East Peoria: Fondulac Farm Park

Fon du Lac Farm Park

305 Neumann Drive

East Peoria, IL 61611

On a cold summer day, more reminiscent of March than June, Lydia and I ventured to Fondulac Farm Park for a play date. As newbies to the park, I had no preconceived notions of what to expect and was pleasantly surprised by the simple, yet engaging features of the park. For the small price of admission ($3.50 for adults, $2.50 for kids or free on Tuesdays. There is also a coupon in the yellow pages for a free child admission with a paying adult) we felt it was worth it. We chose to buy the animal feed so Lydia could feed the ducks, ponies, cow, sheep, goats, rabbits, and whatever else we could find! The park has two quaint ponds at the entrance that are occupied by various water fowl. There were a set of baby geese that Lydia enjoyed tossing food to. Following the path, we passed a playground as we ventured to the one room school house and to the sheep, goats, and cow. Lydia did well with approaching the sheep and attempting to feed them, but was not as open to the horse or goats.


There is a silo with a curly slide and several playgrounds both inside and outside the confines of the park, including a small toddler play area with age-appropriate slides, swings, and other equipment. I thought Lydia would be completely excited about the playground, until I realized she didn't enjoy the sand. She had open toed shoes that immediately got sand in them, to her distaste. She dealt with her frustration because she was motivated by the slide, but as she ran, she tumbled a bit. About the funniest thing was watching her refuse to put her hands or feet down to touch the sand to get herself back up. She wasn't crying, but stayed in an "airplane" position for awhile as I took pictures and giggled. She would look at her hands and say "dirty sand!" What a funny, funny girl!


After we made our way through the animals and play areas, we grabbed a quick lunch at their food barn. They had a small assortment of kid friendly foods. Lydia opted for a hot dog and also indulged in the crackers and juice I brought with me. The menu was small, but reasonable and quick. There was ample seating in the shade, although today the clouds took care of that for us.

Outside the farm park, there were two other playgrounds. We were cutting nap time close, but I imagine that Lydia and I will revisit just to play on the fun playgrounds.

Toddler Fun Factor: 4.5/5 : The farm park was a perfect way for Lydia to interact with a variety of farm animals in a fun and non-threatening way. There were no crowds, she she meandered between animals, pointing and laughing. There wasn't a lot of walking to do, so we didn't bring our stroller and that worked well for us. She didn't enjoy the one room school house, but all the other areas of the park were perfect for her!

Parent Pleasers: 4/5

• Bathrooms were family bathrooms and included diaper changing facilities. They were clean considering it was a park.
  
• The food barn had kid friendly food at reasonable prices
• The admission was reasonable. It is free if you go on a Tuesday. There are coupons in the Yellow Pages for Buy One Adult get One Child. Regular Price Admission is only $3.50 for adults and $2.50 for kids.
  
• There was ample seating for parents to use to watch kids play
• One concern was that the duck pond, although only about a foot deep, didn't have a railing around it. Lydia got pretty close a few times and I was sure we would be "that family" that had a kid fall in!
• One other small issues was that there wasn't hand sanitizer accessible near all of the animals. We always bring ours, but it would have been nice after feeding the animals to have that available.
  

Car Seat Curb Appeal: 3/5
The park is located on a bluff in East Peoria. From the front, it resembles a quaint farm house. There was a large wooden cow in front and ample parking. Lydia noticed the playgrounds right away.

Overall Impact: 4/5
Despite the weather and time constraints nearing nap time, we had a wonderful time. I imagine that the poor weather kept large crowds away so it was a perfect time to introduce ourselves to the park. I would love to return on a warm day to allow Lydia more time to play on the playgrounds and visit with the animals.

Peoria: Rainbow Play Systems

Rainbow Play Systems of Central Illinois
2916A Alta Lane
Peoria, IL 61615
Phone: (309) 690-3333
E-mail: clathrop500@sbcglobal.net

There was an impending storm over Peoria for the entire afternoon today and I was running out of indoor things for Lydia to do. Lydia and I went to music class this morning and had a great time. She loves watching and mimicking the teacher as we pretend to be animals on the zoo train. We visited with parrots, monkeys, and zebras today. Lydia knows the signs for each of the animals and also was able to echo the names of the animals as well. I just love hearing her vocabulary growing.

We had morning music class at Kindermusik, lunch and naptime before 2pm. This left us with a chunk of time to fill. After an hour that included painting, crayons (even on the kitchen floor) and reading of a large stack of books, I decided that Lydia needed to get out and play. Although the walk to the park is short and easy, I was worried that we would get there and have a storm. At the same time I was trying to decide what to do, I received notice via facebook that Rainbow Play Systems was hosting guests for free today. They have a showroom of playground equipment and are located within 5 minutes of our house. I know they have hosted birthday parties and playdates, but we had not been able to visit until today.

With the temperatures at 85 degrees and very muggy outside, it was the perfect venue for Lydia to cool off and burn off some energy. They had 4 models of playsets in their showroom as well as some basketball hoops, balls and picnic tables. When we arrived, there was only one other family in attendance. After about 10 minutes, they left and Lydia and I had the play area to ourselves.

Lydia and I swung on the swings together for awhile before Miss Daredevil determined that she was prepared to execute all four levels of slides, including the most daring tunnel slide. I am always hesitant to allow her to exercise her independence, but I also value her willingness and tenacity to try new things. Since we were in the confines of this playspace and I felt that I could monitor her closely, I allowed her to climb to the top and attempt the slide independently. She did all the slides multiple times with ease! She constantly reminds me that I need to revisit my preconceived notions of her abilities and allow her to test her boundaries in the safety of my supervision.

A good chunk of our time there was spent observing Lydia attempting to pick up two balls concurrently. This is not an easy feat for many adults, but Lydia spent a good 15 minutes trying to finagle a way to pick up both the pink and blue balls. The situation ended when Lydia decided that she could kick one ball and carry the second ball to her desired location.

At Rainbow, Lydia also used the word "miss" for the first time in context when I missed shooting a ball into the basketball hoop. Coupled with "oops" she found it entertaining that Mommy wasn't as good of a basketball star as Lydia was. I found it entertaining that Lydia used the base of the basketball hoop as a stage more than a support system for the hoop. I loved watching her dance and jump!

Toddler Fun Factor: 3/5: Rainbow was a great respite for a gloomy day when we were in search of an indoor activity. Lydia enjoyed the equipment, but did the equipment is more geared towards older kids that can climb and swing independently. Lydia enjoyed all of the slides, but several of them were too fast. There is a basketball hoop that is lowered, but still too tall for kids Lydia's height. We were able to spend less than an hour there.

Parent Pleasers: 2/5
There were clean bathrooms with a changing table, but that was it. The parking was on a gravel driveway. There were no windows. There were three chairs to sit on, so I imagine if it had been busier, that would not have been convenient. We brought our own snacks, but I didn't see anywhere to purchase additional food or beverages if necessary.

Car Seat Curb Appeal: 1/5
Rainbow used to be on Willow Knolls with a sunlit show room. It is now off of Alta Road in a warehouse building with no sunlight. Parking is on a gravel driveway with little curb appeal.

Overall Impact: 2.5/5
We had a nice time at Rainbow, but on a nice summer day, it is not an ideal location to have a playdate. On a rainy or cold day in which a busy toddler needs to run off some steam for an hour or so, it would be okay. Other Notes from their Website:

• Let your children enjoy all the display Rainbow Play Systems inside and out. Play with our Goalsetter Basketball Hoops.
  
  
• Unlimited time for only $5 per child 2 years and older.
  
  
• Mondays through Fridays only. Sorry -- no evenings or weekends.
  
  
• Call for availability as this service is not available when parties are scheduled.
  
  
• Party room is unavailable for use for Playdates.
  
  
• Please remember there is no food or drink allowed in our showroom.

Kohl Children's Museum of Greater Chicago

Kohl Children's Museum of Greater Chicago
2100 Patriot Boulevard
Glenview, IL 60026
(847) 832-6600

It is no secret that Brett and I have used our Association of Children's Museum Reciprocal Membership to it's greatest capabilities with trips to Children's Museums within a driving distance from our summer travels. This weekend, while visiting my family in Palatine and attending the NKOTBSB Concert, We drove the 20 minutes to Glenview to visit the Kohl Children's Museum of Greater Chicago. This little museum is a gem and Lydia loved it! It was perfect for her age. A highlight for all of us was the Water Works exhibit. This is by far the best water exhibit we have seen in any of our trips (Yes it beats out Indianapolis)! The room was full of water experiments that were developmentally appropriate for Lydia to interact with. She knows she needs to put a smock on right away (we learned the hard way at the Rockford Museum Water Table) to keep her dry. We played in the space for about 20 minutes before revisiting other spaces and Lydia wanted to come back to the water space again!


We also really enjoyed the outside space at the museum. Although it was simple (ie: wasn't a beach like the Magic House in St. Louis) it was a wonderful time. There was a climbing apparatus that our daredevil monkey had to try. There was a tunnel that she loved running through. Engaging and interesting art sculptures were scattered throughout the 2 acre space. There was a sensory garden as well. I can just envision groups of school-aged kids running about the space on a field trip. It would be a blast!
The museum was not as large as some of the others that we have been to, and 2-2 1/2 hours would be an adequate amount of time there. We spent two hours there since we were meeting my family for a Father's Day meal and had to make our trip quicker than we typically would have.
The exhibits at the museum included:

• Adventures in Art
• All About Me
• City on the Move
• Cooperation Station
• Habitat Park
• Hands On House
• Music Makers
• Nature Explorers
• Powered by Nature
• Water Works
• Baby Nursery
• Car Care
• Dominick's
• Pet Vet
• Play Library
• Potbelly Sandwich Works

Toddler Fun Factor: 4.5/5: This museum was perfect for the littlest learners. Lydia loved racing through the exhibits, learning through play, and interacting with all the resources. There were only a few things that she was a little too young for. I did like how there were spaces for infants in each of the spaces too so that parents of multiple children had an area for babies to play. There was also a library in the museum for Lydia to relax and have a quite break from all the exciting play time.

Parent Pleasers: 5/5: The museum had a great, healthy food court with many options. We didn't eat at the food court, but were impressed with the kid friendly menu at reasonable prices. The gift shop also had unique items, but was not overwhelming. My deal finding skills scored a Melissa and Doug wooden puzzle on clearance for $4.00! There was two sets of bathrooms with sinks and toilets at toddler level so that Lydia could wash her own hands! There was sanitizer outside each exhibit space. There were staff members present at every space to monitor behavior and the space itself. There was ample seating for us to sit and Lydia to play. She even served us "dinner" at the PotBelly Restaurant exhibit!

Car Seat Curb Appeal: 2/5: For as wonderful as the inside was, the outside space left a lot to be desired. The grounds in the parking lot were overgrown with weeds and the exterior felt bland. This doesn't include the outside exhibit space, which was well-manicured and beautiful.

Overall Impact: 4/5: At Lydia's age, this was a perfect museum to go to for an afternoon. They had a few unique features that we have not seen in other places, including a vet clinic and car wash. I anticipate we will make return visits to the museum during future trips to visit our family in Palatine.

Indianapolis Children's Museum

Indianapolis Children's Museum
http://www.childrensmuseum.org/
3000 North Meridian Street
Indianapolis, Indiana 46208
(317) 334-3322

In the world of Children's Museums, Indianapolis has a reputation that is second to none. I have known about the Indianapolis Children's Museum since my early involvement with the Peoria PlayHouse Project, but never had a reason to visit. On a whim, Brett and I decided late Thursday night that we wanted to take a weekend road trip to Indy to visit the world-renowned Indianapolis Children's Museum. We are so happy that we did.

Pulling into the museum is an experience in an of itself with a five story dinosaur that scales the side of the building in an attempt to get inside. It is impressive and engaging to say the least. As soon as Lydia saw it from the car, she started clapping and repeating "yay! Yay! yay!" over and over. There was ample parking, both in an adjacent lot and parking deck that are offered free of charge to guests. The only downside of the entire experience was the $16.50 that adults are charged for admission. Lydia was still free, but once she turns 2, the fee is a little over $11.00. I will say that although the admission fee was a little more than we would have liked to have paid, it was well worth the money.

The Five Floors of exhibit space offered galleries to fit all learning styles, needs, and interests. We began our museum experience at about 11:30 with the dinosaur area. There was ample activities going on in each of the galleries, with museum staff providing educational programming. We were able to witness one of these experiences in the space early on. We continued our journey through a train exhibit that featured a full size caboose and several model trains. Lydia loved watching the "Chooo Choos" go around and around on the track. A highlight was being able to go "inside" the train track in an observation bubble with daddy to see the trains up close.
The other exhibits that we enjoyed included the wishes and dreams gallery, in which we got to ride on a carousel. We also liked to walk the runway at the Barbie exhibit, and play with Dora and Diego in their adventure exhibit. Lydia also loved the scienceworks exhibit in which she was able to pretend to be a worm and burrow underground only to come down a giant slide with daddy. This was a very cool gallery, but Lydia was a little small for many of the experiences, so there will be lots of things for her to "grow into." Her favorite gallery was the Preschool gallery. This gallery was home to a "Lydia-Sized" Sand table, water table, coloring station, and gym mats. It was by far the most engaging for her. We probably could have spent all 5 1/2 hours in that space.



All in all, We had a fantastic time. Lydia was a trooper and didn't nap the entire afternoon, although she fell asleep in the car before we even left the parking deck.

Toddler Fun Factor: 5/5: The Indianapolis Children's Museum was worth the drive. There were some exhibits that were too 'mature' for Lydia, but there were ample opportunities and experiences that were developmentally appropriate for her. She was able to get something out of every gallery, although some were more geared for her age group then others. I loved knowing that we will be able to visit this museum for years to come and she will get something different and new out of it each time. There was a specific gallery designed for toddlers.

Parent Pleasers: 4.5/5: There was a fantastic food court with toddler specific meals (mac-n-cheese, hot dogs, mandarin oranges) and some adult food. There were ample bathroom facilities. The museum gift shop was immense and had a large selection. There was appropriate parking. The only downsides that we experienced were the cost of admission and the neighborhood immediately surrounding the museum that we ended up driving through on our way out. I wouldn't want to be there after dark.

Carseat Curb Appeal: 5/5: Lydia was geared up and ready to go after pulling up and seeing the giant dinosaurs. She was thrilled to run through the skywalk and see the giant ticketing area with a robot in the center.

Overall Impact: 5/5 This was a impromptu weekend get-a-way that I am glad we took and hope to repeat in future years. It was well worth our drive, in particular since we are planning on pairing the trip with the zoo. It is marketed at the world's largest children's museum and worth the trip!

Noelridge Park: Cedar Rapids Iowa

Noelridge Park

4900 Council Street

Cedar Rapids, Iowa

Visits back to Cedar Rapids have begun to include the new outing of feeding the ducks at Noelridge Park. There is a small duck pond that is home to geese and ducks that love the attention from young families that are willing to share bread and treats! After taking time to feed the ducks, we played on the playground and took a mile long walk around the walking trail. On a breezy spring day, it felt great to be outside, get some exercise, and enjoy the sun!

Toddler Fun Factor: 4/5: Lydia loves feeding the ducks and has becoming acutely more aware of how to separate pieces of bread to maximize the feeding potential. Noelridge has a wonderful walking trail, playground, and grassy areas for toddlers to run around and play on.

Parent Pleasers: 4/5: There are sheltered restrooms, ample parking, and clean picnic areas to create a day long experience if that is desired.

Carseat Curb Appeal: 3/5: The park is maintained by the park district and includes a community pool and botanical gardens on opposite corners of the space. The playground provides both a large playset for older kids and a lower, safer play area for toddlers.

Overall Impact: 4.5/5 This park is a new favorite of ours on our treks back to Cedar Rapids. With the botanical gardens, walking trails, pond, and playground, there is a lot to do. Even better, it is free admission! Lydia claps as soon as we enter the park and knows we are going to feed the ducks!

IVS Kids Running Series

Lydia went to her first night of the Illinois Valley Strider's Kids Running Series on Monday Night. This is held for the 6 weeks preceding the Steamboat Festival and is GREAT! It is broken into age groups so walkers through age 3 are in the first heat. The event takes place at Proctor Hospital. Registration begins at 5:30 with the first races beginning at 6pm. For the $2.00 per child admission, kids get a number, ribbon upon completion with their time, cookie and juice! Prior to running, kids stretch all together before they line up in the shoot. There is an official timer and the time it takes to run the course is documented on their ribbon. Older kids can choose to run 1/2 mile or 1 complete mile. Lydia loved running the 1/4 mile loop with our help. Families of other runners line the course to cheer on the other kids running. It is great!

Toddler Fun Factor: 4.5/5

Parent Pleasers: 3/5
There are no facilities for bathroom breaks, parking gets crowded if you don't get there early, and registration can get backed up. We got there right at 5:30 and found great parking and had an easy time at registration, by 5:50, the line was long! I loved watching Lydia run with her peers, receive the ribbon, and all the cheering and positive energy. It is a great way to get outside in the warm weather and be with other families.

Car Seat Curb Appeal: 3/5
The "track" is located at Proctor Hospital. It is not an official track, but has a lot of great grassy areas to run around.

Overall Impact: 4/5
It was great! Lydia wasn't able to complete 1/4 mile completely independently, but the environment was positive and she had a great time.

Children's Discovery Museum: Rockford, Illinois

Children's Discovery Museum
711 North Main Street
Rockford, IL 61103
(815) 963-6769

Our Association of Children's Museum (ACM) reciprocal pass took us to the Rockford Children's Discovery Museum during spring break. Coming from the perspective as a parent with a toddler, I was initially upset that the exhibits were geared toward school age children on the first floor. We spent a mere 20 minutes on the first floor and were thinking that it was going to be a quick visit when we took the elevator to the second floor. We were surprised to see a large area completely dedicated to toddlers. The toddler exhibit contained several areas specifically designed for younger patrons. Lydia loved all the themed areas: a home, garage (complete with mechanic tools), construction zone, train station, grocery store, water table, ball exhibit, and baby zone. Lydia played at length in the grocery store, collecting plastic fruits and vegetables in her cart, categorizing and sorting them as she returned them to their appropriate locations.

She spent a short time in the mechanic's garage, but was more inclined to spend time in the 'home' cooking, baking, and setting up the kitchen table before she folded laundry and read books on the couch. She also spent a significant amount of time in a fun ball exhibit in which older kids manipulated various switches and levers to move balls through tubes and tunnels. Lydia loved putting the plastic balls into the holes and watching them whiz their way through the tunnels.

Lydia also loved the boulders at the construction zone. She stacked (and then helped me stack) a tower that was taller than she was. She happily knocked the tower down. The highlight of her play time in the toddler zone was the water table. She loved to splash, pour, and dump water in the various tubs and toys. Despite the smock that she wore to keep herself dry, she ended up wet, but happy.

One of the exhibits in the agricultural area on the first floor had a grain elevator that kids were able to raise and lower to transport grain from one bin to another one. Lydia took one piece of grain at a time and moved them from one bin to the next. I laughed. She would have done that forever hadn't we stopped her and moved her on to a new exhibit. Overall, we had a great experience and we loved spending the day with grandpa!

Toddler Fun Factor: 4.5/5

The toddler areas in all of the other museums we have previously gone to have seemed like an afterthought or a way for the museums to market that they are accessible to younger kids. This museum really catered to toddlers with multiple experiences and opportunities to learn through play. Lydia was engaged and stimulated with many different sensory experiences and was able to discover a lot through the toddler experiences.

Parent Pleasers: 4/5
There was a nursing nook and family restroom in the toddler area. There was also a restroom and open seating area on the main floor. We didn't eat at the museum, but there was an open area to bring a lunch with tables and chairs. There was hand sanitizer throughout the museum.

Car Seat Curb Appeal: 3/5
The museum is located right on the river and easy to locate. There was a large parking lot with ample parking. The museum was built within a campus of other museums (art and natural history).

Overall Impact: 4/5
This is a museum we will be able to go to for a long time. The first floor had interesting and engaging exhibits for older students and children. Lydia spent most of her time on the 2nd story in the toddler town.

Phelp's Youth Pavillion: Waterloo, Iowa

Phelps Youth Pavilion

at the Waterloo Center for the Arts

225 Commercial Street

Waterloo, IA 50701-1313

Spring Break 2011 will go down as one of the soggiest in memory. That being said, Lydia and I were left to find activities that were both fun AND indoors. While we were in Iowa, we decided to go with Daddy and Oma to the Phelp's Youth Pavilion in Waterloo. There website listed the necessary visitor information, but I called ahead of time to avoid taking the 45 minute trip and risking they were closed on Good Friday. The woman that answered the phone was more than pleasant and assured me that it would be a fantastic spot for Lydia to play as they cater to kids 0-8 years old.

Our arrival at the museum was greeted with construction. Thus, it was difficult to park. Furthermore, I was unsure of where the entrance was because the Children's area is inside an Art Museum. Once we entered the facility, we were greeted and directed down a long, but cheerful and bright hallway to a ticketer in the gift shop. She accepted our ACM membership card and gave us pointers regarding the exhibits and what she felt Lydia would like the most. She personally introduced us to the Executive Director, who's office was directly next to the entrance.

From the moment we entered the museum, Lydia was engaged and the Toddler Fun Factor was high. Equally, I had a wonderful time! There were so many wonderful exhibits that I even enjoyed. One of which was a virtual paint canvas that allowed you to paint on the wall with a computer mouse and print off your creation. We spent a lot of time in the Jamaican area fishing from the boat, playing in the authentic house, riding the van, and playing virtual steel drums. I was highly engaged by the time machine, while Lydia liked to color hieroglyphics and take a peek into the cave.

On the second floor, Lydia danced on stage, played with puppets at the puppet show, and created an art piece in their designated art studio. From all of the art studios we have seen at various Children's Museums, this one was the best. It was large with several tables. Each table had a different project for kids to complete with directions and a sample/model. There were additional materials that were well organized throughout the space. This space was not entirely "Lydia friendly" but it was great for older kids that want to create a fun art project.

The museum had a traveling exhibit on display featuring various Iowa Illustrators. Although I was pleased with the space, it did not have much of a toddler fun factor. Lydia was bored, but I feel older kids would have liked it.





Overall, we rate the museum:

Toddler Fun Factor: 4/5
Lydia loved her time and didn't want to go. There was lots of room for her to run around with many developmentally appropriate tasks for her to complete.

Parent Pleasers: 2/5
The bathrooms were difficult to locate and places to eat a snack or buy food.
The gift shop was nice, but not overwhelming and distracting for the kids. It also featured some beautiful gifts for adults.

Car Seat Curb Appeal: 2/5
The museum is located right on the river, but they were undergoing construction. This made navigating the parking lots difficult and finding the entrance a guessing game. I am assuming that the construction was to create a designated entrance for the museum. The parking lots were small, but there was plenty of parking.

Overall Impact: 4/5
We had a wonderful time and will go back. It was perfect for Lydia's age and I know she would "grow into" some of the exhibits she didn't enjoy when she was there (They had a cow that you could actually milk, but she was scared of it, so crawled in the "hayloft" instead).