My son loves to play games on my iPhone and has his own menu page. Check out his favorites and download them.  They are all free and you kid(s) might like them!

TK’s favorite iPhone games:
Memory Pro
Whack a Groundhog (Lite)
Smack It
Paper Toss
Bowl Lite
Sprout Player
Bug Squash
Sponge Bob (Lite)
Action Bowling (Free)
3D Coaster (Free)

Fireworks/Parades/Celebrations in the East Bay

Alameda County Fair

Marin County Fair

Napa County Fair

There are also loads of things to do on this site: GoCityKids

LEGO crane (8421) (c) the LEGO Group

The other day I spoke with a colleague about great toys that we used to have as kids. We both have kids now, and we were talking about the toys that our kids play with today, and how much how kids play has changed. My colleague and I are both engineers by training, and we have both always been interested in technology. And as self-professed geeks, we, of course, both played with LEGO as kids.

I remember playing for hours every day with my LEGO — building huge cranes, complex train sets, and all kinds of vehicles. Come to think of it, my younger brother still vividly remembers what happens when one hides important LEGO pieces from the older brother who is "working on the most important project in the world!" .. hm .. anyway, LEGO is clearly my all-time favorite toy, and I have tried very hard to share this with my own kids.

To me LEGO is the perfect toy because it can teach so many basic things about mechanics, spatial thinking, problem solving, and just plain ingenuity. And no, it’s not just for boys.

I have two daughters, and I’ve gotten them quite a bit of LEGO over the years (yes, it was for me too). Of course, they’re not fanatics like myself, but I know that they appreciate the time we spend together playing and building things. And that’s really what matters: taking the time to actually play with our kids.

For my kids I’ve gotten pretty much everything from regular house kits to trains to the high-end Technics crane and the totally awesome MindStorm Robotics kit (this one warrants a post on its own). There is just so much cool LEGO out there, and the best part is that regardless of what you get for your kids, they will find it nearly irresistible to play with. Those little colored bricks somehow call out to you — they want you to stack them together!

LEGO bulldozer (8275) (c) the LEGO Group

LEGO is also a fabulous learning tool. Unlike most other toys that we buy, LEGO does require assembly! In fact, that’s the point — you build whatever you want. It calls out your inner creativity whether you want to or not. And it doesn’t matter whether it’s a simple kit with just a few bricks, or the crane with thousands. It took me two solid days to build that one, but my 5 year-old loved it, and I can guarantee you that a kit like that is a real challenge even for grown-ups. Think of it as complex 3D-puzzle with movable parts. By the way, I may try that bulldozer that I saw on a recent trip to Germany.

Another great thing about LEGO is that you don’t have to follow the instructions in the box — you can build whatever you want. You can combine kits and invent anything you want. And you would not be the only one: there are tons of web sites devoted to LEGO kits, and there is even CAD software to create your own virtual LEGO models.

LEGO can get quite complex. For example, the MindStorms series allows you you to build robots that can be programmed to react to sensor input. And even though robotics is not for the faint of heart, this is designed for kids and it is designed well. The programming can be done on a laptop — a fantastic graphics-based kid-friendly language — and then transferred to the logic brick. My teenage daughter, who is too cool to play with anything, actually got the robot to dance to the beat from the stereo by programming it to react to the sound sensor. Yes, I know, sounds complicated, but it’s not, and that is the genius behind LEGO: the company has made technology fun to play with.

Enjoy the bricks!

-martin.

Some additional LEGO links:

• RAILBRICKS — awesome LEGO trains
• THE ART OF THE BRICK — unbelievably cool LEGO sculptures

Sea Lion at Mystic Aquarium

The Mystic Aquarium is a medium-sized aquarium with quite a few big indoor and outdoor exhibits including Beluga whales, sea lions, penguins, dolphins, coral reefs, and more.

This is another aquarium that I have been visiting often with my daughters. It’s a bit of a drive for us, so when we go we make a short day-trip out of it, by also visiting the Mystic Village, and one or more other places on the way back from the aquarium.

Lion fish at Mystic Aquarium

Of course, over time a few exhibits have become "must-see" favorites — my daughters like the huge Beluga whales and "Coco" (one of the stars in the the Sea Lion show), while I always have to visit the coral reef exhibit.

The Sea Lion is always a big hit, especially when "Coco" — the big sea lion — comes out of the pool and slides around in front of the audience. But there are tons of other exhibits, and shows, including a "Deep Sea" 3D ride.

This aquarium can get very busy on nice-weather days with bus loads of visitors coming to visit Mystic, CT. There is usually plenty of parking right in front of the aquarium, but we usually park in the lot for the Mystic Village across the street, since we usually visit that after the aquarium.

The Mystic Aquarium is a great aquarium where you can easily spend a day watching the shows and exhibits. And even town of Mystic, while a bit touristy, is worth at least one visit.

-martin.

The Minnesota Zoo has launched a new site to celebrate their Africa! exhibit. The site is whopooped.org and it features a Flash-based interactive story book about three African animals at the zoo and their poop.

There’s a lot of reading, so it’s not a play-by-yourself game for younger children until they’ve been through it a time or two. There are plenty of little mini-games to play, like feeding an ostrich, that’ll keep kids interested. Once they finish the game/story, they can download a certificate and watch several videos about the zoo.

Sure, it may not be the most socially-friendly topic, but kids seem to love it.

Shark Tank

Sea Turtles

My youngest is now 5 years old, and is starting to be a little more interested in the various exhibits, while the older one is 13 and has been here a million times. We still find interesting things to do here and to look at. There is always a larger themed exhibit (the current one is called the African Underwater Safari) which changes every few months, and then there are the regular exhibits. The focus of this aquarium is on the Long Island Sound, and the creatures that you’ll find in this region.

Jelly Fish

There are actually quite a few exhibits here, and there is even a play area for smaller kids, a 3D ride, and a great IMAX theater. So chances are, neither you, nor your kids will be get bored. There is also a cafeteria and store where you can buy anything from soft and plushy dolphins, to t-shirts and sweaters, to books and jewelry. The food in the cafeteria is overpriced and pretty bad, so you’re better off walking few blocks to the many restaurants around Washington Street in South Norwalk.

This aquarium can get quite busy on bad-weather days, and it’s also a popular place for birthday parties. If you come by car, then you can park across the street in the parking garage. There are also a few spots in the street (free on Sundays and holidays), but they’re usually taken after 10am.

The Maritime Aquarium is a great little aquarium where you can easily spend a few hours and not notice the time fly — it’s definitely worth a visit, or even several

Basically, you get a series of tubes (no, it’s not the Internet) that you assemble with lenses into one (or, I’m assuming, both) of two configurations: a modern telescope or a more traditional Galileo-style scope. Both work, of course, and offer you and your children views of Saturn, Jupiter, the Moon and more.

For $24 (not to mention supporting science and providing awesome education to your chidlren), you really can’t go wrong. You can visit this site for more information or go straight to the order page. They have discounts on orders over 100 units (if you’re purchasing for a school or group).

Have fun exploring the sky!

I like to try new recipes on myself and my son even though we are the pickiest eaters on this planet. Tonight’s meatloaf was an experiment that had great results (although the boy ate more pancakes and apples than meatloaf).

Check out the recipe, give it a try, and never be afraid to cook meatloaf again!

Turkey Meatloaf
- 1 meatloaf pan
- 1 package of ground turkey
- sea salt
- fresh cracked black pepper
- Italian seasoning
- half a package of sloppy joe seasoning (optional)
- sweet potato, minced
- red bell pepper, minced (I prefer orange, but only had red tonight)
- portabella mushroom cap, minced
- edamame (or any green pea-like thing), cooked and minced
- black lentils, cooked and minced (they are small, so mincing doesn’t work to well)
- vegetable broth

(I never measure anything so I’m not sure how much of the seasonings or vegetables I used, but I decided to use the sloppy joe seasoning packet because I notoriously under salt everything.)

Mix everything together (except the vegetable broth) and set aside. Pour enough vegetable broth in the bottom part of the meatloaf pan to cover it. Put your meatloaf mix into the top part of the meatloaf pan, smooth out, and sprinkle with a few dashes of cumin (for a smoky flavor). Pour a small amount of vegetable broth on the top of the meatloaf (as an initial basting).

Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 60 minutes and baste every 20 minutes or so.  Please make sure you cook the meatloaf  all the way through, even if it means cooking it for longer than 60 minutes. 

I also made a gravy out of the drippings/vegetable broth in the bottom of the pan.

Side note: You can use whatever vegetables you like, I just used what I had around the house. 

Side, side note: You can add 1 egg if you like, I decided to leave it out.

This morning when he requested pancakes I decided that I would change it up a bit. I’m REALLY good at hiding vegetables in his food.  From spinach to bell peppers I chop, mince, and saute them into whatever dish I’m making for him. Breakfast is no different. Here’s a recipe he likes that you can try on your kids:

Gluten Free Carrot (and Banana) Pancakes
- 1 package of gluten free pancake/waffle mix (and whatever ingredients it calls for)
- 1 medium carrot, minced
- cinnamon (as little or as much as you want)
- nutmeg (as little or as much as you want)
- butter (optional)
- ripe banana or 1/8 cup applesauce (optional)

Mix everything according to the package instructions, adding the minced carrots, cinnamon, and nutmeg in last.  If you plan on not using syrup, mix the applesauce in the batter to add sweetness (but be sure to adjust the amount for water/rice milk you use). If you are using the banana for sweetness, add the slices into the batter once the pancakes are on the griddle. I also use the butter on the griddle to add a little bit of saltiness.

And just an FYI, gluten free mix is usually dry, so using fruit and makes it feel more “normal”. But, if you don’t like fruit in your pancakes use maple syrup on the finished product or blue agave nectar (or honey) in the batter – should add a little bit of moisture.

Enjoy!