California Science Center- revisited and yes it's free!

If you grew up in Southern California, you might recall the commercials for the Museum of Science and Industry. I have fond memories of visiting with my family as a child. Well time has been very kind to the museum and it's now called the California Science Center. I've been meaning to visit with the kids for quite some time now and was finally able to make the trip this weekend. We packed a bag Saturday afternoon and headed off for a visit to the Science Center. The Science is Center is located in Exposition Park and is the West Coast's largest hands on science center. It boasts 3 floors, which holds 4 permanent exhibits and a special exhibit gallery which showcases popular exhibits from museums around the world. The four permanent exhibits are The Creative World Exhibit, The World of Life Exhibit, Air and Space Exhibit and the Science court. The first exhibit we toured was The Creative World , which showcases advances humans have made in communication, architecture and transportation. My kids loved the exhibit. My daughter was fascinated with the communication section of the exhibit. The second and final exhibit we toured was the World of Life exhibit. My kids were in heaven. They did not want to budge from the gallery. They loved the the Life Source gallery which featured a chicken hatchery. The absolute highlight of the trip for them was a visit to the Discovery Room. If you have kids under 5 this is probably where you will spend most of your time. Your children will be able to see frogs, spiders, crabs, turtles, birds and snakes close up. There is a fantastic toddler area. My son Michael who is only a year old was entertained for at least an hour. We had planned to visit the Air and Space Exhibit but we ran out of time. If you are planning a visit make sure you allow for plenty of time. I can't tell you enough how much we all loved the museum. I would arrive early to make the best of your visit. I would visit the second floor first and explore The Creative World Exhibit and The World of Life exhibit. I would then stop to have lunch at either McDonald's or Taco Bell Express, which are located on the first floor of the museum. After lunch I would head out to explore the third floor and the Air and Space Wing. We will be heading out to explore the Air and Space exhibit next weekend and I can't wait to share our experience with you. Trust me your family will love this place. California Science Center - Exposition Park, 700 State Drive, Los Angeles, CA 90037 The California Science Center is open daily from 10am to 5pm- closed Thanksgiving Day, Christmas and New Year's Day Admission to the Science Center's permanent exhibit galleries is FREE!! Parking is $8 per car- cash only! For additional information click here

A fun event- Play Daily

I wanted to share with you a fun event that will be coming up this Saturday morning and is perfect for the kiddos. Be one of the first 4 to leave a comment and you will receive a 4 pack admission for Play Daily. PlayDaily is a series of family-oriented events that circulate around a theme that encourages discovery, inquiry, and supports the development of critical thinking through unstructured play. The first theme explored is Light and Shadow. As participants enter the space, visitors will be greeted by dark rooms, illuminated with tools for interaction, self discovery, and play. There are opportunities to interact with both white and black light. This includes glow-in-the-

dark puppets, x-ray materials, light tables and fluorescent balloons as well as white light, flashlights and shadow play. All of this is designed to stimulate and promote questioning and a new kind of fun. The actual event will operate like an open house from 9:30 am to 12:30 pm, giving families the opportunity to revolve in and out of the day’s engaging activities and play at their own convenience-- before or after a trip to the farmer’s market, or around nap time. There are healthy snacks served in addition to the opportunity for kids to show off their dance moves to tunes spun by a DJ. Advanced tickets at $7 per walking being - $10 at the door http://playdaily.eventbrite.com/

PlayDaily- Los Angeles August 29, 2009 9:30 am to 12:30 pm CineSpace 6356 Hollywood Blvd, 2nd level Los Angeles, CA 323.817.FILM

Legally Blonde The Musical

I had the opportunity to attend Legally Blonde The Musical last week and I can't recommend it enough. I love fun and fast paced musicals and Legally Blonde definitely hits the mark. The music is catchy and you will find yourself singing some of the songs for days after. What I loved about the show is that it's perfect for the family. If you have little girls that love the movie they will definitely love the show.

The best part is that tickets are affordable. My sisters and I are planning on returning tomorrow since we can pick up some tickets for $20 with the discount code. The show will play until September 6 - so you still have time to make it. Just remember to make sure to purchase your tickets before August 22nd. All you have to do is use is special offer code OMGX2 when you purchase tickets and you can save up to $20. You can purchase tickets

Online: http://www.broadwayla.org/

OMGPhone: 800-982-ARTS (2787)

In Person: Pantages Box Office

6233 Hollywood Blvd.,

open daily 10am-6pm

The Discount applies to evening shows on Tue, Wed or Thu.

Have fun!!

A Transportation Adventure...

Last week we had the opportunity as a family to learn all about public transportation. Like many of you, I try to teach my kids about different subjects hands on. I wanted them to learn about the various forms of public transportation and decided the best way was to make a day of it and head to downtown Los Angeles to learn all about trains and subways. We took the Metrolink train into Downtown LA. The Metrolink is seriously fun and super cheap on the weekends (25% off). We headed into Union Station and admired the various tunnels and of course all of the trains. We really wanted to ride the subway and decided to take it to Hollywood and Highland. The best part is that you can catch the subway/red line from Union Station. It was pretty simple to maneuver even with a double stroller. There are escalators down to the subway platform and elevators that are perfect to fit in your strollers. The subway runs about every 10 minutes on the weekends. After what seemed to be only 5 minutes of waiting our train came by and we headed on our adventure!! It takes 20 minutes to ride from Downtown's Union Station to the Hollywood and Highland Complex. The kids loved every single minute of the ride and so did we. We reached our destination and proceeded to enjoy a fun afternoon walking around the complex, enjoying the walk of fame and just taking in all of the sights. We spent a couple of hours at the complex and headed back on the subway to Union Station and on home. The kids had a great time and our excursion was pretty inexpensive. A Metrolink ticket will get you a free ride on the subway and children 5 and under are free. I think with dinner and treats we spent less than $30.00 that day. It was an all day adventure that we won't soon forget!! We live in Orange County but if you live elsewhere you could do the blue/gold line and the subway. I know that the Metrolink runs a weekend route from the Antelope Valley Lines and San Bernardino Line. We had a blast and so will you- I promise!! For information about Metrolink and schedules click here and for subway/gold/blue line info click here