San Diego Children’s Discovery Museum’s Free Admission

 

Are you looking to take a break from the shopping and holiday decorating? Want to do something super fun with the kiddos? Head down to San Diego and take advantage of San Diego Children’s Discovery Museum’s Free Admission this Saturday, December 8th.

San Diego Children’s Discovery Museum is celebrating its one-year anniversary this week in its new location, They’ll be offering free admission for all on Sat, Dec. 8 in celebration of the museum’s 1 year at the new facility!  SDCDM surpassed expectations with 100 percent increase in memberships since opening at its new location and had over 20,000 admissions last year alone, while still in start-up phase!

They just earned a grant from the Escondido Charitable Foundation to support the museum’s role in the Escondido community.  $27,000 will now be available to purchase and install an AV system used for the “Escondido Roots Series.” The “Escondido Roots Series” will consist of six free cultural performance events to allow families to experience the richness of Escondido’s cultural diversity. More than 37 languages are currently spoken by students in Escondido schools, and SDCDM will use the Escondido Roots Series to raise awareness of the multitude of cultures represented in the community, deepen civic pride and responsibility, and encourage intercultural understanding and dialogue.

To learn more about this fantastic place for kiddos and the community, head here.

 

Palomar Observatory: Science in Action

I have two kiddos that have become obsessed with science. They love partaking in experiments, learning about space and watching science in action. One of the places on our must visit list for the year is the Palomar Observatory.

The observatory is owned and operated by Caltech. The observatory is home to five telescopes that are nightly used for a wide variety of astronomical research programs. The research is conducted by Caltech’s faculty, post-doctoral fellows and students, and by researchers at Caltech’s collaborating institutions. The Palomar Observatory is open to the public daily (except December 24 and 25) for daytime visits.

There are two tours on Saturdays. They only have 25 spots each,  so make sure to get there early. Pack a picnic and be prepared for a great drive!

The interior of the 200-inch dome is kept at nighttime temperatures (for an elevation of 5,500 feet!), so make sure to bring a jacket!

For additional info and driving directions head here.

Halloween Family Day at Balboa Park

There are so many fun Halloween Events taking place that I honestly think I might not be able to cover them all. This is going to be one fun filled month! Here is one more event that you will not want to miss!

Balboa Park is celebrating it’s 4th annual Halloween Family Day on Saturday, October 27th. Kiddos will be admitted free with paying adult. Participating museums/attractions will present a spooktacular array of hands-on activities, crafts, costume parades,tours, storytelling, and other free goodies from 11am to 3pm.

Participating Museums/Attractions and Events

  • Japanese Friendship Garden: Garden scavenger hunt and crafts for kids, as well as a miniature Japanese dry gardening workshop. Free gift for kids in costume.
  • Marie Hitchcock Puppet Theatre: Free puppet-making activity for children  accompanied by an adult at 11:45am and 1:45pm; show ticket not required.
  • Mingei International Museum: Children 12 and under free with paid adult
  • Reuben H. Fleet Science Center:Toddlers can get crafty and create Halloween decorations featuring skeletons and jack-o-lanterns in the Kid City activity Pasta Skeletons and Pumpkin Guts (ages 5 and under).
  • San Diego Air & Space Museum: Make Great Pumpkinparachutes in preparation for the pumpkin drop off the museum roof at 2:30pm; enjoy kid-friendly 3-D films. Special admission price of $4 to see the How Things Fly exhibition
  • San Diego Hall of Champions:Children 12 and under free with paid adult.
  • San Diego History Center:Tombstone Trivia tests your knowledge of notorious people and legendary ghosts from San Diego’s past in a simulated graveyard setting. The Make-n-Take Pumpkin Treat Bag for the little ones will be filled with treats to take home to eat later.
  • San Diego Model Railroad Museum: Take a spooky ride down the Haunted Tracks to learn what an engineer does, hear stories about haunted railroads, and make a Halloween mask
  • San Diego Natural History Museum:Grab a flashlight and visit the Critter Cavern to learn about bats and other nocturnal creatures, then join in a costume parade led by Ms. Frizzle at 2:30pm following her 1:30pm performance. Also, hands-on activities to create crafts to take home
  • San Diego Museum of Man: Learn about Dia de los Muertos, the Day of the Dead, and sugar skulls; make a calavera mask or a paper flower to honor friendly spirits, then take a spooky tour of the museum’s mummy collection, presented in ghostly rhyme!
  • San Diego Zoo: Free admission to all children through 11 years of age, regardless of adult ticket purchase. Part of “Kids Free Month” (October) promotion.
  • Timken Museum of Art: Revel in ghostly giggles at a Family Storytelling at 11:00am that will give ages five and up “just the teeniest bit of shiver”.

For additional info, head here.