Day Trip to Indianapolis Children's Museum and Art Museum

Indianapolis is about a 2 hour drive from Oxford, but if you are looking for a place you can kill an entire day...The Children's Museum is your place. There is so much to do at the Children's Museum in Indy that you could easily spend the entire day there and still not get to everything. The Children's Museum is also not far from the Indianapolis Art Museum, which is free. In college the Art Museum was one of my favorite places to bag a lunch because of the really great outdoor sculpture gardens. You might be pushing it to do them both in one day, but if you don't mind getting home later you could do the Children's Museum 10am-2 or 3pm, then the Art Museum 2-4 or 5pm. If you do that, check into the kid's "scavengar hunt" hand outs at the IMA that has things for kids to look for in the exhibits. That might keep them a little more engaged. Even if they only last 1 hour at the Art Museum, it's free so there's not much to lose in stopping by since it's only 4 minutes from the Children's Museum.

Another great place is the Super Hero museum downtown...maybe I'll do another Downtown Indy post. I grew up around Indy, and have a lot of family there, so we love going back:)

The Children's Museum has a walk-through food area if you don't want to bag it. But we always pack our lunch. There is a family "picnic" area on level 2 (by the water clock) where you can leave your labeled lunch until lunch time if you want.

Children's Museum website: http://www.childrensmuseum.org/
Cost: Youth (2-17) $7.50
Adults $12.50
Hours: 10-
Free days (these are sometimes more crowded): Jan. 21 MLK Day; Feb. 18 Presidents Day; April 27 El Dia de Los Ninos; Dec. 24 Christmas Eve (10 a.m. – 2 p.m.)
**Although we feel the cost is a bit steep, it does include free planetarium shows or children's theater...among other stuff. With family in Indy area, we end up going there 2-3 times a year.

The Children's Museum is 5 floors of exibits, with an area just for traveling exhibits. It can be overwhelming to figure out where to go first. Here is our best suggestions for making the most of your visit:

1. After getting our tickets, we go immediately down to the Lower Level to see what Planetarium shows or Plays we want to get tickets to. These are FREE, but you still have to get a ticket and they very often run out of tickets for shows. We recommend "The Sky Above Mr. Rogers Neighborhood" in the Planetarium (even our 2 year old has sat through this). Also "Far Far Away" is a great planetarium show, comparing real planets and moons to the planets on Star Wars. This show is for 5 year old and up. Last week we also enjoyed the 40 minute musical "Babes in Toyland" in the Lily Theater--there was music and dancing, and the boys loved it. Afterwards the actors come out so the kids can get pictures and meet them:) To see what they are currently offering before you go, you can check out their website.

2. If you have older kids who would like to rock climb, there is a kid climbing wall on level 4 in "Science Works." You have to sign up in advance for this also, and every time we go we forget until too late and then they are already done for the day. I think it's also free (or very cheap). So I would head here next if your child wants to climb.

3. I suggest prioritizing what everyone wants to see most. Here are our favorite areas:
Level 3 "Playscape" (Our 2 year olds fav): This area is for 1-5 year olds. There is one way in and out, and it is monitored by a puppeted attendant who makes sure that the room doesn't have too many people (and kids don't leave without parents). There is a water area, sand area, house/play food area, climbing/slide area, building block area, and pretend area. There's is also a room for nursing mom's (bonus!). What I like best is that they have story time, song time, or craft time 4-5 times a day. Our 2 year old loves it.

Level 4 "Science Works" (Our 5 year olds fav): This room has great hands-on activities to help kids experience science. There's a great water area, construction building area, and several labs that do programs throughout the day. One time we went and we got to separate and study DNA of some type of wheat or corn meal.

The Carosel (level 4): It's a fun, historic carosel, and just costs $1.00 to ride. You can buy carosel tickets at the admissions gate, or from a machine at the carosel.

Lower Level "Trains": There is a real engine that "comes alive" via lights and sounds at the top of each hour. It's connected to a train car where, when you walk through, has screens in the windows to make it feel like you are moving. Also a play train table, and an model train set with trains that go around on rails along the top of the wall. Neighboring it in "What if.." there is a real mummy and other cool things to explore...

DinoSphere: This is through a walkway on the LL (past the trains) and on Level 1 (to the right of the main entrance). There is a large spherical room with large dinosaurs (many actual bones, some replica's). The sphere emulates an environment, and periodically it even looks like it's raining. The Museum has it's own lab for processing Dinosaur fossils, and last year they held a contest to name a new dinosaur that they discovered. It's pretty cool, but honestly my boys favorite part is playing with the little toy dinosaurs there.

Star Wars Toy Exibit (level 2 and basement display): Someone donated loads of star wars collectors toys. They have a very small amount of them on display now.

Special Exibits (level 2): Every Christmas season they bring Santa and have a Winter Wonderland exibit. They turn the main stairs into a slide, which is cool but the line for it was really long when we were there. Usually we like their Santa, though (real beard, same one past 3 years, so we have consistent pictures). Every 3-4 months brings a new additional exibit. Some favorites from the past have been "Bob the Builder" and "Spy." Right now is "Robots" which my 5 year old loved.
Of course there is lots more! Those are just what we normally try to hit.

ART MUSEUM OPTION (IMA)!
website: http://www.indianapolisartmuseum.com/
We recently took S.C., our 5 year old, to the Indianapolis Art Museum and he loved it. For a small, FREE, Museum they have some great works of art. Right now their Van Gogh's are on loan, but among their good ones they have a Georges Seurat and a collection of Georgia O'Keef paintings. Actually their International collection is pretty neat too. But S.C. and T.C loved the kid's "Hands On" art area. In good weather, there is an outdoor sculpture garden that you can drive, or walk, around the Art Grounds to see. It's 152 Acres!
Hours: Tuesday, Wednesday, Saturday 11 am to 5 pm
Thursday and Friday 11 am to 9 pm
Sunday noon to 5 pm
Closed Mondays, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year‘s days

DIRECTIONS:
From Oxford to the IMA or Children's Museum
Take 27 north, through Liberty (make sure to cure around the square to your right and follow signs). Turn left on "Pottershop" Rd at the sign that says "Abington." This is after Liberty but some ways before you get to Richmond. At the next stop sign, turn right (after this the road curves almost imediately to the left, follow that). You'll eventually get to Centerville. Keep Going until you get to I-70. Go left, or west, on I-70. Stay on I-70 until you get into Indianapolis. Merge onto I-65 north toward Chicago at exit 83B. Take 29th Street/30th Street (exit 116).

CHILDREN'S MUSEUM: Turn Right (east) onto 30th Street. Turn left after about 5 blocks at Illinois Street. Stay in the left lane, and turn almost immediately into the parking garage (you'll see the Museum on your right). Parking is FREE. There is a walkway on the 2.5 parking level.

IMA: Turn left (west) onto 30th Street and go about one-third mile to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Street. Turn right (north) and go about 1.1 miles. Note: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Street becomes Michigan Road north of the 38th Street intersection. Turn left at the traffic light at 4000 Michigan Road onto the IMA grounds.

From IMA to Children's Museum
Go South on Michigan Road. Turn left on 38th Street. Turn Right on Meridian. Turn Right on 30th Street, and then right again at next light (at the Dinosaur) to park. The Garage is immediately on your left and is FREE. There is a walkway from the garage to the museum on level 2.5.

From Children's Museum to Oxford
Follow signs to exit parking garage. Turn right out of the Garage onto 30th. Follow signs to I65 South. Reverse the rest of the directions listed above to get home.

From IMA to Oxford
Go South on Michigan Rd. Continue as it turns into Dr. Martin Luther King St. Turn left on 30th street, then follow signs to get on I65 South. Reverse the rest of the directions listed above to get home.

Make Your Own Train Table!

I have had so many requests for this website that I decided to post the link on Bloxford, rather than type it in another e-mail!

We investigated getting our two year old a train table for his new train set, and we were amazed by the variety of low quality, high cost options! I investigated online and found this website with complete plans for building your own train table/play table. They are incredibly complete, detailed, easy to follow plans! We took the diagrammed plans for how to cut the wood to Gilman's and had them cut it all out and get us the wood we needed. At $0.50 a cut it was about $10 for the cuts and $30 for the wood. Then we just screwed it together using the directions. Once the wood was cut, it was honestly just as easy as assembling any prefabricated furniture. It is a great size, very sturdy, and has wonderful underneath storage space. I think it took me one evening of 2-3 hours. The most time consuming part was painting it.

*When cutting plywood, it is important to use a cabinet grade saw. Otherwise the plywood will splinter and chip on the edges. It took Gilman's awhile to get that figured out and get the right saw. Once they did, however, it was beautiful.

http://www.squirreltracks.com/howto/traintable.html#theplans

If you want to try this project, you'll need:
A copy of the diagram and directions from the website above
A box of wood screws (we opted for dry wall kind that you just drive right in...I pre-drilled a 1/8 inch hole to prevent splintering)
The wood amounts and sizes listed in the directions
An electric screwdriver/drill
wood glue is optional (but I recommend using it to make the table sturdier at the joints)
Paint (we used a small jar/pint of kid-safe white for the frame, then bought big bottles of cheap acrylic paint in the craft department for the design on top)

Dayton in a day

If you're willing to drive about an hour, there are two fun indoor places we've been to in Dayton.
The Boonshoft Museum of Discovery is a science museum that feels more like a children's museum. The place just keeps going on and on. On the first floor, there's a baby play area for wee ones, plus a water play area and a huge climbing structure for older kids. Upstairs, there's a treehouse that overlooks the woods, a play grocery store, and even a small zoo. You could easily spend two or three hours here. Do pack lunch; there's a small eating area with vending machines, but no hot food. Admission is $8.50 for adults and $7 for kids 2-12. It's free if you're a member of the Cincinnati Museum Center.
WHAT: Boonshoft Museum of Discovery
WHEN: 9-5 Mon-Fri; 11-5 Sat; 12-5 Sun.
WHERE: Take 73E out of Oxford and follow it for about 17 miles until you hit OH-4. Merge onto OH-4 North. Turn right onto 14th Ave/MLK JR. Way. Turn slight right to follow OH-122 E. Merge onto I-75N toward dayton. Go about 21 miles. Take 75 North and exit on the Wagner Ford (Exit 57 B). Then take a left onto Wagner Ford. Go right (north) on N. Dixie, then turn left onto Siebenthaler. Take a left onto Ridge Ave. and then a right onto DeWeese Pkwy. The museum is on the right at 2600 DeWeese Parkway.
CONTACT: 937-275-7431

While you're in Dayton, you might check out the National Museum of the US Air Force. If your kid is airplane crazy, this is the place to be. There are buildings and more buildings full of planes (more than 400 "aerospace vehicles"), from really old to futuristic. However, there are also signs everywhere warning visitors to refrain from touching anything, because the oil on your fingers might DESTROY the planes. Keeping your kids' little fingers off the exhibits gets stressful after a while, but there are two or three planes they can actually climb into. And there's lots of room to run around. Admission is free.
WHAT: National Museum of the US Air Force
WHEN: 9-5, 7 days a week
WHERE: Visitors traveling from the south on I-75 (see directions above) should exit at I-675 North (exit 43). Travel to Exit 15 (Col. Glenn Hwy). As you exit, stay in the extreme right-hand lane. At the end of the exit, turn right at the traffic light (Col. Glenn Hwy). Travel to the third traffic light (Harshman Road/Wright Brothers Parkway) and turn right. Exit at Springfield Pike; turn right at the end of the exit ramp. The entrance to the museum is on the right. The museum's address is 1100 Spaatz Street, Wright-Patterson AFB OH 45433.
CONTACT: (937) 255-3286

Gap outlet!

Drive an hour towards the Cincinnati airport, and there are $7 jeans to be had. 25 cent baby socks. Bathing suits, maternity clothes, jackets, shoes, fancy dresses, sweat clothes, hats, boxer shorts... if it's made by the Gap, Old Navy or Banana Republic, the Gap Outlet has it, for a fraction of what you would pay in the mall. Officially the Gap Clearance Center, its one of just a few sites in the country where all the Gap family stores ship their overstocked items or stuff that's been returned or is slightly damaged. This means you may find 10,000 little squirrel t-shirts that say "I'm a nutty little angel" (I actually bought one for SH. It was 25 cents. Need I say more?) and heaps of mismatched bathing suits, but no shoes in your size.
Still, the place is addictive. You could easily spend three hours and $200 here, but you'll emerge with all the clothes you need for a year. (As if you could stay away from the place for a year). I'm embarassed to say that a cashier once had to divide my purchases into two transasctions because I exceeded 70 items, and the cash register couldn't handle more than that. (Mostly it was baby socks -- honestly).
Some caveats: Although the outlet is especially great for kids' stuff, including shoes, coats, hats, and PJs, DON'T BRING THE KIDS. They will be miserable because you're taking too long; you will be miserable because they won't give you all the time you need to hunt through the racks thoroughly. And you DO need to be careful, because you may find a fabulous Banana Republic shirt and bring it home only to discover that you overlooked a rip or a stain. Also, shopping here could make it really hard for you to pay retail at Gap stores ever again.
One last hint: This is a nice place to stop off before you have to pick someone up at the Cincy airport (or after you drop someone off). Just make sure you don't miss the flight because you're sorting through bins of the cutest jammies ever, all for 99cents...
What: GAP Clearance Outlet
Where: 2050 Global Way, Park West International, Hebron
When: 9 a.m.-9 p.m. Monday-Saturday, 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday
Directions: I-275 west (towards Indianapolis). Merge onto I-275 South via EXIT 5 towards Kentucky. Cross into Indiana and Kentucky and go past the airport exit. Exit at 8A Hebron North. Pass the first light and turn left at Global Way.
Phone: 859-586-3320 (They have daily or weekly specials, i.e. men's Gap shirts for $2, and you can call ahead to ask what's on sale).

The Tea Parlor

Recently we took a Mom's night out to have full English tea at The Tea Parlor in Liberty Township, OH. http://www.theteaparlor.net/. I have to say it was one of the best nights out I've had in a long time! The table and room where just beautiful. The food is all made by the owners, Susan and Jennie, from organic, local sources. For $16 (now $18 in 2008) we could have any tea that they offered (out of around 45 selections), finger sandwiches, really yummy scones, savory, and all kinds of other desserts, fruit, bread and cheese. You can make a reservation to go there for tea on Friday or Saturday from noon-5 pm. They even have a children's tea which includes tea, peanut butter/jelly sandwich and cheese hearts, fruit skewer, relishes with ranch dip, scone and ice cream scoops - $8. After our great evening, I'm thinking of finding a time to bring my 5 year old boy. Why not? Good food and tea doesn't have to just be for girls. They also sell their tea and yummy food online, or at the Oxford Farmers Market.

Directions: Out of Oxford, take I-73 (Trenton Oxford Rd). Follow this road as it turns right, then splits off from 127. Turn right on Wayne Madison Road. This becomes Liberty Fairfield Road. Turn left on Hwy 4. Turn right on Kyles Station Rd. (not long, maybe 1/2 mile). Turn right on Yankee Rd. The house is on your right: 5605 Yankee Rd.

Letterboxing around Oxford!

We read about letterboxing a year ago in Family Fun, and after trying it out we are addicted. We loved finding out that there could be boxes hiding anywhere. Some of them in locations we passed all the time, and just never knew the boxes were there.

Basically, people will hide boxes with a stamp and sign-in "log book," then post clues to the box's location online. Anyone can then follow the clues to find the box, and use your own stamp to "sign-in" to their notepad to show that you found it. You can then stamp your own personal notepad with their box stamp. Many people hide boxes with handmade stamps, which makes collecting their imprint fun and interesting. For more info on Letterboxing you can visit http://www.letterboxing.org/. http://www.atlasquest.com/ is another great site for clues, and it gives better info about whether getting to the box is kid-friendly or not.

If we want to do an outing that involves hiking, we'll look up clues, pick a park, and go looking for boxes. Following the clues gives the kids something to do on the hike, kind of like a treasure hunt. And stamping into the box is fun for them. What kid doesn't like playing with stamps? You can find clues online to boxes EVERYWHERE. While we were in Wyoming visiting family, we had a great time exploring new areas looking for boxes. A really fun one at the Denver University campus just had a picture, and we had to drive around campus looking for that building/view point. That one was a magnetic keybox in a well traveled urban area.

There are several great hunts here in Oxford! Oxford Community Park used to have a good one (not sure if the boxes are still active). We have personally hidden 4 boxes with a "Harry Potter Theme," three in Hueston Woods and one at the Lane Library (that one is my favorite one because it is so sneaky). The Hueston Woods series are all kid friendly because I hid them with my 2 year old in tow. http://www.atlasquest.com/lboxes/showboxinfo.html?gBoxId=55643 and http://www.atlasquest.com/lboxes/showboxinfo.html?gBoxId=55612 are the clues for our boxes.

Remember: Be descreet when looking for or signing into boxes! Non-letterboxing persons may do something to the box (take it, move it, throw it out) if they see you with it.

Checklist of what you need:
a stamp (you can make one, or just grab one that's lying around the house)
ink pad
a notepad
a compass (if the clue calls for it)
a pen

Hueston Woods Family Fun

Hueston Woods is an Ohio State Park located just North of Oxford, OH. http://www.dnr.state.oh.us/tabid/745/default.aspx

You can get there from Brown Rd., or by following Todd Rd. (beside Walmart). Check out the website for better directions.

The nature center is free and has some cool animals (inside: snakes and turtles. Outside: a bobcat, cougar, bald eagle and owls). During the summer, their calendar of activities is worth checking out. We happened to catch an animal feeding, and the boys loved watching the cougars, bob cat, and bald eagle, getting fed. Check the website for their hours of operation, since it changes depending on the season.

Nearby there is a fenced deer area, where you can stop by and feed the deer. The deer will come right up to the fence and my kids always love stopping by there to see them. I've heard they like corn. We discovered they don't like apples.

And just a bit further down from that is the playground on the beach. Swimming on the beach is free. Just be prepared to get really filthy. The water is kind of sludgy (geese? algae?)

The playground is really fun but, we always have to do baths afterwards because the sand makes them so dirty. If you don't mind that, it's a good time.

There are a lot of trails, but we have found a few that we love for our family.

Cedar Falls Trail: You can find it on the trails map online. It follows a creek, and when it’s been dry and the creek is low it makes good creek bed exploring with some fossils. The trail is a little rocky though, so it can be a tough hike for especially small. Our 5 year old does just fine.

Hueston Woods Nature Preserve/West Shore Trail (we kind of stumbled on this one):

Drive past the Nature Center and Beach/playground as far as you can go in the parking lot. There should be an orange chain thing blocking a large path (so cars can’t drive down) on the farthest end of the parking lot. Walk that path until you come to a sign that says “You are now entering Hueston Woods State Nature Preserve....” We discovered after hiking it, we weren’t on the West Shore Trail for most of it. When you cross an old bridge, look to your left and there are wooden “stairs” going up a hill on a more woodsy path. Continue on this trail, turning right when it “T”’s, until you cross a road. After crossing the road, continue straight, and when the path again divides go straight toward the lake (not right). You’ll hit Action Lake and the actual West Shore Trail. Turn left on West Shore and that takes you back to the parking lot. The entire thing took us about 1.5 hours of walking. That was with a 5 year old walking and our 2 year old on a carrier on his dad's back. But it was a cool nature trail. Some things to look for (if going with your kids you can see if they can spot them)

A swinging vine in the middle of the path
A huge, fallen, completely hollowed out tree.
A broken tree that looks like it has “hair”
A whole lot of carved initials. Either there are a lot of Deans, or Dean loves a lot of people Sullivan started counting when he saw hearts.

The climbing wall

I was amazed to discover recently that kids are allowed on that fabulous rock climbing wall at the Rec Center on campus. SH and SC, both 5, had a great time just goofing around on the lower "rocks," without any special equipment. All you have to do is sign a waiver, and the kids get an arm band and can "boulder" for free. I'd say this might even be fun for kids as young as 3. For even more fun, pay $2.50 and your kids can get harnessed to a rope. Then they can climb as high as they like before they are belayed down by one of the staff members (they get one ride only). SH climbed maybe 10 feet before he decided it was time to come down but vows to make it to the top someday. Note: Unless you're a Rec Center member, you will have to pay an additional fee to get in. Here's the web site, for more info: http://www.units.muohio.edu/rsp/RSCWeb/opc/climbingcenter.htm

MU Zoology Museum

SH's favorite place on campus is what he calls "The Bone Museum." Actually the Heffner Zoology Museum (http://www.environmentaleducationohio.org/HZM/hzm.htm), it boasts a giant stuffed grizzly, several stuffed goats and rams, drawers full of sea shells, and even a cool diorama of giant bugs and worms. There are several "please touch" chests full of coral, shells, bones, horns and other treasures from nature. And right down the hall is the Imaginarium, a room geared toward the pre-K set with an enormous bird's nest and hollow log for the wee ones to climb around. There are elaborate dress-up costumes there to transform the kids into turtles, ladybugs, etc., and it's a good place to snuggle up and read one of the several nature books on hand. Don't forget to check out the other dioramas in the hallways of the building. And did I mention that the museum is free?
The only thing that keeps me from going to this museum more often is that parking is a hassle. The museum is in room 100 of Upham Hall, which is near Patterson Ave. If you have a campus parking pass, your best bet is to try to find a space in Cook Field. Bring a stroller, because it can be quite a long walk with a small child. If you don't have a pass, your options are: 1. Try to find a metered space somewhere, and walk. 2. Go to the parking office on campus (Room 15, Campus Avenue Bldg.) and get a temporary visitor's pass. It's free and lets you park pretty much anywhere on campus for about a week, I think. 3. Wait until Sunday, when parking in Cook Field is open to everyone.
The museum is open from 9-5 M-F year round, and from 1-4 on Sundays, except during the summer break.

Richmond, IN outing

Adriane just introduced me to a small science museum I'd never been to, about 45 minutes from Oxford. The Joseph Moore Museum ( http://www.earlham.edu/josephmooremuseum/) is in Richmond, on the campus of Earlham College, in a building called Dennis Hall. It's got some cool fossils and other animal specimens on the first floor. In the basement, there's a kid-friendly play area, plus a few live reptiles and even a mildly spooky mummy. There's also a small planetarium, although the student manning the museum on Friday managed only to turn it on, and didn't really teach us anything about the stars. The babies gazed at it for five, maybe 10 minutes. But, hey, everything was free. (NOTE: The museum is only open MWF and Sun., 1-5. Check the web site for details).
The museum is good for maybe 30 min. to an hour's worth of pretty intense fun for kids. If it seems like a long drive, you might stop by Veach's Imagination Station (http://veachstoys.com/) probably the best toy store I've been to within an hour's drive. Veach's has a lot of educational toys and a huge selection of Playmobil sets. The only bad thing about this toy store is the screaming that occurs when you tell your kids it's time to leave. Also, you'll frequently get a 20 percent off coupon in the mail. Veach's is at 715 E. Main St.
Directions to the Joseph Moore Museum:
Take 27 N (passing Wal-Mart on your right). Cross into Indiana. Follow signs to stay on 27 through the town of Liberty. Go about 14 more miles until you reach Richmond. Turn left onto S A St./US 40 and follow 40 until it becomes National Road. Look for Earlham College on the left, at 801 National Rd.
Directions from museum to Veach's: Get back onto National Road/40 and head back the way you came. You should find yourself on S A St. again. Turn left at S. 3rd St. and R. at E. Main St. You'll have to find parking, since there's only street parking near the toy store.