Bus Anxiety? Have No Fear...K-Day is Here!

Yay! Its time for another "K-Day"! Not familiar with this fun NPSD tradition? Read on to decide whether this event is for you. 

My kids and I have attended K-Day in the past and we all enjoyed it. Not only was the movie interesting and, more importantly, very informative, but the ride around town was really fun, too. Our tour included a stop at the bus garage at NPHS and, as a parent, it was funny to hear the older siblings on our bus cry out "Oh look! Its one-thirty-nine!" or "Yay! Bus twenty-seven!" as if they were talking about old friends.


Here is what NPSD has to say about K-Day:

NPSD Transportation Department Holds K-Day Event for Kindergarten and First Grade Students and their Families

For the 13th consecutive year, the North Penn School District (NPSD) Transportation Department is holding its annual K-Day event! More than 500 students are expected to participate in this wonderful program, which is designed to ease the anxiety that kindergarten and first grade students (and their parents) who have never ridden the bus before sometimes experience when they take that first ride on the big yellow bus. Kindergarten and first grade students from surrounding non-public and private schools are also encouraged to attend. No reservations are necessary. Participants will be invited to explore the bus and even sit in the driver's seat while NPSD bus drivers explain school bus facts and safety information. Then, if they wish, parents, students and their siblings will be invited to take a seat for a short ride around the neighborhood. The exciting day will wrap up with a safety video, safety education regarding the "danger zone" around the bus when loading and unloading and the distribution of information regarding bus tags, bus schedules, emergency phone numbers and day care locations. This year’s program will take place on Thursday, August 9, Thursday, August 16 and Thursday, August 23. There are two bus departure times for each date - 9 and 11 a.m. Please practice being on time for your stop and be prompt. The event will once again be held at Walton Farm Elementary School, located at 1610 Allentown Road in Lansdale. (Editor's Note: If you've never been to Walton Farm, have no fear, you will see the buses right away and the entrance to the auditorium (for the movie) is easy to find, as well.) Participation in K-Day is voluntary and does not preclude the safety training that occurs in all 13 of the district's elementary schools each fall.

Register Now: Free Young Writers Workshop

Looking for a fun way to learn how to write?

Chyten Educational Services of Blue Bell will be conducting a Writing Workshop at the Wissahickon Valley Public Library (Blue Bell branch). Designed for rising 4th to 6th grade students, this workshop will introduce young writers to poetry, persuasive writing, advertising and brochures, journals and personal stories.

Join us on select Tuesdays this summer from 11am to 12pm for a fun-filled experience at the writing workshop. Registration is required and class size is limited to 10. A different topic will be presented each week. Students may sign up for as few or as many weeks as they wish. For online registration, go to WVPL.org and click on Calendar or Events. This workshop is FREE and expected to fill quickly so register now!

NPUT Travels to... The Crayola Experience!

Beyond a simple name change, The Crayola Experience continues to evolve, offering new fun, creative, and engaging projects.

Recently, I took advantage of one of the LivingSocial deals I had posted on the NPUT website for half-off tickets to The Crayola Experience. Creative, indoor (air-conditioned!) fun sounded like just the thing we needed on a hot summer day yesterday and it proved to be every bit as fun as we hoped.

Getting There
We made the drive to the nice little town of Easton by way of 309-North and 78-East. My GPS had suggested taking 476-North to 22-East, but the scenery and road conditions on my alternate route proved well worth the few extra minutes. The drive was right around an hour door-to-door with minimal traffic and no roadwork to speak of.

Economical parking at the adjacent garage.

Parking couldn't have been easier. A reasonably-priced public parking garage is adjacent to the Crayola building and offers payment by cash (most hours) or credit/debit card which you can pay via machine or live person on your way out from the convenience of your car window. Oh, how I love anything drive-thru now that I have children! You can also sometimes find a spot on the street for 50-cents per hour, but only quarters, dimes and nickels are accepted.

Every area of the center was stroller and wheel-chair accessible including the parking garage and main entrance and an elevator offers access to all floors. Some stroller parking areas were seen throughout and a sizable coat room was available at the entrance where I noticed some families had stowed their cooler bags with pre-packed lunches.

Fun Awaits Inside
When you check in at Crayola, you'll receive three shiny silver tokens per child, a clear, handle goody bag for carrying your child's creations (love this improvement over the old paper bags!), and a small crayon box for collecting free crayons as you make your journey. I found it helpful to carry a backpack rather than a handbag that day to keep my hands free to help with projects and carry bags. We were also glad we heeded the advice on Crayola's website to wear play clothes as a couple of activities did leave my youngest with some flecks of paint and wax on her shirt. (A non-issue since we were prepared.)

The fun begins on the second floor of the center with a wide variety of creative crafting options, opportunities to redeem your tokens, and a demonstration room where you can see how crayons and markers are made. The twenty-minute, all-ages presentation offers plenty of visuals and even a freshly-made free marker and crayon for everyone. Be sure to note the showtimes for this educational and essential part of your visit. Its easy to become carried away with your crafting and lose track of time, but the presentation is very interesting!

Presentation on how crayons and markers are made.

Painting with melted wax.

Redeeming tokens for crayons.

Adjacent to the demonstration are easy-to-use automatic crayon and marker dispensers where your child can choose to redeem their tokens. Be sure to save at least one to redeem for Model Magic in the next room though! The second floor also included a neat area where kids can paint with melted wax and a large area for drawing with sidewalk chalk.

Sidewalk chalk doodling.

A ramp leads to another section on the second floor where many more activities and crafts are available. One of the favorites of my five and seven-year-old was an area where you can pose for a photo with one of your favorite characters. Choose between Spider-Man, Lightning McQueen, or Cinderella, pose, and in a few moments, you'll have not a photo, but a coloring page with you and your favorite character to color! What a fun use of technology!

Pose with your favorite character for a custom coloring page staring YOU!

Instructions for one of the guided crafts.

Painting paper for binoculars craft.

In the same room, a toddler play area offers something to keep little wigglers occupied while older siblings color or create a guided craft which changes frequently. Yesterday, the craft was a pair of animal print-patterned binoculars. The kids painted a long, rectangular paper which they then fed onto the belt of a large drying machine and patiently waited for their paper to re-appear so they could roll, tape, paper punch, and tie a string to make their binoculars. Plenty of Crayola staffers were on hand to help and I was impressed by the hospitality of one young employee in the area who engaged us in conversation and told us he had met a family from Alabama earlier that morning.

Kids color on the clear glass walls.

Some of the other creative fun we enjoyed while on the second floor included trying out unique Crayola products like Color Explosion paper with color-revealing markers, coloring with markers on the clear, glass walls of an underwater-themed area called "Scribble Sea", and dancing around in front of a colorful projector and even some fun house mirrors.

Doodling with glow markers.

Funny what inspires some kids, isn't it?

 The creativity continued on the third floor where kids are invited to draw on the walls with glow-in-the-dark markers and work on another guided craft project. There was also a new mini-shopping area where parents could purchase craft kits to take home.


One of my children's favorite parts of Crayola has always been the "Water Works" area on the third floor, a hands-on educational area where kids can learn about canals. This unique little area was left behind when the National Canal Museum relocated earlier this year.

Driving boats through the canals in the "Water Works" area.

Fourth Floor Art Gallery

Our final stop at Crayola was the fourth floor, a loft area that showcases works of art created by children that offers a quiet place for inspiration and calm after a busy day.

Samples of artwork from the 4th floor gallery.

Planning The Next Trip
All in all, we spent about three hours at The Crayola Experience. The bathrooms were always close by when we needed them and all of them offered changing tables and wheelchair accessible stalls. On this trip, we remembered to bring two quarters and one shiny penny per child so that each of them could purchase a keepsake pressed penny from one of the hand crank machines. Something to note: on a busy day, it could pay off to start on the top floor and work your way down since most people seem to follow the same path through the building. 

McDonald's Express offers a convenient lunch.

An indoor eating area is available for those wishing to bring their lunches from home. Tables and benches are also available nearby outside along the picturesque Centre Square traffic circle along which the building is situated. For those who would prefer to eat inside the Crayola center, a McDonald's Express conveniently offers traditional, kid-friendly favorites on the first floor of the center. A number of other local eateries are within a short walk, as well, and re-entry to Crayola is permitted.

View of Centre Square, downtown Easton from the 4th floor.

Had my children not been so tired (okay, mommy was tired, too) after our visit, I had wanted to stop in at a cute little ice cream shop right next door called The Purple Cow Creamery. Next time I hope we do that and also do some exploring of the surrounding town. The local police station shares some space in the parking garage so that elicited some "oohs" and "ahhs" on our walk back to the car. 


The Crayola Experience is also about two thirds of the way to the Poconos and halfway to New York City for us here in North Penn, which makes it a great add-on to any family roadtrip, as well. The Color Wonder creativity packs we picked up made for a quiet, mess-free drive home and many other great Crayola products are available at the Crayola Gift Shop which is adjacent to the Crayola Experience and features the world's largest crayon weighing in at 1,500 pounds!


For directions, hours, and additional detailed information, visit The Crayola Experience online.


We're looking forward to our next visit and I hope this helps you plan yours!

Discounted Jumpin' Jack's Admission for NPUT Fans!

You don't need me to tell you how scorching hot it is outside. According to Weather.com right now, "A major heat wave is sweeping across many states east of the Rockies" and relief is days away. Your community pool may offer some relief, but even this native southern Californian thinks it is still just plain too hot to move outside right now!

If you're looking for a way for your kids to have fun running, jumping, and climbing, don't forget that Jumpin' Jacks' is open today until 5:00pm. And... for the whole month of July, North Penn Under Ten fans will receive $1 off per person on weekday admission! All you need to do is tell them that North Penn Under Ten is the greatest website ever and you'll receive your discount. Oh, alright. I'm kidding about that "greatest website ever" thing. Simply mention that you are an NPUT reader or that you appreciate Jumpin' Jack's support of NPUT. Something to that effect will work just fine. ;-)

Stay cool, North Penn!

Your Local Guide to a Fun Fourth (with Fireworks)!

Looking for fun ways to celebrate our nation's independence right here at home? Look no further! We've gathered the info on all the best local parades, fireworks displays and other family fun for the week. If you have any comments to share such as great, low-traffic viewing places for fireworks, be sure to comment below or on our Facebook page.

Start your Independence Day celebration a day early! On July 3rd, take in the fireworks at Sutcliffe Park in Conshohocken (West 9th Street and Freedley Street). The fun begins at 5:30pm with children's activities, food, and fun. Fireworks begin at dusk.

On the fourth, the options are plentiful!

North Wales Borough’s Fourth of July Parade and Picnic will be held on Wednesday with the parade beginning at 11 a.m. at Action Karate (the former First Niagara Bank building) on Main Street to Summit Street to end at Weingartner Park. A picnic in the park will follow afterwards. Enjoy music, games, prizes, food and more.

In Upper Salford... The 24th annual Red, White & Blue parade sponsored by the Upper Salford Citizens Group will line up on Potato Road at 9:15AM and proceed at 10AM down Old Skippack Road to the Upper Salford Firehouse where refreshments will be available.

In new Britain Township... The annual parade begins at 9:30am. The route runs from Towne Center (Route 202/Giant), travels 202 South to 152 North and ends at North Branch Park on Park Avenue. You'll see marching bands, scout troops, antique cars, decorated floats, fire trucks and more! For more information, contact Angela at apomeisl@newbritaintownship.org or at 215-822-1391.

In Skippack Village... The annual parade begins at 11am. A BBQ will be held at Parc Bistro at 3pm. Vendors, crafters, and live music start at 6pm in Palmer Park. Fireworks at dusk in Palmer Park. Parking available off of Heckler Road and Creamery Road.

In Doylestown... From Noon to 5:00pm, you can experience “the good-old days” at the Fonthill Museum's Old-Fashioned 4th of July Celebration in Doylestown. Festivities include a decorated bike parade, a town ball game (19th-century baseball), a watermelon eating contest, free old-time games and live music. Food available. Admission: $4 adults, $2 members, $1 youth (age 5-17) , Free for children 4 and under! For more information, call 215-348-9461 or email: fhmail@fonthillmuseum.org.

In Abington... Parade begins at 4pm at the VFW Post 676 (Roslyn Ave.) and ends on Keswick Ave. A $15,000 fireworks display will light up the sky at 9pm at the Abington HS / JHS athletic fields!

In Norristown... Visit Elmwood Zoo on the 4th (10am-5pm) and receive a special admission rate of only $4! Enjoy animal encounters, food, games, moon bounce, giveaways, and much more fun with the family! Outside the zoo, a 4th of July parade and festivities kickoff at 10 a.m. Enjoy a variety of bands, antiques cars, antique trains, local organization groups and more move from Main and DeKalb streets to Elmwood Park on Harding Avenue. Vendors, activities, games, inflatables and live entertainment will continue throughout the day. Fireworks will be set off at dusk. Visit www.norristown.org for more info.

Other Fun this Week:

Visit Elmwood Zoo at a discount. On July 1st, Lansdale Borough residents are cordially invited to visit the zoo and enjoy discounted admission and memberships. (North Wales residents are invited to do the same on July 29th.)

In Ambler... The annual Kiwanis Carnival will feature all your favorite rides and food. The carnival at Wissahickon High School will run Tuesday, July 3 through July 7, with fireworks scheduled for Friday, July 6 beginning around 9 p.m. The carnival will be open 6 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, 6:30 p.m. to 11 p.m. on Friday, and 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Saturday.

The Guarding of the Liberty Bell Encampment Event will be held Saturday and Sunday beginning Saturday at 10 a.m. at Rising Sun Inn, 898 Allentown Road, Telford. Witness the arrival of the troops as they march into camp with their wagons, horses, and the crated Liberty Bell. You are invited to dine with the troops in the RSI Barn Saturday at 6 p.m. for $15 per person and Sunday at 12 p.m. for $10 per person. All proceeds from the meals benefit local Scouts organizations. For information visit www.risingsuninn.net.

If you happen to be spending the holiday elsewhere in the Philly metro area, we'd recommend one of these two fireworks listings: 6ABC or Philly.com.