Knitting Zeal

Wubble Bubble Ball=Fun!

This is a sponsored post and I received product samples to facilitate this review.  Opinions expressed here are honest and original. 

If your kid is like mine, he enjoys being silly and bouncing around.  Last week when I received a cool new toy in the mail to review, my kiddo was delighted!  He had a blast trying out the Wubble™ Bubble Ball.  He had been wanting one ever since he saw a commercial for it on TV. 

In the Box:

Our Wubble™ Bubble Ball came in a box with a battery operated pump, a nozzle, a nozzle guide, and inflation guide (to tell you how big you can inflate your Wubble) and of course a Wubble™ Bubble Ball!  I needed to add 4 D-sized batteries to operate the pump.  My son LOVED the pump.  I’m not sure why, but he thought it was really cool.  Also in the box was a really useful instruction sheet, a tips sheet and an envelope for the lifetime warranty. 

The Wubble™ Bubble Ball is made out of a synthetic rubber that is free of PVC, Latex, BPA and Phthalates. It has an unusual feel to it, like it should feel sticky but it isn’t.  I’m a tactile person, and I loved how squishy this ball feels!  My son thought it felt awesome too. 

How to Use:

We started out reading the instructions and the tips sheet.  I made it clear to my son that the ball is delicate and can pop if misused. Inflation was relatively easy.  The instructions were very clear.  I did not have any problems getting the inflation nozzle into the ball, but I understand that applying a tiny bit of oil (olive, vegetable, etc.) will aid with inflation. There is also a cool YouTube video to help with inflation if needed.  The inflation guide is like a long ribbon that attaches to the top of the ball and drapes down the side.  Once the ball is filled to the maximum, the edge of the inflation guide should just start to lift off the ground.  Under inflating the ball helps keep it stronger and thicker.  My son was very concerned that the ball would pop while inflating, so we did not inflate it to the full 36 inches, and probably stopped at about 30 inches. 

Our Review:

My son LOVED playing with his Wubble™ Bubble Ball!  He bounced it, he squished it, we played catch with it, and he smashed his face into it!  It is amazingly light weight and bounces very easily.  It even blew away when it caught a breeze!  (It didn’t go far!)  And then it popped when my son caught it during catch. Since this is a review, I have to be honest.  We were all very disappointed.  The cool thing though is that the Wubble™ Bubble Ball has a warranty.  For $6.99 to cover shipping, the company will replace your ball.  I was lucky and was sent a second ball for the purpose of this review and I can say that so far the second Wubble™ has not popped despite being well loved.  I think it is best to think of the Wubble™ Bubble Ball as a bubble that is a ball, not a ball that feels like a bubble, if that makes sense.  It is fragile and delicate and needs to be treated with care.  I taught my son to catch it with open hands, not with finger tips that could pinch a hole in the ball. 

With that said, my son threw himself onto the ball and smashed it, but it did not pop! I asked my son what he would say about the Wubble™ Bubble Ball.  He reported that it is an amazing toy that you have to be careful when playing.  He loves it!

Fun Facts:

• Target selected the Wubble™ Bubble Ball as a 2014 Top Toy for the Holiday Season. It was listed among other popular toys and games that are sure to be on every holiday wish list.
• Wubble Bubble Ball is a Family Fun Toy Of The Year Award Winner. The 25 winners are featured in the November 2014 issue of Family Fun Magazine. 
• Inspired by his children's wish for a real bubble to play with, NSI President Frank Landi developed the Wubble™ Bubble Ball to keep children's love for fun, active play alive.
• Wubble has won numerous toy awards, including an Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Best Toy Award, a National Parenting Center Seal of Approval, a Mr. Dad Approved Award, a Parent's Choice Award and the  Dr. Toy Best 100 Picks Award and more! 
• Wubble Ball is available at Target, Toys R Us and online at www.wubbleball.com. Wubble Ball is on Twitter (@WubbleBall) and Facebook (facebook.com/wubbleball). 
• Wubble Ball's are not indestructible, but they have a lifetime replacement guarantee. It costs $6.99 to replace a Wubble under the guarantee. 

 

Fairmount Water Works: FLOW

Last week we had the chance to visit and explore the Fairmount Water Works.  This historic complex located between the Philadelphia Musuem of Art and Boat House Row has been something I've wanted to explore.  I had no idea what it was or the educational programs available.  We were invited to get a sneak peak at the upcoming festival FLOW: For the Love Of Water that will be open to the public on September 21, 2014.  This free festival for all ages will be a daylong (from 1:00pm to 8:00pm) celebration of water!  There will be plenty of hands-on activities to explore, including a Splash Organ, a Fishway, Drip Drums and more.  The finale of the day will be the dramatic lighting show illuminating the Water Works exterior.

On our recent visit we had a chance to participate in some educational activities as well as see a preview of some of the activities that will occur in the FLOW festival.  The big hit of the day was the Splash Organ, in which kids had a chance to make music with water and interaction with each other.  My son loved this activity.  

The Fairmount Water Works opened its doors in 1815 as the nation’s first major urban water supply system. It operated for almost 100 years until it was decommissioned.

The mission of the Fairmount Water Works (FWW)  is to foster stewardship of our shared water resources by encouraging informed decisions about the use of land and water. We educate citizens about Philadelphia’s urban watershed – its past, present and future – and collaborate with partners to instill an appreciation for the connections between daily life and the natural environment.

The Fairmount Water Works offers many free programs, including a Mommy (or Daddy) and me program for the preschool age group.  They offer low cost guided tours to adults and offer various activities for school-aged children as well.  Here are a few of the free programs that will be offered in September:

Family Pop-Up Activities (September 6, 13, 20, 27 from 10am - 12 noon) Spy on tiny organisms that lie in the river. You wont believe what you see -- one simple drop is teaming with life aquatic.

Science Saturdays: Waterfowl (September 6, 13, 20, 27 from 2pm - 4pm) Find out what makes the Schuylkill River an ideal hangout for our winged friends like the redtail hawk, bufflehead duck, and the house sparrow. Sessions run every 30 minutes from 2pm 4pm.

Fairmount Water Works Coast Day (Saturday, September 6, Penns Landing) Celebrate Pennsylvania’s coast with FREE marine-themed activities and family fun! Get your face painted, win prizes, make recycled crafts. Watch the Tug Boat Festival, meet Coastie the robot, and tour fire boats and oil spill cleanup boats. Don't miss the free shuttle bus for a round-trip tour to the Fairmount Water Works, to take part in a whimsical way for getting a drink of water.

 

 The Fairmount Water Works is located at 640 Waterworks Drive Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19130.  This is a historic part of the city that is not only educational, but a fun place to visit and explore.  Be sure to check out one of their many activities and the FLOW Festival!

 

Visiting the Liberty Bell and Historic Philadelphia

With summer winding down quickly, we have been packing in some last minute excursions while we have the time.  Last week was a busy week!  We managed to squeeze in a quick trip to see the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia before visiting my husband for lunch at his office.  I had wanted to take my son to see the historic part of Philadelphia for a while, but am glad I waited until this summer.  He was old enough to handle the line for the wait and a bit of a description of the history.  I promised him that when he is a little older we will go back and really read more of the history so he understands more of it.  

We started with a train ride to Market Street East and walked down Market Street towards 6th Street.  I pointed out some buildings to him, such as the Gallery, which used to be a great mall when I was a child and Litt Brothers, and old department store.  When we got to the beginning of Independence Mall, we first explored the President's House and then we headed to the Liberty Bell.  Seeing the Liberty Bell is free, no tickets required.  This made visiting easy!  We stood in line for maybe ten minutes and played the role of tourist.  We observed that the people in front of us were speaking Japanese and the people behind us were speaking German.  We talked about why the Liberty Bell was a famous touist destination and an important part of American history.  

Afterwards we walked over to Old City Hall, which is adjacent to Independence Hall.  We were able to purchase our very own mini Liberty Bell and a copy of the Declaration of Independence.  We saw where the US Supreme Court met prior to their move to Washington D.C.  On a quest for a penny smashing machine, we learned that the Independence Visitor Center had them, so we wandered over there and found a plethora of information, while also getting some smashed pennies.  My son wants to do one of those Segway tours, but I found out he has to be 14 years old to do it.  There was so much information in the center.  I think next summer we will have to head there early on to discover more about the city.

We had lunch on the 43rd floor of the Comcast Center and got a great view of the current City Hall.  It was a fun day in our #summeroffun!  

Related articles

Dear Summer of Fun, thank you

Summer fun at the Please Touch Museum in Philadelphia

The Imagination Movers at Sesame Place

This summer has been filled with lots of fun activities.  In July, we had the chance to see The Imagination Movers perform in concert at Sesame Place.  We have been fans of the Movers for about four years now and try to catch their shows when they are in the area.  They are such an upbeat group of musicians that know just how to appeal to both kids and their adults.  Seeing them at Sesame Place is fun too, as not only are the tickets low cost, the environment is personal and small, allowing interaction during the concert.  We always get a kick out of seeing the guys come out into the bleachers to play their guitars or sing next to kids.  This past concert, my son had the chance to meet each Mover and get his hat signed by all of them.  They are returning to Sesame Place in November and the kiddo has already requested that we go to their show.  

The Imagination Movers are currently working on their ninth album and have a fund raising campaign going on.  At this moment they have surpassed their goal.  I love that they are donating part of the funds they raise to the National Down Syndrome Society.  My son can't wait to get their newest CD!  

Related articles

Spooktacular fun at Sesame Place!

I'm a cool mom, really!

A summer visit to the Philly Zoo

Last week we spent the day at the Philadelphia Zoo with some dear friends.  They had gone with us about two years ago and were looking forward to visiting with their little tour guide, my son.  We had a perfect weather day, surpisingly not hot or humid, for a July day.  This is the last year that the zoo will have a ZooBalloon to ride.  Having never tried it, we decided to give it a go and see what it was like.  It was fun to see the city from 400 feet above.  I could see as far as the Limerick Nuclear Plant!  My son and husband loved going on the balloon ride and want to do it again!

After that we headed over to the giraffes, my son's favorite animal.  We had the chance to see the family of three being fed.  Abigail, the "baby" giraffe is five years old now.  She is really cute!

 

We haven't visited the Philadelphia Zoo in a while and there were lots of new addtions and updates to see.  The big exhibit this summer seemed to be the Zoo360, a cool way to see many of the animals as they explore the zoo on their own in a tube that runs throughout their exhibits.  We got to peek at this snoozing tiger, who looked just adorable with his big paws on display.  

We also had the chance to explore the new children's section of the zoo, KidZooU, a beautifully designed area that is interactive, educational and accessible.  Our friends who we were exploring the zoo with that day both use motorized wheelchairs.  They were able to get up close to the exhibits along with my son.  The design of this new area was remarkable.  

We had a great picnic lunch at a table that was made for wheelchairs (they really need a few more of those, in my opinion!) and continued on to the Primate house to see the cutest gibbons ever!  The baby gibbon was putting on quite the acrobatic show for us.  

It was a great visit to the zoo with great friends!  We are looking forward to going again soon, since we were able to purchase a family membership at a discount.  

Related articles

Springtime in New York

The trail of the Lorax at the Philadelphia Zoo

Summer fun at Art Splash in Philadelphia

This week we had the chance to enjoy a complimentary visit to the Philadelphia Museum of Art to see Art Splash, the museum's summer event of creative play for families.  This ten week long event runs until September 1, 2014.  Each week has a different masterpiece featured with accompanying activities for kids and their parents.  This week's theme was Art in the Garden featuring Claude Monet and his garden.  Monet is one of my favorite artists and I was excited to see how the museum staff shared his art on a child-friendly level.  It was very successful!

My son started at the Splash Studio with a painting craft based upon The Japanese Footbridge and the Water Lily Pool, Giverny by Monet.  Starting with a blank piece of art paper, my son used a white pencil to draw a design of his choice on the blank paper.  He then went to a paint station and used two different colors of watercolors to paint over the entire page, making the white pencil designs pop out.  At another table he was able to add his own footbridge and some lily pads and flowers with glue and tissue paper.  Watercolor pencils were also available to add more designs.  A simple activity, but it produced a great masterpiece that he could take home.  

Next we all headed to a Family Gallery Tour of three French artworks, including the Monet painting.  The Museum educator explained details of the art work in a great manner that was appropriate for the kids on the tour, which was geared to ages 6 to 10.  There was also a tour for kids ages 3-5.  Using an iPad to enhance the experience, the educator encourgaged discussion and questions from the kids on the tour.  

Each week the theme and activities change, so ideally a family could visit every week of the summer and experience something completely new. We attended Art Splash last summer as well and this year's activities were completely different. I liked that we were in the main musuem and had the chance to go on a hunt, using a printed guide, to find ten Art Splash masterpieces.  We found five on this visit.  At each masterpiece was an activity to do, such as find different objects in the painting or sketch details from the armour on a boogie board.  At the Staircase Group by Peale, another memorable painting at the museum, we were able to call a number on my phone and my son learned a bit more details about the painting, including that the ticket painted on the floor of the masterpiece was actually a ticket of admission to the painter's musuem, the first museum in Philadelphia!  

Art Splash levels what is usually not a child-friendly place into a wonderful creative learning experience.  From the child-sized lounge filled with building blocks and books to the cafeteria that has a tasty kids menu, the musuem has thought of everything to cater to families with young children and introducing them to our creative world.  I'm always amazed at how much my son enjoys exploring the art, considering that he isn't allowed to touch anything!  

Admission to the museum for kids ages 12 and younger is free, which is a nice feature.  Admission to the musuem is Pay What You Wish on Wednesday evenings from 5:00 until 8:45 p.m. and on the first Sunday of every month.  Regular adult admission is $20.  

The schedule for the remainder of the summer is:  

July 29–August 3: Mixed-Up Music
August 5–10: Mythological Mischief
August 12–17: Trip around the World
August 19–24: Medieval Worlds
August 26–September 1: Tea and Treasure

Museum hours are Tuesday through Sunday: 10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m., Wednesdays and Fridays until 8:45 p.m.

For more details please see the Art Splash information on the Philadelphia Museum of Art's website. 

Thanks to the Philadelphia Museum of Art for providing complimentary adult admission for the purpose of this review.  No monetary compensation was received and opinons expressed here are my honest thoughts and experience.  

Related articles

Visiting the Reading Public Museum

Summer fun at the Please Touch Museum in Philadelphia

Super Stars with Under Armour and Kids Headquarters

Clothing samples received were sent to be used or shared as I saw fit. No monetary compensation was received and any opinions expressed by me are honest and reflect my actual experience.

At the Spring Mom Mixer this past April, I had the chance to meet representatives from Kids Headquarters, the distributers of awesome kids clothes to different department stores.  I was most familiar with the name from shopping in the kids department at my local Macy's store, which has an incredible good selection of boys clothes.  Recently, I received some samples of clothes from Kids Headquarters to try out with my six year old son.  We recieved some great Under Armour Alter Ego T-Shirts to try out.  He has never worn that brand before and I was looking forward to seeing how he liked them. 

The shirts he received were super hero designs, Batman and Superman.  My husband is a big Batman fan, so for Father's Day I got him the matching UA Batman shirt, purchased at Macy's.  The boys got to wear their shirts together on Father's Day and had a lot of fun!

What I like about the Under Armour (UA) Alter Ego T-Shirts is that the fabric is breathable.  So while my son was sweaty after a day at the CSA farm picking berries, his shirt dried fast and wasn't sticking to him.  He found the shirts comfortable.  I also loved how nicely they have come out of the wash.  Even the white one that was stained terribly after strawberry picking came clean in one wash.  

Thanks so much Kids Headquarters for the awesome shirts, adding to our summer of fun!

Outdoor play date ideas

As a member of the Children's Claritin Mom Crew, I receive product samples and promotional items to share and use as I see fit.  No monetary compensation has taken place and any opinions expressed by me are honest and reflect my actual experience.

This summer we've spent lots of time outside playing.  In fact, most of our play dates and trips have been outdoors!  That means the kiddo stays on allergy meds to control his seasonal allergies, as per his pediatrician.  So far he has felt great and has had lots of fun!  As part of the Claritin Mom Crew I got the chance to get together with some moms and their kids to have a fun outdoor play date and to share some coupons, giveaways and ideas about our kids, and their allergies!

Summer has been busy! We have had multiple play dates with different kids and moms, all lots of fun and all outdoors.  Here are some of the fun activities we did on our most recent outdoor play date!

DIY Sponge Water Bombs!  

These were super simple to make and loads of fun.  We will be using these all summer long!  Supplies needed are very inexpensive: new kitchen sponges (I found them cheapest at Giant,) plastic zip ties, and scissors.  

I cut each sponge into four equal strips, then assembled several different colors (about 8 strips) into a stack, then wrapped a plastic zip tie arround the middle and cinched it to tighten.  Then I "fluffed" the strips a bit to make more symetrical pom poms.  I filled a baby pool with water, although a big bucket would work great too, and let the kids go at it with them.  Lots of fun!

DIY Backyard Roadway!

About two years ago my son and I built a backyard roadway out of regular red bricks.  I measured the area I was going to dedicate to this roadway and bought enough bricks to fill the space, plus a few extra.  I had larger flat pathway bricks already, which we used to create a parking lot.  We used yellow and white paint to make street lines.  (My son wanted to paint the lines, so they are not exactly as I imagined it, but it's his roadway!)  I filled in the space around the bricks with rubber mulch.  This play space continues to be a favorite place for the kids when they visit our yard.  It's located in a shady spot, so even on a hot day it's nice place to play.  They use all kinds of cars to race here and my son loves to park his cars in the lot!

These are just two of the many fun ideas we had for our play dates with friends!  We've also set out our teepee,  filled the kiddie pool, and used our noodle water blasters! The kids had lots of fun!  

Claritin sent me some goodies to give out to the moms.  Thanks Claritin for the inspiration for a fun Playmaker play date! 

Related articles

Preschoolers Madagascar party fun

Aaah-choo, tackling fall allergies and school

Summer of Fun: Reading list for kids ages 6 to 7

So while we have our bucket list of places to go, our list of things to do at home, I also came up with a list of books to read for the summer.  My son shares my love of reading and since he is a new reader, it's a skill I want him to continue to work on all summer.  He loves that the library has the summer reading program and Barnes and Noble offers their own summer reading program with incentives to keep reading.  He has already asked if we can read lots of books, more than just at night at bedtime!

One of his summer homework assignments is to read a particular book, The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore. His entire school has been assigned to read the book.  It's a great book with fun illustrations that even has an app to go along with it, making the book pop to life!  We already have read it and it was a hit, although my son is worried because the second graders at his school told him to beware of the report he'll have to write about the book in the fall!  (Silly rumors!)

So I did a bit of research and came up with a list of books to read with him this summer.  He is reading on a first grade reading level currently.  He still prefers that I read to him, but I am working on ways to get him to read to himself and others using early reader books.  

Poetry

At the end of the school year, my son's teacher introduced Hiku and Cinquain styles of poetry to the class.  Each day the class would write a piece of poetry together.  He really seemed to enjoy this style of writing so I decided to expand on the poetry and pull out our collection of Shel Silverstein books.  I read A Light in the Attic as a kid and loved it.  I think my son will get a kick out of it too!

Early readers

My son can read on a first grade level, which still shocks me.  I pulled out his collection of early reader books, books I usually read to him, for him to read to self this summer.  He loves the Lego series books, so I think he'll go for this idea!  

Picture books

I love children's picture books.  I went through our stack of books and pulled out some classics as well as some newer favorites. These include The Little House, Diary of a Worm, Caps for Sale, Flotsam, Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day and Only One You.  We'll hit the library to borrow some more picture books too.  

Funny books

My son loves to laugh and hear a good joke.  We'll try to get these from the library: The Day My Butt Went Psycho, The True Story of the Three Little Pigs, and Stink: The Incredible Shrinking Kid.  I'm sure we'll discover a few more too!

 

What is on your child's summer reading list?

 

 

 

Related articles

What the kiddo is reading lately

Dear Summer of Fun, thank you

Summer of fun activites, crafts and science projects for kids

So while I shared my Summer Bucket List of places to go and things to do out and about, here is a list of things to do at home using imagination, physical activity and creativity.  Most of these activities require items most people have at home already.  My son loves crafting and science projects.  I found most of these ideas on Pinterest and one of my new favorite blogs: Tinkerlab.  

Crafts and Science projects for kids

1. Elephant toothpaste 
2. Quill pen (writing or painting)  Tie this project in with a trip to Independence Hall, Ben Franklin's home and the Liberty Bell.
3. Magic scented foaming paint (for outdoor use!!) 
4. Bubble wrapped tree 
5. Homemade paint recipes 
6. Invisible ink/painting with citrus 
7. Rainbow flowers 
8. Magic Potion Spoons 
9. Salt and ice painting 
10. Soap making experiment 
11. Homemade paint
12. Plaster casting in sand This can be done in a sandbox or at the beach!
13. Make GAK!  (or slime!)

I also have picked up a few craft kits over the past year when I saw them on sale at the craft store or Target.  We have kits for:

1. Make a pop up book
2. Make bouncy balls
3. Make a hand impression in stone
4. Create a stepping stone
5. Sand art

Go outside!

And then there are activities to do outdoors that are just plain fun:

1. Have a water balloon fight with friends
2. Use water squirters with friends
3. Make "soup" in a pail with garden finds and water
4. Bury treasure in the sand box and go digging
5. Collect lightning bugs in a jar (and then let them go)
6. Have a relay race in the yard with friends
7. "Paint" with water...the house, the driveway, the playhouse
8. Chalk up the driveway with pictures
9. Blow bubbles
10. Play in the kiddie pool or with the sprinkler
11. Freeze small toys in a container.  Release frozen cube of ice into the pool.
12. Pull weeds!
13. Ride a bike or scooter
14. Practice the hula hoop
15. Play hopscotch
16. Set up the soccer goal net and practice those kicks
17. Go for a run
18. Walk around the neighborhood
19. Fly a kite! 

I'm sure we'll come up with many other activites too, but these lists give us a start on ideas to prevent boredom!

Tomorrow I'll have a post on a kid-friendly summer reading list!

Related articles

Mad scientist and a kiwi crate