If you've been following Toys In The Dryer on social media, you know that the girls and I have been raising a monarch butterfly this summer. It has been a ton of fun and a definite learning experience! I ended my last post, Raising Monarchs Part 1 at day 5, the day after our caterpillar hatched from its egg. Only 15 days later, we had a full-grown caterpillar that was ready to make a chrysalis! Though today is day 28, and our little monarch currently resides in it's chrysalis, I will end this post at day 20 because the next phase deserves a post of it's own. For those of you watching, waiting, and asking, yes, I WILL do a slide show of all the slides combined to show our caterpillar's growth but I thought I'd wait until the very end to show the entire transformation. In the mean time, I'll hit the highlights... Monarch caterpillars molt 4 times before molting one last time into their chrysalis. The stages between these molts are called instars and monarchs have 5 … [Read more...]
Mini Golf And More at the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden
It's been YEARS since I have been to the Walker Art Center and the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden. Nutty learned about the famous Spoonbridge and Cherry in school but has never seen it in real life until now. A few weeks ago I was contacted by the Walker Art Center to help promote their mini golf courses in the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden as well as their FREE family events during the rest of the summer. My family was given complimentary tickets to try the golf courses for ourselves. Hubby is working like crazy lately so the girls and I had a day out together. It was a TON of fun! Included in the mini golf tickets you buy is admission to the Walker Art Center. While we waited for our tee-time we explored the Garden and the Art Center. We all thought some people's idea of art was quite interesting! After an hour-long wait (even during the middle of the week!) it was time to play golf. But wait...that photo doesn't look like golf! That's because this isn't you average … [Read more...]
Tea Bag Rocket
My girls complained of being "bored" again yesterday so I hopped on the internet and searched for science activities for them to do. I came across this tea bag rocket on Kids Activities Blog and thought my girls would love it. Turns out they did! Our first rocket didn't work. I'm not sure why. It simply burnt down without lifting up. The girls were disappointed but as you can tell from the video, our second one went just fine! We went through 6 more tea bags before I told them I was done. I don't like to steal other blogger's ideas so you'll have to go to Kids Activities Blog for the actual directions and to see why this awesome rocket works. One final note, Kim did her rockets inside her house because she said any type of breeze outside will knock the rocket over. I was too scared of flying fire in my house so we did ours in the garage. Turns out, if you have a high ceiling, you can totally do this inside as the rocket burns itself out super fast. … [Read more...]
The longest indoor zip line in North America to open at Mall of America®
Mall of America® welcomes Barnacle Blast Zip Line, the newest attraction in Nickelodeon Universe®, opening Friday, July 18. With more than 800 feet of high-flying adventure, Barnacle Blast is the longest indoor zip line in North America. Thrill-seeking guests can leap from a platform more than 60 feet above the ground, flying 405 feet across Nickelodeon Universe, suspended by a single wire. Once riders land on the platform on the far side of the park, they get to jump again and zip all the way back. The zip line takes riders on an aerial tour of Nickelodeon Universe, gliding over the carousel, past the ferris wheel and above thousands of people. Barnacle Blast is the newest experience added to the Dutchman’s Deck attraction, located in the northwest corner of Nickelodeon Universe. Dutchman’s Deck includes the Ghostly Gangplank high ropes course and Anchor Drop slides. “We are thrilled to offer a brand new attraction to our guests this summer” said Jennifer Lauerman, Senior … [Read more...]
Raising Monarchs Part 1
A few weeks ago a family friend posted photos on his Facebook page of the Monarch caterpillar his family was raising. I thought it was fascinating to see the changes and thought my girls would love to raise a Monarch too. I called my friend and asked him where he got his Monarch kit. Turns out, they didn't buy a kit. They found the egg themselves! Photo above By Killerlimpet via Wikimedia Commons because I keep forgetting to take a photo of my own.Monarchs lay their eggs on Milkweed plants so if you have Milkweed near you, you can most likely find Monarch eggs. The girls and I set off to explore the walking trail by our house where I knew Milkweed grew. Monarchs in the wild tend to lay one egg per leaf and you can find the eggs on the underside of the leaf. Because the eggs only take 3-4 days to hatch (and make tasty treats for other bugs) they can be a bit difficult to find. After some searching, we found two eggs. We cut the leaves off the plant, brought them inside and … [Read more...]
Special Parent & Baby Class with Fitness Celebrity Nicole Glor and Huggies® Little Movers!
Huggies® Little Movers is helping parents celebrate their baby’s moving moments by taking over My Gym in the Minneapolis area. Attendees will be the first to try out and see the NEW! Huggies Little Movers with exclusive movements and activities created by Nikki Glor, celebrity fitness instructor and mom. All activities are designed to celebrate baby’s moving moments and get parents moving, too! Who: Huggies® Little Movers and Celebrity Trainer, Nikki Glor What: Celebrate your little one’s moving moments by attending the event and by visiting Huggies.com/moments and uploading a photo or video of your baby’s best moves Every entry will receive a Huggies® coupon for $2.00 and get the chance to be featured on the Huggies Facebook page Where: Minneapolis-Area My Gym, Eden Prairie - 6545 Flying Cloud Drive, just off Highway 212 and Shady Oak Road When: Thursday, July 17th Register for your desired class by emailing us with one of the time slots below. Classes are … [Read more...]
