Your guide to activities and fun things to do with your preschoolers, toddlers and kids in pittsburgh, PA

Check Out the National Parks Service for Unexpected Fun

by Jennifer Signore

June 08, 2009

While on our recent vacation, I learned about a great program for kids and wanted to share it with you.  The National Parks Service (NPS) has a wealth of information for families and individuals traveling to the lands they oversee, including national parks, national monuments, national historical sites...the list really does go on and on.  If you will be travelling, check out the NPS parks list to see whether your next vacation destination is in or near one of the parks.  Many of the parks have interpretive lectures and programs to enhance your park experience.  For instance, we visited the Cape Hatteras National Seashore and found a wealth of programs in their newsletter, called In The Park.  We heard a talk about pirates, explored samples of marine life, and even got to try our hand at crabbing!  

NPS also runs a Junior Ranger Program at many of its parks, which gives the kids a chance to get more involved in their parks experience.  The age range for the program varies from park to park, so check with the park you are visiting to see if your kids will qualify (the link above provides a list of parks with JR programs).  In addition, the "prize" for finishing the program will vary-some parks offer a badge, some a patch, and others offer both.  At Cape Hatteras, for instance, the program had two divisions, a program for kids ages 2 - 5 and another for kids ages 6 - 13.  Each division had an activity booklet to learn about the seashore.  Completing the booklet would earn the child a badge.  By attending two ranger-led programs, the child can also earn a patch (my four-year old got both and was thrilled).

If you won't be getting away this summer, you can also become a Web Ranger.   Through this program, kids of all ages can learn about the park and earn Web Ranger status by completing a set of activities.  Not a bad way to spend some computer time with the kids!  And if your summer is going to be a staycation, don't forget that Pittsburgh is within a short drive of places like Fort Necessity National Battlefield, which does have a Junior Ranger program (with a very cool patch, I might add).

Another neat item we picked up while in the park was a Passport to Your National Parks.  The spiral-bound booklet contains spaces for regional park stamps, which can be purchased at park visitors' centers or through the mail.  It also has space for you to put cancellations (ink stamps) to show that you have visited various national sites.  The cancellations are available at the visitor center for each park and are free (the booklet costs $7.95 but will hold lots of cancellations if you stamp carefully).  We bought one passport booklet to log family trips to the national parks and plan to use it often.  What an unexpected way to add a fun and educational twist to your travels!         

Review: Obama The Historic Journey Young Reader's Edition

by Jennifer Signore

June 01, 2009

Talking about politics with kids can be a challenge because the nuances of how and why our government works are not easy to explain.  I remember on Election Day 2008 trying to explain both the voting process and the office of president to my then three-year-old.  I told him that the president is the person that runs the country, but without being able to get into checks and balances and such, it probably sounds-to a kid-a lot like the idea of a king.  Not quite the impression we want to bestow on our young ones.

So, when MotherTalk and Mom Central asked for moms to review Obama The Historic Journey Young Reader's Edition, I jumped at the chance.  This 95-page hardbound book, which is the young adult companion to Obama The Historic Journey, is full of beautiful photographs that illustrate Obama's road to the White House.  One of the first things I noticed about the book is that it could be explained to a number of age groups.  The youngest children would enjoy seeing the photos of Barack Obama and the text could be easily paraphrased for descriptions.  Older children would benefit from the brief, but informative, text, which I would say is at the listening level of a five-year-old and the reading level of a second or third grader. 

Beyond the campaign and politics of the book, it shows Obama as a family man.  His children, Malia and Sasha, are pictured throughout the book, and a section is dedicated to the first daughters.  They are the youngest children to live in the White House since the Kennedys, and that should get kids a lot more interested in learning about politics because kids may not yet care what President Obama is doing, but they might be fascinated by the daily activities of Malia and Sasha (not to mention Bo, their dog).   

The book also touches on the other notable aspect of the Obama presidency-the fact that he is our first African-American president.  One section, called, "The Scars of Yesterday," talks about the 1963 March on Washington and the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech.  It also provides feedback from a few individuals who were at that 1963 march and also at the 2009 inauguration.  I love when a personal experience can be used to convey an event, especially one with such a charged history.  Parents can easily use this section of the book, and the other chapters for that matter, as a springboard from which to talk about the African-American experience in the United States across the years.

Overall, I was quite impressed with Obama The Historic Journey Young Reader's Edition and would recommend it to any family looking to expand their children's knowledge of the White House and the politics surrounding it.  Even if they don't become the legislators of the future, they will get a taste of the many facets of government and life on which our country was built.  It's a must-have book for your children's collection.

 In the interest of full disclosure, I was provided with a free copy of the book in exchange for my review.

Three Days in Pittsburgh: Day One--Soaking in the Skyline

by Jennifer Signore

February 02, 2009

Many people these days are choosing to spend their vacation time exploring their own city, rather than trekking off to a distant locale. This has been termed a "staycation" and is becoming more popular as the economy struggles. If you are planning a "trip" of this type or are trying to get some friends to visit and they keep asking, "But what can we do in Pittsburgh?" then I have a treat  Read more...

Three Days in Pittsburgh: Day Two--Children's Museum and the Strip

by Jennifer Signore

February 02, 2009

Start your day with a big breakfast at your local Eat n Park , where the breakfast buffet lets everyone eat exactly what they want (always a plus when kids are involved). Kids five and under will eat free with an adult buffet purchase and kids 10 and under eat for half price, so it's easy on the wallet. It's a family friendly place with a great cup of coffee to get a parent's day  Read more...

An Educational Treat: Page Dairy Mart

by Jennifer Signore

October 16, 2008

Founded in 1951, Page Dairy Mart , at the corner of Carson Street and Becks Run Road on Pittsburgh's Southside, is the quintessential seasonal ice cream stop. You will find rich, creamy soft-serve ice cream at a great price in endless combinations. The kids will probably love the dirt sundae, complete with gummy worm. Mom or dad might want to indulge in a SouthSide Shake, which is  Read more...