National Museum of Play members receive an exclusive $19.99 ticket price for Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, June 29, 30, and July 1, 2012.  Tickets must be purchased online and are good for a single day admission.  To purchase your tickets, visit www.darienlake.com and enter STRONG in the promo code field at the top right corner of the page. Tickets must be purchased online; they CANNOT be purchased at the box office. Restrictions apply.

Mother’s Day

Sunday 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Treat Mom to a special day in the historic village. Join us from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. as we celebrate the role of mothers throughout the 19th century. Flowers will be blooming and children will be playing as the village comes alive with many springtime activities that will shower Mom with love and affection!

A unique presentation will occur throughout the afternoon at the Female Seminary. Listen to the “Voices of the Village” as townsfolk meet to discuss several racy and moving topics from the woman’s perspective:

• • 12:30 p.m.: “Re-designing Women” shows how dress reform affected women’s rights
  • 1:30 p.m.: Have all of your taboo questions answered at “Mentioning the Unmentionables—Pregnancy Prevention, Prostitution and Private Issues”
  • 2:30 p.m.: Childbirth and pregnancy outlined in “Tales of a Midwife”
  • 3:30 p.m.: “Mother Dearest—Letter Readings”  Motherly advice from Mrs. Gerrit Smith — a member of the Backus family who owned the village’s very own Livingston-Backus mansion

How did villagers relax-away their Sunday afternoons? With a warm cut of tea, of course! Join us for a Victorian Tea at Hosmer’s Inn. $5 charge includes a cup of your favorite tea, a chance to play the tea game and a sampling of tasty tea cakes. Tea times are 11 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. Limit of 15 guests per tea time.               Mother’s Day activities throughout the village:

• Taste the difference between the sweet chocolate of today and the rich dark chocolate of yesteryear at the American Heritage Chocolate Demonstration in the Livingston-Backus mansion
• Enjoy one of the many fun games that children of the 19th century would have played including table top games and lawn games such as wooden stilts or hoop and stick – located on the Village Square
• Create a Mother’s Day card at the red schoolhouse
• Listen to the lofty voices of the village’s own choral group The Genesee Harmonics Society – concert at 2 p.m. in the Brooks Grove Church
• Dance along with the Genesee Village Dancers – a 19th-century dance squad as they do-si-do with their partners in the Town Hall at noon and 3 p.m.
• Did you know that placing an open fan near your heart means “You have won my love?” Find out more about the “Language of the Fan” at the Hyde (octagon) house
• Try your hand at making a tin ornament at the Tinsmith Shop ($)
• See how villagers dyed brightly colored yarn at the Humphrey House
• Call on a young family in the Foster-Tufts house and see the differences between infant fashions of today and those of the early 19th century
• Visit the farm animals around the village – including ducks, geese, chickens and sheep. There may even be a sighting of the baby oxen team, Dan and Buck!

The admission rates for Mother’s Day are: General Admission Adult                            $15.50 General Admission Youth (4 to 16)              $9.50     General Admission Senior (62 & over)      $12.50 General Admission Student (w/ID)            $12.50 General Admission Child (3 & under)          Free

All mothers are admitted FREE OF CHARGE to the museum on Mother’s Day!

RMSC Membership is an excellent value…
and a great gift idea!

Two Days Only—DEEP DISCOUNT! (Save $30)
Join the RMSC during Mother’s Day Weekend May 12-13!
Call (585)697-1942, stop by the RMSC Welcome Desk, or CLICK HERE STARTING AT MIDNIGHT ON MAY 12 to sign up. Take advantage of this excellent value!

Note: Special offer does not apply to renewals or memberships that expired less than six months ago.

Your membership opens the door to new ideas and experiences with innovative exhibits, engaging theater, inspiring films and star shows, and minds-on activities. AND you’ll be helping to support the care and display of more than 1.2 million artifacts that tell the stories of our community.

Call today! (585)697-1942 or complete the online application (see below).

INDIVIDUAL — Privileges for one (1) adult
DUAL/FAMILY — Privileges for two (2) named adults & children under 18 living in household
GRANDPARENT — Privileges for two (2) adults and all grandchildren
FAMILY PLUS — Privileges for three (3) named adults and children under 18 living in household
PATRON & UP — Privileges for donors and all children or grandchildren

All RMSC members receive:

FREE or SAVE on admission to
• Museum & Science Center
• Giant-screen films
• Strasenburgh Planetarium star shows
• Cumming Nature Center
• More than 300 other science museums worldwide
Click Here to view the list of participating museums.

Members at the “FAMILY PLUS” Level receive:
all basic benefits and the opportunity to schedule Children’s Birthday Parties at the RMSC.
Click here for birthday party information.

Help to transform and grow the RMSC with an
Upper Level Membership
See the added benefits for members at the Patron level and up.

Membership Fees:

Last year my husband took my girls to RIT’s Imagine festival and they absolutely LOVED it!  So it has been on our calendar for the last year, and it’s almost here.  It’s this coming Saturday, May 5 from 10am-5pm rain or shine.  It is totally free and open to everyone.

Imagine RIT: Innovation and Creativity Festival is a campus-wide event that showcases the innovative and creative spirit of RIT students, faculty and staff. Visitors experience the breadth and depth of RIT through interactive presentations, hands-on demonstrations, exhibitions, and research projects set up throughout campus. Inflatables, games and multiple performance stages with live music and entertainment are also a hit with visitors of all ages.

How much will it cost?

Admittance to the festival is FREE! But you may want to bring some spending money for food and beverages.

Location: Imagine RIT takes place throughout RIT’s campus in Henrietta, NY. Click here for driving directions and a list of local hotels.

Welcome Centers: Be sure to stop by a Welcome Center on your way in from the parking lots or after the shuttle drops you off. You can pick up a festival program and ask questions of our volunteers. The centers will be located at the edge of all the major parking lots on campus and at the shuttle drop-off location.

People movers: Volunteers will be driving golf carts around the perimeter of the Festival for those needing assistance getting around campus. You can catch a ride waiting at one of the stops identified with a large yellow balloon.

Information Stations: Looking for something once you are inside the Festival? Stop at any of the information stations around campus. Hundreds of volunteers will be on duty throughout the day wearing t-shirts marked “Volunteer.”

Interpreters: Sign Language interpreters will be posted at each Welcome Center and various locations around campus. They will be wearing T-shirts marked “Interpreter.” In addition, the main stages will have interpreters for all performances.

Children’s Activities: Many of the exhibits are kid friendly and parents with children of all ages have reported enjoying their visit to Imagine RIT. Access to the inflatables will be available to visitors free of charge.

Food: RIT’s dining facilities will be open to the public, in addition to various food tents that will be set up across campus.

Restrooms: Restrooms are available in each of the indoor festival venues.

View more Imagine RIT photos

This coming Saturday, April 21 from 12-3pm the West Henrietta Fire Dept. is having an open house.  It’s totally free and everyone of all ages are welcome to join in the fun.

We have taken our girls to this event every year for the last few years and they have always had an awesome time!  There are quite a number of activities including the fire trucks, practice with the fire hoses, and getting to try on the firemen outfits, just to name a few.

Hope you come join us!

I have always wanted to take my girls to these Maple Sugar events but my youngest does not do well with the cold so we have not yet gone.  But this year is perfect!  We won’t even need to wear our coats it’s so beautiful, so we are heading out this Saturday.  Want to join us?  Check out the options available:

Cummings Nature Center 34th Annual Maple Sugaring:

Saturday and Sunday, March 17-18 and March 24-25

A springtime tradition for many Western New York families, Maple Sugaring explores the science and lore of maple syrup production with volunteer guides along the Pioneer Trail. Learn how a tree makes sap and discover the different processing techniques of Native Americans, early pioneers, and today’s modern sugar bush managers. Highlights include a 100 percent pure maple syrup tasting in the sugarhouse, and a pancake meal in the visitors center.

- Sugaring demonstrations: 10am-3pm

- Pancake meals served: 9am-1pm

Pancake Meal Cost (includes nature center admission):

-Adult meal (5 pancakes + 2 sausages): $10; RMSC members $9

-Child meal (3 pancakes + 1 sausage): $8; RMSC members $7

All meals include pure maple syrup and a choice of beverage. Program admission without the pancake meal is $3 per person ($10 per family).

Genesee Country Museum Maple Sugar Festival:

Maple Sugar Festival

Saturdays & Sundays, March 17-18 & 24-25
Sugaring program 9:30 a.m.-4 p.m.
Breakfast 9 a.m.- 1 p.m.

The sugar maple provides cooling shade in the summer, glorious color in the fall and blazing heat as firewood in the winter.

(Maple syrup isn’t just for pancakes, of course. It adds exquisite flavor to all sorts of foods, especially baked goods. Test how good your favorite maple recipe is in our Cooking with Maple Contest. The adult prize winners in each category will receive an example of our famous museum pottery.)

Maple-sugaring activities including log hewing, spile carving, tree tapping, sap collection and boiling down the sap to syrup and sugar. Visit the cooper, blacksmith and tinsmith as they make buckets for collecting sap. Create a maple leaf tin ornament to take home ($). Enjoy a heritage chocolate demonstration at Thomson’s Tavern. Along the way, collect puzzle pieces for your Maple Passport.

Enjoy the Pancake and Sausage Breakfast 9 a.m.-1 p.m. ($8 for adults, $6 for youth and free for ages 3 and under) with real maple syrup! Then plan to take home a bit of the maple season with a visit to our museum shops.

From syrup to maple coffee and maple tea, the Flint Hill Country Store is the place to go for all things maple all during this maple sugaring program.

There’s homemade maple fudge, plus chocolate maple and maple walnut flavors.

You’ll also find pancake mixes, more candy–even maple caramels–and a wide collection of books filled with information and stories about the sugaring process. Maple leaf cookie cutters come with our famous maple cookie recipe

In addition, the shop is offering spectacular last-chance savings on jewelry, gifts and seasonal items.

Admission to the Maple Sugar Festival is: adults $8.50 and youth $6.50. It is free to members and children 3 and younger.

You don’t have to be Irish to join in the St. Patrick’s Day fun! Join in a scavenger hunt to find the fabled pot of gold, and take a ride on the carrousel with a lucky leprechaun along the way!  Immerse yourself in Irish culture with a special performance by The McCarthy School of Irish Dance or have a Shamrock painted on your face by The Happy Face Painter. Enjoy crafts, snacks, and some St. Patrick’s Day history to round out a great afternoon.  All this at the Herschell Carrousel Factory Museum, 180 Thompson St., N. Tonawanda 14120  (716)693-1885

Saturday, March 10  at  12:00pm – 4:00pm

$5 per person (sorry, no coupons or passes accepted)

Celebrate Dr. Seuss’s Birthday with The Cat in the Hat at Strong’s National Musuem of Play on Monday, February 20 from 11am-4pm.  You can meet the Cat from The Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About That! PBS Kids series and watch a never-before-seen episode, build a silly contraption, drop in for a Dr. Seuss book reading, participate in hands-on science activities, and more!  All activities are included in museum admission.

With this next week being a week off from school for most area schools the Rochester Children’s Theatre is offering a FREE performance of Sweet House: Hansel and Gretel.  The performance is on Tuesday, February 21 at 11am at East High School, 1801 E Main St, Rochester.

I went to see this play last year with my girls as a field trip and I have to admit it was a little weird because they were trying to make the story of Hansel and Gretel healthy!  It’s been sponsored by 321 Healthy Hero.  But my girls enjoyed it and it wasn’t bad.  So for the great price of free, it’s totally worth a go see.
Here’s the official write up on the play:

Sweet House uses the language of today’s youth combined with energizing music and dance to get across its healthy point. A music video of Sweet House’s “Let’s Move!” song features 37 local children as well as the five-member cast of Sweet House, and will be used during performances as well as to promote the show’s message on YouTube, etc.

This list just keeps growing so I just had to pass the info on to you.  It comes from one of my favorite websites for finding things to do with the kids in and around Rochester.  They have a growing list of houses that have been all decked out for Christmas.  Some of them are just crazy amounts of lights, and some of them are lights that have been synced to music that you can tune into on your radio.  I’ve personally taken the girls to the house on Academy Dr in Henrietta, and the one on White Oak Bend in Chili to see their synced lights and the girls have totally LOVED them!  I look forward to checking out more of them over the next week as time allows.  So take some time and enjoy the lights with your kiddos!

http://rochester.kidsoutandabout.com/content/holiday-light-displays-rochester-area