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Indiana State Fair with Kids

Indiana State Fair with Kids can be a lot of things. It can be loud, stinky, hot, expensive, overwhelming and frustrating. We experienced each of these things yesterday so I want to share with you ways to cut down on these negative experiences.

Indiana State Fair with Kids

Indiana State Fair with Kids

Despite doing my research before we went, we still continuously ran into problems. On our way to the fair we stopped at a local CVS to get our $7 fair ticket. They haven’t sold tickets in three years. The article I read did not have a publish date so I hadn’t realized this was old information. The first problem started with waiting for an hour and a half in traffic on Bradford and 38th street. It continued by finding a side street to park on that was way too small for cars to park on both sides (but free parking). Thankfully someone with a State Fair Staff T-shirt was scalping tickets outside the ticket booth. $15/2 tickets. At the moment it was an awesome idea but looking back, I don’t think she worked for the Indiana State Fair.

Once inside the fair, we know to bypass all the food vendors on the way in because their prices were sky high. We head straight to the IN Dairy Barn where Sophie has colored a coloring sheet for payment of a kid’s meal (grilled cheese sandwich, applesauce, chocolate milk and a prize (a swirly straw). I also got a strawberry milkshake for us to all share that was delicious (that line was 30 minutes but the food was good and inexpensive). From there we headed over to the Purdue Extension building having heard they have free samples and prize winning horticulture. As it being my alma mater we always stop in to see what’s going on and I had a chance to talk to the Master Gardeners of Hamilton County about replacing our fallen tree. Also in this building were many Indiana food companies like U-Relish, Green Bean Delivery, Warrior Mix and HercuLean.

Indiana State Fair

Indiana State Fair

The Big Scare

August 12th was Hoosier Lotto day so we headed over to the Lotto Tent to redeem our free ticket (with state fair admission ticket). We did not win anything but it was memorable because I had my first ever scare of losing Sophia in a busy crowd. To paint the picture, the tram was not running because of the massive swarm of people at the State Fair. We’d walked up to the Lotto Tent to figure out how to redeem our tickets. As I was getting the ticket stubs out of the stroller pocket, my friend had asked someone how we might redeem the tickets and Sophie was gone. In a matter of 5 seconds my friend had said ‘where’s Sophie?’ I did a quick scan and she was no where around us. She then popped out from behind the trashcan we were right next to saying ‘BOO! I was hiding!’ It was heart stopping and we had a little talk about when we should play hide-and-seek.

After our loss at the Lotto Tent we headed to the back side of the fair where we spun every ‘spinny wheel’ we could find and ran through all of the misting fans. This was one of my favorite parts of the fair. Sophie got such immense joy from these simple things! We headed into the Glass Barn hearing that they had a VR pig farm and coupons for $1 off at the pork and beef tents. On that back section of the fair we also saw the Pacer booth and had fun getting up on the John Deere tractors. By now we’ve walked at least 3 miles at the State Fair. TIP: wear tennis shoes because you will walk and stand in line the majority of your time. 

I’d encouraged Sophia to ride on a fair ride in the kiddie area rather than getting her face painted ($10). She obviously chose the spinning dragons that took another half hour to wait for and made my stomach swirl for another half hour after. We stopped to get dinner around the kiddie area (an elephant ear for Sophia and my friend and a cheese burger from the rib eye tent for myself.) I would not recommend the cheese burger from that tent and I would not recommend a lemon shake up or a soda from anywhere in that area (I have been disappointed each year from any of the booths in that area.)

Indiana State Fair

Indiana State Fair

The night ended on a high note by seeing the winning hog (at 1136 lbs), the sheep in their pjs (it was cool at night and they’d just been sheered) and the super tall horses. My favorite part of the entire fair is visiting the horses. They’re so beautiful and kind. Number one on my list for next year’s visit is to see a horse event at the fair. It was about 10 o’clock when we headed out and felt uncomfortable walking back to our car. There were several police cars who had stopped people on the streets and lots of loud traffic on 38th street. We will never skip the $5 parking again.

Breakdown of Purchases:

For two adults and a child for 6 hours at the fair:

  • 2 scalped tickets: $15
  • Dairy Barn Food: $3 (with coloring sheet)
  • Salt Water Taffy: $8
  • 1 Kiddie Ride: $5
  • Elephant Ear: $6
  • Cheeseburger: $4.50 (with $1 off coupon)
  • 2 Flat Pepsi’s: $10
  • Tenderloin, fries and drink: $14

Total: $65.50

I’ve been going to the Indiana State Fair every year since I was 3 and have had fond memories of the fair every year. Our mistakes for making this year’s visit worse than the past: going on a Saturday, not getting the tickets online ahead of time, not parking in the lot, expecting too much from the expensive food vendors. Nothing is a failure when you learn from it. I hope you learn from our mistakes and enjoy the fair!

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Indiana State Fair

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Splash Pads and Water Parks in North Indianapolis

Splash pads and water parks in North Indianapolis are still open! Even though school has started, that does not mean fun has to stop. We have several favorite spots to cool off around Indy.

Splash Pads and Water Parks in North Indianapolis

splash pad

Here is a great list of what to pack when you visit with your family (including some affiliate links):

What to Pack:

There’s nothing worse than having to leave the water park because you forgot the sunscreen. Believe me. It’s always better to have too much stuff than to not have enough. My daughter has become a great swimmer but she hasn’t learned how to stop when she’s tired. We still bring her water wings just to give her a break for a little while and help her to last a while longer.

splash pad

Splash Pads and Water Parks in North Indianapolis

For a list of all the Splash Pads and Water Parks in North Indianapolis, check out the post I wrote at Visit Hamilton County. It is an extensive list with websites and phone numbers should you have specific questions on what you can bring or ADA accessibility. What do you like to pack for your family to bring to the splash pad?

For more related posts:

Taking Your Toddler to the Water Park

On-the-Go Picnic Kit

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Splash Pads and Water Parks in North Indianapolis

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Snack Necklace

I’ve had a super fun-filled week these past few days because my niece, Fiona, came to visit us. We love having her stay with us because she’s so imaginative and keeps us laughing. She’s the star of the show wherever she goes and I love it! I knew I’d need lots of different activities for when she came that we could do as a family, with both girls and while Sophie naps. One night we were extremely brave and attempted to take both girls to the drive-in!

Snack Necklace

One of the best parts about the drive-in are the snacks. When I was little, my parents would pop a huge paper bag full of popcorn, throw TONS of blankets and pillows in the back of the truck and bring a cooler of drinks and treats. I thought it might be fun for Fiona, who’s 4 and LOVES jewelry, to make her own snack necklace. I got a variety of snacks that had holes and weren’t all sugar. Fruit Loops, Cheerios, cookies, chocolate pretzels and salted pretzels. Try finding the small bags so you don’t have a bunch of leftovers.

snack necklace ingredients
snack necklace craft for kidsI dumped all the treats into bowls so they would be easy for Fiona to grab and string onto her necklace. I also used some tape to make an aglet for the end of the string. This is a great small motor activity for any child who is a toddler or older.

snack necklace for kidsIt was the perfect activity for her because she got to choose what snacks she wanted AND make jewelry! She needed help with the cookies because some of them didn’t have holes big enough but I used a toothpick to enlarge the holes so they fit on the string.

making snack necklace
snack necklace craft for kidsThe string was a little soggy for my taste but she said it was fine and she loved it. Next time I will use an elastic string. We saw How to Train Your Dragon 2 and really enjoyed the movie, apart from it storming half way through. Once it was lightening we headed inside the car, which Sophie wasn’t a fan of so Daddy had to walk her around outside with an umbrella. We knew going in that it was a long shot to see the movie in it’s entirety but had to try.

drive-inPlease excuse the poor pictures but I couldn’t not share! In hind site, I should have made one of just puffs and cheerios for Soph because she LOVED it (but got chocolate everywhere!) Have you gone to the drive-in yet this summer? What kind of snacks and activities do you pack for your little ones?

Other great kid snacks:

Easy Peanut Butter Recipes for Kids

Gooey Granola Bars

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snack necklace

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Easy Peanut Butter Recipes for Kids

Easy peanut butter recipes for kids are a must for getting protein into my child. I remember the days fondly when Sophie used to eat like a champ. She wasn’t able to verbalize what she wanted to eat but we knew her go-to foods and it helped her to sleep through the night. For about six months she has been such a picky eater. We’ve tried several tactics on getting her to eat but the most successful is sticking to the foods she likes. We wish her favorite foods were salmon and spinach but we all know a toddler’s palate is more in-tuned to milk and peanut butter. That’s why I’ve decided to get crafty with different peanut butter recipes for her lunch box and after school snack. I’m going to share three easy peanut butter recipes for kids using foods that you likely already have on hand.

Peanut Butter Banana Sushi
Easy Peanut Butter Recipes for Kids

I love figuring out one staple food that works for my daughter and mixing it up for different recipes. Here I did 1 peanut butter 3 ways. The first recipe is:

Peanut Butter Banana Sushi Roll Ups (a favorite after school snack)

Ingredients:

  • Whole wheat tortilla roll
  • Peanut Butter
  • Banana
  • Honey

Spread peanut butter on the whole wheat tortilla evenly but not all the way to the edges. Lay the banana in the center and drizzle with honey. Roll up banana with the tortilla and cut into bit sized pieces. *Can also sprinkle coconut or sprinkles for added fun.

Peanut Butter Banana Sushi Roll
Toddler Lunch with peanut butter banana sushi rollBecause of the cooking time, I usually make the second recipe for Saturday breakfast or after school snack.

Strawberry Peanut Butter Quesadilla

Ingredients:

  • Whole wheat tortilla
  • Peanut Butter
  • Sliced strawberries

Warm a pan on stove top to medium heat. Spread one half of the tortilla with peanut butter and the other half with sliced strawberries. Fold in half and cook in the warm pan. Flip the quesadilla once it starts to brown slightly. Cut into triangles and serve. *Can swap out the strawberries for any fruit. Sophie really likes blueberries or bananas as well.
Peter Pan Simply Ground Peanut Butter and Strawberry Quesadilla
Peanut Butter Strawberry Quesadilla Toddler BreakfastThe third recipe is more of a dessert but I will give it to Sophie as a special after school treat sometimes. She thinks it’s really special because it’s frozen but it couldn’t be healthier!

Frozen Peanut Butter Banana Bark

Ingredients:

  • Freeze dried banana chips
  • 1-2 c plain greek yogurt
  • Peanut Butter
  • 1 tbsp Honey
  • Unsweetened shredded coconut

Line your pan with parchment paper. Add one layer of banana chips along the bottom of the pan. Heat your peanut butter until it’s slightly melted. Mix the peanut butter and honey with yogurt until desired consistency (can add more peanut butter for a nuttier taste). Dollop spoonfuls of yogurt mix onto bananas and carefully smooth over top. Sprinkle shredded coconut over the yogurt and stick in the freezer over night. Break apart bark and serve. *Bananas can be substituted for any freeze dried fruit. You can experiment with fresh fruit but you will get a different consistency because of the added moisture.

Peter_Pan_Peanut_Butter_Bananas (1 of 1)
Peanut Butter Banana Bark
Frozen Peanut Butter Banana BarkMy favorite part about each of these recipes is how healthy they are. They seem like treats to her because they’re so sweet but they have fresh, whole ingredients that help fuel my growing toddler. She has been eating this crunchy peanut butter better than the smooth. It’s also a win in my book because there are no artificial colors, flavors, or preservatives so I’m confident in feeding it to my little girl.

We’ve been working on going through the entire process of our activities with Sophie because that is what she is learning at her Montessori school. I took Sophie to our local Walmart to have her grab the ingredients and put them in the cart. We checked out, headed home and laid out all of the ingredients for one recipe on the island. Sophie cut the strawberries with an egg slicer while I spread the peanut butter. She laid out all of her strawberry slices and helped me fold the quesadilla in half. Soph helped me load our dishes in the dishwasher. I cooked and cut her quesadilla and we shared the meal we had just made together. Having her help with each part of the process through the end helps her understand that there are many steps in her food being laid in front of her at snack time.

 

Do you have your kids help you in the kitchen? What about buying the food, helping with the meal and doing the clean up? It’s a long process but we’re focusing on making sure we do this once per week with Sophie.

Looking for similar kid-friendly recipes?

Gourmet Campfire S’mores

Nutella Parfait Dessert

Gooey Granola Bars

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Peanut Butter Recipes

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Preschool Supplies

Preschool Supplies-This post is not sponsored but does contain affiliate links to the products that we use and love. I would only use affiliate links for products that I would share with my family and friends.
My preschool days aren’t too clear but there are two things I remember. 1. Getting stuck on the monkey bars at recess and my sister catching me. 2. My boyfriend Stevie who liked basketball and watermelon. I’m pretty sure my preschool days started my love of school. I was always excited to go back to school from Kindergarten through college. My very favorite part of school was the back-to-school shopping.

 

 My Mom would take me and my sister, with supply list in hand, to the store to pick up our school supplies and new clothes. When we’d get back to the house I would quickly lay out all of my supplies. Opening the packaging, dumping crayons into my art box, smelling the happy smell of new crayons and erasers and having my Dad come in to see all my new Lisa Frank folders.
last day of school
Right now, our daughter is 3 and in preschool at The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis where they provide all materials for the children so I’m living vicariously through my sister as she’s getting ready to school shop for her second grader. I wanted to do a little round up of some of our favorite products that we have, despite not actually taking them to school. Although Soph doesn’t take her backpack to school, she has 4 that she swaps out to take anywhere we go. I’ll ask her to get her shoes on to go to the pool and she’ll say ‘One minute. I need to get my backpack and toys and sunglasses and phone.’ I wait patiently as she runs around the house collecting random special toys and her essentials for the pool. I love that she’s already got the ‘always be prepared’ part down of Girls Scouts.

Preschool Supplies
preschool

1. Unicorn Backpack. Perfect for a sleepover at her cousin’s or stuffing with toys for the pool!
2. In My Heart by by Jo Witek (Author), Christine Roussey (Illustrator). A book on feelings
3. Crayola Crayons. I buy these every year at school time because they’re so cheap.
4. Denim cap sleeved dress. We wear bike shorts under all dresses to make sure she doesn’t get stuck to the slide and she can play as much as she wants.
5. Rubber sunglasses. Toddlers are tough on sunglasses so we’ve learned to buy the stretchy sunglasses that won’t break with her need to distort them.
6. Easy to wear sandals. We’ve learned to not buy Sophie ‘dress shoes’ or shoes she can’t put on herself. Sophie often gets extremely frustrated if she can’t wear what she wants or is unable to do it herself. We have a similar pair to these that have a good solid rubber sole and velcro to keep the frustration at bay.
7. Lunch Bag. Anything that has a handle and is little is Sophie’s favorite thing ever. This lunch bag holds her lunchbox perfectly, is easy for her to unzip at school, has an inside net for the ice pack and small zipper compartments for a water bottle, napkin or love notes from Mommy.
8. Bento Box. As I’ve mentioned before, my toddler doesn’t eat food unless it’s fruit or a treat. Using a Bentology bento box helps lunch be more interesting for her as a toddler.
Do you long for school (routine) to start or are you saddened the summer is coming to an end? What are some of your back-to-school routines? Do you remember your preschool days?
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