Fun in the desert: Our LeapFrog Touch Magic Rock'n Learn Party

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Over the weekend I had the privilege of partying in the desert with my grandsons and their friends. The occasion? A LeapFrog Touch Magic Rock'n Learn Party, with party goods and products supplied for free from LeapFrog.

I was delighted to be chosen a while back to host a Rock'n Learn Party to introduce two new exciting LeapFrog products: the Touch Magic Rockin' Guitar and the Touch Magic Learning Bus. Both are part of the new Touch Magic product line from LeapFrog that brings intuitive touch technology to preschool toys for the first time. LeapFrog supplied two Rockin' Guitars and one Learning Bus—plus loads of fun activity ideas, coupons, and such—to get the party started.

We kicked things off with a coloring activity as guests arrived, which the little artists were quite diligent in completing. Once the artwork was placed on the wall next to the "party decorations" Bubby had asked to color and hang beforehand, the gang posed with their masterpieces.

Next came the "Learn" portion of the party, focusing on the Touch Magic Learning Bus. The Bus features an interactive flat surface with vibrant graphics—the alphabet, piano keys and more—that encourage exploration of the 200+ learning and musical responses and more than 40 touch points. My assistant, Bubby, demonstrated the features, then the party guests had a chance to try it out as we played one of the suggested activities.

I must say, it's at such times that having a teacher for a daughter comes in mighty handy. Thanks for leading, Megan!

The Touch Magic Learning Bus, for ages 2 years and up, builds the core learning skills of letter sounds and letter recognition; early vocabulary; animals and instruments; and creative music play. MSRP is $24.99.

The largest portion of the party was dedicated to rockin', thanks to the LeapFrog Touch Magic Rockin' guitar. The Guitar also features the Touch Magic technology, allowing kids to choose to play solo without a backup or to play along with a band, selecting electric or acoustic guitar to play 10 built-in songs. The experience can be customized by adding guitar riffs, silly sounds, and drums—more than 100 possible musical combinations. There's even an applause option that claps along or encourages encores.

Bubby demonstrated the Rockin' Guitar for the guests, though he was a little too shy to share Rainbow, the tune that had quickly become his favorite to play. Then the party guests took center stage and rocked the house.

The Touch Magic Rockin' Guitar, for ages 3 years and up, encourages the learning skills of music and creativity; music role-play; social play; and motor skills. MSRP is $24.99.

The kids seemed to enjoy the play and discovery options of both toys. One thing parents will especially appreciate in addition to the fun and learning both provide: Each has an on/off button that also allows the toys to be played at a lower volume so Mom and Dad can keep sane while the kids keep learning and exploring.

The LeapFrog Touch Magic Rockin' Guitar and Learning Bus are available at Target and other major retailers. For more information on the great features to be discovered, visit LeapFrog.com or like LeapFrog on Facebook.

Disclosure: I received free LeapFrog products in order to host the LeapFrog sponsored Rock'n Learn Party. The opinions expressed here are my own.

Friday field trip: IT'Z Family Food & Fun

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Bubby is a big fan of the pizza and game room restaurants, the kind featuring food and fun geared to the younger set. One such center Bubby doesn't have in his home state is IT'Z Family Food & Fun. So while he and Mac visited Gramma and PawDad earlier this summer, we chose to visit IT'Z rather than the local location of the chain he frequents at home.

It's unfortunate there isn't an IT'Z location in Bubby's state as it is now his very most favorite of the pizza/gaming centers. In fact, Bubby loved IT'Z so much that when he received a child's digital camera from Aunt B days after our afternoon at IT'Z, we had to make a special stop at the center just so Bubby could capture a picture of the awesome spot on his camera, to remind him of the fun place he loved when he returned home.

And there's plenty to love at IT'Z. First off was the food. Pan after pan of varied pizzas—Bubby's favorite food in the world. Plus, there was an extensive salad bar, a pasta bar with mac & cheese for Mac, and a dessert bar featuring not the usual soft-serve ice cream but three different kinds of slushies (which Bubby had), crispy bars (which Mac had), and other goodies more likely to please an adult palate (like the cherry cobbler I had).

Bubby and Mac enjoyed their pre-gaming lunch in the brightly colored dining area, which had one big-screen TV plus a couple smaller ones, all playing the Cartoon Network. I'm not sure if it was the eating in front of a humongous TV or a testament to the quality of the pizza, but Bubby ate three whole pieces of pizza—quite a feat for a finicky kid who typically announces "My belly's full" after just a few bites of anything, including his fave food pizza. Good stuff, for sure.

The good stuff continued with what took place in the game room, where we took our time spending the $15 worth of tokens on the game card we purchased with the meals. There were plenty of rides for little ones on up to big ones (a few rides Bubby wasn't tall enough to ride), games for little ones on up to big ones, plus a soft play area with slides and a bouncy house and more, there was no shortage of fun for Bubby and Mac to choose from.

 

IT'Z was a fantastic deal, costing around $30 total for the unlimited food and drinks and fun for Bubby, Mac, PawDad and me. We spent nearly three hours at IT'Z, making the cost per hour of fun one of the best bargains I've come across.

Turns out IT'Z can be an even better bargain on Tuesdays, when they offer $2.99 all-you-can-eat buffets and $.99 drinks. Considering how great the pizza was—and that you can choose to enter only the dining room and forego the gaming room—I have a feeling PawDad and I will be visiting there without grandkids on a Tuesday sometime in the near future.

In addition to the fun and value IT'Z offers, they seem to be a caring company that makes a positive difference in the community. When the Waldo Canyon Fire displaced thousands of Colorado Springs residents and burned nearly 350 homes, IT'Z offered a completely free evening of fun for all those affected by the fire. I have no doubt those kiddos and their parents appreciated the diversion and enjoyed IT'Z just as much as Bubby and Mac did.

Interested in visiting IT'Z Family Food & Fun? Find details on locations—in Texas, New Mexico, and Colorado—on the IT'Z website.

Today's question:

Which would you be most happy to fill your plate from—a pizza bar, a salad bar, or a dessert bar?

Friday field trip: Play Area at Focus on the Family Welcome Center

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I'm not a follower or affiliate of Focus on the Family. Fortunately, you need not be either of those to enjoy the free kid's play area in the ministry's Welcome Center in Colorado Springs. Everyone is welcome, regardless of one's religious or spiritual beliefs—and there's no proselytizing of even the slightest degree. Here, the focus really is on fun, and it's a great way for kids to burn off some energy in a clean, cool environment.

On Bubby and Mac's most recent stay with Gramma, they got to visit the play area not just once, but twice, thanks to a playdate there with Megan's long-time friend Amy just a couple days after they spent an afternoon there with Gramma, PawDad and Aunt B.

The list of things to do at the Welcome Center's play area is long (see below). For Bubby, though, the fun typically begins with a climb aboard the airplane.  

Mac likes to stay busy crawling through the numerous tunnels throughout the place. 

There's a Narnia Adventure room to explore—with the entrance being, naturally, through a wardrobe.

Refreshment from the Whit's End Soda Shoppe capped off our recent afternoon adventure.

In between the airplane and the ice cream, there was no shortage of fun for Bubby and Mac.

At ages one and four, my grandsons most enjoy the colorful Camp-What-A-Nut room, designed with safety in mind and specifically for kids through age four. There are plenty of options, though, for kids of all ages, including:

• Kid's Korner climbing structure featuring the A-Bend-A-Go three-story corkscrew slide. Riders must be at least 43 ½ inches tall and no taller than 5'9" so Bubby has yet to try this one. We begged but the ride operator stood firm in adhering to the policy.

• The Discovery Emporium, featuring a puppet stage and reading area.

• Two birthday party rooms with bright murals painted on the walls. The room with the firetruck and more on the walls was empty when we visited, so Mac and Bubby enjoyed some free roaming and dancing in the festive space.

• The KYDS Radio room where kids can record their own voices on an Adventures in Odyssey episode and take home the complimentary CD.

Interested in visiting the Play Area at Focus on the Family? Find details here:

Focus on the Family Welcome Center • 8685 Explorer Dr., Colorado Springs, CO 80920

Today's question:

What fun do you have planned for the weekend?

Sports and my efforts to be a fan

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Sharing a love for sports, watching a game (or round or match or any other term for an organized competetion) together seems to be the ultimate bonding experience.

I'm a loser when it comes to such a bonding experience, for I really stink at watching sports. I try. But something always grabs my attention far more easily than the action on the field or court or whatever.

I wanted to be a football fan. I even bought a Tebow jersey last season when Tim Tebow seemed to be the savior of the Broncos (of course, real fans would have plenty to say about that statement). I did enthusiastically watch the televised games in which Tebow played. But I must admit that more so than his throwing game—or lack thereof—I continually found myself entranced by that yellow line that magically appeared on the field to show where the ball is...or should go for there to be a first down...or something like that. I marveled again and again, much to the chagrin of Jim and Brianna who really did want to watch the game not bond with my babbling self, about the money surely made by the guy who came up with that magical line on the field, the marking that's not really on the field but visible only to those watching from home. Forget post-game interviews with game MVPs and winners and losers—I want to hear from the genius that invented that line.

Basketball distractions are similar. Sort of. It's not really anything magical or technical that distracts me when watching the tall and tattooed (and, honestly, rather thug like) players dart from end to end, passing and shooting, though. It's the squeaking that distracts me. Yes, squeaking. That incessant squeaking of their darn athletic shoes catching on the shiny court floor. Makes. Me. Nuts. So nuts, in fact, that I can't concentrate. So nuts that I usually won't watch. If I end up with no choice but to watch, I'm not really watching, I'm thinking about those squeaks and shoes. Or thinking about something completely different as I try to not think about those <cuss> squeaks.

Thinking about something totally different is typically my default game while watching baseball, too. I try, I really do try to keep up with an inning, from beginning to end. But I can't. I'll watch one hit, maybe two. Or possibly a few strikes or balls or whatever else takes place. But then I realize everyone around me is cheering—or booing—and I have no idea why. Because I'm lost. Not by way of misunderstanding the game, but by simply being lost in thought about something monumental and important. Like how much it might cost for the advertising signs lining the ballpark fence. Or how hot the mascot might be in his or her costume. Or how often birds must duck and dodge foul balls.

I'm just not meant to be a sports fan, I think.

Jim, on the other hand—like most normal folks—seems to manage just fine, despite not being one of those heavy hitter widow makers who watches any and all sports on television, season in and season out. Yet his first question to Brianna about a guy she recently went on a date with was, "What kind of sports does he like?" Which, of course, created a moment of bonding between Jim and Brianna.

Sports are undoubtedly important to men. And many women, too. My longtime friend Debbie is a top-notch Rockies and Broncos fan, rivaled in her dedication to the orange and blue of the Broncos only by my diehard, forever fan Carol. Most of my sisters? Football fans. Brianna and Andrea? Well, they're fans of most sports, too.

Fortunately my middle daughter, Megan, is much like me when it comes to sports. At least baseball. Which was quite fortunate the evening my entire family spent at a Sky Sox game (that's the local AA team, for those readers as unsporty as I am). Megan and I chatted, roamed the place with Mac and Bubby. As others bonded while watching the game, Megan and I bonded while not watching the game...but still at the game, giving the illusion we were just as much sports-bonding fans as the next guy. Or gal.

While at the stadium, Mac made it abundantly clear he's more like his grandma and his mom in his inability to concentrate on the game, as he required lots of distraction by lots of different family members. Of course, he just recently turned one, so what else might we expect. Odds are it won't be long before Mac's right there in the thick of spectating along with all the other sporty folk with whom I can't quite relate.

Odds are even higher, though, that Mac won't be one of those watching sports but will be one of those out on the field playing, especially considering his early prowess at ball play.

I look forward to such games. They may be just the ticket to making me a fan, as I have no doubt I'll be fully engaged in watching Mac—or Bubby or any other grandchild in the future—from the first whistle to the last.

I may not be a sports fan, but I'm definitely a fan of my grandchildren—even if they choose to be one of those squeaky kids on the basketball court.

Today's question:

What organized sports to your grandkids and/or kids play?

Yesterday at Gramma's: Morning adventure

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When you're just 1 and 4, adventure can often be found simply by walking out Gramma's front door.

Full disclosure: This photo is actually from Tuesday, not yesterday, as yesterday was punctuated with warnings to stay indoors to avoid breathing smoke and ash from the wildfire.

Today's fill-in-the-blank:

I most recently found adventure ________________.

Yesterday at Gramma's: Beating the heat

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Our plan for the day was a picnic at America the Beautiful Park, with time for splashing in the pools. Unfortunately, high temps and smoke from the wildfire spurred us to devise a Plan B—an afternoon at iT'Z Family Food & Fun.

Maybe not so unfortunate after all.

Note: While my grandsons are in town, posts will be short on text and long on photos, with the exception of Monday's GRAND Social linky and Wednesday's Grilled Grandma, which will be featured as always.

Today's question:

What's your favorite way to beat the heat with kids?