Gimme 5 Friday!

It's Friday and we've got FIVE fun activities for you around town. Click on the highlighted links to get more info!

1. Celebrate Fall by making an Autumn Tree Collage at Lakeshore Learning in East Cobb. FREE workshop from 11am-3pm on Saturday.

2. See a movie!

• Children's Saturday Cinema at the Central Library: Mary Poppins at 3pm on Saturday
• Sherlock Holmes Film Festival at East Cobb Library at 2pm on Saturday
• Madagascar 3 at The Picture Show at Merchant's Exchange - showtimes vary so visit movies.com to check times

3. Fun with Food!

• Celebrate Fall and have fun with apples at Harry's Farmers Market during their Healthy Eating Kid's Club at 1:30 Saturday. Best to call ahead so they can be sure they have enough for everyone but drop-ins are welcome.
• Make Your Own Healthy Wrap Fundraiser at Whole Foods at Merchant's Walk from 11am-2pm on Saturday. For only $3 each, make your own wrap for lunch - fun way to get kids to experiment and try new foods. Proceeds go to the Whole Kids Foundation in support of school garden grants and salad bars. 

4. Enjoy a fun day on Sunday at East Cobb Park's Sunday Funday from 4pm-7pm. Pack your picnic and enjoy the evening set to music and fun!

5. Field Trip!

• Going on all weekend - Fall Fun on the Farm! Corn Maze, farm tours, and evening Bonfire Hayrides at Cagle's Family Farm. Check online for schedule of activities & ticket prices
• Atlanta History Center's Fall Folklife Festival Saturday from 10:30-4:30. Traditional cooking, craft, farming, and blacksmith demos, music, food for purchase, and more! Included with admission. If you haven't been to AHC with your kids, check out my "Beyond Cobb" Guide.

There is a lot going on this weekend! If you are looking for something else, be sure to check out our website calendar and follow us on Facebook for daily posts.

Gimme 5 Friday!

Five fun things to do this weekend! Click on the highlighted link to learn more.

1. Its a "Day of Discovery for Kids" at the Etowah Indian Mounds Historic Site in Cartersville. On Saturday from 1-3pm, kids will learn what archaeology is from a professional archaeologist. Hear about history and see real artifacts. Take part in mock excavations and learn how to clean and identify treasures that you find. COST: $3.50-$5.00 770-387-3747. 813 Indian Mounds Rd., S.W., Cartersville.

2. Hear ye, Hear ye, you are invited to join the Royal Court...well, actually it's the Upper level of the JC Penney Wing at Town Center Mall but a grand event just the same! Simon Kidgits Club Prince & Princess Party is Saturday from 1pm-3pm. The festivities will include special prizes, fun activities and a DJ! Wear your favorite prince/princess costume OR your Kidgits shirt, to receive a special prize (while supplies last). COST: FREE for current Kidgits Club Members; $5 for nonmembers includes an entire year of fun activities!

3. Meet the Author Event at the Town Center Prado Barnes & Noble Saturday at 11am. Author Anthony Pearson will read his new book, Baby Bear Eats the Night. He will also sign copies for sale. COST: FREE

4. Enjoy all things butterfly this weekend at the Butterfly Festival at the Chattahoochee Nature Center on Saturday (10am-3pm) & Sunday (12pm – 5pm). Be a part of butterfly releases & encounters, crafts & face painting, sidewalk art & fairy house construction. Enjoy live entertainment, food trucks and so much more! Little ones can wear their butterfly or caterpillar costumes and take part in the Butterfly and Caterpillar Costume Parade. Go online to find schedule of the weekend activities! COST: 
$10 General Public/$8 CNC Members 

5. Get creative and leave the mess on someone else's floor!! FREE crafts for kids around town this weekend.

• Michael's Passport to Imagination is taking everyone to Japan from 1-4pm Saturday.
• Kids can make "My Pet Fish" with their handprint from 11am-3pm at Lakeshore Learning East Cobb on Saturday
• Lowe's is celebrating kid's favorite movie characters this summer. This month's project at Lowe’s Build & Grow Workshop for Kids is a "Kung Fu Panda Spinning Attack" on Saturday at 10 and Sunday at 2pm. Register online!

Looking for something else? Check our website calendar & follow us on Facebook!

Getting Crafty

Whole Kids Foundation has partnered with ScrapKins to provide a monthly project that promotes healthy eating & reusing common household materials to explore creativity. I discovered ScrapKins posted on Whole Foods Merchant's Walk Facebook page and I knew it would be a hit at my house! My son loves making something from nothing. :)

Whole Kids Foundation & Scrapkin's Hands-On Projects - Making a Bee Colony!

The ScrapKins Build-It Blog

Daily Picks for July 9-13

Our daily guide to fun! Click on the highlighted links for find out more.

MONDAY: Creative Thinking Storytime at Learning Express in Woodstock at 11am. Every Monday in July! 

• Enjoy Dinner at the Depot in Downtown Kennesaw tonight (and every Monday) from 5-8pm. Everyone can take their pick from the variety of food trucks. After dinner, burn off the last bit of energy at the Depot Playground before heading home for PJ time. Follow them on Facebook to get the scoop on what trucks will be there or weather cancellations. 

TUESDAY: Come play with food at Whole Kids Summer Camp at Harry’s Farmers Market for kids ages 5-10 from 10:30-11:30. FREE and you can drop-in but because space is limited it’s best to call ahead to let them know you are coming: 770-578-4400. Parent’s you can drop & shop – pick up what you need for dinner while the kids have fun.

• Beyond Cobb Adventure! Pack a picnic and enjoy FREE “Music at Noon” while you munch your lunch at Centennial Park. Then walk across the street to Imagine It’s Target FREE Tuesday from 1-4pm. 

WEDNESDAY: Keep it Cool with a classic! Watch Charlotte’s Web at the Central Library at 2pm.

• Just for moms! Grab your BFF's for Girl's Night Out on Wednesday at Studio Movie Grill in Alpharetta. The chick flick classic this month is Notting Hill and starts at 7:30. Tickets are only a buck! Get there early to enjoy drinks and appetizers together. 

THURSDAY: Get your Passport to Imagination and travel to Russia. Stop by your favorite Michael’s Craft Store between 2-4pm to make a fuzzy bear – a national symbol of Russia. FREE!

FRIDAY: Get Crazy as a Loom! Register by July 11 (770-427-4686) for this fun craft activity for kids using a cardboard loom & yarn at the Kennesaw Mountain Visitor Center at 10am. FREE!

Plan Ahead:
Outdoor Romping & Stomping Series: July 11, July 18th, July 30, July 31st
Family Camp at Red Top Mountain: July 16-20
Fishing Rodeo: July 21 (FREE!)

Be sure you follow us on Facebook for more summer fun ideas. Be sure to check our calendar often since we are always updating as we find fun.

Gimme 5 Friday

Five fun things to do this weekend! Click on the highlighted links to find out more.

1. Kids Karate on Saturday at 10:00am at the Ben Robertson Center. Kennesaw Parks & Recreation is celebrating Parks & Recreation Month by offering a calendar full of FREE Drop-In classes for kids & adults at the community center and their parks. Click HERE to get the calendar and try something new this month!

2. Send Dad to your neighborhood Home Depot with the kids to build a Moving Truck Saturday morning while you relax (HA- yeah right! Catch up on laundry, dishes, paperwork, vacuum, mop, change sheets…) Kids workshop is from 9am-12pm...drop-in anytime but give yourself plenty of time to finish the project. Our experience with these FREE fun workshops – the later you go, the more crowded.

3. Head to the mountains and make tasty treats that your backyard birds will love. Red Top Mountain is hosting a kid’s Pine Cone Birdfeeder Workshop from 3pm-4pm on Saturday. Meet at the park office. The cost for the workshop is $1 (plus $5 State Park Parking fee). Make a day of it and enjoy a hike on one of their trails before or after the workshop. Address for GPS: 50 Lodge Rd SE, Cartersville

4. B at the Movies is at East Cobb Park Saturday for Movie Night! Bring the family out for Rio. Music by B98.5 begins at 7:30, movie starts at dusk. Event is FREE but Friends for the East Cobb Park will  host a concession stand to benefit the park. Arrive early for a picnic & beat the crowds!

5. Insect Field Day for ages 7+ at the Chattahoochee Nature Center on Sunday from 10:30am-11:30am. Observe and identify insects you collect in nets and learn why these small creatures are vital to our world. Stick around for a guided trail hike at 1pm. Both activities are included with admission: $8 for adults, $5 for kids ages 3-12, 2 and under FREE.

Looking for something different? Check our website calendar & follow us on Facebook to find the fun!

Daily Picks for July 2-6

Here are our picks for the week! Click on the highlighted link to learn more. Remember to check our website calendar for even more fun during the week!

MONDAY: "Page to Screen" Movie Series for Teens (ages 13+) at 3pm Mountain View Library. Watch your favorite page turners on the big screen weekly through July! For the younger ones, head to PLAY in Roswell for their FREE weekly storytime at 10:30. Only pay if you stay but on Mondays in July it’s only $5 per child for open play! Craft room is also open from 10:30-3pm and is included if you pay & stay for open play.

TUESDAY: Don’t need a passport to travel to this week’s pick for Tuesday! Michael’s Passport to Imagination destination: USA! From 1pm-4pm make a Patriotic Flag in honor of 4th of July. If you prefer to celebrate July 4th on the 3rd, head to Kennesaw for their Salute to America celebration from 6pm-11pm!

WEDNESDAY: Celebrate the 4th! Take your pick of local festivals & fireworks

• 4th in the Park (Marietta square) 
• Freedom Fest (Woodstock) 
• Roswell’s Fireworks Extravaganza (Roswell) 
• July Fourth Concert and Fireworks (Cauble Park in Acworth) 
• Fourth of July Celebration (Wills Park in Alpharetta) 

THURSDAY: Sleep in and get to bed early to make up for your late night of celebrating! Enjoy a museum together. Locally, head to The Southern Museum in Kennesaw for their weekly Mommy & Me program at 10:00am or 11:30am. This week learn what will you need for a Civil War camping trip during “A-Camping We Will Go”. Beyond Cobb it’s Toddler Thursday at the High Museum. Drop-in from 11am-3pm for “Butterfly” themed activities & craft.

FRIDAY: Take a Twilight Hike at Red Top Mountain from 7:30pm-9pm. Start the night off in the Discovery Room at the Visitor Center. You’ll meeting one of Georgia's native snakes and then follow a Park Ranger on a moderate, 1-mile hike. COST: $1 plus $5 parking.

Know of a fun event but don't see it here? Email me at cobbtotsnkids@gmail.com. 

"Dream Big" with Cobb Libraries

The 2012 Summer Reading Program "Dream Big - READ" begins on June 1 and ends on July 31, with an end-of-summer reading celebration scheduled for Saturday, August 4.  Here are 5 of Cobb Tots & Kids "Don't Miss" activities for June at the library! There are  over 700 programs and activities this summer to celebrate reading so it was a challenge to narrow it down!  I'll be back with a list for July. More information about these and even events can be found at www.cobbcat.org/calendar: 

1. Dream Big and get creative with The Art Station. The creative minds at the Art Station have come up with all sorts of fun. Open to children of all ages with caregiver. Powder Springs Library at 11am on Tuesday, June 4th

2. Learn about Frogs & Toads during a fun program about the frogs in our own backyard with Rachel Small from the Cobb Watershed Stewardship Program. Listen to a the zany story "Tuesday" by David Wiesner and Ms. Small will demonstrate the differnent sounds that frogs and toads make. Registration is required. For grades 3-6. Mountain View Library Tuesday, June 5th at 3pm

3. Summer Fun for Tweens is a weekly program at Gritters starting June 7th from 3:30-4:30. Each week the topic changes...from Calligrapghy to Soap Carving kids get to try something new while having fun. Regsitration is required so call 770-528-2524.

4.  Kids Writing Workshop at Kennesaw Library on June 12th from 1:30-3:30 with Best-selling author and Kennesaw resident Margaret Johnson-Hodge. Young writers will be presented with tools to tap into their creativity and tips tailored especially for students ages 9-12. The workshop will be hands-on, and will include handouts and on-site exercises. Participants also will learn methods for tackling the hardest part of writing - the first page!

5. Watch Joe the Magician on June 12 at 11am at the Powder Springs Library. Open to children all ages with caregiver.

Children from birth to 5th grade can participate in the Summer Reading Program at the library. Pick a folder to log the books they have read. Return the reading log anytime after July 4th to receive receive a certificate and to be eligible to win prizes. Stevi B’s has also sponsored a pizza giveaway for participants, and the first 5000 children to return their folders any time after July 4 can receive a coupon for a free kid’s buffet at any local Stevi B’s location!

Adults and Teens in grades 6-12 are also encouraged to participate in the "Dream Big" Summer Reading Program too by submitting book reviews. Forms can be picked up at the branches, downloaded from the website, or submitted online. Each person who enters a book review will be eligible to win a Sony eReader, courtesy of OverDrive, a provider of downloadable books and audiobooks.

Every person, regardless of age, who completes the library’s reading program will be entered into a drawing to win an iPad 2, courtesy of Cobb EMC. All winners will be announced at the End of Summer Reading Party, which will be held on Saturday, August 4 from 5-7 p.m. at the Central Library. Any winners not in attendance can pick up their prize at the Cobb County Public Library System branch of their choice.

Cheap Seats for Kid Flicks

School is almost out! When a rainy day spoils your pool playdate or it's just too darn hot, enjoy a movie. Here is a list of free or cheap seats this summer. Click on the highlighted links to get the movie schedule.

Children's Summer Series at Studio Movie Grill on Holcomb Bridge Rd offering $1 tickets for kids $2 for adults Monday-Friday at 11am beginning May 8th through week of August 6th.

Town Center Stadium on Town Center Drive in Kennesaw is participating in Regal Theater's Summer Movie Express. Showing G or PG rated movies for only a $1 on Tuesday and Wednesday mornings at 10:00 starting June 5th. A portion of proceeds from the Summer Movie Express will be donated to the Will Rogers Institute.

Park 12 Stadium Cinemas & Merchant's Walk Stadium Cinemas are hosting Georgia Theater Company's Summer Kid Show Series on Tuesday's & Thursdays at 10am staring June 5th. Door open at 9:15. Tickets are $1, $1.50 Kid-Size Popcorn, $1.50 Kid-Sized Drinks.

The Cobb County Libraries are showing FREE movies throughout the summer at various branches. Click on highlighted link to see schedule. If it its not posted, call the day of to get movie title.

• Central Library has "Movie Matinee" on Mondays & Wednesdays at 2pm beginning on June 4th through July 27th. Showing G or PG movies. No movie on July 2nd or 4th!
• Central Library also showing PG-13 movies for teens to adults on Mondays at 3pm.
• Hattie G Wilson Library will be showing movies on Wednesdays for school age children at 4pm. Starts June 6th until last Wednesday of July. No movie on July 4th!
• "Beat the Heat - Movies for Teens and Adults" at Mountain View Library on Saturdays in June & July at 2pm. For ages 13+ only! You may bring light refreshments.
• Stratton Library is showing G rated movies at 2:00pm on Thursdays in June and July. Feel free to bring a blanket and pillow and get comfortable.
• Page to Screen Series at Central Library every Monday afternoon in July at 3pm for a blockbuster movie based on a book. For ages Teen to adult only!
• July 16th bring the family out for "Family Night" at the Central Library at 7pm for a Mercer Mayer Short Film Festival - enjoy 3 short films based on the frog stories written by Mercer Mayer.
• "End of Summer Film Festival" starts July 30th through August 3rd at West Cobb Regional Library at 11:30am. Bring your lunch and enjoy the show! Open to all ages.

Follow us to find the fun! 

Rainy Day Playgrounds

The weather today has inspired me to make a list of a few of our favorite indoor play centers. Wherever you are - there is a playcenter close by! Always check playroom's website before heading over to check on special pricing, holiday hours or special events - I try to keep this post updated but specials change sometimes quicker than I can keep up! Click on highlighted link for their website

• Roswell: PLAY - An Activity Center for Kids - $5 per child Mondays throughout the summer & $5 per child Family Nights on Friday! Craft Room Tues, Wed & Friday 10:30-1pm included with Admission; Storytime at 10:30 on Monday & Thursday FREE activity, only pay admission if you stay and play! Check their calendar for weekend hours.
• Alpharetta/Northpoint Mall: Inside Northpoint Mall there is a soft playground area near Dillard's & a REAL carousel in the food court (Cost is $2 per person, you must have cash to purchase tokens from the machine, carousel opens at 11:30 M-F)
• Sandy Springs: Funhouse
• Marietta: Champion Kids - calendar is updated weekly so be sure to check before heading over!
• Marietta/Kennesaw/Town Center Mall Area:
• Catch Air - Follow them on Facebook to get a daily password for admission discounts! 
• Monkey Joe's Kennesaw: (Get $4 admission - Click here for Half-Off Depot Deal!)
• Inside Town Center Mall there is a soft playground area located in the upper level near JC Penney's
• Kennesaw: Bounce U - open play hours vary so check website! Today Saturday June 30th - open bounce from 11-1pm and 4-6pm for only $6.99 per child! Check in at our location and get a FREE small sno-kone to keep you cool!
• Acworth: DAC Kids

Have we forgotten one?? Let me know!