New Hampshire Kids

Fitness University - Begins June 9

2009-05-28T06:32:33-04:00

For a long time I was convinced that after trying every team sport available, one of my sons would be told by a coach (a la John Travolta in Grease) that he should try running - long distance running. In preparation for that inevitable day, we began participating in a few of the Gate City Striders' Fitness University running clinics. The clinics are for children ages 3-14 and held around the greater Nashua area. Each clinic is 75-90 minutes long and gives children an opportunity to warm up, run, stretch, and play age appropriate games that encourage physical activity. Oh, and it's free of charge. Registration is required, but your child may attend one clinic, a few clinics or all of them. The "Finals Day" will be held on August 1.

Thanks to the Gate City Striders for providing local children with a fun, free activity that encourages physical fitness!

Touch a Truck, Mall of NH, Manchester - May 9

2009-05-03T07:53:31-04:00

Another opportunity for your little ones to get up close and personal with some really amazing big rigs. This incarnation of Touch a Truck will feature emergency vehicles, the Stonyfield Farm Moo Mobile, a bounce house, face painting and a chance to meet Max, the mascot for the Manchester Monarchs. Located in the mall's food court parking lot, the event will be held on Saturday, March 9 from 10 am - 3 pm. Proceeds benefit Noah's Ark Child Care Center.

Massabesic Audubon Center Programs

2009-04-14T06:55:04-04:00

One of the joys of parenting is the way your naturally curious little ones make you stop, look around and actually enjoy what you see. Anyone who has tried to take a walk (a real, I need some aerobic exercise walk) with a child knows that you spend more time examining cool rocks, cracks in the sidewak or an interesting tree than you do increasing your heart rate. Lately, our long stalling contemplations while walking involve birds. Lots of them. We have our fair share of grass seed eating crows, but we also have woodpeckers, robins, cardinals, finches and *gasp* hawks. There are also a bunch of birds we can't identify with any authority. Since we're all really into birding right now, I'm going to take advantage of the Backyard Birding and Bird ID program offered free of charge every Sunday at 1 p.m. at the Massabesic Audubon Center in Auburn in April. It will also help us all as we work on our "life lists" one of those things some of my adult friends have been working on for years that I think would be cool for the boys to begin now.

The Center has a number of wonderful programs for children, adults and families, not to mention great trails for exploring. Other NH Audubon center and information can be found on their site.

Building Books: The Art of David Macauley - Currier Museum

2009-04-03T06:58:11-04:00

Before my children's classes go on field trips, they always read plenty of materials on the subject. Going to the McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center? Space books, of course. Parker's Maple Barn? Their class learns all about maple sugaring. We tend to do the same thing at home for our own little adventures. If we're going to NYC, we might reread Eloise or City Hawk: The Story of Pale Male A trip down to Boston - Make Way for Ducklings . The latest exhibit at the Currier lends itself to a whole pile of enjoyable anticipatory reading. The works of David Macauley are some of my personal favorites. Being able to see original artwork, book dummies and models and share it with my boys will be a real treat.

The exhibit will be at the Currier through June 14.

NH Maple Weekend

2009-03-28T08:42:04-04:00

One of our family's favorite breakfasts is maple syrup. We don't really care what we serve with it - french toast, pancakes, waffles... it's all the same. The star of the show is maple syrup, not high fructose corn syrup with imitation maple flavoring, but real 100% maple syrup. Get your fill of that pure liquid bliss at one of the many sugar houses celebrating NH Maple Weekend. Hours and locations vary, be sure to check their schedule.

Jungle Book Kids presented by the Peacock Players, Nashua

2009-03-26T06:58:00-04:00

My youngest son recently saw a middle school production of Beauty and the Beast. He loved it. It's put me in search of additional shows by schools or local groups that the young ones can enjoy. Someone I've been hearing rave reviews of the Peacock Player's production of Jungle Book Kids. We won't be able to catch it this go 'round, but you may want to take advantage of this wonderful opportunity to see a story your children already know performed in a unique way on stage. Plus, with plenty of children in the cast, it may stir some interest in a future young actor's heart.

The Peacock Players will be presenting Jungle Book Kids through this weekend. What a great way for children (and adults) to enjoy the magic of a live production without Boston traffic or prices. If you miss this one, they'll be presenting Joseph and his Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat in May.

Need for Speed, Manchester

2009-03-22T07:55:04-04:00

Located in the Sunbeam Mall on Elm Street in Manchester, Need for Speed features three tracks where children (and adults) can race slot cars. You don't need to own one, you can rent one there. We went during school vacation with some friends who love all things NASCAR and racing. The boys were enthralled and could have spent an hour or two racing. It was almost as much fun to watch some of the other children race their own souped up cars. The owned cars were definitely faster than the rentals and were able to use the extra big, super cool track. The boys would love to own their own car and at approximately $55 a car, the purchase isn't out of the question. It's another one of those great "you save 1/2, I'll pay 1/2" opportunities.

In addition to being a source of good old fashioned family fun, Need for Speed earns high marks with me for their "Smart Kids Race Free" program. For every A (or equivalent) on your child's report card, Need for Speed will give them 1/2 hour of track time. You can read more about their program and the guidelines on the site. Kudos to them for reinforcing the importance of academics. Love it.

Need for Speed is open Tuesday through Sunday and usually opens earlier during school vacations. You may want to call before heading over. They also host birthdays, parties and corporate events.

Free Family Fun Night at CMNH - March 6

2009-03-04T06:51:17-05:00

The Children's Museum of NH will host a Free Family Fun Night on Friday, March 6 from 5:30 - 8. During those hours, the entire museum will be open to families free of charge thanks to generous underwriting by the Citizens Bank Foundation. What a great opportunity to shake off some of that winter funk and spend great FREE family time together. Additional Family Fun Nights will be held on Friday, April 3 and Friday, May 1.

SteveSongs at the Portsmouth Music Hall - March 14

2009-03-02T08:26:48-05:00

Do you know SteveSongs? I'm wondering how I missed him. It may be one of the negative side effects of my children's television devotion moving from Clifford to the ubiquitous Clone Wars. Thankfully, one of Steve's team sent me a DVD to check out. The boys love it and I couldn't be more pleased. It's great that they can now identify U2 and Green Day in a matter of measures, but occasionally I'm searching for music that doesn't make me cringe or lunge for the power button. Steve's music is gentle, quirky and so catchy that even mom and dad will be singing along. Our favorites are Blast Off, Yee-Haw, and Opposite Day. Listen to those and others here.

SteveSongs will at the Portsmouth Music Hall on March 14 at 11:00 as part of their wonderful Kids RULE! series. Tickets may be ordered online. Can't make that show? SteveSongs is on tour. You can also catch him on PBS Kids.

Free Admission to Currier Museum

2009-02-24T08:11:19-05:00

Some of the posts that appear on NH Kids also get posted to NH.com. Have you been there? It's a great resource for discovering what's happening around the state.

The latest gem - free admission to the Currier during school vacation week. The museum is closed on Tuesdays, so for today we can all just enjoy ruminating about how much money we'll save when we go later in the week. Read all the details in Morgen Thiboult's post.