Make a joyful noise

June 7, 2010 By bigbinder 2 Comments

As part of my “Summer In The City” series, I wanted to highlight some more activites you can do with your kids for very little, if any, money. We have a ton of opportunities to see live music in a casual, outdoor setting. 

Pack a picnic, bring a blanket, and grab the bug spray. Jazz, blues, doo-wop, or rock – we’re jammin’!

Updated June 11th:  **Don’t forget to check out the Coopersville Concerts in the Park, Tuesday nights at 7:00 PM. Bring a blanket/chair, picnic basket, the folks, and the kids for a fun evening in Coopersville’s Veteran’s Park, 254 W. Randall Street, Coopersville.  Looks like some darn fine pickin’ is going to happen!

June 14 6:30-8:30PM Jazz at the Zoo John Ball Park Band Shell, 1300 W. Fulton St., Grand Rapids. Bring a blanket or chair. Free Admission. Donations accepted.

June 15 7:00 PM Summer Concert Series, John Collins Park, 650 Lakeside Dr. SE, East Grand Rapids. Bring a chair or blanket. Free Admission. 940-4800 ext. 300, 949-1750.

June 17  7:00-9:00PM Lowell Sizzlin’ Summer Concert. Bronk Bros Band. Live music along the Flat River at the Riverwalk Plaza in downtown Lowell. Bleacher seating available or bring a blanket or chair. Free Admission and parking. 897-8545, 897-9161.

June 21 6:30-8:30PM Jazz at the Zoo John Ball Park Band Shell, 1300 W. Fulton St., Grand Rapids. Bring a blanket or chair. Free Admission. Donations accepted.

June 24 7:00-9:00PM Lowell Sizzlin’ Summer Concert.  Kathy Lamar & the Bob Van Stee Trio. Live music along the Flat River at the Riverwalk Plaza in downtown Lowell. Bleacher seating available or bring a blanket or chair. Free Admission and parking. 897-8545, 897-9161.

June 28 6:30-8:30PM Jazz at the Zoo John Ball Park Band Shell, 1300 W. Fulton St., Grand Rapids. Bring a blanket or chair. Free Admission. Donations accepted.

June 29 7:00 PM Summer Concert Series, John Collins Park, 650 Lakeside Dr. SE, East Grand Rapids. Bring a chair or blanket. Free Admission. 940-4800 ext. 300, 949-1750.

June 29 Music on the Lawn~Tony Reynolds, Averill Historical Museum, 7144 Headley St., Ada. Bring a lawn chair or blanket. Free Admission. Donations accepted. 676-9346.

July 1 Lowell Sizzlin’ Summer Concert.  Boogie Woogie Babies. Live music along the Flat River at the Riverwalk Plaza in downtown Lowell. Bleacher seating available or bring a blanket or chair. Free Admission and parking. 897-8545, 897-9161.

July 5 6:30-8:30PM Jazz at the Zoo John Ball Park Band Shell, 1300 W. Fulton St., Grand Rapids. Bring a blanket or chair. Free Admission. Donations accepted.

July 6 7:00PM Music on the Lawn~Tiki O’Riley, Averill Historical Museum, 7144 Headley St., Ada. Bring a lawn chair or blanket. Free Admission. Donations accepted. 676-9346.

July 8 Lowell Sizzlin’ Summer Concert.  Madcat, Kane & Maxwell Street.  Live music along the Flat River at the Riverwalk Plaza in downtown Lowell. Bleacher seating available or bring a blanket or chair. Free Admission and parking. 897-8545, 897-9161.

July 12 6:30-8:30PM Jazz at the Zoo John Ball Park Band Shell, 1300 W. Fulton St., Grand Rapids. Bring a blanket or chair. Free Admission. Donations accepted.

July 13 7:00 PM Summer Concert Series, John Collins Park, 650 Lakeside Dr. SE, East Grand Rapids. Bring a chair or blanket. Free Admission. 940-4800 ext. 300, 949-1750.

July 15 Lowell Sizzlin’ Summer Concert. Alive & Well. Live music along the Flat River at the Riverwalk Plaza in downtown Lowell. Bleacher seating available or bring a blanket or chair. Free Admission and parking. 897-8545, 897-9161.

July 19 6:30-8:30PM Jazz at the Zoo John Ball Park Band Shell, 1300 W. Fulton St., Grand Rapids. Bring a blanket or chair. Free Admission. Donations accepted.

July 20 7:00PM Music on the Lawn. Voices of Freedom, Averill Historical Museum, 7144 Headley St., Ada. Bring a lawn chair or blanket. Free Admission. Donations accepted. 676-9346.

July 22 Lowell Sizzlin’ Summer Concert. River City Jazz Ensemble. Live music along the Flat River at the Riverwalk Plaza in downtown Lowell. Bleacher seating available or bring a blanket or chair. Free Admission and parking. 897-8545, 897-9161.

July 26 6:30-8:30PM Jazz at the Zoo John Ball Park Band Shell, 1300 W. Fulton St., Grand Rapids. Bring a blanket or chair. Free Admission. Donations accepted.

July 27 7:00 PM Summer Concert Series, John Collins Park, 650 Lakeside Dr. SE, East Grand Rapids. Bring a chair or blanket. Free Admission. 940-4800 ext. 300, 949-1750.

July 29 7:00-9:00PM Lowell Sizzlin’ Summer Concert. The Lynn Thompson Band. Live music along the Flat River at the Riverwalk Plaza in downtown Lowell. Bleacher seating available or bring a blanket or chair. Free Admission and parking. 897-8545, 897-9161.

July 30 7:00PM Music on the Lawn. The Nowhere Band, Averill Historical Museum, 7144 Headley St., Ada. Bring a lawn chair or blanket. Free Admission. Donations accepted. 676-9346.

August 2 6:30-8:30PM Jazz at the Zoo John Ball Park Band Shell, 1300 W. Fulton St., Grand Rapids. Bring a blanket or chair. Free Admission. Donations accepted.

August 3 7:00PM Music on the Lawn. Red Tailights, Averill Historical Museum, 7144 Headley St., Ada. Bring a lawn chair or blanket. Free Admission. Donations accepted. 676-9346.

August 5 7:00-9:00PM Lowell Sizzlin’ Summer Concert. The Eyde Evans Hyde. Live music along the Flat River at the Riverwalk Plaza in downtown Lowell. Bleacher seating available or bring a blanket or chair. Free Admission and parking. 897-8545, 897-9161.

August 9 6:30-8:30PM Jazz at the Zoo John Ball Park Band Shell, 1300 W. Fulton St., Grand Rapids. Bring a blanket or chair. Free Admission. Donations accepted.

August 10 7:00 PM Summer Concert Series, John Collins Park, 650 Lakeside Dr. SE, East Grand Rapids. Bring a chair or blanket. Free Admission. 940-4800 ext. 300, 949-1750.

August 10:00PM Music on the Lawn. Adams Family Band, Averill Historical Museum, 7144 Headley St., Ada. Bring a lawn chair or blanket. Free Admission. Donations accepted. 676-9346.

August 16 6:30-8:30PM Jazz at the Zoo John Ball Park Band Shell, 1300 W. Fulton St., Grand Rapids. Bring a blanket or chair. Free Admission. Donations accepted.

August 17 PM Music on the Lawn. Crossroads Country Band, Averill Historical Museum, 7144 Headley St., Ada. Bring a lawn chair or blanket. Free Admission. Donations accepted. 676-9346

August 19 7:00-9:00PM Lowell Sizzlin’ Summer Concert. Dewsouth. Live music along the Flat River at the Riverwalk Plaza in downtown Lowell. Bleacher seating available or bring a blanket or chair. Free Admission and parking. 897-8545, 897-9161.

August 23 6:30-8:30PM Jazz at the Zoo John Ball Park Band Shell, 1300 W. Fulton St., Grand Rapids. Bring a blanket or chair. Free Admission. Donations accepted.

August 26 7:00-9:00PM Lowell Sizzlin’ Summer Concert. Argentucky Blues Band. Live music along the Flat River at the Riverwalk Plaza in downtown Lowell. Bleacher seating available or bring a blanket or chair. Free Admission and parking. 897-8545, 897-9161.

*******************

There are some other live-music events, but you’ll have to take a look at them and see if you feel like they are family events, or more just for grown ups. For the record – we take our kids sometimes, but I know some people aren’t comfortable taking their kids where alcohol is available.

Blues on the Mall starts this Wednesday. I love love love Blues on the Mall, it brings out every last bit of weirdness Grand Rapids has to offer and the crowd watching is excellent. The music is fantastic, and the setting is perfect.

Celadon at New Town has a summer concert series. I don’t know much about this; but Grand Rapids Tightwad mentioned it, so I’ll pass it along for anyone who wants to check it out.

Another one Grand Rapids Tightwad mentioned was GRAM on the Green, music at the Grand Rapids Art Museum.

 

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Free Bike Helmets!

June 4, 2010 By bigbinder Leave a Comment

OK this is too exciting. I have to squeeze one more post in! I just told you about the Put A Lid On It Program, and it has expanded. The Griffins are going to give bike helmets away at various libraries; and I’m just going to cut and paste their press release in the interest of time.

A.P. has a friend over, and in the course of half an hour they have 1) located the shovel and put dirt all over the slide 2) peed in the yard and 3) removed almost all of their clothes. Meanwhile, the neighbor boy wandered down the street, would not come back with me, so I had to run over and alert his grandma to have her go get him.

I have to keep an eye on these boys.

I know a lot of you love the Grand Cycling Classic (the one that used to be the Priority Health Classic, then changed sponsors and dates) – I am still waiting for online registration to open up because it’s in July this year.  I have a link on my Active Kids page. Enjoy!

*********************************************************

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – One hundred local children will receive a new bike helmet at no cost when the Grand Rapids Griffins and Safe Kids Greater Grand Rapids host the third annual “Lids at the Library.”

The event will take place on two separate days at branches of the Grand Rapids Public Library and the Kent District Library. KDL’s Wyoming Branch (3350 Michael Ave. SW) will be the site on Tuesday, June 15 at 1 p.m., while GRPL’s West Side Branch (713 Bridge St. NW) will host the event on Thursday, June 17 at 1 p.m.

Volunteers from Safe Kids and the Griffins will be on hand to properly fit these free helmets for the first 50 kids at each location. Helmets for kids ages 1-12 will be distributed (subject to availability), and a parent or legal guardian must be present for a child to receive a helmet. A Griffins mascot will entertain patrons and a variety of information from the Griffins and Safe Kids will be available for pickup.

“Lids at the Library” represents the start of the seventh summer of the Griffins’ award-winning “Put A Lid On It!” (PALOI) helmet safety program, which is presented by Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital. Since the program’s founding in 2004, the Griffins have worked with dozens of local organizations – including Safe Kids, police departments, pediatricians, schools, libraries, bike shops and sporting goods stores – to encourage helmet usage during wheeled sports, prevent head injuries, and reward kids who wear their helmets.

PALOI, which earned the Brain Injury Association of Michigan’s 2007 prevention award, targets elementary and middle school students in a seven-county region of West Michigan. Children age 17 or younger who visit griffinshockey.com with parental permission and sign a pledge to always wear their helmet will be rewarded with a voucher for two free tickets to a 2010-11 Griffins game, and they’ll be registered for a drawing to win a new bike.

Ever-present at local bike races throughout the summer, PALOI will co-sponsor the kids race at the Grand Cycling Classic for the second straight year, providing helmets to the first 150 kids who register for the July 10 event.

Information for parents, including tips for choosing a helmet and getting children to wear it, is available at griffinshockey.com. For more information about the program, call (616) 774-4585 ext. 3046.

The “Put A Lid On It!” program is supported by Centennial Securities, Comcast, Dean Foods and Delta Subaru.

2010 PALOI Event Schedule

June 15 – Lids at the Library – KDL Wyoming Branch (1 p.m.)*

June 17 – Lids at the Library – GRPL West Side Branch (1 p.m.)*

June 18 – Bike Rodeo at Glen Valley Dentistry in Caledonia (10 a.m.-1 p.m.)

June 19 – Bike Rodeo at Walker Ice Arena (8:30-11 a.m.)

July 3 – Kentwood Fourth of July Parade (9:30 a.m.)

July 4 – East Grand Rapids Fourth of July Parade

July 10 – Grand Cycling Classic*

Aug. 3 – National Night Out

Aug. 7 – U.S. Coast Guard Festival Grand Parade in Grand Haven (11:45 a.m.)

Aug. 7 – Ada Criterium

Aug. 22 – Gaslight Criterium in East Grand Rapids

All events subject to change

* Helmet distribution event

PALOI By the Numbers

10 – West Michigan police and sheriff’s departments that participate in our ticket voucher reward program.

18 – Michigan counties with kids who’ve made a helmet pledge.

60 – Michigan cities with kids who’ve made a helmet pledge.

1,649 – Different kids who’ve made a helmet pledge through griffinshockey.com since 2004, including many who’ve done so on an annual basis.

9,500 – Free Griffins tickets awarded to kids through the voucher reward program since 2004.

$15,000 – Grants provided by the Griffins to local Safe Kids organizations for the purchase of more than 1,500 helmets that have been distributed free to needy kids since 2004.

PALOI560.jpg

 

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Fun City this weekend!

June 3, 2010 By bigbinder 11 Comments

Aaaah, Festival. Streets full of people and art and of course, that one crazy guy who carries around the giant picket sign and yells at everyone that the world is ending.  Little kids from local dance studios performing on the ‘big’ stage in front of a huge crowd absolutely thrilled because they’re famous.

Children soak up the art and don’t even realize it. They participate in the activities, but also swing on a tire swing which, by the way, is a di Suervo sculpture and stroll right under a bright, giant Calder. Tacos in a bag, lamb on a stick, and Bosnian meat pies. Halava, shrimp quesadillas…

This is my Grand Rapids. This is what I want people who don’t live here to see, and what I want people who do live here to notice. Festival brings it all together. That’s what I’m doing this weekend.

Well, that, and – moving Big Binder to it’s own website. Yep. I’ll be adding bells and whistles all weekend.  Check the Calendar, Active Kids and the Summer in the City now, because I don’t know if you’ll be able to access it for a couple of days. I have been updating the heck out of them, so there is new stuff there. Don’t worry, I’ll be back for sure on Monday. Enjoy your weekend!

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Then there was the time I fell off the treadmill..

June 3, 2010 By bigbinder 9 Comments

After finishing a 5K, I wasn’t sure where I was going to go with this whole running thing. I took a week off, and then started getting up early to run. I mean early – my husband leaves for work at 6:30 and I run so slow if I want to get any distance covered I have to leave the night before.  Just kidding. I leave at 5:15. That’s AM. It’s ridiculous.

I could have kept running on the treadmill at a decent hour, but about two weeks before the race I fell off. To be entirely accurate, I hopped off to adjust the fan to a more favorable position (blowing directly on me – I was hot), and for reasons I still can’t understand, absent-mindedly tried to step back on the treadmill while it was, uh, milling.

It shot me off the back and in the process gouged my shins and knees. I had super ugly scabs and still have the ”Something happened here. Something bad” look going on both knees.  And that was two months ago.  I get nervous when I hop on a treadmill now.  I think it’s the fear of the stupid thing I will do next, maybe stop to bend over and tie my shoes? 

So outside is the way to go. My dog has a little pack to carry her waste disposal bags and my phone (it has compartments…) and away we go. It’s fun. It’s peaceful. I feel AWESOME when I’m done. I felt like I owned this little three mile section of Grand Rapids. 

That was, until I hurt my shoulder. Running. It takes a special gift to hurt your shoulder running, so let me share it with you.

First, you don’t look at the ground. You look all around, at the pretty flowers that are blooming, the recycling bins  people forgot to take in, the rabbit that just saw your dog and is bolting away. Also, make sure you are running downhill, otherwise this won’t work as well. Next you’ll want to trip over a little bump up in the sidewalk, but make sure you dog isn’t aware of it. It’s only this way that you will be able to have your arm fully extended when you fall.  This is the crucial piece for ensuring shoulder injury, but downhill effect maximizes the amount of gravel that gets into your hands. And your knees. Oh, your knees.

I lost a little steam after that. I mean not that day, but in general. I’ve been out a few times since then, but I started cheating on running.  Doing classes at the gym. Zumba, even. I love to dance and have the temptation to quit running altogether and adjust my career goals to being a Fly Girl on the off-chance that In Living Color makes a comeback.

But I can’t. Just like running that stupid 5K, I had to do it. 

So I am running a 10K. It’s not until October, but given my propensity for ridiculous injury and extremely slow speed, I need to start now.  I would describe my relationship with running as the ultimate love/hate one. I feel like I need to kick it’s ass but in the process, it kicks mine. Did you notice? The only time I use swear words on Big Binder is when I’m talking about running. It’s a determination and an energy that feels like a competition; but I’m only competing with myself. And I love it.

For more Things I Love Thursday, check out the Diaper Diaries.

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Goin' Fishin'

June 1, 2010 By bigbinder 3 Comments

works for me wednesday at we are that family

My brother and I are the same age. Actually, he is about six weeks older than I am. We are not freak-of-nature twins, in fact, we don’t look anything alike. That’s because he is adopted.  I don’t see him very often, because he moved away right after high school to become a fishing guide in Alaska.

When I do see him, Maybelle is scared of him. He looks like a fishing guide in Alaska, if fishing guides in Alaska were half Cambodian, very tall, and with long hair.  He sort of has this mountain-man presence. And he is all fishing, all the time.

He has always been that way. He actually skipped school to go fishing when he was little. Once, he fell down a bank, cut his head open bad, and didn’t come home because “the fish were biting. There were always ‘spawn bags’ (so gross) in the freezer growing up, and I watched more Carp get carved up and become egg donors to bait other fish than any one person probably should.

Maybe it’s because he survived by fishing in Viet Nam before coming over on the U.S. to be adopted, or maybe it’s just in his blood. Even if my kids aren’t biologically related to him, I still believe in a sense of destiny with this. A.P. loves to eat fish as much as his Uncle Kyle loves to catch them, and I think it’s time to take him fishing.

Maybelle doesn’t like to eat fish, but I still think she will enjoy fishing.  I hope having this in common with my brother will make her less afraid of him. I don’t even know where to begin with this, so I’ve been poking around a little to figure out just how to cultivate our new hobby.

  • I found a website called “Fishy Kid” with advice and suggestions about taking kids fishing  There is even a contest, which I think is awesome because I can’t wait to take a picture of Maybelle with a little bluegill she caught.
  • June 12 and 13 are part of the Free Fishing Weekend in Michigan. Check out the Calendar for more information, or with your state’s Department of Natural Resources because this is going on in many states.
  • In Grand Rapids, June 16, 23, 20 and July 7 are Free Fishing Days at Versluis Lake. Check out the Calendar for details. 
  • On June 29 kids can practice bating hooks and casting in Ada Park. Details are on the Calendar.
  • If there is a day we can’t fish, we can always check out the Fish Ladder downtown.
  • And because I can’t let a chance to create a theme get past me, I found this website, complete with online fishing games, and I’m certain some gummy fish/jello creations are in our near future.

Go check out We Are THAT Family for more things to do when your kids say, “Mom – I’m bored!”

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Top 10 Things About Strawberries

May 31, 2010 By bigbinder 15 Comments

top-ten-tuesday.jpgStrawberries are almost here! I know this, because I obsessively check the farm’s website starting around Easter, and the latest harvest estimate is June 12. Since I have strawberries on the brain, let me share some information you’ll be glad you don’t have to live another day without.

  1. Earlier is better.  The first crop is the sweetest. I don’t know why, that’s what the lady at the Strawberry Farm told me. Perhaps it is a marketing technique, (“buy early! buy often!”) but I am not messing with it.
  2. I really want to try this recipe for Fresh Strawberry Limeade Slush from Amy’s Finer Things.  It looks like something you’d find on a cruise ship.
  3. There are over 200 seeds on every strawberry.
  4. Apparently, they are not a berry after all.  They are a fruit.
  5. This is an absolutely amazing resource about where to find a strawberry (or any berry. or fruit. or whatever) farm near you.
  6. I know Megan in real life, and sincerely hope she finds an occasion to make this Strawberry Cake where I will be in attendance.
  7. You can dip strawberries in all kinds of things; not just chocolate. For the record, I am not against dipping them in chocolate. Not at all.
  8. I try to have the best of both worlds with this picking-from-the-field stuff.  I let my kids pick a few quarts, but order up a couple of flats already picked too.  I would grow old and die right there in the field before my kids got enough berries for me.
  9. I still have a few quarts of strawberries in the freezer from last year. Oops. I just didn’t want to run out. Way to live on the edge.
  10. I also make jam, and can it. It’s crazy good. Four cups of sugar will do that to anything, though.

For more Top Ten Tuesday, check out OhAmanda!

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You have a baby! In a BASKET!

May 31, 2010 By bigbinder 1 Comment

This has nothing to do with Moses, although I can understand why you would thing that from the title. No, it’s about making your kids wear bike helmets. You have to do it. You have to. Every time. Even short rides can pose danger, but mostly it’s just easier to make them get used to it so there is no struggle. My husband has really been the driving force in our family for bike safety, but I am not without my own good reason for wanting to make sure those little heads are protected.

When I was not quite two, my parents borrowed my grandparents’ tandem bike.  The bike had a basket in the front which, apparently, was the perfect size for a not quite two year old girl.  Mom hopped on, Dad hopped on, I was in the basket, and away we went! A cute little family on a bike, tooling around the town of Warren, Michigan.  I picture lots of smiling, warm sunshine, and a nice breeze, although I really have no idea. Then:   WHAM. They hit a bump. I flew out of the basket and – this is the part that makes me laugh so hard I can’t talk - my parents ran over me.

My family gets mad at me when we talk about it because I go into hysterics and those who can remember insist that IT’S NOT FUNNY. No, no it’s not. It’s hilarious.

It was the 70′s.

But this is now, and it’s no longer OK to put babies in baskets. My husband wouldn’t even put our kids in the Burley until they were two, and even then it was with little toddler helmets that made them look like bobble-heads.  It’s OK though, because this is where what we need to do and what we want to do converge. You know we love us some Griffins Hockey around here. One of the reasons we can afford to see so many games is the Put A Lid On It program. 

If your child promises to wear a helmet EVERY TIME, the Grand Rapids Griffins will send them a voucher for two free tickets to use during the upcoming season.  It’s a great way to talk to your kids about bike safety, and a reassurance to ours at least that yes, hockey season will come back someday.

While you’re at it, hop over to the Active Kids page to see if there are any bike races your kids can participate in.  It’s being updated all the time, so check back as the summer goes on.

So to recap: no babies in baskets, make your kids wear helmets, and score some Griffins tickets. Good stuff, I tell you.

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Summer Reading Programs

May 26, 2010 By bigbinder 17 Comments

Have you seen the Vacation Bible School listing? It’s HUGE – and growing daily! Thank you so much for sending your church’s information in; we are going to have the holiest kids in the country. I’ve added a few races to Active Kids, too, and somehow managed to leave off the entire city of Grandville from the Parks & Rec  post. Oops. Sorry, G’ville. You’re on there now.

This next part in Big Binder’s “Summer In The City” series is probably my favorite. 

Probably schmobably. It straight up is my favorite.  I am wholly consumed with summer reading programs.  There are good reasons, too. There are a bunch of studies that say kids lose ground over the summer, and have to make up for lost time when the start school. But really, we are good about reading to or with our kids, and I know you are too. I mean, usually. Unless it’s kind of a bad day. Or sometimes a bad couple of days. But mostly; your kids would read or be read to without these programs. So why do we do it? Swag, baby.

Most of these programs don’t start for a few weeks, but you need time to develop your strategy.  First, make sure you get the reading logs or forms early so as to obtain maximum program completion prizes. For example, if reading 15 books = a coupon somewhere, start early so you can get lots of coupons. I mean, your child. So your child can get lots of coupons. Kids love coupons.

Second, have a centralized location for the logs and forms.  Big shocker, I have a folder next to the refrigerator for each kid. 

Third, put all the completion dates on your calendar.  You don’t want to miss turning in the forms after you have worked so hard filling them out. Reading is its own reward, yeah yeah, but still. Get the goodies.

Fourth, count any stories read to your children (if they are pre-readers) on the logs. Story time TOTALLY counts.  It doesn’t have to be books that you personally read to them.

Fifth, and this is the biggest time saver; each night write down the books on all the logs. You will never, ever remember and you will feel guilty if you just make it up later.  Since you have followed step two and put the forms in one place, just knock it all out at once.

Ok, ready? Not all of them are Grand Rapids exclusives. I’m nice like that.  If you are one of “The Others”, check your local library. In order of start date, the summer reading programs are:

  • May 3 to September 30: TD Bank Summer Reading Program. Yes, I know this isn’t a local bank. But I have a friend who goes to Lake George during the summer, and so I’m tossing it in for her. It pays to be friends with me. $10, as a matter of fact.
  • May 4 to August 26: Borders Double Dog Dare Reading Program – kids under 12 read 10 books, bring this form in (Waldenbooks is part of Borders too), and get a book for free. 
  • May 24 to August 30: VERY cool on-line summer reading program from No Time For Flash Cards; with weekly chances to win.
  • May 24 to “the end of August”: New York Times Student Challenge, something something, made my head hurt just reading the directions.
  • May 25 to September 7:  Barnes And Noble Summer Reading - kids from 1st to 6th grade read 8 books, bring this form in, and get a free book.
  • June 1 to July 31: Half Price Books Feed Your Brain Challenge. Kids get a $3 gift card each week when they read 15 minutes a day.   There isn’t even one of these stores in Michigan. But, maybe if you travel out of town you could cash in.
  • June 5 to August 21: Schuler Books Summer Reading Club. The clear directions and specific instructions of the program, along with cookies at Saturday storytime make this my personal favorite. Kids can earn up to 3 $5 gift certificates for reading an age-appropriate number of books.
  • June 14 to August 7: Kent District Library Summer Reading Program. Keep checking back; more to come.
  • June 14 to August 7: Grand Rapids Public Library Summer Reading Program. It sounds like the kids decide how much they want to read? That can’t be right. What I can tell you is that the swag-bag contains a t-shirt, Whitecaps, andGriffins tickets. SCORE!
  • June 14 to ? Pooh’s Corner bookstore. Keep checking back.
  • Baker Book House has an awesome program! For every five books kids read, they get an entry into a drawing. There are double points for certain books, and they get a 10% off coupon right off the bat.

I’ll update this post as the details become available, or as new places add the information. For now, get ready to rock the Summer Reading Programs. You know I love them.  For more Things I Love Thursday, go to The Diaper Diaries.

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Filed Under: Summer In The City, Things to do Thursday Tagged With:

Oh It's ON!

May 26, 2010 By bigbinder 1 Comment

Summer, I mean. And the air conditioning; for a few days anyway until some Canadian air mass blows in and cools things off.  I tell you what, being in Michigan is hard work. We are constantly assaulted, if it’s not Canadian air, it’s Asian Carp by way of Chicago.  Good thing we can still get together and celebrate our Michigan-ness.  Have you read the comments and posts (you have to click on that “McLinky” thing)? Wonderful stuff!

The kids and ended up making Michigan pancakes instead of cookies. 

And also, a lizard.

My husband is from Arizona, and since I don’t have an Arizona cookie cutter he made a lizard in that state’s honor.  He’s very fair-minded, that A.P.  Although, thinking back - how hard would it have been to free-hand the shape of Arizona?

Well, I’ll let a blogger from that state answer such pressing questions.  On to weekend fun.

It’s Memorial Day weekend, of course.  Here are my picks for where frugal, family-friendly, and interesting intersect:

  • May 31 11:00 AM and 1:30 PM Coopersville Rail Road Troop Train – Free for vets, everyone else over 2 years old is $7.50 (it’s usually $10.50).
  • Various parades around town as compiled by GR Now.
  • Farmers’ Markets are starting to pick up a bit; use this listing from the Greater Grand Rapids Food Systems Council  to find one near you.
  • If you have a Grand Rapid Children’s Museum or a Meijer Gardens membership, this is the last week for the cultural exchange between the two.  We went to the GRCM last week on a sunny afternoon and it turned out to be accidental genius.  No one else was there. 
  • It’s also the last week for the Big, Big, BUGS! exhibit at the Grand Rapids Public Museum. We liked the exhibit, but not the planetarium show.
  • Check out a Whitecaps Baseball game (but be sure and read my tips here first to see if you can save on tickets!).
  • Relax.  This is it before open houses, weddings, camps, and the hectic lives we lead in the summer making sure we enjoy every minute.

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