Trick or Treat | Halloween Fun in the Twin Cities!

Looking to celebrate baby's first Halloween? Or perhaps you are enjoying your older baby's 2nd Halloween who is looking for a little more to do. Here's a round-up of events going on in the Twin Cities this weekend that you should check out!

[Thursday]

Halloween Party at MN Children's Museum
Trick-or-treat throughout the Museum, get jumpy on a moon bounce [older babies only please!], and special Halloween activities. Pre-registeration is recommended, but not requested. [NOTE: You do NOT have to be a member to attend].

[Saturday]

Great Pumpkin Festival of 2011 [@ Shops of West End]
Halloween music, dance contests, games, photo opportunities, pumpkin patch and so much more!

50th and France Pumpkin Fest
Come enjoy fun kids' activities including trick-or-treating, face painting, horse trolley rides, and pin the face on the pumpkin. Trick-or-treating starts at 10:00 a.m. and all other activities from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

Science Museum Boo-ology
The Science Museum will host Boo-ology, a Halloween event for visitors of all ages. Kids under 12 in costume will receive free admission to the permanent exhibit galleries, and they'll have the chance to join in a variety of spooky hands-on science activities with a Halloween spin! This year's activities include a costume contest with prizes.

[Sunday]

Amma Maternity Halloween Party
Get a free photo of your baby in costume in the pumpkin patch and enjoy a special Halloween story time performance by Sara Waters [at 11:30].
[NOTE: This is probably the most baby friendly event!]

Boo Bash on Grand Ave.
Costume contest, petting zoo, pony rides, trick or treating and much more!

Pumpkin Carving and Story Time @ Red Balloon Bookshop
Pumpkin Carving Demonstration with Author & Master Carver David La Rochelle—you have never seen pumpkins like his! The Haunted Hamburger will be the story time feature.


[Monday]

Spooky Halloween Gathering for Kids [and babies!] [@ Minnehaha Free Space]
Celebrate Halloween with a “Spooky Gathering for Kids”! There will be spooky (and fun!) activities, games and treats at this open house from 4-7 in the free space. Costumes are encouraged and all ages welcome. There will be snacks. It will be fun!


Do you know of an event going on that is not listed? Please share!

Happy Halloween Everyone :)

[The Rattle] Paint a Pumpkin

Day 25: 31 Day Challenge



Halloween is going to be here before you know it. While it’s probably not the best idea to carve a pumpkin with [a large knife] and your baby, you can still have fun with pumpkins. Let your baby paint a pumpkin! Spread out newspaper [or I used our splat mat] all over the floor, use washable paint, strip your baby down to a diaper and let them have a go. Babies love to make messes and you’ll get a cute pumpkin in return. Just make sure you have the tub ready to go to wash your little artist afterwards.

And for a fun twist, add a design on your pumpkin with duct tape prior to painting. We did the letter E [of course]!

[The Rattle] Go for a Hike

Sometimes as new moms and dads it’s hard to find time to exercise. Going for a hike with your baby is the perfect way to give yourself some added energy. Point out all the colors on the trees and watch some falling leaves. Strap your baby in your favorite carrier or if you prefer the stroller that works too. Just get outside and enjoy this beautiful weather before it's too late!

Fall Has Arrived... Time to go Apple Picking!

As much as I love summer, there is something about fall that gets me excited every year. The crisp cool air, the smell of apples everywhere, pumpkin spiced lattes and of course... stocking hats!! [Baby E already has a minimum of 10 hats already and don't think I'm stopping there.] There are also lots of fun activities to do in the fall before the blustery Minnesota winter hits and everyone hibernates inside like bears.

Probably my favorite fall activity is apple picking. It is so much fun being able to go out on a nice sunny fall day with a big barrel and pick your own apples. There are so many apples to choose--apples for baking, for crunching, sweet apples and tart apples--I love them all! A lot of apple orchards also tend to have other fun activities like hay rides, corn mazes, pumpkin patches, barns full of warm apple cider, apple butter, jams and everything else you can think of apple.



Since this is Baby E's first fall, I am really excited to start him in on our little tradition. I know he will love grabbing at the trees [he is in that stage where anything is fun to grab at] and he loves eating apples, so I better stock up while they are in their prime.

Every year we normally go to a few orchards in Bayfield, WI where my parents cabin is. This year we aren't going to be able to make it up there in time for apple picking, so it looks like we will be going in the Twin Cities [day trip maybe?!]

I found this awesome website online called PickYourOwn. Where in Minnesota to find pick your own farms and orchards for fruit, vegetables, pumpkins and canning & freezing instructions! This site is great, not just for finding apple orchards, but all sorts of fun berry picking, pumpkin patches, corn mazes and even Christmas trees in the winter.

I wanted to share with you a couple other orchards that I researched:

Aamodts’ Apple Farm [Stillwater, MN]
They have a wide variety of apples [including Honeycrisp, a personal favorite]. They also have some great activities for the little ones like wagon rides, a goat farm, hay bale mazes and even a John Deere tractor farm!

Afton Apple [Hastings, MN]
Here they have apple picking, a pumpkin patch [picking starts the last week in September] hayrides and a 15 acre corn maze-wow!

Emma Krumbee's [Belle Plaine, MN]
Emma Krumbee's was named “Favorite Apple Orchard in Minnesota” by Minnesota Parent Magazine. With the variety of events, kids activities, apple & pumpkin picking, and homemade goodies [found in their restaurant & general store] it is easy to see why they are a favorite. The annual scarecrow festival also sets them apart from the other orchards.

Pine Tree Apple Orchard [White Bear Lake, MN]
You'll find weekend entertainment, pony & wagon rides, a corn maze; along with a large variety of apples and a pumpkin patch. Also Pine Tree has various homemade bakery products, caramel apples, and fresh cider- yum!

Minnetonka Orchards [Minnetrista, MN]
Another orchard with a variety of family activities including: hay rides, walking trails, a corn maze and of course pick your own apples. Also check out their unique calendar of events which includes music, family theme weekends and more!

Do you have a favorite fall tradition or favorite apple orchard that you go to every year?