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We've compiled a list of our favorite things to do when the kids are out of school! Let us know if we missed anything ... we are always looking for new ideas to fill out hot summer days! Have fun!
1. Children's Programs and Summer Reading Club at the Fort Bend
County Libraries
Our county libraries present a variety of free children’s programs -- Mother Goose Time, Toddler Time, Story
Time, Pajama Night Story Time, Kinder Korner, and School-Age Programs -- every
month. These programs are free and
open to the public.
Mother Goose
Time provides caregiver/infant
activities and songs especially designed for the youngest book-lovers, from age
1 month to 12 months. Toddler Time offers caregiver/child activities, stories
and songs for older babies, from 12 to 36 months of age. Pre-school
children will enjoy Story Time, where they hear stories, watch movies, and
participate in age-appropriate craft activities. Pajama Night
Story Time gives families an evening option for some activities presented
during the day time. The School-Age
Programs offer crafts, movies, stories, and more for school-aged children.
For more information and times (varied by location), call the library’s Public Information Office at
281-341-2677, or stop by your local branch.
2. Another Time Soda Fountain, 800 Third St., downtown Rosenberg
It's cute. It's fun. It's YUMMY. Plan to visit the Railroad Museum across the street. Call Another Time Soda Fountain at 281-232-2999 to check hours because they close kind of early and are usually only open Wed-Sat. Ask about their $2 tour and sundae special!
www.anothertimesodafountain.com
3. Berry Good Picking
We're a little bit obsessed with picking fruit, and we're not talking about standing on our tiptoes to pick the nicest looking apple at HEB. (We do that, too.) We're talking about standing outside in the hot sun and having your kid hold down a branch so that you can reach the nicest looking blueberries at the top of the bush. Why? For one thing, the berries are tastier because they are fresh, obviously, since you just picked them! Secondly, they are more healthy, especially if the farm uses organic or natural growing methods. It's also fun.
Chmielewski Blueberry Farm is one of our top picks for blueberry picking in the Houston area. (We are still depressed over the closing of the Wharton Strawberry Patch. If you're reading this Mr. and Mrs. Boerger -- we miss you!) I guess we're going to have to just get over it and branch out to some new locations. In that past, we've had a good time at King's Orchard in Plantersville. We also heard great things about Moorehead's Blueberry Farm in Conroe. We could list them all, but we found a very handy online Web site that, if you haven't seen already, you should check out for info on picking your own fruit all over Texas.
Go to http://www.pickyourown.org/TXhouston.htm for the latest information. They have links to Web sites for the various locations and notes on whether the farms are organic or not.
Here are some other "fresh picks" for fun:
- E & B Orchards (Hempstead): Peaches, nectarines, blackberries and more ... yum! www.eandborchards.com
- Moorhead’s Blueberry Farm: Pesticide-free blueberries www.moorheadsblueberryfarm.com (Conroe)
- Froberg Farms (Alvin): Strawberries, blackberries, figs and much more! http://www.alvintexas.org/run.cgi?froberg
- Wild West Farmers Market Every Sunday, noon-4 p.m. See our HealthyMOM page.
- Katy Farmers Market Every Saturday, 9 a.m.-noon http://www.katyfarmersmarket.com/
- Listing of other area Farmers Markets: http://www.localharvest.org/
4. Eco-Explorers at Brazos Bend State Park
Brazos Bend State Park will offer Eco-Explorers again this
summer. This program, for children ages 4-12, meets each Thursday from
9:30-11:30 in the Nature Center during June, July and the first week of August. The program will consist of a learning activity, followed by games,
crafts, songs, and refreshments. Program fee is only $2 per child. Program fee
is in addition to normal park entrance fees: children ages 12 and under, free;
ages 13 and up, $5 per person. Annual pass available.
This year, besides the Brazos Bend State Park Rangers and
Volunteers, the Houston Audubon Society, and the Coastal Prairie and Gulf Coast
Master Naturalist Chapters will assist in providing activities for the
children.
June 11—Insect Inspection—Body parts? Legs? Wings?
Antennae? Check out all their working parts.
June 18—Eggs, Wings, Beaks and Things— Learn about what
birds can do. They can fly. Why can you?
June 25— Something Fishy - Junior Angler program. Learn the
basics & ethics of fishing. Meet @ Hale Lake pavilion.
July 2—Astronomical Delights — Take a visit to the George
Observatory for a trip to infinity and beyond!
July 9—Clues to Who’s Hiding From You — Learn to identify
animal tracks, scat and other signs left behind.
July 16— Micro-Monsters—Discover what lurks beneath the
surface of a quiet pond. Use viewing boxes and microscopes.
July 23— Variety Day —Vultures, spiders, mammals and leaves.
July 30— Bit-O-Honey—Hardworking honeybees know how to get
the job done. See inside their secret world.
August 6— Reptile Roundup-Wrap up the summer with a hiss
and a bellow - snakes and alligators.
For park information visit www.brazosbend.org
or call 979-553-5101. For information about Texas Parks & Wildlife sites
and events visit www.tpwd.state.tx.us.
5. The Not So Forbidden City ... in Katy!
Take a Field Trip to China
Our husbands would probably like to make Katy Mills Mall forbidden, but there really is something quite extraordinary in Katy that will give you and your kids a glimpse into Chinese culture and history.
Open to the public Friday-Sunday (not really forbidden), Forbidden Gardens in Katy is a fascinating outdoor museum replicating some of China's major historic scenes. Guided tours take you back to the Third Century BC to view the first Emperor's amazing 6,000 piece terra-cotta army replicated in 1/3 scale. The tour continues to the intricately detailed miniatures of the famous Forbidden City in Beijing, which served as the palace for nearly 500 years of Imperial rule.
 
Step back in time and into another land without stepping out of Texas (or even far from Sugar Land). Visit www.forbidden-gardens.com or call 281-347-8000 for more info and pricing. If you have a group, you can schedule a private tour on a day the gardens are not usually open to the public. The tour guide we had was extremely knowledgeable. She even told us where to get Chinese food after. (Believe us, you WILL be craving Chinese food once the tour is finished.) She recommended Cafe East 2 Chinese Buffet, 935 S. Mason Rd., 281-829-1616. (Warning: We haven't actually tried it.)
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