Elevator Anxiety

I've always wondered why on earth the emergency button on the elevator panel was all the way at the bottom. It usually sits next to the alarm button or call button. The emergency button varies in design. Sometimes it looks just like the other buttons but has a red trim and a small red center. Sometimes it's pushed out farther than the others, and in that case it is always big and red. Other times it's a pull/push lever or button. Meaning push to stop, pull to run.

In almost EVERY elevator I have been in, these buttons are at the bottom of the panel directly finger pushing level to a toddler. Obviously, whoever designs elevators lives at home with cats and not a rabid 20 month old toddler boy with enough energy to even wear Richard Simmons out. I've been working on Tyler in public places. Teaching him to stay with my in crowded places. How to keep his hands to himself. But come on! You stick a two and a half foot tasmanian devil in a confined space with a big bright red button that is exactly eye level and you expect them not to push it? It screams PUSH ME! Set off the alarm! Get the big loud firetruck to come!

Luckily, (knock on wood)We have not had the pleasure of Tyler actually going through with it, but we have had some extremely close calls. It just blows my mind sometimes when I think of how this world is evidently not baby friendly in any way shape or form. Or maybe this has nothing to do with the kids and everything to do with the guy in the camera watching all the mothers inside the four foot circumference running around like a chicken with it's head cut off trying to block that tiny little finger from pushing the button from hell.

Of course another country invented this...

Kidspace

Where: 480 N. Arroyo Blvd., Pasadena CA 911103
When: Right now Kidspace is closed Mondays, but will be open 7 days a week starting in June. Tues-Fri: (9:30am-5pm)/ Sat & Sun: (10am-5)

* weekends are much more crowded than early weekdays!!

How much: $10 for adults and children/ Under 1: free

Things to keep in mind!
1. pack a lunch and save some money!
2. bring a second change of clothes..they will get wet!
3. don't bother with a stroller...you can't bring it inside anyways.

Take a look at the website for upcoming events and annual pass information
http://www.kidspacemuseum.org/site/PageServer?pagename=index


Kidspace Childen's Museum is located in Pasadena right next to the Rose bowl. It's really easy to get to and has a huge parking lot so you don't have to worry about any fees from a parking structure or getting towed or ticketed on the side of the road. I was a little confused at first on where to go, because the lot is so large, but when you see the "kidspace" symbol, all you have to do is follow it like a yellow brick road. Instead of finding Oz, you find a magical world built just for toddlers and kids! Although it seems a little pricey to charge both children and adults the same price, it still is worth it once you're inside. Of course I am a single child parent, so for a family of three or four, this can get pretty pricey!

I first want to start by saying that I grew up spending alot of my early childhood years at Kidspace. My mother took us often, and I even had the privelege of having a birthday party here. Except when I got inside I immediately called my mom and said, "Um..I think I went to the wrong place..." This was nothing of what I remembered. In fact there was nothing that remotely resembled the old kidspace. Late that night, my mom and I looked up Kidspace on wikipedia, and lo and behold it was moved to another location and completely refurbished in 2005. Don't get me wrong, it was the coolest place I had ever taken Ty! It just wasn't the memory I had as a young girl that I wanted to now share with my son. There was no firetruck, or news station where you can broadcast yourself on a tv after dressing up in the many costumes. There was no beach sand to play in, or underground tree house to crawl in. And there wasn't even the store to take you mini shopping cart and buy all the plastic food you could ever dream of. This was a new kidspace, and it would involve making NEW memories that would now be especially just for Tyler.







I don't want to go into too much detail about this place because then I would leave you with no surprise. This is a fantastic place that caters to the imagination and developing minds of kids. The museum is more like a hands of nature center. Where you are transformed into a bug in this extra large world. With countless climbing activities, the building also has different sections for learning about the earth: from earthquakes and avalanches, to digging for fossils and decomposition. There are tons of tanks with scorpions, beetles, tarantulas, milipedes, and cockroaches. They even have a black light room to see some of these critters in a new way. The coolest bug exhibit was the bee hive! A ten foot tube that reaches to the ceiling interacts as a highway for honey bees. This tube then leads back down into the hive where a piece of glass allows you to witness the hive being built in the making.

After we explored and plundered all we THOUGHT we could, we fumbled into another room full of rocks, leaves, pinecones, and everything else nature! Although this room is very hands on, and is for a children a little older than my 17th month old, we were still able to enjoy the fish tank and turtle tank. ("Turtle" is one of Tyler's first words). In the center of this room there is a always someone to answer questions or just explore with you. The staff is very friendly and helpful.



Outside the adventure only begins. Toddlers are able to enjoy a small water playground, where they can fill buckets, splash, and even take a ride on a slide. Bring another pair of clothes if you plan on letting your child explore in this area. For the older kids, there is a race track where you can jump on a tricycle and race around. Farther up the hill is a nice shallow pond where we saw some families playing with boats and buckets. A small vegetable garden and watering cans, allows the children to interact with the vegetation and be apart of the nature. A big water wheel, bridge, and waterfall adds aesthetic beauty while a climbing area gives older kids a little more of a challenge.

In addition to the outside area, and the exhibit itself, there is a small food window all specializing in snacks and lunches for children, an event room where they hold presentations and shows, a gift shop/store, and my favorite: the toddler room! This play area is built tough for the falling, jumping, tumbling, toddlers we love. The room includes: a small slide with a crawl through house, magnets boards with tons of colorful magnet shapes, a velcro wall with soft blocks, puzzles, books, toys, blocks, and rubber mats to go crazy on! This is the only area of kidspace where there is no shoes allowed (so where some clean socks) :D

Welcome to L.A. Mommy

Finding fun and cheap ways to entertain and educate your children is not as far of a reach as most may think. As a mother in Los Angeles, we are blessed and should be grateful for all of what surrounds us. My name is Ashley. I am a full time student, with a full time job, who just so happens to be a round the clock mom. My 16 month old son, Tyler, is the love of my life, and the reason I am able to survive each crazy day. Before I head to school or after I get off work, I am always searching for fun and creative ways to entertain Tyler, and get him interacting with his environment. I believe the best way a child can learn about their world, is through experience rather than lecture. Even though my son will not remember our daytime adventures, I know they are developing his mind, improving his coordination, and enhancing his love for the world. What more can a mother ask for?

Here is my guide to the best baby and toddler attractions in Los Angeles. There is no gift greater than the gift of knowledge, so let's teach our children culture, language, love, and all the beauties of nature that we sometimes forget to acknowledge. Enjoy!