When I had just Drake, I did take him to classes and events, but I also didn’t mind if we stayed at home.  Now that I have two and it’s so much harder to go out, I find I want to be out all the time. Maybe it’s due to my transition from being a WOHM to SAHM since Juliet’s birth; the days are long and lonelier now and I’m itching for some kind of adult interaction before 6pm when Mr Chocolate comes home. While it is a lot harder to manage with two, Drake is at a more fun age to experience things and to see the excitement and wonder in his eyes makes it all worth it.

Here are some ways I have been finding fun kids’ activities:

HulaFrog : Hulafrog is a website I discovered recently that is dedicated to local kid friendly events. I believe it’s from the same people who made Daily Candy and is only available in select areas, but seems to be growing. I signed up for their newsletter and get emails about local fun events as well as a host of other kid friendly tips, stores in the area, etc.  I have found a lot of fun local events this way, and just this past week Drake saw a wolf presentation at the library and visited an alpaca farm (funny story about that is the farm is owned by an old high school classmate of Mr. Chocolate’s so they had a fun reunion that day).

Patch: Patch.com is another site similar to Hulafrog owned by AOL. It’s slightly larger and expanding more rapidly, and they also will list local event.  I am signed up for both my local Hulafrog and Patch and have found nice activities and classes to attend through both.

County Park System/Town Website: A lot of country park systems offer classes held at their parks for both adults and children. It was through the park system that I was able to find the mommy plus 2 class (held at one of the building in a local park about 20 minutes away) that I have been taking Drake and Juliet to.  I loved that it was something different to do with both kids, so I am looking at some of the other classes they offer including music, arts, and story times.

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Library:  Most libraries will offer some kind of story time or children’s activity on a weekly or monthly basis.  Most likely if you check their website or go in and ask a librarian, they will be more than happy to tell you about the programs they offer.  Our library has story time weekly, and I am thinking of trying to squeeze that in on a day when Drake doesn’t go to pre-school so we have something to look forward to on non-school days.

Radio Station: If you listen to your local radio station, they usually will advertise the local events in your area.  If you don’t listen regularly you can also probably find an events calendar on their website.

Meetups and Moms Groups: Moms’ groups are a great way to make friends with other moms as well as find out what events might be happening in the area.  Even if you don’t attend any of the events, by being part of the group you can see their calendar and what events are happening. Also kid friendly events don’t have to be anything huge either — a play date with a few other families at the local park or home is sometimes the perfect way to get out of the house and interact with others.

Newsletters:  If you live near local places like the zoo, museums, aquariums, etc., it doesn’t hurt to either sign up for a newsletter if they have one, or just periodically check back on their websites.  Because children are the target audience of most of these establishments, they often will have events specifically to draw in children.

School/Gymboree: Drake attends Pre-K now, but before that we went to Gymboree classes. Often schools and private establishments like Gymboree will host their own events during the year.  Drake’s school just had a movie night and even though we stopped going to Gymboree, I know they always have a Halloween celebration at the end of October which members and non-members can attend.  Many times these places also invite children friendly groups and presenters to come teach the kids, and you can get information on other public events that you can bring the whole family to.

Companies:  I am signed up to a lot of children’s clothing retailer email lists, and every now and then I get emails about events happening in my local store, whether it be a book reading, craft making, etc.  Home Depot has workshops at a lot of their locations for older children to come and make a craft.  Panera has something similar for teaching children how to bake.  Barnes and Noble and Toys R Us often have events at their stores, so look around or ask when you are in the stores if they have anything coming up for children.  Even if they don’t right now they might have one later down the road.

What resources have you used to find fun activities in your area?