Are you looking for a fun way to spend your lunch-hour during the week?  Well, on Tuesdays from 11:45 – 1:45 you can head downtown to Piatt Park for the acoustic lunch series (now through September).  Each week a different local artist will perform an acoustic concert.  Piatt Park is a quaint & cozy park in the midst of a bustling downtown, with lots of shade, benches, and plenty of room for a picnic.  Our family loves to pack a picnic lunch and dine at these fun concerts.  The best part is that these awesome lunch-time concerts are FREE!  If you work downtown be sure to check out these concerts.  One of our favorite local bands, Jake Speed & the Freddies are playing at Piatt Park this coming Tuesday (July 20th).  Hopefully we’ll see you there!

July 20, 2010 ~ Jake Speed and the Freddies

July 27, 2010 ~ Acoustic Blue

August 3, 2010 ~ Cheryl Renee Trio

August 10, 2010 ~ Hickory Robot

August 17, 2010 ~ Hickory Robot

August 24, 2010 ~ Anna & Milovan

August 31, 2010 ~ Jazz Boutique

September 7, 2010 ~ Carole Walker

September 14, 2010 ~ Bob Cushing & Chris Goins

September 21, 2010 ~ BuckeyeRoos

September 28, 2010 ~ Tanner Hill

Piatt Park * 1 Garfield Place * Cincinnati, OH  45202

Nestled in downtown Cincinnati is the Taft Museum, a local arts gem.  Built in 1920, the Taft is not only a national historical landmark, but home to an art collection that includes the works of artists such as Goya, Ingres and Rembrandt.

What you may not realize though, is that in addition to it’s collection of art, the Taft also offers a wonderful selection of free and low cost children’s arts programs!

First will start with the Taft’s award winning Families Create! programs. These low cost programs (just $8 members, $12 non-members) invite children ages 5-12 and their parents to explore the world of art together. Participants enjoy fun arts activities tied to the Taft’s permanent collection as well as it’s special exhibits.   Families Create! programs are held on Saturdays and reservations are required.  Here’s a quick look at a few of the upcoming classes:

Saturday, July 17
Family Crests and Coats of Arms
Tell your family’s story in a coat of arms that you design and apply to a special fabric!

Saturday, July 31
From Idea to Creation
Artist Elaine Lynch will help you discover what goes on inside an artist’s head and how you can transform creative impulses into works of art.

Saturday, August 14
Architecture Good Enough to Eat!
Learn basic architectural terms and identify different materials and elements on nearby buildings. Use pretzels, graham crackers, licorice, and other goodies to construct a delectable structure.

Moving on to Sunday, a day where admission is FREE, the Taft also offers 3rd Sunday Fundays. The FREE  programs are held on the 3rd Sunday of each month (hence the name), and expose children to the arts in a fun and imaginative way.  3rd Sunday Funday offerings for the next two months:

Sunday, July 18 – Kid Detectives (1-4 p.m.)  Explore art to find clues about the lives of kids long ago, hear stories about kids from the past, make an old-fashioned craft, and play summertime games your great-grandparents played when they were children. Learn more about detective work from a Youth Services Officer of the Cincinnati Police department. Activities include self-guided tours, face-painting, art-making, storytelling, and game. Stop in when you have time and stay as long as you like.

Sunday, August 15 – The Dog Days of Summer (1—4 p.m.) The Taft Museum of Art becomes the Taft Museum of Bark! Find dogs in art, hear a story about dogs in a museum, make and decorate a pop-up puppy, and meet some real canines from the Queen City Dog Training Club. Join us for story time with Marsie Newbold, of Marsie’s Menagerie, and a visit from Rufus the Reading Dog from the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County.

Finally, outside of its weekend programs the Taft  also offers free self-guided family tours any day of the week with themes like American history, people & places and many others.  All of the self-guided tours can be found on the Taft’s website and are available for download prior to visiting.  Here’s a quick look at two of the tours:

Art & Animals
Did you know that there are cats, dogs, sheep, cows, and goats inside the Museum? See how many you can find!

Feathers & Flowers
This tour, for ages 3 to 5, offers a fun way for even the youngest art lovers to learn about the collections at the Taft Museum of Art. Families will enjoy strolling through the gallery, searching for feathered friends along the way!

So as you can see, there is a lot going on over at the Taft when it comes to children’s programing. We encourage you to visit their website to learn more about the Taft and all it offers.

Taft Musuem
316 Pike Street
Cincinnati, Ohio 45202
(513) 241-0343
www.taftmuseum.org

I received some information today about an intriguing contest going on right now on Facebook, and I couldn’t wait to share it with our readers.  I look forward to seeing your fishy faces on facebook!  And while you are there, be sure to become a fan of Family Friendly Cincinnati too!  Good luck in the contest!

Here is the press release from the Newport Aquarium:

Aquarium Launches Fish-Facebook Contest

Lucky winners to receive Family Four Pack to Aquarium and Penguin Encounter

Newport, Ky. — Something fishy is going on at the Newport Aquarium Facebook page.

Throughout the month of July, visitors to the page are encouraged to make a funny fish face photo and post it on Newport Aquarium’s Facebook wall. Everyone who posts a photo will be entered to win a Family Four-Pack of Aquarium tickets and Penguin Encounters.

Two lucky winners will be selected at random: one adult and one child (12 and under).

Need inspiration? The Newport Aquarium staff posted a video on the site explaining the contest and demonstrating the best ways to make funny fish faces.

Visit www.facebook.com/newportaquarium to post your photo, to watch the video or to read the official sweepstakes rules. All photos must be posted by 11:59 p.m. on July 31 to be eligible. No purchase is necessary to enter or win.

Newport Aquarium is open to the public 365 days a year. Extended summer hours last until Sept. 4, during which the Aquarium is open from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.

And don’t miss Summer Family Hours from 4 to 7 p.m. Sunday through Friday. Two kids get in for FREE with each adult paying full price.

For more information on Newport Aquarium or for tickets and directions, visit www.newportaquarium.com.

Newport Aquarium showcases thousands of animals from around the world in a million gallons of water. You’ll be amazed at all there is to see and do, including fun and interactive activities, like touching a shark or meeting penguins. Newport Aquarium is a Herschend Family Entertainment company (www.hfecorp.com) and a member of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA), a leader in global wildlife conservation. Newport Aquarium is open to the public 365 days a year and is located only two minutes from downtown Cincinnati at Newport on the Levee. For information, visit www.newportaquarium.com or call 859-261-7444.

This weekend, Metro Parks of Butler County is hosting a really fun boating event – the Crazy Cardboard Regatta.  It’ll be held at the Voice of America Park in West Chester, Ohio.  The fun starts on Friday, July 16 from 5-10pm. On Friday you can enjoy live music with the Jump-n-Jive Show Band and Stormy Weather and the boat designers, builders and paddlers will be on hand to show you  their nautical masterpieces and discuss their creations.  All the boats are made out of cardboard.  There will also be hot air balloon rides for only $5/ person if the weather is okay. On Friday,  you can even vote for your favorite boat and the winner of the “People’s Choice Award” will be announced on Saturday!

On Saturday, the boat race is on.  The racers will get in their cardboard creations and paddle 200 yards to the VOA finish line.  Opening ceremonies and the race begin at Noon but the VOA opens at 10am if you want to bring some chairs and get a good viewing spot.  Which boat will sink, which one will float?  There will be prizes for fastest boats, Best Team Spirit, Best Overall Design, Most Creative and the Titanic Award for the best sinking!

Here’s the schedule of events courtesy of Metro Parks of Butler County:

Friday, July 16
2-4pm: Preregistration and arrival of boats
9am-4pm: Vendors and booth setup
5pm:  Event begins – boats available for viewing
Food and drinks (including adult) available
Voting for People’s Choice Award boat
5:30-7:30pm: Jump ‘n Jive Band
7:00-9:00pm:  Tethered hot air balloon rides (weather permitting) sponsored by
Houser Asphalt for $5/person.
7:30-9:30:  Stormy Weather Band
9:45:  Voting for People’s Choice Awards ends
10pm: Prefestivities end

Saturday, July 17 (in the event of rain, this schedule moves to Sunday, July 18 )
10am: Registration opens and technical inspections of boats
11am: Vendors open
12noon: Opening Ceremony – Racing begins (Class I, II and III)
2ish:  Racing ends & Presentation of Awards

This is a great event for families so I hope you’ll head on over.  Even though the event is free, you’ll need a valid Metro Parks parking permit to enter the park.  You can purchase this upon entering.  It’s only $10 for a yearly pass (transferable to other vehicles) and good at all the Metro Parks of Butler County or you can purchase a day pass for $5.

For more fun things to do North of Cincinnati, head on over to my personal website, MasonMetu!

Photos courtesy of Metro Parks of Butler County

The dog days of Summer are upon us for sure.  One of the best things to do when it’s hot outside is to cool off in a pool. Don’t have your own pool? Here’s a list of places around town where you can take the kids for a splashing good time:

• Cincinnati Recreation Commission – the City of Cincinnati has quite a few pools around town.  Most require a nominal annual membership fee. The nice thing is, once you pay the fee, you can then visit any pool on the list (except Dunham – see site for complete details).  There’s also a few free “spraygrounds”. We’ve been to a few of the  pools and spraygrounds in the past and they’ve been nice facilities (some in neat spots around the city).
• Florence, KY Family Aquatic Center – This premier facility contains a lazy river, competition pool, zero depth area, two spray grounds, a spiral and a speed slides, sunbathing areas, shelters, funbrellas, bathhouse (including family restrooms) and concessions area. A paved path surrounds the outside of the facility. It is located at the south end of the Florence Government Center complex. There is additional parking at the north end of the Government Center. Membership is available for Florence residents and non-residents.  Daily admission for non-residents of Florence is $9 for adults or $6 for children 3 and up.
• Coney Island – Sunlite Pool – This is one BIG pool with lots of slides , diving boards  and over an acre of shallow water for the little kids. Buy your tickets on-line and save some money! When purchased on-line, daily admission(to the pool only) is $9.95 for 5 and up or $3.50 for 2-4 year olds.
• Hamilton County Parks Wet Playlands – There are three wet paylands around town – Parky’s Pirate Cove in Miami Whitewater Forest Harbor, Parky’s Ark at Winton Woods Harbor, and Wetland Adventure at Woodland Mound.  Admission is $2 per child between the ages of 2-12.  Sharon Woods also has a very small water feature as part of their main playground area and it’s FREE.
• The Beach Waterpark in Mason, OH – lots of different slides, pools (including a big wave pool). Prices are cheaper if you buy your ticket on-line and there is normally a deal to be had if you dig around.
• Kings Island’s Boomerang Bay is also in Mason, OH. The water park is included with your price of admission to Kings Island. This has tons of water slides, pools, kids areas and even a surfable wave.

Have a great time this Summer getting your splash on!

You can see more of me over on my personal blog at http://princesspoodlepuss.blogspot.com/.

Back in June (wow can you believe it’s July?), Kristin did a great post about free summer movies around town. Since then, we’ve discovered even more free movies happening out and about town.  Add this to the past list, and you’ll be set for the balance of the Summer…..

The Great Escape – Kids Shows 2010

Movies are in Wilder, KY at the Great Escape Wilder 14 location and are on Tuesday’s and Wednesday’s and start at 9:30 am. All seats are first come first filled so be early!

Here’s what’s playing:

July 6 and 7 – Planet 51 (PG)
July 13 and 14 – Mall Cop (PG)
July 20 and 21 – Night at the Museum 2 (PG)
July 27 and 28 – Hotel for Dogs (G)

Book Worm Wednesday’s

Held at the Showcase Cinema in Springdale, OH

This is cool –  every Wednesday at 10 am beginning July7th and going for six weeks.  In order to encourage kids to read during the summer, Bookworm Wednesday’s entitles kids to a free admission to select children’s films when they present a book report at a participating Showcase Cinemas. Accompanying parents or guardians and children under six receive free admission and do not need to submit a book report.

July 7 – Kung Fu Panda (PG)
July 14 – Charlotte’s Web (G)
July 21 – Hotel for Dogs (G)
July 28 – Bee Movie (PG)
August 4 – Monsters vs. Aliens (PG)
August 11 – Over the Hedge (G)

Rave Motion Picture – Free Family Film Festival

Free shows are on Tuesday’s and Wednesday’s at 10 am.  The Free Family Film Festival is held at the numerous Rave theater’s around town. Each one can determine which movies will be shown. Call before you go to see if the Rave near you is playing something you and your kids would like to see. Here’s a list of theater’s:

Cincinnati, RC Western Hills 14
5870 Harrison Avenue
Cincinnati, OH 45248
Movie Listings: 513-574-4315

Mason, RC Kings Island 12
5937 Kings Island Drive
Mason, OH 45040
Movie Listings: 513-336-9420

Milford, RC Milford 16
500 Rivers Edge Drive
Milford, OH 45150
Movie Listings: 513-576-9126

West Chester, RDM West Chester 18
9415 Civic Center Blvd
West Chester, OH 45069
Movie Listings: 513-463-2324

Florence, RC Florence 14
7860 Mall Road
Florence, KY 41042
Movie Listings: 859-282-6619

AMC Summer Movie Camp

This one isn’t free, but admission is just $1.00. Movies are held at AMC Newport on the Levy. Shows are at 10 am on Tuesday’s and run through August 10. This is the only program that permits advance ticket purchases. Summer Movie Camp movies shown are:

July 6 – Madagascar (PG)
July 13 – Madagascar Escape 2 Africa (PG)
July 20 – Hotel for Dogs (PG)
July 27 – Kung Fu Panda (PG)
August 3 – The Spiderwick Chronicles (PG)
August 10 – Surprise Mystery Title

Yes, you and your family can enjoy the outstanding Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Gardens for only $1 on July 21 from 9am-6pm. Learning Through Art is hosting their 5th annual, Kids Cultures, Critters & Crafts Festival at the Zoo.  Yea for all of us.  This event is jam packed with fun things to do for kids. Of course, top on the list is seeing all the animals, but you’ll also enjoy lots of cultural entertainment, musical guests, dancing, face-painting, crafts and more. The Amazing Portable Circus will be there and you can also see Zak Morgan perform.  They have so much packed into one day, that you won’t want to miss this fun event.

As an added bonus, if you live near any of the bus routes, you can hop aboard The Art Bus Route with Metro for only $1 round/trip and there will be entertainment on the bus to keep you smiling.  You can visit Metro to find out where to hop aboard Route 1.

LTA says it best on their website, “Join Learning Through Art as we build bridges, break down barriers to bring neighbors and neighborhoods together to celebrate the mosaic beauty of our region.” Thanks to Macy’s for sponsoring this event and to the Cincinnati Zoo for hosting the venue. There are many other wonderful organizations that help make this all possible, and if you click here, you can read more.