - Includes free admission to the Autry in Griffith Park and the Autry's historic Southwest Museum Mt. Washington campus The Broad California Africa...

The Holidays are a fun time to bake cookies and build Gingerbread houses.  At the Bosek house, we enjoy easy and fun ideas.  This easy to make Gingerbread house idea will help kids get creative and have loads of entertainment.  All you need is a few ingredients that might already be in your pantry.  Here are some of the items we gathered from our pantry and Christmas candies. Supplies: Graham Crackers (I used 4 for the walls of the house and 2 for roof. I also had two boxes on hand just in case we had broken graham crackers) Icing - Betty Crocker frosting Jelly Beans or M & M's Christmas (red and green) Christmas Sprinkles (Green and Red) Christmas candy (Peeps) Mini Marshmallows Candy Canes Gum drops or other small candies of your choice for decor Optional: Food Coloring to paint your gingerbread house a themed color Ensure the (6) Graham Crackers that are not separated, cracked or broken. Design the house with these pieces.  Grab two g...

Winter break is here and the kids are home restless. Wait, its Christmas Day and the family wants to explore the city!  Okay, you want to get out and explore the city because the kids are driving you crazy.  Christmas Day is a holiday that not every business and store is open.  Southern California offers many indoor and outdoor opportunities.  To help you find the one for you, we have broken down the list into categories: nature, theme parks, food, entertainment, crafting at home, local churches and volunteering in your community. *By the way do not forget to use your AAA card or look for special offers in your area.  Nature is open 365 days of the year; find a regional park or beautiful beach to play in the sun.  Discover which theme parks are open on Christmas Day as not all of them are.  Hungry, tired of turkey and don’t want to cook?  Find out where you can go for a delicious meal.  Take a drive through a “Candy Cane Lane” and be...

** UPDATE - HE WAS CHOSEN TO GO TO THE DISTRICT SCIENCE FAIR!!! A few months ago, we wrote about our Sunday afternoon adventures designing a Rube Goldberg science experiment for our son's 6th grade project.  Now, with time, practice, note taking and some blood, sweat and tears, we are happy to share our story to help others with their future projects.  We want to walk through the steps involved in scientific experiment to help you better understand the process.  However, as with all scientific experiment, the learning process can come in small successes to sudden large advances.  It takes, time, patience, collaboration and the will to try alternative solutions to prove your hypothesis and we will help you walk through it. Your first step is to come up with a question that requires testing through research and controlled tests.  Next, the student will need to come up with a sound hypothesis where there is a clear defining "True or False" response when the...

For a limited time, the Discovery Cube is offering the science of snow, "Winter Wonderfest."  Go tubing down a 70 foot slope, play in the snow, go sledding, learn snow science and so much more under one roof.  I should warn you that you will need snow gear: gloves, hat, warm clothing and closed toe shoes to play in the snow.  If you forget your gloves just run to the store inside the Cube and purchase them.  The Winter Wonderfest is only $5.00 plus the purchase of general admission.  You can play in the snow from December 19th through January 3rd.  It is a great way to experience the science of snow with the family.  We received a chance to experience the science of snow at Discovery Cube Winter Wonderfest during media day.  Our kids were so in love with the 70 foot slope and the snow sledding.  We could not get them to take a break.  The experience made them feel as though they were far away from the big city on top of a mountain. ...

The Force Awakens - Star Wars trilogy is out today.  People have been waiting in lines for days to see it.  The series has been around for over 30 years.  It is part of the American culture to go with the family and watch it.  It all began back in 1977 with the release of "A New Hope."  Since then, thousands have become fans of the Star Wars Series.  Now, it is my turn to share with my kids this American cultural moment. If by chance you don't know much about this series, then I recommend that you watch all six movies after you read the books. This way you will understand the creators vision.  I leave you with the order of the movie releases to help you get started.  Star Wars (A New Hope) (1977), The Empire Strikes Back (1980), and Return of the Jedi (1983), The Phantom Menace (1999), Attack of the Clones (2002), and Revenge of the Sith (2005) and today the release of "The Force Awakens" 2015 is the latest in this trilogy. "The Force is ...

This is just in from Edutopia website a large list of grants and resources. Edutopia was founded by the George Lucas Educational Foundation, a nonprofit organization. Their vision statement:" Our vision is of a new world of learning based on the compelling truth that improving education is the key to the survival of the human race."  Please go to the link to get information on grants and resources for teachers and students.  The Big List of Educational Grants and Resources | Edutopia Disclaimer: This is not a sponsored post. 

No one can ever explain to you how to prepare to be a great parent.  Each child is different and every home has different needs.  One thing that is for sure is that love will guide you to do some awesome things.  I am sharing my personal story of parenting a child with the flu. My husband and I survived our baby's first flu.  W hen my son was 9 nine months old, I had to take him to the ER.  Early in the day, he had been very fussy and not his normal happy self.  We thought he needed to be outside in the fresh air.  We packed him up and took him shopping.  As we put him in the shopping cart, I remember him wiggling and being fussy some more.  He began to cry as he sat in the store's metal shopping cart.  I reached to console him, when I saw him hit his head on the metal piece of the cart.  A few seconds later, he threw up.  As a new parent, I thought he had injured his head.  I urgently called my husband and we dashe...

Welcome to Legoland California: Velkommen, Welkom, Bienvenue, Ahlan'wa sahla, ようこそ (yōkoso), 환영합니다 (hwangyong-hamnida), Bienvenido, Mabuhay, Shalom, Καλώς ορίσατε (Kalōs orisate) LEGO®.  It is a great place to bond with your family or friends. The visit will give you a  STEAM experience (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math) that you will not soon forget.  Disclaimer: We are huge fans of LEGO® . We were invited as media to the theme park. All thoughts and opinions are all my own.  Southern California is home to one of the most creative and exciting places for Lego fans.   Legoland is a theme park filled with hundreds of models, statues and wall art pieced together and made from Legos.  This 128-acre park is made for true Lego fans of all ages.  The park offers 60 family rides with "hands-on" opportunities to create and build Lego toys throughout. Check out Adventurer's Club, the Legoland Factory tour and Snow Days dur...

Buying a Christmas tree can be a wonderful family field trip.  Pack your family in the car and find a farm or memorable place to pick up your Christmas tree. Locally, we have some of the greatest places to get a beautiful tree including Irvine Park Railroad , TanakaFarms , Peltzer Pines (Brea & Silverado) and Richfield Pines .   These places offer great photo opportunities, beautiful trees and some even have Santa Claus waiting for you.  The prices might be a little higher than your grocery store, however, visiting these places offer a more memorable family moment.  Create your family traditions this holiday season. Irvine Park Railroad offers fresh Christmas Trees for a limited time. Jump on the rail for train rides, visit with Santa and Mrs. Claus and enjoy some cookie decorating.  The park is gorgeous, filled with 475 acres of acorn trees, wild life and activities.  Inside the park, you can find a lake and the OC Zoo.  There is a lo...

All birthday babies have (5) great reasons to go to Knott’s Berry Farm for their big celebration.   The theme park is budget friendly.   The hours of operation are flexible.   Their rides, shows and attractions keep the fun going throughout the day.   Setup for the birthday means only having to buy tickets in advance .   There is no clean-up after the big event.   Take a look at some more information on these great reasons to go to Knott’s for your birthday. Budget: We have 10+ years’ experience hosting birthday parties at our house, jumping centers and restaurants with kids and for kids.  They all on average cost $425.00 for a group of 10 kids.  This breaks down to approximately $40.00 dollars per guest.  Admission to Knott’s for children ages 3 to 11 years is only $33.00.  Don’t forget, many times during the year, Knott’s partners with local grocery stores and fast food restaurants offering discount tickets. Time: Knott’s is...