Regular readers will know that my family and I have been longtime fans of Port Discovery Children's Museum in Baltimore. With everything being shut down and families at home trying to make their own fun, I was delighted to see that Port Discovery was posting fun and educational activities for young kids. And the best part? Usually the amazingness that is Port Discovery is something only my Mid-Atlantic readers get to experience, but these resources and activities can bring the learning and fun to all of you, regardless of where you live!
Below is a list of the themes for the next several weeks. If you want to receive more details about specific activities, sign up for their e-newsletter and give them a follow on Facebook!
Week of April 19 - Poetry
Week of April 26 - Theater
Week of May 3 - Health & Wellness
Week of May 10 - Early Education
Week of May 17 - STEM
Week of May 24 - Health & Wellness
Week of May 31 - Theater
They are also sharing activities and projects you can do with your children on their website and I have a few printables they shared with me that you can download here!
I can't wait for things to get back to normal and have my kids playing again soon at Port Discovery Children's Museum! You'll find activities for your little ones to enjoy all year long and special seasonal programs too. But for now, enjoy these at-home resources and have fun learning with your little ones during this unprecedented time.
Summer has certainly set in throughout the Mid-Atlantic and temperatures are rising fast! No need to fear though, your Mid-Atlantic Moms team is here with our favorite ways to beat the heat this summer. Keep reading through our tips too, because we have an AWESOME family giveaway opportunity to share with you as well!
From Mid-Atlantic Mom Rachel (@prettyinbabyfood) - While I am not really a hot weather kind of individual it seems like where I live it keeps getting hotter every summer. Haha! Usually we cool off in our own pool, but this year that wasn’t an option. Before school let out we would get out of the heat by going to the local library, but with school out for the summer the Library has been pretty busy. Haha! So, we have been trying to go to some water parks. Like Mid-Atlantic mom Kristi, we love to go to Duke's Lagoon at Dutch Wonderland, and to keep cool while walking around the park in the heat we LOVE to pack our rechargeable stroller fan and cooling towels. These two items have been a lifesaver on many occasions. They are great for any indoor/outdoor occasion where it will be hot. Our stroller fan can rotate to cool whoever is in the stroller, or the person pushing the stroller. The cooling towels can be used for hours once wet. Above all when out and about in the heat stay hydrated. Lots of water! From Mid-Atlantic Mom Kristen (@genymama) - My favorite ways to beat the heat? I like taking my girls to the local pool club/splash pad, beach or water park! I also enjoy cool treats like ice cream or frozen yogurt while strolling on the boardwalk, (and an iced adult-beverage when we’re at a BBQ!) On super hot days nothing beats the cool, air conditioned rooms of a children’s museum! Loads of energy can be burned without anyone getting sunburned! From Mid-Atlantic Mom Kristi (@dsnyrunrgrl) - Our family has become huge fans of beating the heat at water parks. At 4 and 7, both of my boys love splashing, swimming, and sliding their ways to summer fun. Many theme parks now have water parks as part of their attractions. It means one extra bag to pack of swimming clothes, but those water play areas can be really refreshing on a summer day! One of our favorite spots at a theme park is Duke’s Lagoon at Dutch Wonderland in Lancaster, PA. All of the attractions are perfectly sized for little ones to enjoy so no worries about bringing floaties or dangerous water depths for parents! If it’s too hot to even go outside, a stay at an indoor water park resort like Great Wolf Lodge might be just the ticket! If you’re looking for us, we’ll be racing down the water slides!
And speaking of keeping cool, indoor activities are another great option to beat the heat - like Port Discovery Children's Museum in Baltimore! Which brings me to our giveaway I mentioned earlier! I am so excited to share that we have a family 4-pack of tickets to Port Discovery Children's Museum that will be going to one lucky winner!!! Wanna win??? It's super easy!
Head on over to @midatlanticmoms on Instagram and watch our IGTV video!
Like the video and comment "I want to go to Port Discovery!"
You can even earn a bonus entry for each person you tag in the comments.
Giveaway entry period opens July 4th and closes at 9PM on Sunday, July 7th
Winner will be announced after the entry period closes!
So don't wait! Head over to Instagram and follow these simple directions. Don't forget, Port Discovery just opened some brand new exhibits in June so it's a perfect time to go and visit this great destination to enjoy a fun day with your kids! Good luck and stay cool this summer!
It's a big week in our house as both Brody and Caleb celebrate birthdays - Brody is turning 5 and Caleb is turning 2. Each year when I plan their birthday party, I try to work in a little Disney magic. This time around, I broke out some creative energy to throw a Figment themed birthday party at Port Discovery Children's Museum in Baltimore. Port Discovery has three floors of interactive fun for kids of all ages. It really is a place for imaginations to run wild, which is why I thought Figment would be perfectly suited. It turned out to be an amazing day with a lot of fun, some creativity, and a little touch of Disney magic.
The Invitations - I designed custom invitations for the birthday party using the HP Card and Invitation Kit that I received as a sample as part of the HP Millennial Influencer Panel. The HP website made it easy to pull up a template and create the invitations. I used an image of Figment in the background and a Disney font that I downloaded to my computer to inspire the look. To draw in an extra piece of nostalgia from Epcot's Journey Into Your Imagination ride, I made Dr. Nigel Channing of The Institute, our special guest host. This also played well with the mad scientist theming that Port Discovery offers for parties.
The Decorations, Food, and Cake - We were fortunate that Port Discovery is an amazing venue and they were providing balloons and table cloths. I purchased purple, orange, and yellow paper goods to mimic the colors of our imaginative dragon. The colors that Port Discovery used just happened to correspond perfectly with our inspiration. I wasn't sure how much table space we would have in their party room, so outside of a framed invitation, I really didn't bring other Figment decorations. I did however Disneybound with a Figment look for the day! We decided to keep food simple - ordered some pizzas, served bags of chips, grapes, GoGo Squeeze applesauce pouches, juice boxes, and bottles of water. The cake was truly out of this world. Brody came with me to Starry Night Bakery in our hometown to help pick out what he wanted. I originally was going to do white icing with a picture of Figment, but Brody wanted purple icing with orange writing and borders. I think his idea turned out better than what mine! The cake didn't just look good, but it was delicious too. Brody is a chocolate lover so the cake was chocolate with Oreo mousse filling. It was a big hit!
The Venue - If you haven't been to Port Discovery and live around the Baltimore area, you should definitely check it out. They have a coloring room, water room, pretend Royal Farms store, indoor soccer field, and a whole half of a floor devoted to soft play areas for babies and toddlers just to name a few. The favorite spot though for my oldest is the three story indoor playground - complete with rope ladders to climb, bridges to cross, and big slides! They also have some areas of the museum that feature visiting activities. The current visiting attraction is a Thomas the Tank Engine play area - perfect for my little boys. Kids can dress up as engineers, load the train, play interactive computer games, and even enjoy a expansive toy train layout. We bought a family membership to Port Discovery last year after our first visit because we knew we would enjoy coming back time and time again. As members, we received a discount off of our party package and our membership for the upcoming year was renewed. The party package featured a make your own slime activity that gave everyone their own bag to take home. Port Discovery also gave BOGO admission tickets out to party guests as favors.
Overall it was a wonderful day! We again had the chance to show our Disney side with a Figment inspired party while enjoying all the fun that Port Discovery Children's Museum has to offer. Can't wait until next year when we can plan another memorable birthday party for the boys. Happy Birthday Brody and Caleb!
