Visit us at grkids.com/blog and you’ll find our latest contest, posts and everything (even your comments!) have safely made the move.  If you’re looking to enter our numerous contests, you can find them on our new site under the WIN tab.

We’re grateful for your patience as we get our new site up to speed.  There are many little parts of the puzzle left for us to put in place.  For those of you that subscribe to us via email or RSS feed…we will let you know how to sign up with us again shortly.  We hope that you will love our new home as much as we do!

Baby Loves Disco
Back by popular demand from LaughFest 2011, here’s your chance to groove with toddlers, pre-schoolers and parents!

The fun spills out from all corners of the club: bubble machines, baskets of scarves and egg-shakers, a chill-out room (with tents, books and puzzles), diaper changing stations, a full spread of healthy snacks and dancing, LOTS of dancing. But at its core, Baby Loves Disco is a community event that brings kids together with kids and parents together with parents.

Friday, March 9                                                     Content Guidelines:  FAM
10:30a & 2:00p                                                     $10 Adult/$7 Child (General Admission)
The BOB
Saturday, March 10
10:30a & 2:00p
The BOB

Super Saturday Kids Zone
Saturday, March 10                                                     Content Guidelines:  FAM
10am – 2pm                                                             $7 (General Admission)
GRCC Ford Fieldhouse
Fun for kids, and kids at heart!  This year’s event will include tons of exciting activities for kids of all ages, including:

• Laser Tag
• Extreme Obstacle Course
• Boulder Dash
• Ahoy Matey
• Full Court Press
• Dragon Hide-n-Slide
• Moon Bounce
• Face Painters
• Micro Reality Race Track
• Video Game Systems
• Sand Art
• Spin Art
• And More!

Showcase- Family Improv
Saturday, March 10 & 17                                Content Guidelines:  FAM
11:ooa                                                     FREE/ Fast Pass
Dog Story Theater
Gather the family and have a great time with host Mary Jane Pories of Fishladder, Inc.

Saturday Nite Teen Zone
Saturday March 10                              Content Guidelines:  FAM
7-10p                                                      $7 ($1 off by using code “MEIJER” on Ticketmaster.com)
GRCC Ford Fieldhouse
THE Saturday night hangout for teens and tweens!  Enjoy laser tag, inflatables, and a live DJ with dancing, ride the mechanical bull, and try your hand at a variety of casino games while earning chips towards prizes!
Download the flyer!

The Surprising Story of the Three Little Pigs
Saturdays March 10 & 17                                               Content Guidelines:  FAM
2:00p                                                                                      FREE/ Fast Pass
Grand Rapids Civic Theatre
Join us to see how classic fairy tale characters question and change their fate.

Laurie Berkner Band
Sunday March 11                                               Content Guidelines:  FAM
1:00p                                                         $22.50-$32.50 (Reserved Seating)
DeVos Performance Hall

These days critics widely acknowledge Laurie’s major contribution toward launching what is now dubbed the progressive “kindie rock” movement – i.e. less saccharine, more rocking music that is not dumbed down for children.  But it wasn’t simply an enormous amount of talent that helped create an entire genre and skyrocketed Laurie to her current position as “the queen of children’s music” (People Magazine).  It was an ability to gain parents’ enthusiasm for the songs as well.  According to Laurie, “When I’m writing a song, I’m thinking about whether the kids will like it and whether I’m going to connect to them through it.  I’m also thinking about whether I want to sing it over and over again, so I guess that’s the part that connects with adults.  ‘Old MacDonald Had A Farm’ is a great song for kids, but I couldn’t sing it 100 times!”

Barrel of Mondays – That’s Weird Grandma

Tuesday, March 13                                                    Content Guidelines:  FAM
10:00a & 1:00p                                                          $10 (General Admission)
St. Cecilia Music Center
Sponsored by Glenn Family Foundation and The Royce Family
Take in this play written by Chicago school children and performed by Barrel of Monkeys, an arts education theater ensemble who has worked with under-served children in the Chicago Public Schools since 1997.

Kids Joke Night
Tuesday, March 13                                                                   Content Guideline: FAM
6:00p – 8:00p                                                                             FREE
Grand Rapids Children’s Museum
Ever wonder what it would be like to be a comedian?  Or would you prefer to just sit back and laugh?  Well come to the Grand Rapids Children’s Museum for the Laugh Fest event Kid’s Joke Night and you can do both!  Kids can come up on stage and tell their own jokes, use the jokes we will have provided, or just sit back, eat popcorn, and laugh!  So bring the family, share some laughs and have a great time!

Taylor Mason – in Holland
Friday, March 16                                                           Content Guidelines:  FAM
7:30p                                                                                 $17.50 (Reserved Seating)
Knickerbocker Theatre, Holland
LaughFest comes to Holland for the first time with Taylor Mason!
Taylor Mason’s quick wit, flawless delivery & polished material make him a hit with audiences of all ages. He is a ventriloquist, musician & stand-up comedian.

People and Pets
Saturday, March 17                                                  Content Guideline: FAM
9:00a                                                               FREE
GRCC Ford Fieldhouse
We all know that animals can be seriously funny – so come on our and bring your furry friend for contests, games, entertainment, giveaways and treats!

Seriously Funny Adventure Challenge- ages 13+
Saturday March 17                                                            Content Guidelines:  FAM
Noon                                                                                        Register today!
Starts at GRCC Ford Fieldhouse
Join your fellows in a fierce competition, pitting man against woman, child against parent, friend against friend, competitor against rubber chicken.  This fun-filled challenge will involve teams* (of two or four) racing across the downtown areas of Grand Rapids to engage in fun and exciting timed challenges requiring fast thinking, fast acting, and reckless abandon.  The adventure will culminate in the final “joke showdown” where competitors will lay all their cards on the table as they vie for prizes and bragging rights.
Schedule:
Thursday, March 15 and Friday, March 16
9:00am-9:00 pm
Pre-Race Registration and Packet Pickups at LaughFest Central
Saturday, March 17
11:30 am     Competitor Report Time
12:00 pm    Team Send Offs
2:00 pm    Awards and Celebration
LOCATION –     GRCC Ford Fieldhouse

Verve Pipe
Saturday, March 17                                               Content Guidelines:  FAM
1pm and 3pm                                                      Reserved Seating
St. Cecilia Music Center

After an eight year hiatus, founding members Brian Vander Ark and Donny Brown (and a roster of great musicians) were approached to submit an original song for a compilation album of children’s music. That session inspired their latest release, the critically-acclaimed A Family Album, a collection of ten songs intended for the entire family, with fun and inventive lyrics set to the memorable melodies the band is known for.

Tickets are on sale now for Green Eggs and Ham on Saturday, March 17 at 10:15 and 11:30 am at Sunshine Community Church. All tickets are only $5 each and can be purchased at the door, the Symphony box office (300 Ottawa Suite 100), online at grsymphony.org, or at Ticketmaster outlets.

We want to send your family to see Green Eggs and Ham!  We are giving away 4 tickets to the March 17 performance.  To enter share your name and how your children like to eat their eggs.  If you enter via Facebook be sure to include your email address. The contest ends March 13, 2012.

*All opinions are my own.  Tickets were received in exchange for this contest but did not impact the view reflected here.  This contest will close on  March 13, 2012 and winners will be notified via email.  No purchase necessary to enter the contest.  Leaving a comment on this blog post is not a requirement of entry. This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Facebook. You are providing your information to grkids.com and not to Facebook. The information you provide will only be used to enter the contest and notify winners. Entrants will release Facebook from all liability. Entrants must be at least 18 years of age and reside in Michigan. Only one entry per household. Entrants may also enter the contest by sending an email to contests at grkids dot com containing their name, address, phone number and email address along with the words: Green Eggs and Ham Lollipop Concert ticket giveaway in the subject line. Grand Rapids Kids’ liability is limited to the value of the prize.

This amazing ice adventure skates into Van Andel Arena March 22 -25.

Performances:
Thursday, March 22 at 7:00pm
Friday, March 23 at 7:00pm
Saturday, March 24 at 11:00am, 3:00pm, & 7:00pm
Sunday, March 25 at 2:00pm
Doors open 1 hour prior to performance

Ticket Pricing: Rinkside/Frontrow $55, VIP $45, $35, $23, $19, $15

Tickets available at the Van Andel Arena Box Office, all Ticketmaster outlets, online at Ticketmaster.com, or by phone (800) 745-3000

We are thrilled to be giving away 3 Family 4 Packs to see Disney On Ice!  Enter your name and tell us who your favorite Disney character is. Don’t forget to leave your email address if you enter via Facebook.  Winner will be randomly selected March 14, 2012.

*All opinions are my own.  Tickets to the show were provided in exchange for posting this contest but had no influence on my opinions.  This contest will close on  March 14, 2012 and winners will be notified via email.  No purchase necessary to enter the contest.  Leaving a comment on this blog post is not a requirement of entry. This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Facebook. You are providing your information to grkids.com and not to Facebook. The information you provide will only be used to enter the contest and notify winners. Entrants will release Facebook from all liability. Entrants must be at least 18 years of age and reside in Michigan. Only one entry per household. Entrants may also enter the contest by sending an email to contests at grkids dot com containing their name, address, phone number and email address along with the words: Disney On Ice Presents Mickey and Minne’s Magical Journey Giveaway in the subject line. Grand Rapids Kids’ liability is limited to the value of the prize.

We arrived at 2:30 for a 3 pm performance to see all sorts of instruments and activities to keep the boys busy….and interested in music.  The boys even got to bend wire to make a pitch pin.

The concert itself was 1 hour long, which was perfect for my boys’ limited attention span.  The music was fun and energetic.  We got to see alpen horns and a theremin.  The boys were tickled when they heard ordinary things like a typewriter and cell phone conduct solos in the orchestra.  ( I felt only a little old when I had to describe to my son exactly what a typewriter was!)

All in all, we had some laughs, listened to some neat music, and the boys learned and appreciated more about music.   I’d say that was a pretty successful outing.

Although I received tickets to the concert in exchange for this review from the GR Symphony, the tickets did not influence the opinions in this post.  All opinions are my own.

I didn’t go to LaughFest last year.   I wasn’t  sure that there was much for kids to do at LaughFest and in my book, comedians and kids don’t often go together.  My opinions started changing after a friend went to Baby Loves Disco last year.  She had such a great time that I tried to get tickets for the second event and they were sold out.  Hmm…  Events that aren’t child-friendly and awesome don’t usually sell out. [This year grkids.com is a LaughFest media partner and we're proud of it!]

Tip One: Get tickets to even the small acts ahead of time.

Some of the free events had to turn people away last year as well.  To help with that problem, LaughFest has created LaughFest Central at the GRAM.  Yes, you can buy cool LaughFest merchandise and tickets here, but it is also the place you can score Fast Passes to the free shows.  According to the LaughFest website, “A Fast Pass guarantees a seat at a free event as long as the holder is seated at least 15 minutes prior to the beginning of a show. At that time, walk-up seating will begin and passes will no longer be valid. A percentage of seats at Fast Pass venues will be kept open for walk-ups.”

Tip Two: Get Fast Passes to the Free Events that your family is interested in.

Other than not being able to get into a show, my biggest concern with bringing kids to LaughFest is that they’ll be exposed to something off-color.  Wendy Wigger, our media contact at Gilda’s Club, told me that since performers do live, unscripted shows that adds a dimension of difficulty to categorizing the shows.  Even so,   LaughFest has taken steps to help filter events a bit more.  This year, families should use the new CONTENT GUIDELINES search option on the LaughFest website.  For instance, anything labeled with FAM has been deemed suitable for all ages.

Tip Three: Search the website and LaughFest materials for events with the FAM label.

We hope that you and your family will get out to LaughFest and share your experiences with us.  If you need some motivation, we’re giving away tickets to Laurie Berkner’s performance, the Verve Pipe, as well as some  other family-friendly LaughFest performances.

Gilda’s LaughFest was created by the team at Gilda’s Club Grand Rapids in 2011. More than 55,000 people from 25 states and Canada attended the 2011 festival. All proceeds from Gilda’s LaughFest benefit the cancer, grief and other support programs offered through Gilda’s Club Grand Rapids.

Visit www.laughfestgr.org or call 616-735-HAHA (4242) to learn more about Gilda’s LaughFest.

Gilda’s Club Grand Rapids is a free emotional health program where children, adults, families and friends find their smile and laughter in the midst of a cancer or grief journey.  Its comprehensive program includes education, structured sharing times, networking, lectures, workshops and social activities. Named for the late Saturday Night Live comedian, Gilda Radner, Gilda’s Club Grand Rapids is the largest and busiest of the 52 affiliate clubs in North America.    The organization is run entirely through local support and charitable donations and currently serves more than 10,000 individuals each year from 33 counties in Michigan at its Clubhouses in Grand Rapids and Lowell, Mich., in various schools and in five community centers. For more information, visit www.gildasclubgr.org.

Saturday, March 17, 2012 at 1:00pm and 3:00pm, The Verve Pipe will be performing at St. Cecilia Music Center.  Tickets for this Family Friendly LaughFest performance are available thru laughfestgr.org or by calling 616-735-HAHA.  Prices are $10 for adults and $7 for children.

The GRkids family wants your family to see this fantastic children’s recording artist!  We are giving away 2 tickets (one adult and one child) to see The Verve Pipe on March 17 at the 3:00pm show.  To win tickets leave us your name and tell us a favorite song you like to rock out to with your kids.  If you enter via Facebook don’t forget to leave your email address too.  The winner will be randomly chosen on March 8.

*All opinions are my own.  This contest will close on  March 8, 2012 and winners will be notified via email.  No purchase necessary to enter the contest.  Leaving a comment on this blog post is not a requirement of entry. This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Facebook. You are providing your information to grkids.com and not to Facebook. The information you provide will only be used to enter the contest and notify winners. Entrants will release Facebook from all liability. Entrants must be at least 18 years of age and reside in Michigan. Only one entry per household. Entrants may also enter the contest by sending an email to contests at grkids dot com containing their name, address, phone number and email address along with the words: The Verve Pipe Giveaway in the subject line. Grand Rapids Kids’ liability is limited to the value of the prize.

The success of a cash mob doesn’t just hinge on the amount of dollars the group spends.  Introducing people to a new local business is another lasting benefit of participation.

So…the first decision we need to make is WHERE.

Please leave a comment telling us where you think our Mom Cash Mob should go and why. 

Keep in mind that the business must be:
1- locally owned
2- big enough to accommodate 20 shoppers at one time
3- child & stroller friendly

If you are commenting via facebook, leave your email if you would like to be informed of when and where the cash mob will be taking place.

The Grand Rapids Public Museum will be open to visitors six days a week beginning January 23, 2012, but will offer several free admission dates.  The Museum hours will change to: Tuesday 9 am – 8 pm; Wednesday – Saturday 9 am – 5 pm, and Sunday Noon – 5 pm.  The Museum will be closed Mondays except to private functions.

This announcement comes as the Museum is trying to make the most efficient use of its resources going forward, five years after all financial support from the City of Grand Rapids ended.  “We’re trying to be the best stewards of our resources given the current economic climate,” says Dale A. Robertson, Museum President and CEO.  “We will close on Mondays, one of our slowest traffic days, but through our participation with Museums Free 4 All we will offer guests several 2012 opportunities to visit us for free.”

It is also noted that the policy to allow GR residents in free on Mondays started when the Museum was owned by the City.  The City cut off funding years ago, but the Museum kept the policy in place regardless, although free admission applied only to general admission, not special exhibit admission.

The Grand Rapids Public Museum is a collector of treasures, a motivator and resource for life-long learning, and a community partner in the pursuit of insight and understanding.  For information, call 616.456.3977 or go to grmuseum.org.

We thank Kristy for clearing up this matter for our readers and we hope that our readers will be able to take advantage of some of the free admission dates coming up in the future.

From my previous posts on grkids.com, you know that I kind of stumbled into this job.  And in my fumbling around I bumped into a woman who had been compiling lists of things for families to do long before I came on the scene.  You’ve probably heard of her blog- Big Binder- where readers are instructed on how to raise the “next generation of awesome.”  When I first met Jen, I was struck by her enthusiasm for her kids and her passions.  And as I’ve followed Jen’s blog it has become increasingly clear that these passions run deep.

I admire Jen because she is not afraid to advocate on a political level for her children.  I’ll be honest, I am a wimp when it comes to politics.  But here is Jen, calling out politicians on their policies while I am at home worrying about my laundry conundrum.  Jen’s spunk isn’t just contained to things she wants to change.  She’s also fanatical about the Grand Rapids Griffins and helping out causes she loves.

Why am I gushing about Jen right now?  Because through her words she has given me courage to stand up for what I believe.  Because through her example she has shown me that one woman can make a difference for her children.  And now, as I am faced with a decision about sending my daughter to school all day, every day for Kindergarten next year, I have the moxie to choose what’s best for my daughter even if it isn’t  easy or popular.

So, if you’re looking to help change the world for your kids, I encourage you to read Big Binder.  I promise you, Jen keeps it real and makes it fun.  Thanks, Jen Rees!  [By the way, Jen had no idea that I have this profound admiration for her or that I was going to write this post.]