As parents, sometimes it can be hard to find fun, valuable outings for kids to do outside of the house. On our days off, it seems so easy to stay at home and let the kids play, and so much harder to find something worth taking the kids out for.
At Valley Child Care, we understand that sometimes it can be hard to come up with new ideas, so we made a list of our favorite places in Phoenix for a fun outing.
1) The Wildlife World Zoo. Everyone loves a good zoo trip, (cue Peter, Paul and Mary) but the Wildlife Zoo is a little different. The experience of the Wildlife World Zoo is quite a bit more intimate. There are plenty of opportunities for kids to get up close and personal with the animals in a safe, friendly environment. Twice daily, zoo employees take groups of visitors into the Lory parrot cages and allow the guests to hand feed apples to the beautiful birds. The parrots are a little shy, but still friendly, as they land on your arm and eat the apple slice out of your hand. It’s a really fun experience for kids.
2) The Children’s Museum. For kids 10 and younger, the Museum is a great reason to get of the house. Not only is it tons of fun, but their mission is ‘to engage the minds, muscles and imaginations of children and the grown-ups who care about them’. That’s a pretty great goal if you ask us. The museum has an awesome calendar of special events worthy of checking out.
3) The Arizona Science Center. If your kids are a little too old for the Children’s Museum, another great place is the Science Center. Hands on exhibits are the Science Center’s specialty. They have 300 exhibits in 7 different themed galleries that will get your kids interested in things like health, energy, early childhood education, technology and innovation. The Science Center offers many different learning experiences about many different topics.
4) McCormick Stillman Railroad Park. If you haven’t made Railroad Park one of your favorite parks, you need to do so soon. With both a carousel and a small train with a mile-long track for kids to ride, this park will be a favorite with your kids as much as it is with ours. The park also boasts of several antique train cars that you can walk through and a general store where you can find hand-dipped ice cream and other treats.
5) RawHide Western Town. For special occasions, (birthdays, parties, etc) RawHide is a must. The wild west town has everything a kid could dream of: gold mines, gun fights, a town jail and even the required gift shop cap guns. Panning for gold is always favorite and seeing a friend or parent get arrested by the town sheriff is always entertaining.
