Discover the Magic of the New Crayola Experience in Easton!

Color, color everywhere ... The Crayola Experience (formerly known as the Crayola Factory) is still located at 30 Centre Square in Easton, but that's about the only thing that's the same. The renovated building offers a new layout, new activities and a nice, new cafe. Whether or not you've been there before, it's definitely worth a day trip!

FOUR FLOORS OF COLOR & MAGIC

On the first floor, you'll find ticketing and a huge, new store (some of you may remember the old store was connected to the Factory; the new store is where the former eating-meeting space used to be). From there, take the stairs or elevator to the second floor.

iPads are a great new activity!

The Art Alive room features tables of iPads for kids and parents alike, and today's theme was underwater. Once we finished drawing our octopus and sea turtles, something magical happened! The drawings leaped to an animated wall with all of the other sea creatures.  I could have spent a full hour just in this room. It was a fantastic blend of art and technology.

Also on the second floor is the Crayola movie room which shows the audience how a crayon is "born." The show happens every hour on the half hour, and is much more clever, interactive and upbeat than before. My daughter and her friend sat through the entire show ... captivated by the presenter and her two, colorful sidekicks. 

Waterworks & crayon boats

Floor three features a two-story playground, sidewalk chalk, activity centers, Doodle in the Dark (my favorite room!) and water works. From the playground area, take the stairs to the fourth floor to experience a real Meltdown.

The Meltdown floor doesn't mean it's a floor filled with crying kids. It's an entire space dedicated to melting crayons and turning the wax into a new art form.

 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE YOU GO

If you have any old Crayola Factory tokens lying around, they will not work in the new machines. However, you can exchange them at the ticketing desk for new Crayola Experience tokens. These can be used to get markers, make your own crayons, and snag some model magic in a larger array of colors.

The Crayola Cafe is located where the McDonald's used to be. It's bigger, cleaner and offers a decent lunch selection, including pizza, hoagies, Naked brand juices, hummus, fruit and colorful cupcakes. 

I would recommend bringing a water bottle for the kids; there is a lot of climbing and dancing going on! Also, it's very busy. If you can get to the Experience on a weekday, just as it opens, you may have a better chance of avoiding large crowds. Here is more information on planning your visit to the Crayola Experience.  

FUN FACTS ABOUT CRAYONS

• Crayola crayons have been around for 110 years! The first crayons were made in 1903. 
• There are more than 200 different crayon colors, but only 13 label colors.
• The label machine can label 180 crayons per minute.

DISCOVER THE CRAYOLA EXPERIENCE

All in all, each of the four unique floors is dedicated to bringing out your child's imagination. Give yourself plenty time to enjoy each of the activities. This is one place you won't want to rush through.

Watch this YouTube video and see for yourself what makes the Crayola Experience a truly wonderful experience for kids of all ages.

Mom's Movie Review: Despicable Me 2

It was hotter than blue blazes today! So, instead of filling the inflatable baby pool, my gang headed to the AMC on Tilghman to watch a movie. This was the first time in YEARS that my husband had been to the movies and we brought our girls (5 years and 20 months). The heat must have definitely been getting to us ... we took a 20-month-old to the movies?!

We gave our oldest a choice: Do you want to see Despicable Me 2 or Monsters University? Secretly, I would have been happy watching either one of these, but was glad that she chose Despicable Me 2. I just love those little minions!



The movie is rated PG and seems to be well liked by the general public -- receiving four out of five stars on MSN Entertainment. I don't want to spill the beans too much, but here's the gist:

Dr. Gru is no longer evil ... he's a loving father to the three little orphans from DM1. There's another bad guy in town who wants to take over the world and uses the minions as part of his evil plan. Dr. Gru and girls save the day and the world! The end.

Oh, and there's a lot of jelly , fun new characters, guacamole and a princess party.

My crew really enjoyed this animated sequel. The baby almost lasted the entire movie and even laughed out loud a few times! Sure, the movie was probably not age appropriate for my toddler, but I do not regret taking her.

WANT MORE MINIONS?

For more details on Despicable Me 2 and to watch movie trailers, go to the official website. You can even create your own "InstaMinion" on Facebook (which I did, and it was fun and easy to do).

Have you seen Despicable Me 2? What did you think?

July Events for the Kids at Wegmans!

Just in case you didn't love Wegmans enough already ... here are six more reasons! Throughout the month of July, Wegmans, located at 3900 Tilghman Street in Allentown, will host events for the kids. Some are free, others cost
a small fee.

Photo from the Morning Call, mcall.com

 FUN EVENTS FOR THE KIDS AT WEGMANS

July 13
Story & Craft Hour
10 - 11 am
Free event

July 19
Story & Craft Hour
10 - 11 am
Free event

July 20
Breakfast with Sully from Monsters University!
9 am - 12 pm
Breakfast Bar available until 11:30 am @ $8.99 / lb

July 21
Breakfast with Sully from Monsters University!
9 am - 12 pm
Breakfast Bar available until 11:30 am @ $8.99 / lb 

July 27
Story & Craft Hour
10 - 11 am
Free event

July 28
Cooking with Kids, Make your own ice cream
3 - 4 pm
$5 / child, purchase tickets at the Service desk

Maybe we'll see you there! If you have any questions about these events you can visit or call the Customer Service desk, (610) 336-7900.

Beauty and the Beast in 3D. What could possibly be different?

Yes, skeptical could be my middle name.

But before we were invited to see Beauty and the Beast in 3D at a screening premiere in King of Prussia, I was a bit, um, unconvinced that I could like Beauty & the Beast any more than I all ready did.  Let me put it this way, out of all the Disney movies out there, Beauty and the Beast was and is my absolute favorite!

But back to my point...what could possibly be different? 

The colors, the details, "introducing a whole new generation to the Disney classic with stunning new 3D imagery" as detailed on the studio website.  "The film captures the fantastic journey of Belle (voice of Paige O'Hara), a bright and beautiful young woman who's taken prisoner by a hideous beast (voice of Robby Benson) in his castle. Despite her precarious situation, Belle befriends the castle's enchanted staff–a teapot, a candelabra and a mantel clock, among others–and ultimately learns to see beneath the Beast's exterior to discover the heart and soul of a prince."

What was different to me?  Yes, I saw this movie many moons ago when I was a teenager.  But watching it now as an adult and mother to two little ones, I noticed all of the detail in the scenery.  I noticed minutiae things that I once overlooked.  It gave me a whole new appreciation of all the time & energy and planning that goes into a masterpiece such as this.

So, if you are on the fence on whether or not to see this wonderful movie again at the theater...I highly, highly recommend that you do so.  See this movie again through the eyes of your little ones but outside the cute story line you will notice a whole new world in a "tale as old as time".

I'd like to thank Cheryl Baker, Account Executive for Radio Disney, Philadelphia for allowing my daughters' and I the opportunity to see the screening of Beauty and the Beast in 3D at the United Artists, King of Prussia Stadium 16, last weekend.

FD HIDDEN DIV

Grab your Little One & head on over to see Santa at the Lehigh Valley Mall

Well, he's here.  And by "he" I mean SANTA CLAUS! 

Santa made his entrance Friday, 11/11 at 6:30pm at the Lehigh Valley Mall.  The Whitehall Fire Department did the honors by escorting him to the premises.

My family and I were there to greet him as he made his way through the crowd.  He helped to light the Christmas Tree inside the Mall and outside too.


We at Lehigh Valley Little Ones & Family Fun gave out "goodie bags" for the Parents at the event...which included coupons and information for kid-friendly businesses in the area....the bags were all gone in about 20 minutes! 


Thank you to all who came out to this event!  When planning your visit to see Santa, please remember to check Santa's hours at the Mall to make sure he is not out feeding the reindeer when you arrive.


Yes, I'm like a "big kid" now that Santa is "IN" the Valley.  Let the shopping begin!

The Walnutport Canal Festival - Sunday, October 16, 2011

  What a great day it was this past weekend at the Annual Walnutsport Canal Festival.

Our girls Aneley and Jessica were such big help.

We met lots of new friends and talked to a lot of great people.

That's Amy spreading the word about Lehigh Valley Family Fun.

There were so many great vendors to see. From Old Time Medicine Men, to petting rescued Grey Hounds or fluffy Alpaca. There were crafters and artisans, Steel Miners union gave the kids mining hats and the local Walnutsport Police department gave the kids balloons. There was a front porch fashion show, World War I uniforms to view, and Abraham Lincoln and his Wife strolling around.

We saw a real tee pee, and a hemp farmer gave a demonstration on preparing hemp for weaving.

There were also a lot of great vintage cars, and vintage bicycles.

We liked this one with a giant teddy bear riding in back!

Lots more events to check out this Fall. Come see us this weekend at the

Landmark Nursery Flea and Flower Market on Sunday, October, 23rd from 10-3pm.

For more information Click here.

Let's Volunteer!

So, I'm a Mom.  I run from place to place, depending on the day of the week.  I carpool, I set up playdates and not to mention all of the laundry I do.  Yet there is still one area of my life that I feel is empty. 

I am extremely fortunate that I basically want for nothing.  I work hard for the money I earn and at the end of the day, there is food on the table.  Now don't get me wrong, I'd like to go on a shopping spree every day of the week.  But, let's get real, that's just not in my budget. 

One of my many goals that I have for Lehigh Valley Little Ones & Family Fun is to give back to the community.  Whether it is child-related or not, there are a ton of worthy non profit organizations out there that can use my help & yours.

In the coming months, we, at Lehigh Valley Little Ones & Family Fun will be encouraging everyone, whether you are a Mom or Dad, Grandparent, Aunt or Uncle to get out there to Volunteer.  Let's make a difference in the Lehigh Valley!