Kids Clinic at The Home Depot!!

The Home Depot is a fantastic place to take your little ones for a FREE experience. I arranged a private kids clinic with the event coordinator of my local store and it came to be for free. You can attend a free kids clinic at the Home Depot on various weekends at various times according to that particular stores schedule, call your local store for particulars. Some stores will have you sign up for the clinic in advance so that they can alert families when the class is full. This is important because there are limited supplies.



During a privately scheduled kids clinic your children will be given a tour of the store before creating their craft. With the right tour guide your kids will be dazzled by all that lies within this 'big box.' My group of little buddies had all attended this store before, but were still having a great time, even when being told about necessary safety precautions.


There are various craft kits for the kids to assemble that vary in difficulty, most of them require a little help from an adult friend. Today my buddies made tool boxes that they are eager to paint at home and fill with all their most precious of treasures. The best part is that they get to keep the signature orange apron for future crafts at home.

I give this FREE outing an A++. Yeah for The Home Depot!

Denver's City Park Playground

There are a couple of playgrounds in City Park, but this wooden playground has a ton of character. It sits on the Western side of the park near York, between 17th and 29th. The Denver Zoo and Nature and Science Museum border the North East corner of City Park near where the smaller, more modern playground sits at the South East corner.



This park is set apart by its fun forest carvings adorning every corner. The North side of the playground is lined with large concrete picnic tables and several standing coal grills.
Be sure to bring enough beverages to hydrate your crew. The nearest water fountains are a bit of a walk for little ones on a sunny day, but not too far if you're in a pinch.



You will have to make the trek east if you're in the need of facilities that are not of the shady port-o-potty variety. Either way, you wont find a great restroom experience at this park.

This fort style playground has equipment that is appropriate for a variety of ages, including a closed-in section for smaller kiddos. Most of the playground is in direct sun, so the rings and rails might get hot. The amount of metal equipment is minimal, so hot surfaces are not a large problem.

As is customary with urban parks there are also a few shady characters that lurk around that you might have to keep your eye on, but no more than your kids.

Denver Art Museum

The Denver Art Museum is a great place to take little ones. Fun-filled backpacks and tubes are available for kids of all ages giving them an interactive guide to the museum. You can find the cart with these items up the first flight of stairs in the Hamilton Building (the mod addition). There are also a ton of "hotspots" throughout the museum that help keep kids keen to the learning experience. In the North Building (the original building next to the library), there is a whole "Fun Family Center."

When just cruising the galleries, I find that kids really enjoy the contemporary exhibits on the third and fourth floors of the Hamilton Building best. The photo to the right is of one piece on the third floor by Sandy Skoglund named Fox Games. My photograph does not do it justice, so please do visit the Denver Art Museum's site. This particular piece covers a whole room that you can walk through.

Bring your lunch and eat in the bridge connection, or the Duncan Pavilion at the end of the hall where you can order a Novo coffee and pastry. Don't get caught trying to take food or a backpack through the Hamilton Building though, you can access this area with food, only by entering the museum through the North Building. Otherwise, leave your bulky items in the coat/locker room located behind the ticket desk.

Tickets are $15 for adults, $12 for students and seniors, $7 for youth, and free for kids five and under. I have a membership and it turned out to be a great deal. As a member you will also be invited to monthly members only parties on the final Friday of each month, and they're a ton of fun.
Admission to the art museum, except for special exhibits is free on every first Saturday of each month! It you don't like a crowd, I suggest you dish out the cash for tickets on another day because it can get wild on free days.


Don't miss popping on the bubbles in Bubbloo, located on the second floor of the Hamilton Building. It's loads of fun!

Colorado State Capitol Building

Sure, it can be kind of boring for a two and four year old, but still something that I found necessary to expose the little guys to before the 'the big show.' I purchased a book for them about being president called So You Want to Be President, by Judith St. George to get them revved up. It's a really cute book, but the overall concept of 'President' was a little out there for them still. Nonetheless, I wanted to give them a little bit of the political flavor that shapes our society. The Colorado Capitol building is always open to visitors during business hours. You can sign up for a tour, or just check it out for yourself. There is a cafe area where you are welcome to bring in your own food to eat, something that is highly prized in my crew. Best of all, the experience is free! You just have to find parking. If that doesn't sound like any fun, maybe a virtual tour might do for you.