The Discovery Science Center: Star Wars Exhibit and Noon Year’s Eve Celebration

The Discovery Science Center's Science of Gingerbread

If you are like me you might be a little of tired of hearing “I’m bored” at home during Winter Break. This year we will be taking a week long vacation after Christmas and this past week we have been trying to think of things to do to keep busy and happy during the break. We decided to take a visit to the Discovery Science Center yesterday afternoon.

The Gingerbread Masterpieces

The Discovery Cube is home to two seasonal exhibits that will delight both the young and the old. The Science of Gingerbread and Star Wars, Where Science Meets Imagination.

Storm Trooper

The Science of Gingerbread goes on through January 1st and features hands on kitchen science activities and the Gingerbread competition display.

: Star Wars, Where Science Meets Imagination

The Star Wars exhibit is a MUST visit for Star Wars Fans young and old. My son had an absolute blast and did not want to leave this fantastic exhibit. The exhibit features:

Build and test your own speeders and robots
Ride a hovercraft and try your hand at steering
See real artifacts, costumes and props from all six Star Wars films
Explore the technology of droids and landspeeders
And much more!

: Experiencing The Challenge

The Star Wars Exhibit will be at the Discovery Science Center until April 15th and is definitely worth a visit. You will not be disappointed!

Enjoying the interactive parts of the exhibit

The Discovery Science Center will also host a Noon Year’s Eve celebration on December 31st. The New Year’s celebration will feature:

Countdown and toast to 2012 at 12pm and 2pm
Witness chemical reactions as canisters pop and fly in the air
Make your own party hat
Create a tambourine while learning about sound

If you are looking for something to do this winter break, The Discovery Science Center has something for every member of the family!

P.S. We love heading there after 3 pm to avoid the crowds. 2 hours is the perfect amount of time and the crowds really thin out by 3. It’s our favorite time to visit!

Disclosure: The Discovery Science Center is a sponsor of Daytrippingmom

Last Minute Santa Pictures and Extended Mall Hours

The kiddos meeting Santa

I had the opportunity to take the kiddos to see Santa this week and they had a great time meeting the big guy and giving him their list. I took the kiddos to Simon’s Brea Mall and must say that they have one of the best Santa’s in Orange County.

You can visit Santa up to Christmas Day.

The mall also has extended hour throughout the New Year and will be open on New Year Day. Perfect to catch those after Christmas Sales.

SPECIAL MALL HOURS
Holiday Shopping

12/26/2011- 7am to 11pm
12/27/2011 -12/30/2011 10:00am-9:00pm
New Year’s Eve
12/31/2011 10:00am-6:00pm
New Year’s Day
1/1/2012 11:00am-6:00pm

For additional info head here.

Disclosure: A gift card was provided by Simon Mall for Santa’s pictures.

Why I love My San Diego Zoo/Safari Park Membership

Africa Tram Safari

Last Saturday we decided to head over to the San Diego Zoo Safari Park with some friends. We have a Diamond club Membership to the zoo and love to use it whenever we have the opportunity. One of the benefits of having a Diamond club Membership is getting 4 Free Guest passes to either The San Diego Zoo or San Diego Zoo Safari Park. We decided to take our friends The Cordero’s for a day at the park.

San Diego Zoo Safari Park

It was a perfect day at the park and it seemed like we had the park to ourselves. I love heading to either park this time of year because the weather is perfect and the crowds are far away in another season called summer. It really felt like we had the park to ourselves.

: The new Bat House Exhibit

One of the benefits of having a membership is being able to visit any time you would like. There are no black out dates and you could visit both parks if you would like.

: Flamingos in the morning

You can also enjoy discounts throughout the park and free parking at The Safari Park with Diamond level status and above. The best part is that your membership is completely tax deductible. With Tax Season right around the corner, it definitely helps to have another deduction handy.

: The Pride of the Safari Park

A membership to the San Diezo Zoo and Safari park would make a great Christmas gift. If you are still looking for a gift for that special family, this would definitely be a great choice.