Orange County Children’s Book Festival

Happy Friday! I hope you are all looking forward to a fun weekend! There are a couple of very fun events taking place this weekend in Southern California. One of my favorites, other than the Smithsonian Free Museum weekend, is the Orange County Children’s Book Festival. The Festival takes place at the Orange Coast College Campus.

Each year the Orange County Children’s Book Festival features popular authors, illustrators, storytellers, entertainers; and exhibitors that support reading and education along with fun activities for families. This year’s special guest is Sid the Science Kid. If you have kiddos that love Sid the Science Kid you definitely do not want to miss this. There will also be other family entertainment, a live petting zoo and of course plenty of children’s books and storytelling opportunities.

The Orange County Children’s Book Festival takes place on Sunday, September 30th from 9:30 am to 4:30pm. Admission to the fair and parking is FREE! Oops almost forgot, there will also be free train rides for the kiddos. For additional info head here.

Our New Favorite Park: BlueBird Park in Laguna Beach

My kids call BlueBird Park, Rocket Ship Park

Last weekend we spent some time in Laguna Beach. We hit the beach, the festivals and what has now become our favorite park, Bluebird Park. This wonderland for kids is located off Bluebird Canyon Road and is sure to be huge hit with your kiddos. The play areas are fantastic and the park is gated. You can relax a bit and be assured that your kiddos are having the time of their lives without having to worry too much.

They could have played on this for hours!

You will find that children of all ages will enjoy this park. There is a play area for every playgroup. You will also find slides for the little ones and ones that older kids and adults would enjoy.

The kids loved this play area under a big shaded area. Pack a picnic and you are in for quite the treat

There are tunnels to discover, swings to swing on, rocket ships to let the imagination soar and so much more. I wish I would have had time to take more pictures, but I was busy chasing down kiddos that were having the time of their lives.

I tell ya, they could have played for hours if I would have let them!

The park is also home to a summer concert series. Here is the upcoming schedule

7/29 Upstream – Reggae and Ska
8/5 Hollywood U2
8/12 Tom Nolan Band
8/19 Stone Soul
8/26 Knyght Ryder

Shows beging at 5pm and you can begin setting up your blankets and chairs as early as 3pm. We watched many families bring a picnic basket, set up their chairs for the concerts and then let the kiddos have the time of their lives playing their hearts out.

Parking can be a little tricky but we were able to find one a short walk away. The park is found on the intersection of Bluebird Canyon Rd and Cress Ave.

Bluebird Park

798 Blue Bird Canyon Drive

Laguna Beach

I hope you can make your way there at least once this summer! I promise your kiddos will have a blast!

Blue Man Group in Orange County

I love exposing the kiddos to new experiences and this is one experience that I think my son will never forget. Now through November 20th, catch the world famous Blue Man Group at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa! (I still call it the Orange County Performing Arts Center) My hubby took our 4 year old son to see it last night and had a blast. This was my husband’s 6th time seeing them, so I guess you could call him a fan. We’ve seen the show in Vegas, as well as the touring shows that came through over the years.

This current production features elements from other shows as well as some new things just for this tour. It’s a night you won’t forget and even if you’ve seen it before there are still things to experience that will blow your mind!

Goldstar currently has discounted tickets available for performances next week on November 15-17th. Grab them quick because these deals see out fast.We bought our tickets through them and I believe we were able to get them for a little over $20.