Shelly – Page 47

by Shelly on August 6, 2016 2 Comments

Doc McStuffins at the Indianapolis Children’s Museum

I love living in Indy! The newest exhibit at The Children’s Museum is Disney Junior’s Doc McStuffins!

“Experience the first-ever museum exhibit based on Disney Junior’s Peabody Award-winning television series “Doc McStuffins” as it opens at The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis. Doc McStuffins: The Exhibit debuts August 6, 2016 and will travel to other venues around the country starting in 2017.”

Doc McStuffins started as an idea creator Chris Nee thought up to help her son not be as scared while visiting the doctor as he was treated for asthma. I love stories of parents who create something that helps make their children happy and it turns into something grand that makes millions of children happy! It has transformed from a 2D TV show to an interactive experience where children can explore health care in a fun environment. Children are invited to help Doc perform check-ups and diagnose toy patients, while learning about healthy habits, compassion and nurturing care.

The Exhibit

As you enter the exhibit you’re transported to Doc’s backyard playhouse where you can enter and ‘check in’ at the reception desk of Doc’s toy hospital. The toy hospital is divided into sections where children can visit the Nursery, Pet Vet, Emergency Room or Operating Room. Without spoiling too much, here are our favorite areas of Doc McStuffins: The Exhibit. Highlights: Pet X-ray in the Pet Vet, taking care of new babies in the Nursery, and meeting Doc McStuffins herself! Without giving any more away, I’ll let my photos give you a little glimpse to hold you over until you’re able to visit!

I really enjoyed the behind the scenes interview with Chris Nee that The Children’s Museum posted on FacebookLive yesterday. For more Doc McStuffins fun, visit the Disney Junior website for games, coloring pages and videos. Use the hashtags #atTCM and #DocMcStuffins on social media when you visit this heartwarming exhibit.

by Shelly on July 1, 2016 1 Comment

Treetop Outpost at Conner Prairie

If you follow me on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram, you know that we’re huge fan’s of the Interactive History Museum near us called Conner Prairie. It’s rare that a week goes by without Sophie and I stopping in to cool off at the splash pad, play in the kiddie area indoors, say Hi to Mosely the horse or run down the hill at the Conner House. We have more of a reason than ever to visit now that the Treetop Outpost at Conner Prairie opened earlier this month and we are thrilled to share it with everyone.

As a writer for Indy’s Child, I received an exclusive sneak peek of the addition prior to the public opening on July 1st, but before we get into those photos, let’s dig into some of the stats for this Bicentennial Legacy Project.

Treetop Outpost is an official Indiana Bicentennial Legacy Project as part of the Bicentennial Nature Center Network, a statewide coalition created to ensure that all Hoosier youth have access to environmental education and creative outdoor experiences within 60 miles of where they live.

Some of the Stats: Treetop Outpost at Conner Prairie

Size of entire experience: 6,000 square feet, not including an adjoining and existing Nature Walk
Square footage of art, building, digging and music-making areas: 2,600 square feet combined
Height of centerpiece treehouse: 45 feet (four stories)
Cost of experience: $783,832
Contractor: Hagerman Construction
Capacity of entire experience: 175-200 guests, excluding the Nature Walk
Capacity of just treehouse alone: 81

I’ll let the photos do the talking until you’re able to come check it out yourself. *Do note, the photos do not do this awesome attraction justice!

The kids loved the speaking tubes though out the tree house but my favorite spot was the reading nook on the lower floor.

A 30 foot suspension bridge connects the ‘Music in Nature’ area to the Outpost.

We really enjoyed the simple hike (about 20 minutes) to check out the path that winds through the woods along the White River to a prairie lookout.

The photo above is a ‘sharing shelf’ where you can take a walk on the nature trail and leave special trinkets collected on your hike. So special! Every bit of the Treetop Outpost has been thoughtfully designed with kids of all ages in mind. Art and nature have always gone hand in hand but this attraction displays it so beautifully that I can’t wait to go back!

by Shelly on June 11, 2016 Leave a Comment

What to Pack: Family Camping Trip

I was lucky enough to start my camping career while I was in diapers. I then went on to be a girl scout until I was a junior in High School. Needless to say, I’ve been tent camping almost every year for the past 31 years. If you’ve ever been camping, you’ll agree with me, that the hardest part about going on a trip is packing and unpacking. It’s stressful to remember what to pack each time you go and unless you have a set camping tote, a list is the best way to make sure you don’t forget anything. I’ve just recently been on a camping trip with my toddler and thought it time to edit my list to include necessities as a family.

What Should I Pack: Family Camping List

I will add a caveat, this is list is what I think are the necessities for camping. Some people may believe an RV to be a necessity while others may think this list is extensive. I am somewhere right in the middle where I prefer there to be running water, electricity for my boom box and restrooms nearby. Also, this camping trip was at the beginning of May, yet it was freezing. Be sure to prepare according to the weather forecast during your trip.

Interested in renting? Rent an RV with RVshare.

Print out this free Family Camping Checklist for your summer trip!

I polled the other Indy’s Child digital writers and came up with this list of our top 5 Indiana camp sites:

‘My favorite so far is Timber Lake in Huntington. Great area not far from home. Beautiful lake and Zip Lines!’ – Luis
‘McCormick’s Creek SP. It’s the oldest state park in the system, gorgeous landscape for hiking, fishing and riding, and there are accommodations for anyone’s preference: An inn, cabins, electric campgrounds and rustic camping. It is probably the most understated camping spot in Indiana.’ –Jeanine
‘Turkey Run– I love that there is electricity, a pool, free concerts and the hiking trails are amazing. You’ve got to try the Ladder Trail!’ – Shelly {okay, so that’s me.}
‘So I’ve only been twice but Shades State Park for sure.’ – Pete
‘My family loves Brown County and Turkey Run! Brown County makes it easy to camp, or stay in the spacious family cabins. I love the trails, the horseback riding, evening hayrides, the cute campground store, the outdoor pool and the water park inside the Abe Martin Lodge, and we love to climb up the high lookout tower and take in the beautiful view. Turkey Run is awesome if you love outdoor hiking. The trails and rock formations are just beautiful!’ – Trisha

If you have little ones, don’t forget to bring along this Nature Scavenger Hunt! Let me know what you bring along on your camping trips and where you will be camping this summer!

by Shelly on May 16, 2016 5 Comments

Simple Embroidery for Beginners

Simple embroidery is my new favorite form of art. I gravitate towards crafts that have thread, ribbon, yarn or any type of string. I’d been in a crafting rut over the past couple months and wanted a craft that was simple. I was also looking for something I could put down when my 2 year old wanted to play without worrying about the mess I would be leaving out. This simple embroidery was the perfect intro to embroidery because I was able to pick it up where I left off without any hassle.

When I’d stumbled upon the adorable Penguin & Fish feed on IG, I knew exactly what my next crafting adventure would be! Embroidery is perfect for people who have multiple interruptions during their free time. I made this bunny embroidery for my niece Lyla in two days. If I’d had a longer chance to sit down, it easily would have been a one day project. It went so fast and was super addicting. I’m already looking for my next piece to work on.

I’d say my favorite part was learning each new stitch. The kits are laid out in a way that you do each stitch until you master it. I wanted to start with a kit as my first embroidery because of it’s simplicity and accessibility.

Simple Embroidery

Each hand embroidery kit includes:

Iron on pattern
Traceable pattern (if someone doesn’t want to use an iron)
Embroidery needle
Embroidery thread in several colors
8″ Embroidery hoop
Cotton muslin fabric
Stitch and color guide
Simple embroidery instructions

I’m still a beginner but I definitely got better throughout this piece. I am able to see small mistakes I’d made but it’s difficult to see by the untrained eye- meaning, it’s hard to screw up! Alyssa from Penguin & Fish has great tutorials on her site but my favorite way of following her is Facebook. She does live chats where she’ll demonstrate stitches or products she’s using to help make embroidery easier. When her new patterns pop up I get the itch to start a new embroidery piece.

I added the small detail of my niece Lyla’s name as a personal touch. I’m excited about how fun and easy this project was. I’ve also bought the Unicorn embroidery pattern to try next and will likely hang it in Soph’s room. How awesome will it be to stitch out a unicorn on my back deck, sitting in my sun chair while my daughter plays on the swing set?! Have you tried embroidery? What crafts do you like to do that you can easily leave and come back to?

by Shelly on May 5, 2016 1 Comment

On the Go Picnic Kit

If your child is anything like mine, being outside is the only place they want to be. It could be snowing, raining, or winds at 60 mph and my daughter will be getting her shoes to head outside. Because she’s two, I know it’s going to make for a much happier afternoon if I bundle up and head out with her if only for a short while. Because of this love of the outdoors, I’ve created an on the go picnic kit that I keep in the entry closet for our quick trips to the park.

Here’s what you need to prepare your on the go picnic kit:

Quick protein (I’ll often make a quick PB&honey sandwich but you could also use a granola bar or peanut butter crackers)
Fruit (hassle free such as grapes, blueberries, raspberries or strawberries)
Veggie (hassle free such as celery, carrots, cherry tomatoes or cucumbers)
Juice drink (our go-to is Capri Sun Organic)
Toys (ex. chalk, bubbles, frisbee, kite, trucks, dinosaurs)
Picnic blanket
Sunglasses
Sunscreen or bug spray
Picnic Scavenger Hunt Printable

I keep my on the go picnic kit stocked with everything but the food and toss the food in our insulated back-pack on our way out. I wash and prepare fruits and veggies on Sundays so they’re an easy snack throughout the week. This makes our picnic food choices easy and healthy for playing outside. Sophie is a picky eater so I’m always sure to pack foods I know she’ll eat when we go on our picnics. She loves Capri Sun Organic because of the taste but also the fact that she can easily carry it and insert a Sophie-sized straw. I love it for its minimal ingredients, no added sugar and no high fructose corn syrup.

Although we definitely love the picnic food, we also love enjoying the outdoors. One of my favorite things to do with Sophie is watching her observe something new. The wonder she finds in ordinary objects is so refreshing. The last time we went to the park, rather than playing on the playground, I wanted to watch her discover nature (with a little help from Mom) so I created this simple scavenger hunt. Print out the printable below and watch the wonder or excitement your child exudes while discovering nature.

Next time you’re at the store, get a few extra picnic supplies that you can keep in your on the go picnic kit. Be sure to pick up Capri Sun Organic as a quick grab-n-go juice drink for your trip. Capri Sun Organic is available at retailers nationwide for $4.29 per 10 pack of 6-oz. pouches in the following flavors: Fruit Punch, Tropical Punch, Apple, and Grape!

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.