I’m not up for entertaining much these days, much less when it entails a handful of kids. (As far as my house and I are concerned, it must as well be a HUNDRED kids… )
So when it was my turn to host playgroup, I cunningly suggested we check out the Palo Alto Junior Museum and Zoo instead.
“It should be so much fun for the kids,” I told everyone, which was code for “I really don’t feel like cleaning my house, y’all”…
The “museum” is one room filled with interactive science exhibits perfectly proportioned for the pint-sized preschool set.
Plinko, anyone?
What about the super-sized ball drop… er, “kid powered machine”?
The “zoo” portion is more or less like exploring the backyard that no one in Silicon Valley can afford. The main attractions include an owl, a semi-blind raccoon, some ducks, bunnies, lizards… all rescued from some trauma inflicted by suburbia…
The entire setup is ADORABLE and perfect to letting little kids run around freely. It’s safe. It’s clean and best of all…
Admission is FREE!
Supported by the community, they do “suggest” a $3 donation at the door and offer memberships, but are completely nonchalant about it. I suggest you give as much as you can. It’s well worth it.
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Palo Alto Junior Museum & Zoo
http://www.friendsjmz.org
1451 Middlefield Road
Palo Alto, CA 94301
Hours: Monday: closed; Tuesday through Saturday: 10 a.m.-5 p.m; Sunday: 1 p.m.-4 p.m
Admission: FREE
on Jun 10th, 2009 at 9:05 am
Oh, this place sounds magical. I LOVE free well designed kids places. Sounds like it will be a great resource when #2 arrives.
D’s last blog post..Launched
on Jun 10th, 2009 at 10:58 am
That looks like sooo much fun–and for free?! I am so jealous! Isabella would love it.
That’s great that they do this for your community–places like that are so hard to find now
PS–cute pics, too!
Chelle’s last blog post..It Was a PB-n-J Kinda Day….
on Jun 10th, 2009 at 7:04 pm
What a great place! You would think a city like Atlanta would have something cool like that for free but no dice…
Emily’s last blog post..ww – he made a mess and he loved every minute of it!
on Jun 11th, 2009 at 5:55 am
Sounds like lots of fun! I don’t think I’d be wanting to host anything at home in your situation either.
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on Jun 11th, 2009 at 8:05 am
Plinko was my first thought;)
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on Jun 11th, 2009 at 3:09 pm
Oh how FUN. I used to live in Palo Alto and NEVER visited it. Talk about a kid’s day in paradise!
MamaGeek’s last blog post..Deliver Me.