5 Summertime Activities for Kids in Orange County

Summertime is a time to enjoy the break in school with a farewell to school time schedules. Most kids in Orange County enjoy the great outdoor weather that summer brings. There are many ways to savor the time off and the beautiful weather. Here are a few of our favorite summertime activities for kids in Orange County

Beach Time in Orange County

Having a beach day is one of the best ways to spend a summer day in Orange County with kids. We have many great beaches in the OC. Some of our favorites include Huntington Beach, Newport Beach, Laguna Beach and Crystal Cove or Little Corona Beach. You can pack a lunch and snacks or enjoy a yummy beachside burger at a restaurant. Be sure to bring sunscreen so you don’t burn.

Water Sports in the OC

Orange County offers an abundance of watersports for people to enjoy. Newport’s Bay Back has water sport rentals including kayaks, paddle boards and even canoes. If you are feeling adventurous, you may want to consider renting a wave runner or a Duffy boat and enjoy the OC water.

Orange County Kids Museums

You can take advantage of the many wonderful Orange County kid museums such as Bowers Kidseum, Pretend City or even the famed Discovery Science Center. These museums provide interactive fun for kids to enjoy. These are not your typical look, but don’t touch museums. They are engaging and fun while providing a fantastic learning experience for you kids.

Theme Parks in Orange County

The Granddaddy of all theme parks is of course the world favorite Disneyland. Other than the Happiest Place on Earth, there are many Orange County theme parks that kids love. Some of our favorites include Knott’s Berry Farm, Adventure City for the little ones, California Adventure, Balboa’s Fun Zone and Boomers.

Roller Skating in OC

If you want to beat the heat and head to an air-conditioned fun place, try roller skating. This is a fun experience for kids that are older than four or five years old. There are tons of fun activities for the little ones, but this is best suited for kids that are over four.  Roller skating is a favorite American pastime, and I remember the fun times I had as a tweeny bopper on the roller rink. 

There are so many fun activities for kids in Orange County to enjoy. Whether you are visiting from out of town or you live in Orange County, you can find an abundance of activities listed for your kids on our website. The only dilemma that you will run into is choosing what to do among the hundreds of choices. There are activities for all ages and many of them are free or at least low cost activities in Orange County. Take a peek at the many choices and let us know what you think. Send us a review of your favorite Orange County activity for kids and be featured on our OC Fun Guide website .

A Literary Adventure Comes to Costa Mesa ~ Live!

A great program has inspired hundreds of kids to read in Costa Mesa. Five Costa Mesa schools along with five community churches have partnered together to encourage literacy in our local schools. During this school year more than fifty volunteers have donated their time in the classroom reading The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe to students. This was the beginning of what became and extraordinary adventure. The book itself takes its readers on an incredible journey. This journey has now come alive for these students. The Crossing Church, along with their partners, is presenting a literary adventure live as The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe comes to life on stage, in their new state of the art auditorium beginning this week.

The Costa Mesa students who started on this adventure and have finished reading the book were given free admission to see this performance. There are three shows Wednesday, June 15 @ 6:30pm; Thursday, June 16th @ 6:30pm and Saturday, June 18th @ 2:00pm. Advanced tickets are available for purchase for $5 and at the door can be purchased for children at $5 and adults at $10. All of the proceeds go to benefit this program Literary Adventure to continue to encourage children to read. This is such a good deal we couldn't pass it up.

This is a great opportunity to bring families together in an effort to enhance our children's education and future. A national survey of literacy among prison inmates show that as many as 70% of all prison inmates fall below a fifth grade reading level. Encouraging kids to read not only affects the children but it affects society as a whole. This literacy adventure program is such a great way that a community can safeguard itself and its children.

This is such an exciting year for many Costa Mesa kids. Come join us as we build a better tomorrow while having some fun as we go.

For more activities and events in Orange County be sure to visit OC Fun Guide's Activity Calendar. Don't miss another great event only to hear about it after!

Happy Literary Adventuring!

It's A Jungle Out There!

If you are looking for a good time for your kids on a rainy day like today, you might want to check out a little place called Scooter's Jungle. I was blown away at how fun this place is. They are an indoor inflatable party place and to say that all the kids had a blast here would be an understatement. My kids have been to their fair share of bounce house birthday parties, but Scooter's Jungle was really wild and fun.

They operate three different types of fun rooms. One is recommended for children 6 years and up and full of inflatable apparatus obstacle courses and giant slides. The next room is recommended for children 4 years old to 9 years old and the room is packed with giant inflatable slides, zip lines and play yards. This room is called the Village Room. They also have a room for the wee ones called the Jr. Party Room for those 1 year old to 6 years old. The best part of all is the music. They have the best music that keeps everyone in a party mood.

Scooter's Jungle has open play days when kids and adults can come and play in all of the cool giant inflatable bouncers and explore the rooms. In fact, the next family day is next Monday, February 21st from 12pm - 3pm. The cost is $9 per child and $4 for adults. They even have pizza slices available for $2 and free lemonade. This is such a fun activity the whole family can enjoy. Check Scooter's Jungle calendar for all of the open play dates.

For more information about having a wild Scooter's Jungle Party Visit their website.

Check out all the fun activities in Orange County!

Happy Fun Day!

Ice Skating in Orange County

This weekend our family will be celebrating winter in Orange County by enjoying one of the many ice skating rinks in Orange County. In the last few years, Orange County has added a few new rinks that we can enjoy. Although we do not have the snow that winter brings to our norther neighbors, we can still enjoy some of the winter activities such as ice skating.

Here are a list of the ice skating rinks in Orange County.

Ice Palace in Aliso Viejo
Ice Palace is a great rink that offers a great skating experience for $12 plus $3 skate rentals. They are open for public skating Monday-Friday 2:15pm - 4:45pm, Saturday & Sunday 12:30pm - 3:00pm, Wednesday 6:15pm - 8:00pm and Fridays 7:30pm - 9:30pm. On Friday nights you can enjoy music videos on their 12 foot screen and color lights show. They are located at 9 Journey in Aliso Viejo. We have had great luck with their skate school.

Anaheim Ice in Anaheim
This amazing skating rink has an NHL and an Olympic size rink. They have a great modern, hip decor and the kids love this place. They offer ice skating classes and hockey leagues available for adults and kids. Anaheim Ice is the official training facility for the Anaheim Ducks. You may just catch one of your favorite Ducks practicing. The price is $5 for kids under 6 years old including skates, $7 for those 15 years old and younger plus $3 skate rental, and $9 for those 16 and over plus $3 skate rental. They have an extensive list of public skate times available on their website. This is one of the greatest skating rinks in Orange County.

There a re a couple of seasonal skating rinks in Orange County at Orange County Great Park this one is free but requires reservations) and at the Irvine Spectrum. You can find information on both of these skating rinks here.

For more information on fun family activities in Orange County be sure to visit OC Fun Guide.

Happy Skating!

Photo Credit: OC Great Park

Tale of a Whale ~ An Ocean Institute Experience

This summer I was given the opportunity to experience the Marine Wildlife Exploration Cruise at The Ocean Institute in Dana Point. What a treat! The Ocean Institute sits on the edge of the Pacific and although they are home to a multi million dollar educational facility, their reach goes far beyond this building. Nationally recognized for it's hands on marine science education, more than 110,000 students participate in the immersion style programs here at the Institute. At the Ocean Institute, their motto is "Experience is the best teacher".

I was so pleasantly surprised at how much I learned while on this 2 hour cruise. There are so many whale watching cruises that take you out to sea and keep you staring at the big blue for the hopes that you might catch a glimpse of Blue Whale. Well, this experience was far from the average tourist trap. We did see 2 Blue Whales and were able to learn about their diving techniques and habits. These creatures are truly majestic and words nor pictures could begin to describe seeing one of these enormous mammals in person.

The Marine Biologists and volunteers on board actually teach you so much about not only the different species of Whales but most sea life found in the Pacific including the plankton that they enlist volunteers from the cruise to obtain from the sea floor. Once the specimen is pulled up the Marine Biologists put the specimen under microscopes where you can view them on a big screen as well as placing them under little plates of glass.

You have an opportunity to ask questions during the entire cruise and even the most passive learner will experience and learn so much. I highly recommend the Marine Wildlife Exploration Cruise when you visit The Ocean Institute. Be sure to visit The Ocean Institute online for more information on this cruise as well as many other educational opportunities. Their camps are also highly educational and they have so many special events during the year. The membership is not too pricey either. I believe they have family memberships at $60 a year which gives you FREE admission to the Institute and deep discounts on their events, cruises and camps throughout the year. They are currently holding their annual Raffle to win an ocean view house in Laguna Beach or many other amazing prizes and if you purchase a ticket they include a membership as well.

Make a day out of your visit to The Ocean Institute and take in beautiful Dana Point Harbor. This community is such an incredible beach side gem and be sure to bring your camera. You'll find this town to be a photographer's heaven.

Be sure to visit OC Fun Guide for new and exciting family activities that are FREE and Low Cost.

Happy Discovering!

Welcome SITStahs!

I am so excited today is finally here! It's my day to be featured on SITS. I can hardly hold my excitement in. The neighbors must think we've won the lotto. This is GREAT! What is SITS you ask? The SITS Girls as in The Secret is in the Sauce is a remarkable community of over 6,000 bloggers who support each other through comments. Let me tell you, these SITStahs are awesome. I have connected with countless bloggers and found the most amazing blogs that I follow and really love. Each day they feature one blogger and our day is here! Before you read on, you've got to check these SITStahs out, if you don't know about them already. You may find yourself at their next Bloggy Boot Camp. That's right, a boot camp for those new at blogging or those wanting to learn more. They have these Boot Camps in several cities across the US each year and they provide real valuable knowledge for each type of blogger. They aren't afraid to share, which I find refreshingly helpful.

Welcome to our little corner of the earth I like to call home, Orange County, California. While most of us here don't live like "The Real Housewives of Orange County" or "The OC" we certainly have a great place to call home. From the beaches to the amusement Parks and everything in between, we do live on a little piece of heaven on earth.

I started this blog to chronicle the fun times in Orange County with my family to be able to share our experiences with others. Orange County is a great place packed full of FUN but sometimes it is difficult to find all the happenings and activities in one place. I became a Stay at Home Mom sort of by accident. I was laid off from my job and instead of moping around feeling sorry for myself, I decided to begin my search to get out of the house and have some fun but the catch was, not a whole lot of money in the "fun fund". My goal was to create a place where those in my community could find fun FREE and Low Cost fun things to do with their kids. In my quest for fun, I have found so many activities for FREE. I thought this was so amazing, I had to share. OC Fun Guide's the website was born. Although it's far from completion, you will find some great places to see and much more on the way. In fact, much like a child, I don't think it will ever stop growing. Come take a look at all the fun activities there are to experience in Orange County. You may just change your summer vacation plans and come here instead:)

The Target Corporation is generous enough to grant funds to sponsor the Arts in many cities across the US. Target sponsors certain days of the week and pay for your admission so many are FREE or at least generously reduced in price. Take a look to see if there are any FREE days in your area. I encourage you to share all the awesome deals in your area because most of us are living these days on a budget, unless you were lucky enough to miss the bullet in this poor economy.

Feel free to take a look around. Read about what my daughter calls "the most awesomest place on earth", besides Disneyland of course. You can check out how much fun Disneyland birthdays can be. If you are interested in a little history, check out The Mission in San Juan Capistrano. For nature excursions be sure to visit The Environmental Nature Center or Peter & Mary Muth Interpretive Center. If you are interested in Ocean Ecology or Marine Biology, you may want to check out our visit to The Pacific Marine Mammal Center.

Even if you are not close to Orange County, California, always remember you are only a blog away. Thanks for coming and I hope you have enjoyed yourself. For those of you who live in or near Orange County you may want to sign up to receive our monthly activities and calendar to be sure you don't miss another event only to hear about it after.

Happy SITS Day!

OC Kid's Restaurant Week

Summer is here and the kids are finally out of school. To kick off your summer check out The Launch of OC Kid's Restaurant Week which is Saturday, June 27th (tomorrow) @ The District in Tustin from 12noon - 4pm. There will be mini-bounces houses, live music, face-painting, balloon art, cupcake decorating and interactive booths. You can enter the many raffles with either one canned good for the local food banks or $1 to win cool prizes like a Nirve beach cruiser bike, Knotts Berry Farm tickets, Wild Rivers Water park tickets and lots of other fun prizes. Why not enjoy the festivities on Saturday and all week for that matter. My idea of a good time definitely includes NOT COOKING. So for all of those in favor of a week off from cooking and deals at OC "kid friendly" restaurants hop on down to The District tomorrow and enjoy yourselves. You can feel extra good about this because eating at participating restaurants this week will give a portion of the proceeds to Share our Strength to support ending child hunger.

To take part in this week's family dining out celebration, visit OC Kid's Restaurant Week for a list of participating and "kid friendly" places to eat in Orange County.

In addition to Saturday's festivities at The District in Tustin, you can enjoy SUNDAY FUNDAY at Don The Beachcombers in Huntington Beach. This FREE event will take place this Sunday, June 27th from 4-5:30pm. Family's will be transported to the restaurant's Hidden Village to a tropical wonderland featuring Tapua Hula classes, shaved ice stations, sugar dumplin makin, indoor surf lessons by Katin and Tiki mask painting. If you are interested in attending RSVP by email to mona@moxxepr.com.

Enjoy this week and celebrate families dining out! Be sure to check out www.ocfunguide.com for FREE and Low Cost activities in Orange County this summer.

Happy Dining!