Pump-It-Up

PUMP IT UP was really exciting news for me when it opened up.  There is one not far from us and it is a great rainy day activity.  Just make sure to call ahead and reserve a spot for the open bounce. 

It is fairly cheap (especially if you have a bogo coupon), and makes a great activity for a hot summer day.  It tires the kids enough for them to be relaxing for the rest of the day. 

While many times we have gone there and had a great time, the last time was not a success.  So here is a word of advice.  Do not go when there is a town with a spring break from school nearby.  The problem is that in NJ one town can be off school while other ones all have school.  While our town spring break was over, another one just began.  I didn't know.  The place was so crowded, the kids had to wait 10 to 15 minutes just to get on to a boucy.  They were tired of waiting.  Not actually getting a chance to bounce, we left early.  The manager was nice enough to give us two free passes for next time, and we would love to go, just have to make sure that there isn't any school breaks at the time.  What is interesting is that when we came in the middle of summer, not so many kids were there.  I guess they must have had their fill!

Lesson learned: if you can avoid it, don't go when school is out! Otherwise expect unmanagable amount of people there.

Liberty Hall Museum in Kean University

"Built in 1772 and home to generations of Livingstons and Keans, Liberty Hall traces the history of America through its 50 rooms and exhibits."-- retrieved on 2/21/2013, from http://www.kean.edu/libertyhall/photogallery/

Even though fall is a busy time for us with learning, and regular activities like art and soccer, we did squeeze in a trip to the Liberty Hall Museum at Kean University. We were very pleasantly surprised at how much fun the trip turned out to be. My boys are usually boisterous and like to run around a lot, so a structured lecture about American History, no matter how interesting the setting, is usually not something up their alley. This was a complete break from the norm for us.

Let's begin with the fact that it was free with a library pass for us and our friends. The tour started with a short video about Livingstons and Keans. After the video we went ahead to the rest of the property. We had a private tour because we were the only ones there. Our guide was an elderly history buff who was wonderful and serious, and kid friendly at the same time. They have a great collection of old and completely restored fire engines, including one that kids could climb on, we especially enjoyed that one. The gardens were beautiful, complete with small paths for kids to run on and release some of that energy, and wonderful flowers. They also had apple orchard there and a small operational farm. Very unexpected so close to NYC. We were offered to go apple picking after the tour, but couldn't this time. Next time we will give it a try.

The house was most definitely haunted, which the kids enjoyed a lot. It difficult to wrap your mind around how much this house has seen. It is soaked with history and energy that makes it seem alive. It is very carefully preserved and there are no photos allowed on the inside. All the furnishings, the dishes, the clothing, the toys, it all speaks of how people lived during their time. The kids especially noticed that humans, in general, were much smaller back then, based on sizes of beds. The kitchen is completely preserved as it was and wonderful to see. There are so many portraits of previous owners that look at you as much as you look at them. There is also a famous ghost story associated with the house that you'll just have to hear from the guide!

It was an educational, American History close up kind of experience. I highly recommend it. We all took the time to soak it all in, and enjoyed ourselves tremendously.

After the tour was done, we spend quite a bit in the gift shop on the replicas of the Constitution, Bill Of Rights, and Declaration Of Independence.

Here is the website of the museum with information: http://www.kean.edu/libertyhall/
On this site you will find a photogallery of the inside of the house: http://www.kean.edu/libertyhall/photogallery/

Of course a picture is worth a thousand words, so here are just a few below that I took that day.

Oak Ridge Archery Range

We went to the Oak Ridge Archery Range for and archery lesson. You have to be at least 10 years old, so it was my son, husband adn I. Now we can get a permit and shoot arrows there. It was tremendous fun. Surprisingly, not many people know about this place.  I highly recommend taking the intro class there.  It is a fun way to spend two hours, and you can now come and do this there.  It is the only place in Union County, NJ where you can shoot a bow outside, and other then the license fee it is completely free. 
Here is their website: 

http://ucnj.org/community/parks-community-renewal/parks-facilities/activities/archery/

Register for the class ahead of time, they fill up quickly!

Also a friend mentioned homeschooling classes there.  We will have to give it a try as soon as our other commitments are all done.

Watchung Reservation

Trailside Nature Center and Watchung Reservation is a wonderful place to visit with your family!  The Nature Center is a free museum. The kids, especially the younger ones will have a blast there.  Since we live nearby we come here often, and my kids still enjoy it.  They also offer classes at a very good rate, and my kids loved it when they were little and a bit older.  You can also celebrate your kids' birthdays there at a reasonable price, or schedule a class for a group.  Throughout the year they have many activities, fun events, fairs and performances.  You would have to check their website for the schedule.

Here is the website with their info, including hours and directions:
http://ucnj.org/community/parks-community-renewal/parks-facilities/trailside-beta/ 

When you are at the Trailside Center make sure to pick up a map with hiking trails.  Watchung Reservation has many wonderful hiking trails to explore, a lake to waddle in, turtles to find, frogs to catch and many more things to entertain you. There is also a brand new playground that was built this year for kids to run and play in.

We love hiking and do it often. Watchung Reservation has got to be one of our favorite places to hike.  There is an abundance of trails, you can enjoy a long hike or just go down to the lake and back up for a short hike.  There are many trails and getting lost is a possibility, so make sure to pick up the map of trails at the Nature Center!  Everytime we go we pick a different trail, and come back with different treasures. There is a lake you can skip rocks in, and a stream you have to cross by skipping from rock to rock, and a small dam with a waterfall, trees with giant roots where you can catch tiny baby frogs, trees you can climb on, an old cemetery you can pass through, and a deserted village.   We have spotted box turtles, snapping turtles, and one time stepped into a snake den, where a water snake was in the middle of eating a giant toad. We also have seen an albino deer, he was completely white, and absolutely awesome. 

Here are a few photos I took while hiking there:

 

 

 

 

Deserted Village in Watchung Reservation is a great hiking destination located in the Watchung Reservation.
There is a long history to this place: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feltville_Historic_District

You can park in the parking lot, or hike. It was a long hike, especially with little kids, a little more then an hour from the Nature Center starting point. Last time we went it was with a few good friends. It helps going with good company.  Behind the village we came down the steep slope, a bit off trail, and into a shady ravine with a stream. That is where most of the fun was to be had. All the kids promptly took their shoes off, and were splashing barefoot through the stream.  There were some fallen trees accross the ravine that everyone had fun climbing, and some big rocks you could go on accross the stream also.  Everyone had so much fun!

Here are a few photos of the Deserted Village and the stream below it.

 

 

 If you love horses, the Watchung Stable is adjacent and a short ride away.

 

 It truly is an amazing place, with so many things to do and see.

Panderosa Park in Scotch Plains

Hooray, finally a water spray ground in Central Jersey, that is not too far from us! The best part: it is free!
Panderosa Park is brand new, just opened in 2012, right off Cooper Road in Scotch Plains.  It is a beautiful playground with water spraying out of many fountains.  So much fun for the kids to play with.
Most parents take chairs and sit on the grass under the shade of trees, watching thier kiddies have fun.  Many bring a picnic lunch to enjoy.  It is a beautiful place to spend the day.

Have to give a heads up! If your kid wants to play in the water please bring or wear shoes that can get wet and be comfy.  The ground heats up like crazy, even on the mild days.  It is all that rubber.  My kids burned their feet the first time they went, and now we know better.  It is still a great place, just need to be aware of this one small detail!

Build-A-Bear



When my neice came over for a few weeks in the summer I figured that the perfect place to take her would be Build-A-Bear.  Sounds like a great place to take a kid, right?  That's what I figured too.  I went online, found a location next to us, even got a coupon in the mail for $10.00 off.  Awesome! I was ready. 
There are really two main things you would need to note about this place.  Number one is that even my two jaded boys seemed to have fun with it.  The girl was beside herself.  This was her dream come true.  Thing two is that it is really EXPENSIVE! The $10.00 coupon didn't even make a dent in it.  Just stuffing your animals isn't that much, but the clothing, shoes and accessories really kicked me in with three kids.
They boys were simple enough. They just got a dog and a bear, stuffed them, put glasses on them and that's that. The girly girl wanted all the pretty dresses, that cost as much as my root canal. We wound up getting out my sewing machine and making a lot of bear dresses at home. It was fun, she learned something new, and her bear was the best dressed bear in the state.

Bowcraft

Bowcraft is a fun little amusement park in Union County, NJ. It is right on Rt. 22 in Scotch Plains.  We have gone there many times.  They have several ways you can pay for rides. You can either purchase a full day pass, or you can buy individual tickets and use them for the rides. If you have one kid and are just making it a quick stop for a few rides, individual tickets is the way to go.  However, if you'd like to spend some time there, they have several deals that you can take advantage of.  For example, they have a night pass, where after 5 pm the pass is $12.95.  That's the one we like.  From 5 until closing gives you plenty of time to try out all the rides, and it won't be as hot as during the day (the park gets little shade and becomes hot quickly). 

I always thought the rides were more geared towards the younger crowd.  My youngest and his friends love it.  My older one, almost 12, and other 12-13 year old friends and family we've brought there seem to be less enthusiastic about the rides.  Maybe they feel they are too cool for it, but deep in their heart still have a blast. ;) There are a few rides the older guys do like, but only a few.  For the younger ones, however, it's a blast!
Here is their website with directions, hours and pricing.
http://bowcraft.com/

There is also an indoor arcade the older kids like more!

We spend a lot of time on bumper cars!