Three Outings, With Varying Degrees Of Success

It can be hard to think of things to do in the summer...especially in Arizona, where doing anything outdoors (besides swimming) isn't a great option. So sometimes, every time I get a flyer for any kids' activity (no matter how far away; regardless of my daughters' interest level), I will go out of my way to seek it out. Because, it might be fun, ya know? It sure beats staying at home all day.

Anyway, sometimes these activities work out, and sometimes they don't. Here's a few we tried in late June.

1. Geodes from Bookmans

Our family loves Bookmans, a chain of secondhand book/DVD/music/etc. stores throughout Tucson. It turns out they have a Children's Summer Program, with a different activity each week. It's a bit of a long drive to get to Bookmans nowadays, so I decided to check all the activities and possibly only go to one or two of them. The one that sounded the most interesting was, "Be Your Own Geologist."

Ever seen those little round stones that, when you crack them open, reveal lots of shiny crystals? They're called "geodes" (or "dragon eggs," if you find them at a Renaissance Festival), and you can buy them online in a variety of places, or at any number of conventions or festivals. Well, some Bookmans staffer thought it would be a great idea to get a bulk order of these little geodes, give a short kid-friendly lecture on geology, then break the geodes open and offer them to the kids in attendance. It would be fun and educational!

On paper this idea sounds really good. In practice, sadly, it didn't work out that well.

First of all, about 500,000 children showed up for this particular activity; it was probably a massive fire hazard. Secondly, the poor activity leader didn't really know what to do with the geodes. I have a feeling the store manager dumped them in her lap and said, "Here! Do this activity!" and forced her to figure it out on her own.

She brought a rubber hammer to crack the geodes...and then she tried breaking them directly on the carpeted floor. As you can imagine...no luck. Then she put a cloth around the geodes...then she put cardboard between the geode and the floor...still no luck. Many parents tried their hand at breaking open a rock, pounding mightily, but to no effect...all while the hordes of wiggly children grew noisier and more restless. Those geodes were tough little suckers!

In the end, another employee (possibly a maintenance guy?) was brought in, with a "real" metal hammer, and he started making progress. Unfortunately, the geodes didn't crack perfectly in half like they do in all the pictures...they shattered into several rough chunks. Oh well...at least we could see crystals!! I grabbed a few in my fist and we got the heck out of there. I have a sinking feeling there weren't enough geodes (even in chunks!) for all the kids there.

If nothing else, my girls were able to buy a new book or two, which we always end up doing at Bookmans anyway (I even scored a copy of The Phantom Tollbooth, because no family should be without that book!). The girls also took a minute to cuddle with the stuffed animals. And to be fair to the embattled activity leader, she did lead off the event with a short description of geology and how geodes are formed. She was trying!! It's not her fault she was in over her head. Still, not an activity I'll be repeating.

2. Free Screening of Monsters University

Our local movie theater, in partnership with a local health-care company, offered three free screenings of the latest Pixar movie to hit theaters, Monsters University. A free showing...on the film's opening weekend! Not only that, but the theater was offering free snack packs for everyone in the theater! That's a small soda, small popcorn, and fruit snacks! Plus, the health-care company was sponsoring several booths & games outside the theater before the showtimes! It all seemed too good to be true.

For many would-be theater-goers, it was too good to be true. Word got out about this event fast; apparently, people were camped outside the theater at 6 am (on a Saturday...ugh!) waiting to get seats. Demand was much higher than anticipated by the theater, and so they had to open a fourth showtime to try and accommodate everyone. I'm not sure how much this put back the theater financially. My lazy self waltzed up to the theater about 9:45 am, and scored the very last seats to the very last show. Boo-yah! The theater had run out of wristbands, so they had to mark our arms with marker. I saw people being turned away just minutes after we arrived. Whew!

However, it was still a badly organized event. I don't blame the theater for this; the health-care company had clearly not planned for such crowds. All the games & booths had left by the time we arrived, except the free dental screenings. So my girls had to entertain themselves by letting dental hygienists poke around inside their mouths.

 

We had to wait in line for more than an hour just to be sure of getting a seat. The girls, as you can imagine, got bored and started running roughshod throughout the theater. I couldn't do much without losing my spot, so I had to settle for glaring angrily at them most of the time. Finally, after we all got our food, we were shuffled into the theater...and couldn't find any seats together. Aurora and I sat in the very front row, with Celeste a couple of rows behind and Lorelai several rows after that. It made the girls very nervous to not sit with me, but they (mostly) got over it once the movie started rolling. As it turned out, it was a good thing I waited in line as long as I did; there were something like thirty people after me who didn't get seats, and squatted on the floor of the theater until the ushers made them leave...after being given a pass and being promised a seat. Ouch. I really hope those poor people got a voucher or something!

So, despite all the waiting & the crowds, we still managed to watch the movie for free. I was pleasantly surprised by the film...I had low expectations going in, but it was better than I had expected. Not a masterpiece of storytelling, and sort of lightweight for a Pixar film, but it was a film that had simple goals, and it more than exceeded them. The character work, animation, humor, and emotional impact was great, as is usual for Pixar. I will happily own it on DVD.

After the movie, my girls got their "Monsters U" student ID cards...

Unfortunately, our trip devolved into chaos at this point. Celeste & Aurora both wanted to peer through the window from the outside (like Lorelai had), but both were too short to get their faces into the frame. In their struggle to climb the wall, they devolved into swinging fists and screams, to the annoyance of the passersby, while I waved my hand frantically, trying to shush them, from inside the building. Mother of the Year!! Ugh. Luckily, they finally let me take their pictures inside, and that mostly worked.

3. Ronald McDonald Comes to the Library

"Ronald's" appearances have become a tradition in Sahuarita; he shows up at some event or another about once a year. The last few years, he's come to the Green Valley Library, a favorite story-time destination for our family. I don't know who "Ronald" really is under the makeup and clown suit, but he's a pretty funny guy. He tells some silly jokes, performs several magic tricks, and sneakily encourages the kids to read more books and learn about their home state of Arizona.

This particular visit was especially cool because Lorelai got to be one of Ronald's helpers! She an another boy helped "handcuff" Ronald...which, of course, he managed to wiggle out of.

After the magic show was done, Ronald sat and visited with every child one on one. He was very patient and friendly, and even had a few extra magic tricks to share with some of the kids. He was a lot more interesting than, say, a mall Santa, who doesn't usually make much conversation.

Celeste watched Ronald "remove" his thumb, and she was blown away!

 Aurora really wanted to see Ronald, but when she got up to him, she was petrified and almost burst into tears. In the picture above, you can see her holding up three fingers...this is Aurora's traditional greeting. Every time she meets a new person (and I mean EVERY time), she says, "Hi! (holding up three fingers) I'm three! And when I'm five, I can take a shower!" Truly, there is no more anticipated event in a young girl's life than her first shower. At least that's how Aurora sees it right now.

Sooo shy...Aurora is this close to running away screaming. Daddy would probably have encouraged her to run, since he hates and fears all clowns. Watching Stephen King's IT as a child really messed him up. But Ronald is no Pennywise.

While all three of these activities were enjoyable (to some degree), we learned that some summer activities are more enjoyable than others. I'll leave you to decide which one you think we liked best.