A Tantrum at 30,000 Feet

A 4 year old throwing a tantrum over apple juice caused a pilot to make an emergency landing. Ridiculous, but true. Read all about it here.

Maybe the parent, pilot and crew should listen to our podcast with Dr. Robert McKenzie about setting limits for children?

Fun at the Crocker Art Museum

When I announce to my toddlers we're going to the Crocker, they yell "Yay!" and "Art! Art! Art!" (While doing a seal imitation, including clapping flappers. Goofballs.)

My kids have been coming here since they were infants. I love how Crocker has made an effort to make kids feel at home. Before every visit I go over the ground rules: Do not touch other people's art unless they specifically say you can; use your inside voice; no running, etc.

Time after time, we have enjoyed Crocker's Youth & Family programs. http://www.crockerartmus... The majority of our time has been spent downstairs where they have worked with all kinds of art media and attended puppet shows.

Another family favorite is the art-o-mat near the stairwell: a refurbished cigarette vending machine stocked with small art from all over the country for $5. http://www.artomat.org/ You never quite know what you're going to get.

Children 6 and under get free admission. (Thanks to Marisa L. for the reminder regarding free admission on Sundays between 10 AM and 1 PM!) Free passes are also occasionally available and there are Free Museum Days annually.

When my kids were babies, I carried them throughout the museum and had them identify animals, shapes, and colors. Start your kids' love affair with art early. This is a terrific place to begin.

Fairytale Town

A truly toddler-friendly venue. Built in 1959 yet well-maintained with continued improvements. If you had to pick just one place to go with the five-and-under crowd, this is a good choice. It has all the elements of a park, a zoo, a botanical garden, and a playground. Often there are special activities such as art, face painting, puppet shows and/or special events.

Make sure you check hours of operation before you head out; they keep different hours depending on the season. Winter hours are 10 AM to 4 PM Thursday through Sunday. Conveniently open on Monday holidays too. Longer hours March through October: open daily from 9 AM to 4 PM. Closed during inclement weather -- if it's overcast outside you may want to call first to make sure they are going to be open. If you come early in the morning, the equipment may still be wet, so you may want to bring a small towel.

Fairytale Town is home to lots of friendly farm animals, some of them pygmy/miniature. Lots of physical activities here; multiple slides, figurative storybook characters to climb on/in/around. Fun places to use your imagination and pretend. Nice little gardens (including one that features plants with names beginning from A to Z).

Many features, such as the drinking fountains and the potties at the Gingerbread House are scaled-down for toddlers. Unfortunately, you just don't see that in many places, even ones that are supposed to be kid-friendly.

Eat somewhere else; snack bar food here is atrocious. If you live nearby, get a membership and you'll save $. If you're just passing through, admission as of this writing is $4.25 on weekends and $3.75 on weekdays per person. Kids 2 and under are free.

Another plus to Fairytale Town is that it is located in William Land Park and close to other amenities such as the Zoo, Funderland, the pony rides, the ponds, the rock garden, the wading pool and fenced in playground, picnic areas, baseball, softball and soccer areas, and an almost 2 mile jogging path.

A fun and easy place to have a birthday party. Recommend the area by Sherwood Forest if it's a nice day -- play equipment close by.

Please note: even though this is located in a nice neighborhood, don't be foolish. Hide your valuables and lock your car. We recently visited and heard the sound of a window smashing. A quick-thinking man with a stacked SLR camera jumped up on some play equipment and got a picture of someone breaking into an SUV with a hammer on the other side of the fence. Don't know who ultimately got the last laugh.

For kids only: they won't let you in if you aren't accompanied by one. As a parent, I appreciate that.

Cooking With Kids Is Fun!

Although this is unrelated to the Sacramento area, I found a great website about cooking with children that I know many of you would enjoy. The site is chock full of recipes that children can do themselves, and it has demonstration videos to boot! This is a great way to teach your child the basics of cooking - and a fun activity to do over the summer break.

Check it out at www.spatullata.com