{"id":1186,"date":"2022-09-09T08:31:33","date_gmt":"2022-09-09T08:31:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.momstribute.com\/company-blogs\/?p=1186"},"modified":"2024-06-10T09:06:42","modified_gmt":"2024-06-10T09:06:42","slug":"keep-their-minds-busy-with-educational-fun","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/old.momstribute.com\/company-blogs\/keep-their-minds-busy-with-educational-fun\/","title":{"rendered":"Keep Their Minds Busy with Educational Fun!"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

As busy moms we all know how important it is to do a little time planning to incorporate downtime into our kids\u2019 (and our own) routines. Sometimes we all need to chill out and let our minds wander. Most of the time though, it\u2019s important to keep our kids actively learning and growing. This can benefit them in everything from their schoolwork and social lives to their self-esteem. In fact, studies show that kids who actively learn and participate in educational activities such as reading, building and creating are more confident in their studies and their friendships.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While almost anything can be educational when given the right spin\u2014last week in the pool I taught my 5-year-old son all about water movement\u2014when you want a structured educational experience, community resources are a great option. This is a mom to mom blog so my wish is for you to have the best of free time management tips that win you points for being top parent on the block! I\u2019ve compiled a list of helpful tips for the busy mom who\u2019s looking for an educational kid friendly venue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Visit the Zoo<\/strong><\/p>Brookfield Zoo<\/cite><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Hands down, one of my kids\u2019 favorite places over the years has been the zoo. The animals amazed them at every stage of life. They have loved seeing them, petting them, feeding them, and even occasionally riding them (my daughter once rode a camel at the zoo!)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kids can learn all about animals, climates, and habitats around Earth, and as a bonus, zoos often provide fun animal shows such as performances by the sea lions. You can usually bring your own snacks, too, which is great for kids with food allergies or families on a budget\u2026but make sure you only feed the human animals!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finding a zoo near you might be a challenge, but if you live within driving distance of a metropolitan area, it becomes easier. Brookfield Zoo in Chicago is a great example of a fun, educational zoo. Founded in 1934, they provide lots of animal encounters that delight kids including programs with dolphins, giraffes, and penguins!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Use the free KidFriendlyVenue app on this top parent blog to search for a zoo in your area!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Check out the Aquarium<\/strong><\/p>The Shedd Acquarium<\/cite><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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Once, when visiting an aquarium with our daughters, ages five and one at the time, the girls were standing at the glass wall of the tank. Their noses were pressed to the glass as they watched fish, sting rays, and sharks gracefully glide through the water. When we tried to prod them along our one-year-old began crying enormous crocodile tears. She loved seeing the fish so closely, and the idea of leaving broke her heart!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We did eventually pry her away, though it took a plush fish from the gift shop to calm her down. (Beware: Educational fun could be addictive!)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At an aquarium, kids can learn how underwater creatures benefit us landlubbers. They usually have hands on activities too, to help kids get even more up and personal with learning. The Shedd Aquarium in Chicago is a great example of a fun, educational resource. It has a 90,000-gallon Caribbean Reef and they house over 32,000 creatures! If you have little ones, I definitely recommend finding an aquarium in your area.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Soar at the Planetarium<\/strong><\/p>The Adler Planetarium<\/cite><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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Do you have a little one who dreams of going to space? A planetarium would be right up their alley! Our middle daughter who is now twelve can\u2019t get enough of studying the stars, learning all about antigravity, and hearing the latest space mission news. In fact, she\u2019s gone through the exhibits at our local space center repeatedly. I consider this quality mom time management. No losers here!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Planetariums around the country feature STEM programs, skywatching events, cultural exhibits, and other popular activities of design labs and camps. The Adler Planetarium in Chicago is one of many venues of this kind. It was founded nearly one hundred years ago and they offer a plethora of kids\u2019 activities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If your little astronaut dreams of seeing the stars, consider adding a visit to a planetarium to your educational itinerary!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Get the hands busy <\/strong><\/p>The Hyde Park Art Center<\/cite><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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Maybe your kids think space is cool, animals are cute, and fish are\u2026well, fishy\u2026but they\u2019re more interested in painting, drawing, or creating something of their own. If this rings a bell you might want to check out local art centers. These community resources usually offer educational programs for kids in the forms of classes, camps and courses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kids can learn to paint or draw, do ceramics, and even create media art. There are also ever-changing art exhibits to entertain kids of all ages. The Hyde Park Art Center is one of many in the Chicago area. It was founded in 1939, and they\u2019ve been serving the surrounding communities ever since.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

No matter the kind of educational outing you\u2019re planning for your own kiddos, you can search this site to find the best places to visit with kids near you! Download the kid friendly venues app today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Laura D, MomsTribute.com<\/h2>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As busy moms we all know how important it is to do a little time planning to incorporate downtime into our kids\u2019 (and our own) routines. Sometimes we all need to chill out and let our minds wander. Most of the time though, it\u2019s important to keep our kids actively learning and growing. This can … <\/p>\n

Continue reading “Keep Their Minds Busy with Educational Fun!”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1005,"featured_media":1227,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[9,429,430],"tags":[458,394,11,120,459,186,163,457,33],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/old.momstribute.com\/company-blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1186"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/old.momstribute.com\/company-blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/old.momstribute.com\/company-blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/old.momstribute.com\/company-blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1005"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/old.momstribute.com\/company-blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1186"}],"version-history":[{"count":24,"href":"https:\/\/old.momstribute.com\/company-blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1186\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2882,"href":"https:\/\/old.momstribute.com\/company-blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1186\/revisions\/2882"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/old.momstribute.com\/company-blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1227"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/old.momstribute.com\/company-blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1186"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/old.momstribute.com\/company-blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1186"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/old.momstribute.com\/company-blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1186"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}