Snow Day Fun!

There is a lot of stuff you can do on a snow day like today! We have no school today! I love snow days!

1. Go play in the snow. There are a lot of things to do outside when it snows. I love to play in the snow. You can build a snowman. The last time we had snow I made a snow igloo.
Here is a picture of me building it. I used beach toys like shovels and pails to make snow blocks.

 I also love to play at the playground in the snow. I love to play with my brother and sister in the snow at the playground. We like to pretend to be bears and we have homes in the snow. It is also fun to slide on a snowy slide- it is like a snow ride. If you want to make a giant snow storm, it is also fun to shake a branch of a snow covered tree. If you shake it, all of the snow will fall on you like a big snow storm.

2. Drink hot chocolate. I love hot chocolate and also marshmallows.

3. Make a snow sundae. To make a snow sundae you have to get clean snow from outside. In the bowl you pour milk and a little vanilla. Then you mix it all up and then you pick what kind of toppings you want like sprinkles. Then enjoy!
Here is a picture of us making a snow sundae during the last snow storm.

4. Build a fort.

5. Bake some hot food. Today we are making blueberry pancakes. We are also going to make pumpkin bread and later in the day we are making meatballs and cornbread. My favorite thing to bake on a snow day is cookies.

6. Take a bubble bath. We love to take bubble baths.

7. Watch a movie.

Have fun and stay warm!
-Blake

The National Zoo

There is a lot of fun stuff to do in Washington, and one of my favorite things is to go to the zoo. I like the zoo for a lot of reasons. One is that I like seeing the animals and the animals by habitat. Some of the animals you can see at the National Zoo are panda bears, zebras, tigers, lions, and a lot more. 

There are indoor things and outdoor things to see at the zoo. Some of the indoor things are the ape house, the amazon, the small mammal house, the reptile house, and the think tank. In the think tank,  they train some orangutans to do a game and to teach them stuff on a computer.

The zoo also has restaurants to eat in, mostly for lunch. They don't really have breakfast foods, but that's fine because you don't really want to get up really early  to go to the zoo on a weekend when you can sleep in. There is also a Starbucks right across the street.
I also recommend stopping at Cake Pops by Yael for a cake pop. It is delicious and nut free.  Here is a picture of my mom and me enjoying a cake pop!

There is also a frozen yogurt place there.

There are sometimes special programs like Zoo Lights. This is fun and takes place at the zoo at night from around Thanksgiving until New Years.

Admission is free and parking is 22 dollars a day. I love the zoo. I think you should go sometime!
- Blake

LEGO 2 Movie

Today I went to see the new movie- LEGO 2.

It was a fun movie. It takes place after LEGO Movie, but you don't need to see the first movie to understand this movie. It was really funny, but it was a little long. When we saw it, there were a lot of previews, so it was too long, especially for my little brother.

I wonder if they will make a LEGO Movie 3, but probably not for a long time since this one just came out.

I won't give any spoilers, but I give this 3 stars (out of 5.)

- Blake

Air and Space Museum- Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center

One thing that is great about living in the Washington DC area is that there are so many museums to  visit. One museum that I like and my family likes is the Air and Space museum. There is one downtown and one near Dulles airport. Recently I went with my mom and brother to the Steven F . Udvar-Hazy Center (air and space museum) near Dulles Airport. They have a lot of information about space and air. Here are a few things that I really loved about the place.

1. They have a tall tower that is like an air traffic control tower. You have a take an elevator that goes 600 and something feet into the air. When you are up there, you can look out the windows and see airplanes taking off and landing at Dulles airport because it is so near to the museum.

Here is a picture of my brother and me looking at an airplane that is landing.

 

2. They have a big thing like a stadium where you can see all kinds of airplanes. There were some that were really old. There were some that were military planes. There were lots of different types of planes to look at.

3. There was a simulator to make it feel like you were driving a space shuttle and landing it. There is one seat for the Commander. I was the Commander. There is a second seat for the Pilot. The Pilot is in charge of the landing gear. My brother was the pilot. There is a computer inside to show in front of you and so you can see the runway where you are trying to land.
Here is a picture of me inside.

4. There is a cafeteria and a gift shop. The cafeteria was really just a big McDonalds, but we got ice cream! There was also a gift shop with toys, books, clothes, costumes, and other stuff about air and space.

5. They have IMAX movies to see.

I recommend a visit to this place. The admission is free and parking is $15.

- Blake

Snowtubing

One activity that I and my family like to do during the winter is snowtubing because it's fun. We went to Boulder Ridge Snow Tubing at Ski Liberty. They make fake snow if there isn't snow out, so you don't have to worry if there isn't any real snow. There are 10 lanes and lane 1 is for kids under 10. I am only 7, but I was able to go in other lanes, too.
Here is a picture of me getting ready to go down the mountain.

There is also a separate area for little kids. It is probably good for under 4 years old. My brother is 4 and he went on the regular lanes (in the under 10 lane.)

One great thing is how you get up to the top of the mountain. You just pull your tube to the moving ramp that takes you to the top of the mountain.
Here is a picture of me on the ramp to the top.

When you get to the top, you pick which lane you are going on. If you want to make it extra fun, you can ask for extra fast and spinning. If you do that, you will zoom down the mountain like a tornado or hurricane!

Tubing is fun for family and friends of all ages - and best of all, no experience is necessary!
Ski Liberty is about 1 hour from the DC area. Tubing costs about $25-$30 for 2 hours.

- Blake

Sugarloaf Mountain

One of my family's favorite activities is hiking. And one of my favorite spots for hiking is Sugarloaf Mountain.
Here's why:
There are a bunch of trails at Sugarloaf Mountain. All of them go to the top. My favorite is the one right near the parking lot/picnic are. That one has lots of parts where you climb rocks which is my favorite. It is really steep and a lot of fun to climb. There are big boulders that my big sister and me like to climb on. My little brother tries, too.
There is also a really nice picnic area and we bring our lunches and eat overlooking the scenery.
There are short hikes and long hikes there. The one that is my favorite is about an hour and a half.
If you like to hike, you should check out Sugarloaf Mountain.

Also, my parents have been to the winery at the bottom of the mountain and they said it was really nice.

Sugarloaf Mountain is great for hiking. It rocks! I recommend it for kids and adults as long as they can climb easily and steadily.

-Blake

City Wildlife's Open House

Today (February 17) I went to city wildlife center.
This is the only day of the year when you can tour the facility and see first-hand how they rehabilitate injured, ill, and orphaned wild animals. I saw a lot of turtles and some lovebirds. There were also two baby opossums there, but I couldn't see them. There were also insects.
We went on a tour and saw the laundry room. They take donations of towels. The donations cannot be red or have a scent. The reason they cannot use red towels is that for animals, red is the color of poisonous things.
We also saw the feeding room. There are a lot of types of food there for the animals. The tour guide told us about when they have lots of baby squirrels. Can you guess?! Spring? No! It's fall because there are lots of acorns out and the mother squirrel doesn't have to go so far from the tree or their house.

Here are some pictures I took during my visit.

I recommend this event for you to go to next year. It is good for kids, probably older than 5. It was hard for my brother to stay calm and follow along with the tour.

Fun Fact: They have lots of candy at the open house!

City Wildlife is located at 15 Oglethorpe Street in Northwest DC.
You can learn more about City Wildlife, click here.

-Blake

Maple Syruping Days at Brookside Gardens

This place is really fun. It starts with an activity sitting down in the classroom and then you get to go outside and find maple trees. First, you learn about maple trees and how to find one. After that, you start exploring outside. You go on a nature walk to find some trees. Once you find a maple tree, you can  see how they collect sap and maybe even see some sap being collected from a maple tree.
Here is a picture of me looking in one of the sap collection buckets.

We got to taste some sap from the maple tree. It looked like cloudy water and tasted like sugary water. After that, we walked further and saw where they boil the sap over a fire. After it boils for a long time, it turns into maple syrup. We also saw different types of maple sugar. The last part was the most fun because we got some maple syrup with two pancakes! It was really good!

Brookside Gardens in located in Wheaton, Maryland and February is Maple Sugaring Month. Every Saturday and Sunday in February they have this program. This is a great activity for kids and adults. I liked it, my 4 year old brother liked it, and even my parents did, too. The whole program lasts an hour and you should make a reservation. Cost is $6 per person.

You should check it out!

Welcome to my blog!

Hi! My name is Blake. I am writing this blog for kids. There are lots of things kids can do on free days- like the weekend or when there is no school. I hope this blog will give you some ideas.
Some things about me...
1. I am almost 8 years old.
2. I am a big brother and a little brother.
3. I live outside Washington D.C.
4. I am a good piano player.
5. I have been to eleven countries (so far!)

This is me. I am the one in the orange-

Some of the things on my blog will be reviews of special outings I go on. Other things on my blog will be fun stuff you can do around your house when you have nothing to do.

I hope you like following along. Please leave me comments!

-Blake