Peeping Tom? Still Suffering from a Load of Junior High Lack of Self Esteem

Confessions of Self Esteem Issues in Junior High

Remember how you hated junior-high - we all suffered with a lack of self-esteem. Here is my story. Enjoy!

Sponge Bob in Marching Band.

Hey you, I see you there. Are you a Peeping Tom? Junior High is the worst. Are you still suffering from a lack of self-esteem? We all struggle with life in those awkward teen years. Here's my take.

Shh...  Don't tell anyone. I like to window peep, strike that, make it love.  I love to window peep especially during the holidays.  Driving thru the city with the clever vise of looking at Christmas lights, I secretly spy on families thru their picture windows. It's neat to see what they are doing -to notice their dining room decor or their living room doings.  I'd never hop out of the car, knock on the door, and scream, "Hey, I'm watching you!"


No, I'd never do that.

Why do we like to know when someone reads our blog?  Why do we ask them to advertise our button to share the love?  Two years ago, when I launched my blog I worried about who might see or read it.  I got a few blog hoppers who asked me to visit their blogs. I discreetly perused other blogs for ideas and ways to improve mine.  I never left a comment.  I didn't want anyone to know I had stumbled upon their most personal thoughts.  Mostly, I wondered why I would want other bloggers to read my blog.

I wanted readers, fans, followers, anything but bloggers...  Now I get it.

Bloggers are our equals.  Bloggers will become friends.  Friends will become followers and fans.

So, why do I still hide much of the time?  Most bloggers know I've visited because they keep track. I look at many blogs everyday following anyone who asks me to, and I visit other blogs, but I only read a few.  One of my favorites is "I'm a Lazy Mom".  Why?  Because, I am a lazy Mom.  It validates my life.  It makes me feel okay with my lazy, little secrets.  In a recent post she discusses cleaning the stove off with a vacuum.  Been there, done that!  I peek in her window a couple of times a week -she didn't ask me too- but I'm sure she doesn't mind.

Why, then, do I feel uncomfortable about peeking into a blog that is written by someone I know in real life?  I've read several blogs written by friends and acquaintances from high-school, but I rarely go back for more.

 A girl, okay a woman, I went to school with, blogs regularly.  Apparently, she's been doing it for awhile.  I pop in and covet her header, her followers, her style. I knew her in high-school. We weren't exactly friends, but we weren't enemies either. At least, I don't think so.

I don't really know much about her. Whenever I talked to her, I liked her, but we rarely talked. I heard an occasional hearsay comment about this or that from her brother or my boyfriend who were best friends.  I made assumptions about her through hearsay as I expect she did about me.

She was a cheerleader and I was band-geek.  A cool, band-geek I might add.  I played the bass guitar in Jazz Band.  The point is we had different interest and different classes. The last time I remember having her in class was in eighth grade, I think.  Oddly, I sometimes confuse her with another girl.  I think this is because they were both nice to me at times, and I didn't know what to do with it.

You see, I felt geeky most of the time. Yep, I know we all did; too bad  we didn't know that then. Both girls were pretty and popular.  Apparently, I was too, but I didn't understand that back then. I was an awkward skinny, terrible-toothed, little girl until the fourth grade. I got cuter for a second, and next thing I knew I was a chubby puberty-bound girl with a fat face.

The summer before seventh grade apparently something changed.

Bert and Ernie.

Seventh Grade.  Yuck.  All of the elementary schools meet up.  New faces. New friends.  New people to tease me.  They called me "Jimmy Carter" and "Big Lips".  I smiled a lot and had, get this... big lips.  They told me I had bushy eyebrows like Brooke Shields and a uni-brow like Bert.  I guess today that would be considered bullying?

I was clumsy.  I could  can trip over nothing.

I plucked my eyebrows to nothing.  Oh, how I wish I had Brooke Shield's eyebrows to sculpt today.  Please explain to me how having "Brooke Shield's" eyebrows transpired to lowered self-esteem?

The first thing my husband said to me when he saw me - you and your lips remind me of Angelina Jolie. (Wonder if he still thinks that two kids later?)  Brooke Shields?  Angelina Jolie?  Smiling all the time?  Aren't kids nuts?  Today, those things make me blush.  What extraordinary, backhanded  compliments for a middle-aged, overweight, has-been.

So, I confuse these two pretty girls because they both complimented me during Junior-High.  One spoke to me for the first time after gym in the locker room.

"Are you trying out for cheerleader?"
I blushed.
I laughed.
I said, "No!", as if it were the most ridiculous thing I'd ever heard.

It was the most ridiculous thing I had ever heard.

Why would she ask that?  Was she teasing  me?  Of course not.  At that moment, I lost a potential new friend.  She later became one of my best-friends, best-friends.  I never really talked to her again.  How rude and nasty she must have thought I was... I bet she never knew I thought she was beautiful and untouchable, someone who couldn't possibly want me as a friend.

Tortoise Shell Glasses.

Back to the blogger.  I think she once told me she liked my clothes.  Another time, my hair. Preposterous! I think both girls were in that eighth grade English class.  I didn't care for the snobby, preppy teacher and the feeling was apparently mutual.  One day, she asked if anyone knew what kind of glasses she was wearing. The other girls, fashionably aware, raised their hands.




My best sweater came from Sears and had my initials neatly embroidered on the front.  The preppy teacher called on me!  I figured she picked on me to humiliate me.  I looked around and thought, "Of course, they know the answer!"  Why didn't she call on them?  I had no idea so I blurted, "Bifocals"?  I don't know.



Wow.  No... apparently not bifocals.  If the teacher didn't like me before...  Yikes.

Everyone laughed, but I didn't get the joke.  I was red from ear to ear.
'You're so stupid,' I thought to myself.

Now, I get it.  Oops!

The irritated, English teacher called on one of the prettier, popular girls.  The girls whose hair and clothes I coveted, their smiles, and bubbly personalities, and their confidence.

"Tortoise Shell?"

"TORTOISE SHELL!  What the heck?"

The teacher looked back at me.

"I've never heard of that!"

"Of course you have," she grunted. (She thought I was a royal b who purposely said bifocals to make a mockery of the situation. I didn't even know what bifocals were. To me, they were just a type of eyeglasses.)

No, I really hadn't. I may have looked like a fashionista in my garage sale, K-mart, Hill's, and Sears clothing, but I'd never even been to a mall until eighth grade.

My mother always ironed my clothes. I obsessed that everything matched perfectly all the way down to my socks.  I appeared to be a preppy.  Other kids would call me a 'Prep' with a nasty glint in their eye.  I didn't really know what a prep was, but I sure knew I didn't want to be one.  Unfortunately, even though I couldn't afford Ralph Lauren, Gloria Vanderbilt, or Nike's in eighteen colors I was a prep.

In retrospect, the teacher probably called on me because she assumed such a stylish, popular, pretty, young girl would know the answer.  Again, I cast a stone against them (all three of them) without warrant or intention.

I dated boys because they asked me too; rarely because I wanted to. I didn't want to hurt their feelings.  It never lasted long.  They moved on when they realized nothing was about to happen.  So when a cute boy asked me to the carnival I decided to meet him there.

We waited in line to ride the octopus and he combed his hair.  He combed his hair in glare of the adjacent car.  He wore a comb in his pocket.  That was that.  End of story.  Back then, I heard this girl, now turned blogger, liked him and was upset with me.  If you know anything about me, you know I am nothing if not naive.  Again, I cast a stone.

My boyfriend was a hussy.  He told stories on himself all the time.  He told stories about blogger-girl.  She unknowingly cast a stone against me or maybe not.  Maybe it was intentional pay back.  Maybe it never happened.  I don't know.  I don't care.  It never mattered.

I always liked blogger-girl's point of view; apparently, I still do.

I follow her, but I try to hide my visit when I see myself show up on the Blog-Frog button.  I feel my face burning like I am doing something wrong.  What if she thinks I am spying on her?

The truth is, I like her blog.  I like her style.  If I didn't know her personally, I'd be telling her how awesome I think her blog is and how much I enjoy her postings.

Oh I don't know... she probably thinks she is lazy and imperfect but there are different levels of imperfection to consider here.  It seems she likes nice things.  It looks like she takes care of herself.

I am a lazy, mom blob.  I don't know if we'd ever be friends in the real world, but I really like her blog; it makes me smile. I read it whenever I get the chance. Is it because I enjoy peeping into her life- seeing how her life turned out? Or is it because her writing entertains me and her anecdotes often bring a tear to my eye or have me laughing out loud?  You decide.  It's a great blog, so I'll share a link, http://www.sellabitmum.com I'm tired of deleting my visits.




Don't worry, I sent her a head's up so she can read this too. This is my Olive Branch for the week.  'Tis the season go out and extend your own Olive Branch today.

This post is dedicated to my teenage daughter who will one day understand what it means to feel beautiful.


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Recommended:

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ADS DISCLOSURE: We've partnered with some wonderful advertisers who may sponsor blog posts or send us samples to test. Some companies pay us to review their products.

*We also use affiliate links, if you make a purchase we get a tiny commission. Kids Creative Chaos participates in the Amazon LLC Associates Program*, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a mean for blogs to earn advertising fees by linking to Amazon properties, including, but not limited to, amazon.com, endless.com, myhabit.com, smallparts.com, or amazonwireless.com. We also offer Tapinfluence, Google Adsense, SoFab, and Izea ads here. Thanks so much for helping us keep the lights on! :)

How did Coronavirus affect the Housing Market?

 Has the 2020 Pandemic Changed your Living Situation?

When you work from home as a social media marketing consultant for small business and an online social media influencer, AND homeschool your kids, you can literally work from anywhere.  A few years ago, we took advantage of  that and bought a cottage in the middle of nowhere on a little lake. If I knew then, what I know now, I would've held out for more money when I sold it in 2020. Even so, for owning it just over two years, I made a little money on the deal. So, what's up with the housing situation anyway?

                                    This post contains Amazon affiliate links for your convenience.

Lake house, fixer upper, mid fix stage.

In 2019 the kids decided they wanted to attend public school to pursue building trades and band. As a anxious homeschooling mom, I wanted to feel comfortable with this choice, so we moved back to my hometown and we rented. Lucky for me, it wasn't real renting. My brother had purchased a rental and we moved in while I looked for a more permanent place to call home. Since everyone was out of the house, I decided to go back to working in a brick and mortar environment too and I took a job for Habitat for Humanity.

Then, I looked and I looked, and I looked. Rentals were few and far between and most of them were either outside of my price range or beneath my standards. Let me tell you, I had pretty low expectations, but I wanted my kids to feel safe. I tried to purchase my own home, but every time a place went on the market it sold before I even got a chance to look at it. What was left were the homes that no one wanted. The homes that couldn't get  loans due to major issues or the homes that were priced well over their appraised value. Though, I considered making the leap and purchasing one of these houses, I held out for a home that wasn't a fixer upper.  

However, the home we bought, would've sold for considerably less in 2019, before the pandemic. In fact, the flipper had purchased the house at a 2017 auction for only $25,000. After looking at several houses that were priced outside of my comfort zone and not really what I wanted, I jumped on the opportunity to buy my home at $131,900. Sure, in most communities, that's a great price, but in my hometown the median home price is $85,000 and the houses in the neighborhood were going for considerably less. I needed to love this house for the purchase to make any sense. It was a risky move, will it retain it's value?

However,  despite the housing market situation, I decided to take a risk and make an offer below asking price. The homeowner countered, and I accepted. It was oddly easy, as most houses were selling over the asking price and this house had everything I wanted. Just before I closed, I found out that the house had been the place of a brutal murder. Probably should've countered the counter offer. I was the only one bidding. I'm not mad. I'm thankful to finally have an affordable, safe place to call home.

After the pandemic, the prices of homes in rural areas like New Castle, Indiana have skyrocketed. For those who are looking for 3+ bedrooms and 2 bathrooms, there's a housing shortage. Since Covid hit, more people are realizing they too can work from home. And they can live anywhere. So, they're abandoning high cost urban areas and retreating to rural communities where the cost of living is easier on the wallet and life is simpler. This means, rural areas can raise home prices and because rentals are in high demand with millennials, they can also raise the rent, pricing out low-income families. In turn, many affluent urban areas are actually seeing a decrease in rent as people flock to small towns. You can learn more about that in this article on how 2020 changed the housing market.

After reviewing the article, I took special note of what this is doing to low income families. Working at Habitat for Humanity, it is my job to help low income families find affordable housing and help remove some of the barriers to home ownership. With increasing cost of building materials and virus constraints, many area Habitat affiliates have had to put building new homes on the back burner. Families have had to wait for over two years for their homes to be completed, and Habitat affiliates are losing money and need to raise more funds just to complete the houses. 

The chart below lists several counties neighboring the one where I live. If you aren't from around here, the data may not tell the whole story. However, Hamilton and Hendricks counties have some of Indiana's most affluent neighborhoods. Marion county is the home to Indianapolis, which has seen a slight increase, but compared to cities like Chicago and New York, Indianapolis is an escape to a more rural life. It appears the Coronavirus has changed the housing market. More and more people are realizing they can work from home, and that means that home can be anywhere they want it to be. There truly is no place like home, so why live in a house in a place that you don't love?

Affordable rentals in New Castle, Indiana.

We want to hear your thoughts! Have you moved or considered purchasing a new home in the pandemic? Tell us about it in the comments.

2/1/2021

Delaware County

Indiana

$600

3.30%

$45,065

114,135

Small metro

2/1/2021

Hancock County

Indiana

$790

9.00%

$69,392

78,168

Large fringe metro

2/1/2021

Hamilton County

Indiana

$1,116

-0.90%

$105,062

338,011

Large fringe metro

2/1/2021 Marion County Indiana $996 21.70% $50,458 964,582 Large central metro

2/1/2021

Madison County

Indiana

$792

20.20%

$55,142

129,569

Large fringe metro

This chart from Zumper tells the story with data.

Recommended Reading:

Ultimate Home Repair Guide

How to Create a Safe Family Home

How to Fix Common Home Repair Issues 

Pin~it Online Scavenger Hunt July 21, 2012

Pinterest Preschool Scavenger Hunt

Get the kids involved, Pin posts from your blog or classroom on Pinterest and have a blast hunting for Curriculum related themes on the web. 

This week's keyword search topics are: 

Bulletin Board Ideas

Classroom Posters/Sayings

Join the fun on Pinterest.

New Topics every Monday. Weekly winner is chosen by you.

The pin with the most re-pins is showcased here each week and the ORIGINAL pinner wins a small prize packe from vendor donations to the blog or my collection of goodies :-)

Winning pin (7/16) pinned by  Jennifer O.  from the blog, Chocolate Covered Katie

Copycat Recipe, Reese's Peanut Butter Eggs

Fav pin (7/16)  pinned by Artsy Craftsy Mom  from Education.com 

Wanna join? Leave a comment on Pinterest to be added to the board as a collaborative pinner (under the purple tack).  Any comment on any post will do, just let us know you'd like to join the hunt :-)

Sign up for email alerts on the right side bar, pretty please :-) Thanks for playing!

What are the Benefits of Outdoor Play?

Playing Outside Improves Mood

This post was sponsored by Landscape Structures as part of an Influencer Activation for Influence Central and all opinions expressed in my post are my own.

Have you noticed a change in your children when they're playing outside? Sure, they may complain that they're tired or that it's too hot or even that they're bored. However, outdoor play benefits kids in many ways. Once children have built the coping and social skills needed to interact in an outside play environment, the benefits of outdoor play far outweigh their complaints! What are the benefits to outdoor play? Keep reading to learn some tips on how to keep your kids happy outdoors.

What are the benefits of outdoor play?

Be Prepared. 

When you take your kids to an outdoor play space or local park, be sure to be prepared. Bring a cooler with bottles of water for hydration, cool, healthy snacks like carrots and cucumbers, and go ahead and throw in a treat for when they've depleted all of their energy. 

You may also want to bring a change of clothes, a non-toxic bug repellent, a blanket for resting, hats or sunglasses to shade them from the sun, and a first aid kit. Whatever you can do to insure the happiness of your children and counteract any excuses they may have for not wanting to play, only increases your chances for success.

If you're forgetful and always seem to forget the essentials, keep a park preparedness kit in your car. We never leave the house without folding chairs, a vinyl table cloth, and an umbrella packed in the trunk. If you leave a mini cooler in the trunk, it's always waiting there to be filled. You can simply stop at any convenience or grocery store along the way.

Benefits of Playing Outside

Best Places for Outdoor Play

No matter where you choose to incorporate outdoor play, it's beneficial to your child. Simply being outdoors in the sunshine can boost your child's immune system because the sun gives us vitamin D which is essential to health and happiness. Dr. Clare McCarthy shares some benefits of outdoor play over at Harvard Health. Even if you have a tiny yard, be sure to create a space for your child to get in some daily outdoor play. If they like to color or finger paint, set up a table for crafting outdoors.

Water is the most fun element of sensory play.

A well designed play structure will keep your kids busy for an hour or two. You may not be familiar with the brand name Landscape Structures, but I'll bet you've seen one or two. These playground structures aren't just for swinging and sliding, they're set up with all kinds of ways to get kids moving and to encourage sensory play.

When you give children the freedom to play and discover on their own, they build self-confidence to explore more things on their own. They want to see what else they can discover without mom or dad. So, sit back and relax while the kids explore the outdoor environment and find new ways to have fun.

Hello, over there! This megaphone encourages interaction with others.

Landscape Structures playgrounds are designed to welcome children of all ages and abilities. This play equipment has all kinds of sensory elements and play activities that encourage kids to work together making it easier for them to socialize with others. These playgrounds also encourage exercise, but don't worry, your kids will have so much fun playing on the equipment they won't even know they're exercising!

Sneaky playground equipment encourages exercise.

Sensory play aids in the learning process. Children who play outdoors have more access to sensory elements as the five senses are involved in nearly every aspect of outdoor play. They hear other children laughing, birds chirping, and bugs buzzing. They feel the wind on their face and the grass on their feet. They can even taste the outdoors when berry picking or licking their salty lips.

Practicing on the bars builds upper body strength and self-confidence. 

These poles encourage learning to balance.

What will you do when it's raining? Rain is the best sensory activity! Grab an umbrella and some rain boots and slosh through some puddles with your kiddos! Reach up to the sky and savor the raindrops as they splash on your face. Show your children that rain is fun, don't discourage it. Rain even smells good! These days, most parks use rubber mulch. If storms do force you to stay inside for awhile, don't worry about the playground being wet. Be a good parent and take the first trip down the slide to dry it off for those finicky little ones.

Encourage social interaction with other kids, but don't force it. Kids are smart, they know what you're trying to do. If they're moody, they'll fight you every step of the way. Also, simply knowing that you want them to interact with other kids can make the feel self-conscious. They may feel too shy to talk to another child when they know that you're anxious for it to happen. Pretend to keep busy reading a book or returning a text. Don't get too caught up though, those little eyes are always watching you. Sometimes, they want you to watch them and know that you're proud of them. Always be ready with a thumb's up!

A simple way to encourage socialization is to point out a favorite character on another child's clothing. "Hey, look he's wearing a dinosaur shirt. Don't you love it!" Your child may not respond, that's okay. Don't push them. You've given them something to talk about. You've made a connection with another child. Sit back and watch what happens. Socializing may start out awkward. If you have a backward child, trying to force it will certainly backfire. Learn to be happy with a nod or a smile. The rest will come with time.

Outdoor play improves mood.

Sleepy kids!

As an exhausted parent, one of the best benefits of getting in a lot of outdoor play time with the kids is that you'll get to enjoy some down time when the kids take naps. Even if they are past nap taking, they'll probably stay quiet for the car ride home! Be careful not to let little ones get too over tired. Often, an over tied preschooler will have trouble sleeping through the night. They need just enough exertion for a good night's sleep. And no one wants an over tired toddler...


Recommended:

More Ways to Play from Kids Creative Chaos

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Learn more about Landscape Structures Playgrounds

Follow Landscape Structures on Facebook.

Keep up with our fun activities and travels on Instagram.

Things to do: Phineas and Ferb Fun! Printable PDF Activity Book with Games and Crossword Puzzles

Phineas and Ferb Coloring Sheets and Printable Activities

We have a cool, free Phineas and Ferb Printable for you! Scroll down for links to Phineas and Ferb Activity Sheets, Disney Crosswords, and Coloring Pages. Enjoy!

"Mom! Phineas and Ferb are going on a live tour!” We joined the Danville Tri-State Area Gang for a high-energy ride through their wildest invention yet in Disney’s Phineas and Ferb: The Best LIVE Tour Ever! The beloved characters from Disney Channel's animated series embarked on a bold escape from the television screen to a live action adventure – right in your hometown! We saw them in Indianapolis!

We found this Phineas and Ferb Coloring Page at azcoloring.com

Looking for Pumpkin Carving Templates? 

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July Calendar of Special Days and Holidays for Curriculum Planning

Plan lots of Fun Activities with this July Calendar of Special Days and Holidays 2016

Don't let summer break get boring. Change it up by celebrating each and every special day. Did you know July is the National month for Blueberries, Hot Dogs, and Ice Cream? It is also National Anti-Boredom Month. Who could get bored in July? Idk, it gets pretty hot here in Indiana. So, a lot of kids probably stay inside and play video games  Minecraft. Check back here each year for an updated version of our free printable July calendar of special days and holidays. Enjoy!

Plan lots of Fun Activities with this July Calendar of Special Days and Holidays 2016.

July calendar of special days and holidays free editable, downloadable printable

Free printable July Calendar for Classroom.

This 2016 July calendar of holidays is a Google Doc. Print it out as is or make changes as you see fit. Each year, we edit the calendar to make sure the dates are accurate. Some holiday dates change each year.


July Holidays

1 International Joke Day. Whether you say Ha-ha, lol, or lolz, tell a joke to get a belly laugh out of a friend today.

1 CANADA Day. Here are some activities for Canada Day. I also rounded up some posts from the Kid Blogger Network. Oh my, my favorite, is this post on Canadian Peg Dolls. 

Canadian Mounted Police Peg Dolls from Clothespins by East Coast Mommy.

• Canada Activities
• Canada Crafts and Activities Round Up
• Fun Facts about Canada
• Snacks and Desserts for Canada Day
• Top 10 Reasons to Love Canada

2 World UFO Day. Roswell July 2, 1947. No aliens here, perhaps these futuristic activities for kids will help you celebrate.

3 Compliment your Mirror Day. I don't know about this day. Shouldn't this be everyday? Anyway, maybe let the kiddos choose what they want to wear today- no matter what it is? You can do it, Mom. Build self-esteem with self-expression.

4 Independence Day. Here are some Firework Safety Tips and Fourth of July Activities from Pinterest.

6 National Fried Chicken Day.  

10 Teddy Bear Picnic Day. Celebrate today with teddy bear activities. Maybe your teddy bear would like a purse or a hat or a cookie?

14 Bastille Day (French National Day).  What is Bastille Day? I got nothin' except this post on how to make French Toast. So, eat some while you read up on this French holiday.

15 Cow Appreciation Day! From our friends at Chick-Fil-A. How about celebrating with a cow coloring sheet?

20 National Ice Cream Day (Third Sunday) Ice cream is awesome on a hot July day, even better, Ice Cream Snowmen.

23 National Hot Dog Day. Only in America, right? Angie has a yummy recipe for Chicago-style Hot Dog Pizza Bites.

24 Ameila Earhart Day. So... I've got a groundhog flying an airplane coloring page. It can be your catalyst for a discussion on the history of Ameila Earhart.

24 Cousins Day. I've got some cousins, but not here on the blog. How can you celebrate? Tell them, "Happy Cousins Day" on Facebook. Wait. I am so virtual. Meet a cousin for lunch today! (That's better.)

30 National Cheesecake Day. Hooray for Cheesecake! 



Recommended Reading:

July and August Monthly Idea Book from Scholastic*

Happy Fourth of July Coloring Book: For Kid's Ages 4 to 9 Years Old*














ADS DISCLOSURE: We've partnered with some wonderful advertisers who may sponsor blog posts or send us samples to test. Some companies pay us to review their products.

*We also use affiliate links, if you make a purchase we get a tiny commission. Kids Creative Chaos participates in the Amazon LLC Associates Program*, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a mean for blogs to earn advertising fees by linking to Amazon properties, including, but not limited to, amazon.com, endless.com, myhabit.com, smallparts.com, or amazonwireless.com. We also offer Tapinfluence, Google Adsense, SoFab, and Izea ads here. Thanks so much for helping us keep the lights on! :)

Things to do in Tampa with Kids: Lowry Park Zoo

Have you taken your kids to the Lowry Park Zoo in Tampa?

The Lowry Park Zoo is the perfect thing to do in Tampa with kids. The zoo is consistently voted the #1 zoo in America. We were lucky enough to visit the zoo during Zoominations. Admission to the zoo is all inclusive. That means, buy one ticket and ride as many rides as you want! 

Don't miss the African safari ride.

We loved Zoominations so much, that it wasn't until we returned home that we realized we hadn't taken any pictures of the animals! Rest assured, the animals are the highlight! Scroll down to learn more about them and other activities at the Lowry Park Zoo. Enjoy!

Things to do in Tampa with Kids: Lowry Park Zoo.

Zoominations at the Lowry Park Zoo in Tampa.

Sure, every zoo is similar. Every zoo has animals, but the way they live at the Lowry Park Zoo is special. The Aviary is amazing. You walk down a path where birds walk next to you or fly over your head- they aren't afraid. So many beautiful species call this aviary home. The parrot aviary at Busch Gardens (which is near the zoo) was nice, but if you wanted a bird to come see you, you had to buy special food to feed them. 

Chinese dragon lantern at the Lowry Park Zoo.

What is the meaning of the Chinese Dragon?

Beautiful elephant, Chinese lanterns.

Cool dude enjoying the food at Wallaby Station.

My kids enjoyed the cafeteria just as much as the rest of the zoo! We have a membership to the Indianapolis Zoo, so we spend a lot of time there. Usually, we pack a lunch. At the Lowry Park Zoo, the food is in a room. Chefs are behind a wall. They have the most popular items ready to grab and go! If you want something else, they will quickly prepare it for you.

Once you've grabbed your main course, you walk to other windows and grab fruit, vegetables, water, drinks, and sides. The cash register is outside the room. There is very little wait time.

During our trip, the kids had their own money to budget. They were thrilled to be able to choose whatever they wanted and pay themselves! Jake didn't want to spend too much. He had a large slice of pizza, fries, and a soft drink for about $8. Mayhem... well, if you are a regular reader, you know how it goes. Mayhem spent about $20! She had the pizza, some fruit, chips, dessert, and drinks. The point is, you don't have to spend a lot of money, but you can if you go crazy! Self-serve isn't for everyone.  :)

Panda lanterns in front of the carousel at the zoo.

Chinese Dragon.

The elephant lanterns were right outside the Zoo Safari. This is the best safari ride we've ever taken. It is worth the wait. The safari area is enclosed with netting and gates that separate the animals. Many times, the safari vehicle stopped to wait for animals to pass. The guides are excellent! The information is interesting and informative. Feel free to ask questions.

Coy pond lantern sculptures.

These dinosaurs are Chinese lanterns too!

The primates are fun to watch. Just don't be like Jake! While watching the chimpanzees, he decided to climb a nearby tree. Oh my! I was busy chasing Mayhem, when I realized he wasn't with me. The grandparents found him in the tree. I thought they were joking! Not Jake. Yes, Jake.

While relaxing in a branch, he lost his sandal down the box that surrounded the tree. Yep, it looked like a scary place to go. I kept thinking about snakes, scorpions, and fire ants. Unhappily, (and forced by Mom) he jumped down into the sandy pit and got it. Life has consequences. Luckily, the chimpanzees didn't notice.

Beautiful peacock lanterns.

More peacock lanterns.

Koalas, tigers, rhinos, elephants, primates of all sorts, birds of all kinds, ponies, llamas, wolves, black bears, oh my! These are just some of the animals you'll see. There's a log ride, a carousel, train, bumper boats, mini-coaster and more! Shows and talks, and even a manatee hospital! The zoo has lots of vegetation, so it doesn't get too hot. Everyone will find something they enjoy.

Tampa Lowry Park Zoo Rides

Traditional Chinese Lanterns.

Tampa Lowry Park Zoo Coupons

Want discount admission? Enjoy the zoo for free on your birthday! If you are a member of your local zoo, you might get discounts or be admitted free with the zoo's reciprocal program.

Recommended:

Make a Chinese Dragon Craft

National Geographic Animal Encyclopedia: 2,500 Animals with Photos, Maps, and More!*

Visit the nearby Manatee Viewing Center

Make a Panda Craft

Zoo by Gail Gibbons*