Baby, It's Cold Outside

Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., Bing Crosby, and even Louis Armstrong all said the same thing to me on vinyl not so long ago: Baby, It's Cold Outside.  What's a parent to do with kids that KNOW in their heart of hearts that spring is right around the corner and they want to play?

Here is the weekend forecast for Saturday, February 26: cold, snowy and a bit dismal indoors.  Don't despair, there is plenty to do around Boise this weekend.

• Jim Gill  Makes it Noisy in Boise! FREE FAMILY concert Saturday, February 26, 1:00pm at the Egyptian Theatre.   Contact the Boise Public Library for more details.
• Check out the FREE neighborhood open gyms on Saturdays presented by Boise Parks and Recreation from 10am until 2pm.  Call 384-4256 for an open gym.
• Read to a therapy dog at 2pm Saturday, February 26, at the Boise Public Library.  http://www.boisepubliclibrary.org/
• Call of the Wild, Movie and Book discussion.  Watch the movie, then join a book discussion for all ages at 1:00pm, February 26, at the Ada County Library.  http://www.adalib.org/  (This would be great for more advanced readers who have already read Call of the Wild.)
• ATTENTION MILITARY/BLUE STAR FAMILIES!  Idaho IceWorld Military Family Day offering free admission and free skate use for military families with military IDs.  Saturday, February 26, Idaho IceWorld, 1:30-4:30pm.  http://www.idahoiceworld.org/

There are many great resources for our kids on the weekends in Boise.  Almost every Saturday at the Discovery Center, kids can participate in age appropriate classes.  They have classes for preschoolers through the 6th grade!  (http://www.scidaho.org/)  Zoo Boise is another great resource for kids, yes, even in winter!  The animals and their habitats take on a new look in winter and while some animals appear lazy or never appear at all, the ones that you may never see in the summer are surprisingly awake and chipper in the winter.  Our elusive Red Panda makes more appearances, it seems, during the winter.  Maybe it's because there are viewer people visiting the zoo?  I have no idea but even on a cold day it's really not hard to find a warm place to view the animals by running in between enclosed exhibits.

Even though it's cold outside, Baby, It's Not So Bad.  Get out there, have fun and share your best finds with us!

Nikki Rutledge
Whitney Parent