Your guide to activities and fun things to do with your preschoolers, toddlers and kids in albuquerque, NM

5 Places for Train Lovers

by Alison

June 23, 2009

All aboard! Do you have a young train lover on your hands? Here are a few activities that your young engineer is bound to love.

Santa Fe Southern Railway: This railroad will take you through the high desert country between Santa Fe and Lamy (located 18 miles southest of Santa Fe). The Santa Fe Southern Railway offers many special event train rides, including several Christmas themed ones which include stories, singing, treats, and sometimes Santa Claus.

Durango & Silverton Narrow Guage Railroad: This train will take you through the San Juan Mountains of southern Colorado. What's cool about this train? Fun events like the Great Pumpkin Patch Express, Day out with Thomas the Tank Engine, the Polar Express, and the Easter Beagle Express.

Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad: The Cumbres & Toltec takes rides through the scenic back country of the Colorado New Mexico border. The nearest station would be in Chama, NM. This railway offers kid friendly rides that feature Cinder Bear. There is one each week during the summer and a holiday one as well. The rides include stories, games, songs, and lunch.

The BioPark: Watch the G-Scale (Garden Scale) train at the Aquarium or take a ride on the Rio Line, which runs between the Zoo, Tingley Beach, and the Aquarium. If you're visiting just the zoo, you might want to check out the animals via the Thunderbird Express which loops around the Zoo.

Barnes and Noble Bookstores: Visit the children's area and find a fun train table featuring Thomas the Tank Engine! The perfect quick trip when you want to do something quiet and indoors. Both stores (one is at Coronado Mall and the other is on the west side near Cottonwood Mall) have train tables.

And a bonus:
Don't forget the Rail Runner! Since it pretty much runs north in the mornings and south in the evenings, it isn't totally ideal for a round trip. You could take it up to Santa Fe in the morning, spend the day, and ride home in the evening. You could arrange to have someone pick you up at your destination.  Read more...

Five Things to Know About Explora

by Alison

June 09, 2009

Explora is the place for learning fun in Albuquerque. According to the website, it's "part science center, part children’s museum, part free-choice school, part grandma’s attic, part grandpa’s garage, part laboratory, part neighborhood full of interesting people, and part of many people’s lives." There is definitely something for every child (and every adult!) at Explora.

1. The Basics - Explora is open daily (minus a few holidays). It is located near Old Town on Mountain Rd. NW. Admission is $7 for adults and $3 for children. Children under the age of one are free. Memberships are available which allow you free admission for the duration of your membership.

2. The Exhibits - I've been to Explora several times, but there is still so much I haven't seen! My kids have so much fun in the first few areas, that we never seem to leave them. Some of the fun things to do there include building train tracks, an arts and crafts room, bubbles, music, building a "log" cabin outside, playing with balls and ramps, and exploring air power by building cars and planes and watching them go.

3. The Other Programs - Younger children (ages two through four) can enjoy the Growing a Scientist program (it is offered year-round). These programs will allow you to explore and learn alongside your child. Explora offers a variety of camps for children ages five and older. Register now for summer camps. There are also a few programs that are included in admission. These include Toddler Time (where the museum opens an hour early once a week just for the little ones) and Music Jam (instruments will be available for your child to play). Check the calendar for specific dates and times.

4. Birthday Parties - Have your child's (or your) next birthday party at Explora. There are several themed parties to choose from for ages 2 and up. Themes vary by age level.

5. Adult Night - Do you want to leave the kids at home next time and explore on your own? Explora hosts adult nights every other month where you can do just that.  Read more...

Family Movie Night

by Alison

May 25, 2009

Looking for a fun way to spend a Friday evening with your family? Why not have a family movie night. It can be as simple or elaborate as you want it to be and if your kids enjoy snuggling around the TV with you, it'll be something they are sure to enjoy! Here are some ideas for making it unforgettable for your little ones.

• If you have more than one child, keep the arguments to a minimum and have mom or dad choose the movie.  Or, if you plan on this becoming a weekly tradition, have the kids alternate who gets to pick. 
• Make Tickets (or have your kids make them). They don't need to be elaborate, but If your kids can read be sure to have the movie name and time on it, that will make it all the more real for them. Distribute the tickets beforehand and make sure someone is on hand to collect them at showtime and perhaps even usher the moviegoers to their seats.
• Turn the kitchen into a concession stand, give everyone their own snack bag and let each family member decide what to fill his or her bag with. If you want to throw a money and math lesson in, price the different "concessions" and give everyone some coins or play money to make their purchases with.
• Don't forget to turn off the lights and close the blinds so the atmosphere will be just right.
• If you have access to a projector, take the movie night outside. Throw up a white sheet on a wall and project the movie onto the sheet.
• Turn it into a dinner show and eat dinner while you watch the movie (this is probably only a good idea if you can see your TV from an eating area).
• Keep the movie night really inexpensive by borrowing some DVDs from the library. Check the backs beforehand to make sure they aren't too scratched up - the last thing you want is your movie night ruined by a movie that is constantly skipping!

Pretend it's Summer, When Clearly it's Not!

by Alison

January 22, 2009

Each time my four year old sees our little plastic pool outside, he begs me to fill it up and let him swim. It might be warm outside right now, but it's not that warm! Here are a few less cold ideas for pretending it's the middle of summer, and not the middle of winter! Drive through Sonic for some ice cream. Since the cool thing about Sonic is that the carhops bring the order to your  Read more...

5 Ideas for Indoor Play on This Mid-Winter Day

by Alison

January 20, 2009

Don't let the great weather fool you, the calendar still says it's winter! Which means one of these days an indoor activity might be just what you are looking for. Here are five ideas to get you thinking about all the great indoor things Albuquerque has to offer: Art day at the Museum: Each Saturday at 1:00, the Albuquerque Museum of Art and History offers family art workshops. The  Read more...

Looking in the Mirror: 5 Places to Find Your Reflection

by Alison

January 13, 2009

Since I started gathering ideas for this week's list, I realized just how much children really like looking at their reflection, and I learned that if you're really observant, you can find it nearly everywhere and sometimes in the most unlikely places! A Pool: The city has many pools for you to choose from, but this time of year, you're probably only interested in the indoor ones! I  Read more...

Make Recycling Fun plus Giveaway Winner

by Alison

January 12, 2009

Last week my son and I watched an episode of Word World where Pig taught Duck all about recycling. Since all the objects in Word World are made from words, recycling there is fun and easy. They just add some new letters to the old word and suddenly a can turns into candy or a candle (which came in handy, since they were making a birthday cake for Frog). Ta-da! Something new from something  Read more...

One Thing That Really Matters to Preschoolers and Five Ways to Achieve It

by Alison

January 06, 2009

All parents know the one thing that really matters to preschoolers. They want the love and attention of their parents. Spending quality time with your kids can sometimes be difficult because kid fun doesn't always equal parent fun. Here are five ideas for some parent/kid fun time: Plan a "Date": You probably spend lots of time together as a family, but how often do you get one-on-one  Read more...

5 "No Storage Necessary" Gifts

by Alison

December 16, 2008

One of the downsides to new gifts at Christmas time is that those new treasures take up space, and perhaps it's space that you really don't have! If this is a concern of yours this year, you may consider a gift that's a bit more "consumable" and doesn't require much, if any, storage space. If the grandparents are asking for gift ideas, these are some great options, no shipping costs and most  Read more...

5 Toys Your Kids Will Love

by Alison

December 02, 2008

Still on the lookout for a great Christmas gift? Here are some ideas, these are all toys that my preschooler loves (or wants to love, assuming Santa brings it!). Need more ideas? Head over to Savvy Source's Books, Toys, and More page. Kid-Tough Digital Camera When my second son was born, he "gave" this camera to his big brother as a gift. My older son had a wonderful time taking pictures  Read more...

Indoor Fun for Your Little One in Albuquerque

by Alison

November 13, 2008

The weather is cooling down and soon the playground will be the last place you'll want to take your kids when they want to run around. Why not try out an open gym day at a local gymnastics facility? You don't need to be currently taking classes at these places to enjoy open gym time, which also makes it a great opportunity to test the waters and see if it's a type of class your child might  Read more...

Celebrate Fall

by Alison

October 27, 2008

The days are getting shorter, the weather is getting cooler, and some terrific holidays are just around the corner. That's right, it's Fall! I grew up in Arizona and only thought I knew what seasons were until I spent a few years living on the east coast. Albuquerque may not "do" fall quite like the east, but compared to central Arizona, it's wonderful! Here are some fun ways to celebrate  Read more...

5 Things To Do on a Rainy Day

by Alison

October 09, 2008

When the weather doesn't cooperate, what's a mom to do? Here are five places you can go on a rainy day that your preschooler is sure to love! Head to the Library . With sixteen branches, there's sure to be one (or more) near you. Each library offers a storytime for preschoolers. Many storytimes are more than just stories and include fingerplays, songs, musical instruments and sometimes  Read more...