Your guide to activities and fun things to do with your preschoolers, toddlers and kids in austin, TX

Five Things About the Children's Museum

by Nicole Basham

July 28, 2009

Today is List Day here at Savvy Source, and for today's List I'll be offering up five things you hopefully don't already know about the Austin Children's Museum:

• They have a blog. There are some great instructional videos and ideas of things to do at home (homemade Shrinky Dinks!)
• The Museum admits families for free from 4-5pm on Sundays and accepts donations in lieu of admissions on Community Night Wednesdays from 5-8pm. If you are a member, you can bring four guests at a time and receive discounts on parking, at the museum store and at a list of local businesses.
• Afternoons are less crowded as are No Tour Tuesdays on the first Tuesday of every month when the museum is reserved for family visitors. Baby Bloomers is a special program on Mondays for children 3 and under which begins at 9:00am and finishes at noon.
• The current feature exhibit is Maker Kids, which provides visitors the opportunity to choose from over 20 activities to make. The exhibit ends on September 11, 2009.
• En mi Familia/In My Family is a permanent exhibit which has recently returned from a tour of seven other children's museums across the nation and examines family traditions and routines. The exhibit is housed in the area which used to be the Austin City Limits studio (thankfully, En mi Familia has a small music stage, since the ACL stage was a popular stop).

Beat the Heat and the Crowds at the Texas Memorial Museum

by Nicole Basham

July 13, 2009

If the thought of another day running after your preschooler/s drenched in sweat does not appeal to you, I wanted to introduce you to (or perhaps reminder you about) an indoor option: the Texas Memorial Museum.

Other than having AC, here are some reasons to visit:

Austin Landmarks, Courtesy of My Preschooler

by Nicole Basham

May 12, 2009

Isn't it funny what preschoolers will remember about a place? You take them someplace new, and they will remember the strangest and least expected details! Also, my son will rattle off names of parks, but he is still not able to recall actual names for many other places (although he's got Costco and Red Robin down!)

Since Tuesday is List Day here at Savvy Source, for today's List, here are my son's favorite Austin landmarks (in his own words):

The Gorilla - Featured on the home page of the Keep Austin Weird website, this statue just HAPPENS to be on the way to his grandparents' house in Clarksville. From time to time, the Gorilla is adorned in garb fitting of the season (there was even a run with a yellow jersey when Lance Armstrong was competing in the Tour de France).

The Museum - Located near "the big buildings" aka downtown, the Children's Museum was a regular stop for us, until we let our membership lapse and my husband stopped working downtown, so no possibilities for lunch afterwards. Although we have been to other museums, this is considered by him to be "the" museum.

The Bat Bridge - On Sundays, my husband and son (and sometimes I) run on Ladybird Lake, and our turnaround point is often the Ann Richards Bridge on Congress. As you probably know, underneath the bridge is the largest urban colony of Mexican free-tailed bats. Even during the morning, you can see and hear them. We have yet to try seeing them come out at night with my son, but we are planning to this summer.

The Dog Park - Also in Clarksville, West Austin Park has two great features: 1) a nice park for kids with a playscape, swings, kickball field and basketball court; and 2) a fenced in dog park. Our pup is not quite ready for Auditorium Shores, so this is a nice compromise when we want an outing for the entire family. There is even a tiny veggie garden I assume was set up by the neighborhood or the nearby elementary (Mathews).

Central Market North - This used to be called "restaurant park" when we had a repertoire of only a few places to go for dinner and playing. Now, we seem to go less often, but it's a nice standby. Now my son remembers to ask for a balloon at Customer Service and gleefully holds onto it for two minutes until he remembers again about the playground.

Pump It Up - This warehouse full of bouncy houses, slides, etc. has become a favorite for my son and one of his best buds. Hidden north of the intersection of Burnet & 183, it's is open Mondays and Thursdays for Pop In Playtime from 9:30-11 for $6.

What are your preschoolers' favorite Austin landmarks?





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Tick, Tock - What Time is It?

by Nicole Basham

February 17, 2009

Tuesday is List Day here at Savvy Source, and for today, my assignment is to suggest local landmarks to help your preschooler/s learn to tell time.

The most prominent clock tower in the city is the UT Tower - unfortunately, perhaps best known as the site of one of the country's first campus shooting sprees in 1966.  To make it a math and number-filed outing (and to avoid impossible parking scenarios), take the bus there.  The night before, print out a schedule, show your child/ren a map of your route, and discuss what time you need to be ready, out of the house, etc.  Get out the money you need to pay your fare and put it in a small purse or bag.  Loan your child an extra watch and bring a small pad and pencil to see whether the bus arrives and departs on time.

Although the Tower has been renovated and the Observation Deck is now open for tours, they do not start until March.  However, you can take a virtual tour when you return or before you go and bring our binoculars to see the clock itself.  You can then visit the Union for a snack or explore the Union Underground, which has bowling.  There is plenty of activity around the University and things to see around campus which could easily fill up a morning or afternoon.

If you have time to spare or want more clocks, towers, and exercise, another place to visit is the Buford Tower on Ladybird Lake.  This tower was used by firefighters for training from 1931 until 1978.  Now it rings on the hour and starting just this past holiday season, it plays Christmas carols.  You can combine a trip to the Buford Tower with a visit to the Austin Children's Museum's exhibit, All Systems Go, which also conveniently features a transportation them which is great to reinforce concepts of time (and if you are like me, "I just looked at my watch....it's time to go!  Honey, it's time for the museum to close!  It's time for lunch!")   Read more...

99 Things To Do With Your Little One in Austin Before Kindergarten

by Nicole Basham

January 27, 2009

As you may be noticing, Tuesday is List Day here at Savvy Source.  In keeping with the month's theme of Resolutions and Reflections, here are 99 Things To Do with Your Preschooler before Kindergarten (in no particular order): Hike to the top of Enchanted Rock Pick strawberries at Sweet Berry Farm Go to a UT game (try soccer, basketball, or baseball if you don't want to shell out the dough  Read more...

What Matters & What Doesn't to My Little Austinite

by Jonathon Morgan

January 06, 2009

This month's theme at Savvy Source is Resolutions and Reflections, and Tuesday is List Day. Today's list is about what really matters to preschoolers - and what doesn't. For a local spin, I've chosen to reflect on the Austin sights that my preschooler really digs (sometimes literally!) and what I've been surprised he hasn't taken to...at least not yet. Top 5 Austin Institutions My  Read more...

Skating and Singing and Lights...Oh My!

by Jonathon Morgan

December 04, 2008

My email is being flooded with all kinds of fun things to do with the little ones, so I thought I'd quickly list some of the events we're considering on our social calendar for the coming weekend. Have a wonderful weekend! Gingerbread House Workshops at the Austin Children's Museum downtown $28/$33 Member/Non-Member per gingerbread house (3 people per house; includes  Read more...

Three Days in and Around Austin: Day 1

by Nicole Basham

July 08, 2008

Welcome to Austin. If you were expecting someplace, well, a little more Texan, don't be surprised. This is a city that prides itself on being different -- in fact, the town's unofficial motto is "keep Austin weird." So while you're here, plan on having an experience that's unique -- both for you, and for the Lone Star State. First step is to get some food. Steer clear of big national chains  Read more...

Getting to know my city: 5 great ways to introduce a preschooler to local history or landmarks

by Nicole Basham

June 24, 2008

If you're like most Austinites, you're totally in love with living in Central Texas, and want to tell anyone who will listen what a fantastic place this is. On the other hand, if you're more of, say, a Dallas kind of person, you probably can't stand the annoying hippies, folk music/nudist/spam festivals, and all the locals' deliberate attempts to be "weird." Regardless, this is your toddler's  Read more...

Best birthday party venues

by Nicole Basham

June 03, 2008

Birthdays -- like any other gift-receiving or sugar-filled holiday -- are one of the few, major events on a childhood calendar . I'm fairly certain my daughter believes that the year is comprised of these four or five exceptionally awesome days with lots of frustrating and slow-moving space in between. However, while it'd certainly be understandable if you got swept up in the excitement (and  Read more...

Top 5 Things to do on a Rainy Day

by Nicole Basham

May 27, 2008

1. Radijazz : It's big, it's padded, and it's designed for children to run around like screaming lunatics without injuring themselves or driving anyone nuts. Hooray! My daughter begs me to take her every time she feels a rain drop. 2. Blanton Museum of Art : This is the complete opposite of Radijazz. No running, no screaming, and far fewer children. But it has a nice mix of  Read more...

History Lessons: Texas

by Nicole Basham

May 16, 2008

I'm not a native Texan. But after a few years of living in the Lone Star Republic , I can safely say that people here are serious about their state. Most adults took Texas history at least once in grade school, and nearly anyone worthy of wearing cowboy boots will tell you that this is the only state legally allowed to succeed from the Union -- you know, if push really comes to shove.  Read more...