The CU Wizards program is an ongoing science discovery program presented free by CU professors on a variety of topics. The presentations are geared towards kids in grades 5 to 9, but everyone is welcome! These are fun, interactive, intense, silly, engaging presentations so take a look!
The next CU Wizards program is March 14, 2015: Waves & Radios: The Physics of the Information Age
Lions, Bobcats, Lynx, oh my! Natural Selections is the educational arm of Boulder’s Open Space and Mountain Parks that offers hikes and activities to get the whole family outdoors and learning about our natural environment. They offer events for families at least once a month, year around – even in the snow! These events are fun, educational, entertaining, engaging, and all about the natural environment all around us.
Upcoming Hikes for Families:
Some of these hikes require registration, so check in before hand. You can get on their email list to get advance notice of upcoming events:
https://bouldercolorado.gov/osmp/nature-hikes
Thanks to Boulder’s Open Space and Mountain Parks for engaging Boulder kids in nature!
#Getoutdoors
“There is a great hotel in San Jose!”, was my son’s response to our friend’s request for suggestions of what to do in Costa Rica.
For almost three weeks we traveled throughout Nicaragua and Costa Rica – all eight of us – two families traveling together. We intended to have an adventure so we spent our days on volcanoes, zipping through the jungle canopy of Costa Rica, surfing in San Juan del Sur, hiking through the heat and humidity of a remote volcanic island, and riding horses. It was all adventure, but not all of it as positive as others; during the course of the trip the kids’ backpacks had been stollen and the kids managed to puke all over at least two hotels. It was an amazing [multi] family adventure! It really was. Honest.
San Jose Marriott
When I think back on our trip I remember watching the sun set on the Pacific Ocean while drinking smoothies along the coast in Nicaragua, my husband remembers “Tyler’s Place” where we stayed to surf and explore Nicaragua. BUT if you ask my kids they will tell you that there is a great Marriott in San Jose!
They did just that the other day. We have friends who scored last minute United Airlines mileage tickets to Costa Rica and knowing we had been there, asked for recommendations. I offered up mine in a detailed email. In the soccer carpool this friend asked my son this question and he offered what was most vivid in his mind – The Costa Rica Marriott Hotel in San Jose. This friend sent me an email to confirm this was his response. We both laughed. Then I started thinking about how it could possibly be that my son’s best memory of our extended family trip was of a hotel?
The white sheets!
Until the other day I hadn’t thought about the moment when we got to San Jose, after a long drive and our stollen backpack fiasco, for a long time. It reminded me that you cannot always predict what memories will be indelibly etched in your children’s minds. What will make the biggest impact. You just never know! In this case I believe it was the contrast of the relatively rustic way we traveled for close to three weeks, the stollen backpacks, being sick, then the safety of this simply luxurious hotel.
When we walked into the hotel it felt cloistered. It felt safe. It felt welcoming. The sheets were so white. The beds so tall. The restaurant had the most amazing buffet any of us had ever seen. They prepared anything the kids requested. My kids noticed ALL these details. All of them. We had not left Costa Rica but the Marriott made us feel like we had been swept up into the best of all worlds – local culture and amenities galore. This experience is indelibly woven into the fabric of my children’s beings. They may forget the other amazing things we did on our trip, but they will not forget this simple luxury.
Free Days – Explore somewhere new with your family! Don’t spend a fortune and get all the benefits of the great cultural things the Denver/Boulder Metro Area has to offer!
There was recently a question about finding Free Days. Free Days are great! They are specific days when some of the best museums around town are free. This means you can stay as long as you like without feeling like you just dumped down a lot of money. It increases the fun!
Upcoming Free Days:
There are lots of Free Days throughout the year. Let them inspire you to explore somewhere new or a new corner of someplace you already know. Consider planning a picnic lunch if it’s a nice day. Or stop by Downtown Denver and take a ride on the 16th Street Mall Shuttle just for the fun of it!
SCFD Free Days include awesome locations such as:
Want to plan a trip or just see what Free Days are coming up? Check out the SCFD Free Days Calendar for all the 2015 Free Days.
#getoutside #freedays #free #Denver #Boulder
Open Enrollment. These two words bring strong emotions to the parents of Boulder. For some who chose to enroll their kids in their neighborhood school, open enrollment in the Boulder Valley School District [BVSD] is not a big deal. Phew! For the 40% of us who do open enroll our children it can be stressful.
So what is open enrollment in BVSD? Any child can go to any school based on availability by entering their child into the lottery system called, Open Enrollment. All families in BVSD can look at all schools to see which one seems to meet their child[ren]’s needs best. There are many choices [charter schools, focus schools, and neighborhood schools] and each has it’s benefits and drawbacks. But ultimately many Boulderites choose to open enroll their children in an attempt to try and find the best fit. For more details on open enrollment click here.
December 1, 2014 through January 16, 2015
All BVSD schools offer school tours during the open enrollment process. To tour a school you need to go during their scheduled school tours. To find open enrollment school tours dates/times – BVSD Open Enrollment Tours
Neighborhood Schools: These are the schools that are designated for your neighborhood. Your child can always get into these schools if you live within the boundaries. You DO NOT need to open enroll to these schools if you are in the neighborhood, but you CAN if you want your child to go to the school, but you are NOT in the designated boundary.
Focus/Charter Schools: These are open enrollment schools that serve ALL of BVSD. There are NO designated neighborhood boundaries for Focus and Charter schools. You MUST open enroll to these schools.
To help you visualize the open enrollment process here is the BVDS open enrollment flow chart [the one they have up is from last year, so the dates are incorrect, but the content is good otherwise]:
For Boulder Families with younger children there are a few schools that have open enrollment options for preschool, such as Community Montessori. For these schools, open enrolling at preschool age is the best way to secure a slot for your child. So even if your child is too young for elementary schools, taking a look at the open enrollment process can be really helpful. Likewise, the award winning Peak to Peak Charter School has open enrollment policies that favor those who have applied many times. They are all a bit different, so it is best to do your research!
Open enrollment happens for a limited time. You MUST apply to open enroll your child between December 1, 2013 and January 16, 2014 to get into the lottery. To get an open enrollment application head to the BVSD website. Good luck to everyone open enrolling a child this year!
There was recently a question about finding Free Days. Free Days are great! They are specific days when some of the best museums around town are free. This means you can stay as long as you like without feeling like you just dumped down a lot of money. It increases the fun!
A lot of these Free Days are in and around Denver. Consider planning a picnic lunch if it’s a nice day. Or stop by Downtown Denver and take a ride on the 16th Street Mall Shuttle just for the fun of it!
SCFD Free Days include awesome locations such as:
November Free Days
December Free Days
Want to plan a trip or just see what Free Days are coming up? Check out the SCFD Free Days Calendar
#getoutside #freedays #free
If you have a 5th or 6th grader it is time to start thinking about getting them their Free/Cheap Ski/Snowboard 
passes. The way it works is that there are two different programs: School of Shred & Colorado Ski Country USA. They both offer 5th graders free skiing, but at different locations, so you want to get both! They offer 6th graders cheap or free skiing depending on the program. More details below.
5th Graders: You get 4 days of free skiing at all Colorado Vail Resorts: Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge, Keystone and A-Basin [School of Shred]. In addition you get 3 days of free skiing at 20 other Colorado ski resorts including Aspen, Buttermilk, Steamboat, Copper Mountain, Winter Park, and many more [Colorado Ski Country USA]. And you also get one free ski/snowboard lesson and equipment rental through both programs – so essentially you could take 2 free lessons with rental gear if you are new to skiing or snowboardng. They really want you to get good!
6th Graders: You can purchase a pass for 4 days at all 20 Ski Country USA resorts for $99 [these are the smaller resorts]. This is a screaming good deal! School of Shred on the other hand is offering the same deal for 6th graders as they did for 5th graders–4 free days of skiing at their resorts.
It is time to get your child[ren] registered! Don’t forget to register for both programs – especially if you have a 5th grader!
School of Shred Passport – Sign Up
Colorado Ski Country USA Passport – Sign Up
Have fun skiing/snowboarding!
In case you haven’t noticed there is a new grocery biz in town – Instacart. This new service delivers groceries to you within a few hours – so when you are running around trying to juggle it all – school pick up, soccer practice, getting dinner on the table, getting in some exercise – this service could actually be a lifesaver! And they deliver from Whole Foods, Costco & King Soopers!
I must disclose that Instacart got ahold of me to try their new delivery service and write about my experience. But I am always honest about reviews and give an honest assessment of the products or services! In the same vein as Uber who revolutionized that art of hailing a cab, Instacart is working on revolutionizing how we shop. They are not game changers they are simply improving on a product that was available in the past [but not at Whole Foods and Costco].
Details of Instacart:
They asked me and I gladly Instacarted. This was within the first few days of their Boulder launch. Here is how it rolled out – I used my computer. The website was easy to use. It did not include all products but it had enough. I purchased about $30 of groceries at Whole Foods. So far so good! Then I got a message that there were a few items unavailable – did I want them to replace those items with like items or remove from my order? Good question. I was glad I was only working in my house and not on a run since I had to think about that one. Then they texted saying they would be a bit later than promised – not big deal as this was one of their first days and I was in no rush. Just happy not to be going to the store for those last minute groceries. The shopper showed up on my door step with all my groceries in a very cute Instacart bag. It felt so indulgent I almost had to pinch myself!
I give Instacart a B+. I would certainly try them again! I would always purchase the minimum to avoid the delivery fees. Want to give them a try? They gave me a code so readers can try their service and get $10 off your first purchase.
Get $10 Off Your First Order @ Instacart – http://inst.cr/t/kRFDz7
What do you think about using Instacart? Will you use them? If you tried them, will you use them again?
Calling foodie kids and families! Who said there is no such thing as a free lunch? Here is how you can get even – take your kids out for a free meal in Boulder! My families favorites include – Wahoo’s and Under the Sun Eatery & Taphouse. Which of these great deals does your family enjoy most?
Don’t forget to always call ahead to make sure these restaurants are still offering their Kids Eat Free deals as they are subject to change at any time.
My oldest son has a goal to ski every month this year. Good goal for a ski obsessed kid! [See this 12 year old’s ski video] So this weekend my husband took him to St. Mary’s Glacier to get in his August skiing. It turns out skiing has become a great opportunity for father-son bonding. It’s also great overall family bonding, but this was of the father-son genre. The take home for our family – It’s the Process that Matter Most, Not the End Result!
The process is so much more than making the turns – but it includes the turns! The process is talking about open ended questions on the way up the mountain to the destination. The process is getting on the pack and loading it up with boots and skis and gear and stuff, then putting said pack on this 12 year olds back and hiking up about a mile to get a few turns. A mile up hill. A mile to find just enough snow to make those necessary turns that he committed to earlier this year.
Sometimes the skiing happens at #Vail or #Breckenridge or #CopperMountain, but in the summer it has happened by earning his turns. I’ve got to believe this process helps create grit in my son! Grit that will help him in get through the tough parts in his life. Grit that he will call upon when he needs to hike that last mile or finish that tough homework assignment. There is nothing as important as having grit, so when Kai tells me about his experience and how it was tough but he did it, I take a deep breath that fills me up inside. I know the process and these experiences will fill him up in the end.
Take Homes from this Adventure:
Interested in what a 12 year old can do skiing? Check out this video Kai made of his skiing!