Disclosure: I’ve partnered with Bloggin’ Mamas & North Point Mall to share these free family events with my readers, and am being compensated for this partnership. All opinions expressed are my own.
As a kid I was skeptical of going to see Santa. One reason I was anxious-and probably not behaving as well as I normally did was the fact that you had to wait in line. The giver of toys in a bright red suit combined with an unquantifiable period of time in line as you wait does not produce a happy child. Now parents can make appointments to see Santa Claus and this year he’s bring his toy factory with him. Through Sunday, December 24 at North Point Mall you can visit Santa’s Toy Factory and get a photo with the big guy in person.
It’s sometimes difficult to jump into an existing book series. You feel like you’re late to the party, wish that you would’ve discovered it first or are hesitant because you don’t know the characters. Red’s Planet, Friends and Foes is the second book in Eddie Pittman’s series and our first introduction to the characters and I’m eating crow. Hello metaphorical crow, I eat you, not because I said that Red’s Planet wasn’t a good book, rather, I simply thought that based on its cover.
Some books arrive at the office and immediately draw me in. It doesn’t happen often, especially with authors or artists that I’m not already a fan of. Maybe three times a year do I receive an unknown book that so completely floors me that I’ll talk about the book to other adults? Pocket Full of Colorsby Amy Guglielmo & Jacqueline Tourville with illustrations by Brigette Barrager is that book for us now.
I’m not an animation purist, but I absolutely love stop motion animation. It’s the tactile notion that what I see moving on screen is a real thing. I immediately think of the creators behind it, their attention to detail as they move each model one small movement at a time. City Mouse, Country Mouse by Maggie Rudy is a book that evokes that level of detail, love and commitment.
Invasion of the Scorp-Lions is the third book in the Monstertown Mystery series by Bruce Hale on Disney Hyperion. It’s a series of books aimed at upper elementary school readers that feature Benny and Carlos. They’re two typical students who are most likely in the fourth grade at Monterrosa Elementary. What’s atypical is that this particular school is it has a history of monsters, strange animals and spooky happenings.
Wildis the newest installment in an ongoing series by Dan Kainen with text written by Kathy Wollard. These books are large and feature pictures that move. These pictures aren’t so emotional that they will move you. It’s the fact that these photos move-or at least give the very real effect that they are moving due to Photicular technology the animals in Wild appear to run, pick, scavenge, lick, fly or more as readers turn the page.
Do you know of a boy who between the ages of 5 and 8? The Caveboy book series from Bloom & Read has your number. Bloom & Read is an imprint from Bloomsbury that is aimed at newly independent readers. These are the young readers that are beyond sight words and reading chapter books, but want to read longer chapter books that make them feel like the big kids they are. The Adventures of Caveboy and Caveboy is Bored! are just the ticket for those first or second grade boys that want to read.
Mars is more than a red planet that inspired bad movies in the early 2000’s. Mars is the red planet that NASA will visit within this generation and the astronauts that will be part of that mission are already born. To our 7 and 5 year old that doesn’t mean too much, but to adults who can fathom how large a feat this really is it’s mind boggling. This is the Summer of Mars and NASA is rolling out the red carpet for its Mars Rover Concept Vehicle.
The Mars Rover Concept Vehicle is touring the east coast and is appearing at Suntrust Park in Atlanta July 14-16, National Air & Space Museum in Washington D.C. July 21-22, Liberty Science Center in Jersey City, NJ July 29-30, Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum in New York August 3-6 and at North Point Mall in Alpharetta, GA on August 12.
It’s important to point out that the Mars Rover Concept Vehicle is a concept. This is not the actually vehicle that’ll be rolling on big red looking for Marvin or manhunters. However, the vehicle is the real deal in that it’s big, life size and has some of the working conditions that astronauts will encounter up there. It also looks a lot like the Batmobile and somewhere Christopher Nolan’s Mars parents are smiling at their most famous progeny.
It’s also beautiful. The tires look like something a child would play with. They’re airless, metal creations that can fold inward, but are also strong enough to climb over rocks with enough traction to power through Mars sand fields.
The interior is part tank, hybrid car and DeLorean. Its seats are surprisingly comfortable and are compromised of a series of rolls. The interior dash is sleek and makes great use of space. There really is a gear shift too and it steers like a normal vehicle. However, its top speed is six miles an hour, so don’t any mental images of doing doughnuts. This vehicle is all science, packaged in just enough pop culture to make children dream about going to Mars.
I was slightly more excited about seeing it than our children. But once they actually saw it, they got it and you could see their eyes spin with wonder and curiosity. Do you have a great name for the Mars Rover Concept Vehicle? They’re having a contest on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook to #NameTheRover. The contest runs through August 6 so use the hashtag, keep it family friendly and get creative.
After the vehicle’s tour it’ll go back to Kennedy Space Center where visitors can experience all sorts of outer space adventures. In speaking with the representative from there our kids seemed most curious about the Rocket Garden. It’s two words that normally wouldn’t create a compound word in definition, but in this case they do and that’s part of the wonder of space travel.
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