Houston

Weekend Fun for Houston Kids: Houston Food Fest, Galveston Family Beach Challenge, Aug. 18-19

Submitted by Rachael Cherry on Wed, 08/15/2018 - 2:58pm

Here at Mommy Poppins, we love a good opportunity to help, and this weekend there are two excellent opportunities happening where YOU can make a positive impact:

The Houston Fire Museum is hosting a Back to School Drive through the end of August. A school supply donation will get you FREE admission to the Museum and benefits students and teachers at Worthing High School.
The Woodlands Children's Museum is teaming up with Operation Pets Alive! for a "Clear the Shelter" day where interested families can adopt pets in need of a loving home.

Have you found yourself in an activity slump? We have several different resources to help you out. The Mommy Poppins event calendar is the place to go when you're looking for daily kid-friendly activities, and it's constantly being updated with as many events happening in and around the city as possible. Our August GoList is also an excellent resource, highlighting the best events happening around Houston throughout the month. For a quick, easy resource, we recommend signing up for our weekly newslette r so you can have everything that gets published on Mommy Poppins delivered to your inbox.

For anyone who is planning an activity, we would love to make sure it has a spot on our calendar as well! All you have to do is submit your event to our calendar. Once it's submitted, we'll review it and publish it so it gets shared with all of our readers.

Let's see what this weekend has to offer.

8 Houston Parks Perfect for Kids' Birthday Parties

Submitted by Carrie Taylor on Mon, 08/13/2018 - 3:12pm

Hosting birthday parties for your kids comes with so many choices nowadays. Which indoor playground is best? What kind of cake will be served? What will the decorations be? Will there be entertainment? Can you get away with just not throwing one at all? The answer to the last one is....probably not (unless your kid is turning 3 and under and they won't know the difference anyway.) Our favorite place to host a birthday party is a great park - one with picnic tables so you don't have to bring any, lots of shade, plenty of room to run around, and great playgrounds so the kids don't have a reason to say they are bored.

The good news is, Houston is home to lots of great parks perfect for birthday parties. Here are some of our favorites.

Vancouver With Kids: 30 Great Things To Do as a Family

Submitted by Thien August on Sat, 08/11/2018 - 1:20pm

One of Canada’s most ethnically diverse and densely populated cities, Vancouver, British Columbia is the crown jewel of the country's West Coast.

Less than an hour by car from the border with the United States, Vancouver is the gateway to the Pacific Rim and draws visitors from all over the world. It’s not just the city’s location that makes people flock there, but also the stunning backdrop of mountains, temperate weather, and world-class parks and amenities.

With the ocean and mountains within a short drive, Vancouver is a veritable outdoor playground. This cosmopolitan city is waiting for your next adventure. With a favorable exchange rate in Canadian dollars, free public parks, and an easy-to-navigate public transportation system, Vancouver offers great value and seemingly endless and unforgettable experiences.

8 Educational Day Trips to Take With Houston Kids

Submitted by Ashley Jones on Fri, 08/10/2018 - 11:03pm

As a parent, finding just the right balance of learning and play feels like the ultimate win. Kids love to explore new places and learn new things, and the added benefit of gaining some educational insight during a family outing is truly awesome. That's why we've rounded up some of our favorite spots for learning where families can spend the day discovering new ideas and concepts with little learners or explore subjects like history and science with older kids. These destinations are not only fun, but can provide children of all ages with tons of knowledge.

Weekend Fun for Houston Kids: Above and Beyond, 2nd Saturday at the Depot, Aug. 11-12

Submitted by Rachael Cherry on Wed, 08/08/2018 - 11:21pm

This weekend is going to be an excellent one, and not just because it's one of the last ones before school starts. With summer drawing to a close, now more than ever is the time to take advantage of activities like sandcastle building lessons at Stewart Beach, Evening Chill at the Houston Zoo, and Movies Under the Moon at Sugar Land Town Square. There's also still time to make some headway on our 15 Things To Do with Kids Before Summer Ends list, though you definitely want to jump on that since most of these events end when the summer does!

In other Mommy Poppins news, anyone who is in need of a caregiver should take a look at this highly helpful piece: How to Get the Most Out of a Caregiver Interview. This comprehensive article will help you feel confident during your next caregiver interview, both in identifying exactly what you want and need and landing the person best suited for the job.

Inspiration is always just a click away with our event calendar, which we are constantly updating to reflect as many events and activities happening around Houston that we can find, and with our August GoList, which handpicks the biggest and best things to attend throughout the month. We also highly encourage signing up for our weekly newslette r so you're in the loop right away with all the awesome articles posted on Mommy Poppins. For anyone planning an event, we would love to get you some extra coverage! All we ask is that you submit your event to our calendar, and we'll review it and take care of the rest!

Now let's check out what's happening around Houston this weekend.

Outdoor Paintball Fields Where Houston Kids Can Have a Blast

Submitted by Ashley Jones on Tue, 08/07/2018 - 3:36pm

Keeping older kids engaged in something other than video games and electronics can be tough. But what better way to entice kids to get out of the house than to let them get messy shooting paintballs at each other? Luckily, Houston has several great spots to take older kids, tweens, and teens where they can run off some steam and engage in a rousing game of paintball. Racing around rugged terrain, ducking and darting around obstacles, and feeling the rush of competition while trying to dodge splattering paintballs at every turn can make for a fun family outing, group event, or birthday party. Read on for some of our favorite places around Houston to get kids in on the thrill of playing paintball.

Nature Trails & Giant Playgrounds: Playing at Spring Creek Park in Tomball

Submitted by Rachael Cherry on Mon, 08/06/2018 - 7:35pm

Nestled into the side of a slow, winding road in the small town of Tomball northwest of Houston, you'll find Spring Creek Park, an expansive park that is bursting with things to do. It's also home to some of my fondest memories growing up, as I used to frequent it often with my family, and being able to bring my kids to this park is like stepping back in time. This isn't just any park, though; it's a place that begs for adventures, appeals to kids of all ages, and could just be your next camping trip - all without having to very far from the city.

The sprawling 114-acre facility is home to a plethora of activities set amongst the trees (which is why it's already claimed a spot on our list of parks with LOTS of shade - a must for any Houston park in the summer!) making it the perfect spot to settle in for the day; just pack a picnic and get ready to explore!

How to Get the Most Out of a Caregiver Interview

Submitted by Sally Chaffin Brooks on Mon, 08/06/2018 - 4:02pm

Whether you’ve found them through personal recommendations, a nanny agency, a local parenting website, or even a chance encounter at the playground, you’ve narrowed your potential-Mary-Poppins list down to a few great choices. Now it’s time to conduct the in-person interviews. But can you really figure out, in one meeting, which caregiver will be the best fit for your kids—and for you? With preparation and some self-reflection, you can use a caregiver interview to help decide whether this is someone you feel not just comfortable with, but excited about. Read on for the top eight interview questions to ask in a caregiver interview.

Harry Potter Heaven: Warner Brothers Studio Tour Is a London Must

Submitted by Roberta B on Sat, 08/04/2018 - 1:00pm

Most American Potter fans know that Universal Studios has created a little piece of Hogwarts heaven in two locations—The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Hollywood and at Universal Studios Orlando—but it should come as no surprise that the true center of the Potter universe is in London, England, where all of Harry’s adventures began. Apart from all of the real life British places a muggle might want to snap a photo (e.g. Kings Cross Station for platform 9 3/4, which British Rail good naturedly erected a few years back), the true wizard Mecca is Warner Brothers Studio Tour London – The Making of Harry Potter, housed at the film studio that was Harry's world for the decade or so that the films were in production. Fans of wizardry and magic can walk in the very footsteps of their heroes at the Warner Bros Tour.

Weekend Fun for Houston Kids: Back to School Splash Bash, Disney's Newsies, Aug. 4-5

Submitted by Rachael Cherry on Wed, 08/01/2018 - 6:59pm

All the buzz is about back to school, but even with the chaos of the upcoming school year creeping up you don't have to abandon all of your summer festivities just yet! In fact, we compiled a list of 15 things to do with the kids before summer ends so you can have a few more summer hurrahs before it's back to backpacks and school supplies; there are so many fun activities on this list that are exclusively here for the summer, so you definitely want to check it out ASAP.

That's not all that's been happening on Mommy Poppins over the last week, though; other notable posts include:

For even more weekday and weekend fun, head over to our event calendar, which is updated daily with all sorts of events and activities happening in and around the city. Our August GoList is also a popular spot to find the biggest and best events being highlighted throughout the month; you don't want to miss anything featured on it! You can also sign up for our weekly newslette r to have everything posted on Mommy Poppins delivered straight to your inbox, so you never miss a great article full of places to go or things to do.

Are you planning an awesome event in the Houston area? We want to share it with our readers! All you have to do is submit your event to our calendar so we can review all of the information and get it posted on our calendar.

Let's not delay any longer, though; it's time to take a look at what this weekend has to offer!