Dayton Art Institute: Free Fun for the Family

A few weeks ago, I was invited to be a part of a Social Media preview for the Dayton Art Institute’s new exhibit, “Modern Masters.” I was thrilled to get the invitation because I love art, and haven’t been to anything like that since I had kids!

As I arrived we were free to walk around the museum until our tour started. As I walked around, I thought to myself, “why haven’t I been here in so long?!” It's free! It is gorgeous! It's FUN! There is even an area dedicated to children called “The Experiencenter.” The Experiencenter is soooooo cool! You have to take your kids there! (And with this summer heat, it is air conditioned and free, so GO!) The other areas of the museum are amazing, too. It is full of lessons on history, culture, and art. A great spot for the family that is often forgotten about!

After walking through the main part of the museum, we traveled to the “Modern Masters” exhibit. It is a beautiful display of 43 pieces from 31 artists. The artists are from the 1950s and on loan from The Smithsonian. The works have never been grouped together before, and are an amazing testament to our nations history. Because of the invention and popularization of the camera, many of the artists from this era explored other ways to express themselves in abstract art. It was gorgeous!

To add to the exhibit, there are interactive features included. On Thursdays and Saturdays, you have the opportunity to sit and create your own work, inspired by the art around you. Materials are provided, and there is space to hang your art at the end of the exhibit. (What a fun thing for the kids to do!) There are also QR Codes provided by Scan Dayton that take you to sound clips and websites on your smart phone that enhance your experience. It's a lot of fun. (Don't know about Scan Dayton? Check out our previous post)

The Modern Masters exhibit is on view until October 10. Admission is $10 per adult, children 7-18 are $6, seniors/ students, $8. Active duty military and their immediate family is free admission. Also, there are 2 FREE days on Aug. 19 and Sept. 16.

My favorite piece in the collection was by Robert Motherwell, and it was called “Figure in Black.” But my favorite artist is Monet (and there is a Monet in the Dayton Art Institute!) Who is your favorite artist?

-Celia

At our house July is birthday month for my boys. So I figured that we needed a birthday freebies/ birthday club list for kids too. TDon't forget to check out our post about adult birthday freebies. If you know of any others that we don't have please let us know.

Baskin Robbins-Get free ice cream on your birthday along with a coupon for $ off a birthday cake.

BD’s Mongolian Grill- Get a coupon for a free stir fry on your birthday. (this isn't technically a kids club, but they have let my kids use the coupon anyway)

Bob Evans- Receive a coupon in the mail for a free kids meal.

Burger King- Receive a coupon for a free kids meal

Captain D's- Receive a coupon for a free kids meal

Chuck E Cheese- Receive 20 free tokens

Cold Stone Creamery- Receive a coupon good for a special birthday treat

Denny's- Receive a coupon for a free Grand Slam breakfast

Friendlys- Receive a coupon for a free ice cream or kids meal w/ purchase

The Great American Cookie Co- Receive a coupon for a cookie cake slice.

Kidtoons- Receive a voucher to see a free movie during their birthday month.

Maggie Moos- Receive a coupon for a Free kid's size cone.

Noodles and Company- Receive a coupon for a free dish on your birthday. (this isn't technically a kids club, but they let my kids use the coupon anyway)

Perkins- Receive a free kids meal

Quaker Steak and Lube- Receive a coupon in the mail for a free kids meal

Rita’s- Receive a coupon for buy one get one free any item.

Sonic- Receive a free kids meal

Toys R Us- Receive a special card and a $3 gift card coupon.

Young's Jersey Dairy- Receive a free kids meal.

Is this summer heat getting to you?! It is getting to me and my kids! To cool off, we’ve been heading to local parks that have “splash pads.” One of our favorites is Orchardly Park in Oakwood, located in the block between Wonderly Avenue and Orchard Drive on Delaine Avenue. The park has fun spray sculptures to cool off, as well as a large sand pit, a toddler play area, and lots of play equipment for bigger kids. There is a basketball court, and tennis courts, too. There is so much to do, it is easy to spend a good part of your day here, and best of all, it is FREE!

Do you have a favorite park that you'd like to share with others? Leave us a comment and let us know. We might even write about it!

Celia

Guess what?! I woke up this morning to my first Dayton Groupon deal! I was so excited, to see that our little group has gotten big enough now and we are our own official group. If you don't know about Groupon be sure to read out our previous post. Well, today's deal is $15 of Barbeque and Drinks for ONLY $7 at OinkADoodleMoo. I know one of my readers that really loves this place (Erinne- I'm talking about you), and I personally like supporting local businesses. Have you signed up to join Groupon yet? Today is your day Dayton- get in on the Dayton Groupon as it kicks off. 

We love going to the park and always enjoy exploring new and different parks in our area. We realized that some of you might be looking for a fun new park to visit too, so we broken down the Dayton Five Rivers Metro Parks and highlighted some of the key features that we noticed. Five Rivers Metro Parks have a total of 19 parks in the Dayton area. At each of these parks, there are numerous activities and events that you and your family can enjoy. I have done brief summaries of each park including activities that may be of interest. To get more information, be sure to check out their site.

Aullwood Garden
Location: Englewood
Aullwood Garden has a prairie and garden path to observe and experience wildlife and beautiful garden beds. This park is more for walking and hiking. (There is not play equipment at this park.)
 
Carriage Hill
Location: Northeast Dayton (Huber Heights area)
Carriage Hill is a huge park with plenty of walking paths, open areas, camping, and horseback riding facilities. There is also a preserved historical farm on site that is still operating. The farm includes farm animals that kids are bound to love! If you go to the park between the hours of 10am-12pm or 1pm-4pm, daily, there are demonstrations that you may be able to participate in! (Baking bread, feeding farm animals, etc.) There are also horseback riding lessons offered, and pony rides on some weekends. (There isn’t play equipment at this park.)
 
Cox Arboretum
Location: southeast Dayton (West Carrolton area)
Cox Arboretum is a large garden park offering walking paths among various types of gardens and ponds. There is also a butterfly house (opening at the end of June) that allows one to experience butterflies in their natural habitat. It is a beautiful place to walk around with the family. (There is not play equipment at this park.)
 
Deeds Point
Location: Downtown Dayton
Deeds Park is an urban park that sits along the Miami River. There are paved walking paths going through beautifully landscaped gardens. (There is not play equipment at this park.)
 
Eastwood Park
Location: East Dayton
Eastwood Park includes a large lake for fishing and boating. There are also creeks running through the park, and a combination of wooded areas and clear spaces for sports. There is also a playground with picnic shelters nearby. A great park for a variety of activities!
 
Englewood Park
Location:  Butler Township
Englewood Park is a huge park that offers almost everything. Camping, canoeing, kayaking, bridle trails, disc golf coarse, hiking, and a lot more! There is not a playground, but there are plenty of other activities to keep your family busy!
 
Germantown Park
Location: Germantown
Germantown Park is a large park that offers quite a few activities. It offers camping, fishing, canoeing, picnic areas, hiking and lots to do! There isn’t a playground, but there are a ton of other activities to keep your little ones busy!
 
Hills and Dales Park
Location: Kettering
Hills and Dales is a park that offers a variety of activities. There is a newly remodeled playground and picnic shelter area, as well as hiking trails, and natural forest. It is a scenic place to spend time with the family!
 
Huffman Park
Location: Fairborn
Huffman Park gives opportunities for outdoor sports like mountain biking, canoeing, kayaking, sailing, fishing, and hiking. There are sheltered picnic areas, and lots of opportunities to observe nature! (There are is not play equipment at this park.)
 
Island Park
Location: North Dayton
Located just north of downtown, Island Park offers a relaxing “urban oasis.” There is hiking, canoeing, a bike trail, and then a playground and water play area that is sure to entertain the kids!
 
Possum Creek
Location: South West Dayton
Possum Creek is a sustainable farm that allows for lots of great learning experiences for the family. There are opportunities for hiking, fishing, playing on the farm, and camping. There is also a playground for little ones to burn even more energy!
 
Riverscape
Location: Downtown Dayton
Riverscape is a great urban park that Dayton offers. They offer a rental service for paddleboats, skates, bikes, and ice skates in the winter. There are numerous colorful gardens that decorate the paths along the river. There is also a water play area for those hot days when you need to cool off.
 
Sugarcreek Park
Location: Bellbrook
Sugarcreek Park is a beautiful place where your family can camp, hike, and offers horseback riding trails. (There is not play equipment at this park.)
 
Sunrise Park
Location: North of Downtown Dayton
Sunrise Park is a small park that is beautifully landscaped. It is a great place to relax with a walk, bike ride, or to go fishing. (There is not play equipment at this park.)
 
Taylorsville Park
Location: Vandalia
Taylorsville Park is a beautiful place to fish, picnic, hike, or canoe. There is also a bike trail and camping available.  (There is not play equipment at this park.)
 
Twin Creek
Location: Germantown
Twin Creek is connected to Germantown Park, and offers bridle trails, fishing, camping, and picnicking facilities. (There is not play equipment at this park.)
 
Wegerzyn Gardens
Location: North Dayton
Wegerzyn Gardens is a beautiful park that the whole family is sure to enjoy. There are paths for hiking and experiencing the beautiful gardens. The best feature of Wegerzyn Gardens is the Children’s Discovery Garden. In the Discovery Garden, everything is child size, and kids are welcome to experience plant life through digging, touching, and observing the plants and flowers. There is also a water play area to splash around in! (Check out this video about the Discovery Garden.)

Wesleyan Park
Location: West Dayton
Wesleyan Park is a park where your family can enjoy a bike ride, go fishing, have a picnic, or play on a playground. It offers something for everyone!
 
We Daytonians are a lucky bunch to have access to such beautiful spots for our families to enjoy! You can follow Dayton Metro Parks on twitter @metroparkstweet or “like” them on facebook to learn more about what is offered! (There are also lots of activities they can remind you of!) Have any of you been to any of these parks? Leave us a comment and tell us about it!!

Ok, I found a NEW reading program! Did you know that Chuck E Cheese, or Showbiz Pizza as I still call it (you know you do too), is helping parents reward their kids in several common "parent challenging" areas? Just print off and complete the chart and receive 10 FREE TOKENS! I love how there are charts covering everything from Reading to Teeth Brushing! Although there is a reading chart it seems like you can do this all year round, not just during the summer.

We know that you all love us so much at Deals for Dayton and wish that you could take us on vacation with you and help you find local deals there too. While we can't do that, unless you REALLY want to bring us with you, we can give you some places that have some great freebies around the US. These deals are not available in the Dayton area, but they might just be where ever you are heading for vacation.

Bank of America Card Holders- get free general admission to several museums, science centers, zoos and more on the first full weekend of each month

National Parks- several national parks offer Fee-Free days throughout the year

Target Arts & Culture- Target sponsors free or reduced-price admission to arts and cultural events nationwide.

Groupon- discounted tickets, coupons and more. Check the city you are planning on visiting for great discounts.

If you are a Boonshoft, other Science Center or even Zoo cardholder, be sure to check out the list of reciprocal museums/zoos that are available. This allows you to get into other museums/ science centers/ zoos for FREE or greatly discounted rates! If your location is included in the list (ie- you hold a pass to the Boonshoft and it's included in the Science Center list) then you can go to any other location on the list also. We have passes to Union Terminal and have gone to 3 other museums around the US already thanks to the Reciprocal Program! In my opinion the Reciprocal Program makes buying a pass for any local museum well worth the money.

Association of Children's Museum

Association of Science- Technology Centers

Association of Zoos and Aquariums 

The Centerville Farmers Market is returning again! The Market is every Thursday, May 27-October 28, from 1-6pm in the parking lot of Cross Point Vineyard Church in Centerville. You can find locally grown produce, organic meat, bakery items and much more! It's a great way to help local farmers and businesses in the Dayton area. They always have a great selection of food and other items. Have you ever been? What do you love to find at the Farmers Market?

I have SO many friends right now that are either expecting or have just had a baby. So in honor of all you new Mommies and Daddies or soon to be parents this is for you!

There are lots of companies that send out great coupons, and information to new parents. I personally never used formula, but I always signed up for the samples and would give them to either friends or you can donate them to a Women's Center also. PS- I promise that to the best of my knowledge that these are REAL links for the freebies and NOT for junk mail- I took the links directly from the sites.

Enfamil Family Beginnings- up to $250 in free coupons and samples
Similac Strong Moms- formula coupons, samples and pregnancy newsletters
Members's Mark- formula sample
American Baby Magazine- free magazine from Parents Magazine (just smaller and FREE) lol!
Baby Talk Magazine- free magazine from Parenting Magazine (just smaller and FREE)
Gerber Childrenswear- coupons and promotions for Gerber childrenswear
Gerber- coupons and newsletters to for baby's stages of life (one of my favorites)
Pampers- coupons and samples, be sure to read our post about their Gifts To Grow program
Huggies- coupons and samples, be sure to read our post about their Enjoy the Ride program
Juice Juice- get a free sippy cup and coupons
Beech-Nut- e-newsletter with coupons and feeding tips- they also have a Free Starter kit you can sign up for, although I never got mine I know people who have.
Earth's Best- coupons
Baby Center- Get BabyCenter's free email newsletters that allow you to track your baby's development week by week and includes articles on important health and safety topics handpicked for your particular stage of pregnancy. You'll also receive valuable coupons, sale notices, and free offers from BabyCenter and our partners.
Motherhood Maternity- ask for your gift bag when you make your first purchase, full of coupons and local offers
Target Baby Registry- receive a bag in store with Target and Manufacturer coupons, samples and more (there are some GREAT offers and coupons included)

Are there other's that you know of that we're missing? Let us know!

Have you heard about Groupon? You can purchase services or gift certificates for different business establishments for greatly reduced prices- up to 90% in fact! The deals change every day, so if you think you want an offer it's better to buy it sooner than later- items also can sell out if you wait too long. Check the "Recent Offers" tab to see what offers have been available for your location in the past. (Some of the "Recent Offers" for Cincinnati have been from- florists, massages, dentists, resturants, handyman services, skydiving classes)

It's completely FREE to sign up for this program. They email every time there is a new offer in your area, which is only a few times a week. The only catch is that there have to be enough people wanting to buy the "Daily Deal" before it is activated. So when you find a great deal share it with your friends! If you "BUY" an item and not enough people sign up, the deal is cancelled- you will not be charged for cancelled deals.  This is a great program that lets you try out that restaurant or business that you've been wondering about or a quick fun gift for a friend. If you like getting discounts on entertainment you better sign up now! (And for those of you with iPhones- there's an app)