Educational Children's Activities for the Weekend

Activities for your kids can be hard to come up with, when they do not want to play outside or color. Here is a list of creative activities that help with your child's education and let them have fun.  There is everything from an art project with melted crayons to an indoor frog pond.

Whether you're a traditional homeschooler, or just like to foster the imagination, here is a roundup of brilliant children's projects we've featured in the past on Apartment Therapy. Help stave off boredom this weekend one with these ideas…

1. Chemistry Class: Back to School DIY: Melted Crayons on Canvas - Not only does it look beautiful, but solids turn into liquids before one's eyes when heat is applied.

2. Chem II: Weekend Activity: Make Discovery Eggs - More solids to liquids, if it's warm enough to melt where you are.

3. Aquatic Habitats: Make An Indoor Frog Pond - I keep meaning to do this!

4. Art & Botany: Your Weekend Project: Printmaking - It's particularly fun to gather leaves for this project in the fall, when they're already on the ground and turning such beautiful colors.

5. Home Economics: Easy Scarf Project for You and Your Child - Keep warm! Another that makes sense for fall.
 
6. Astronomy 101: How to Make a Solar System Art Project Have a little star gazer on your hands? Help them make sense of the skies with this DIY galaxy.

7. Creative Chemistry: Make An Outdoor Science Lab

8. Arithmetic: Teach Math with Fun Height Game. Tangible activities are always a great approach to this difficult subject for many.

9: Intro to Architecture: Fort Building with Straws - Any kind of construction activity is good for kids of all ages. Don't have straw connectors? Make a fort with what's around.

For more information see Apartment Therapy.

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Denver Gardens Corn Maze

From now until October 28th, weekends can be filled with Fall and Halloween adventures. The Denver Botanic Gardens have started their Fall corn maze on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays after dark.  There are activities for all ages, and it is a great way to spend a day with your family.

For more information see Our Colorado News.

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Trader Joes Coming to Denver

  Trader Joe's is coming to Denver in 2013. This specialty grocery store that is famous all over the country will be opening soon at East Eighth Avenue and Colorado Blvd.  The store features high end imported and domestic food at low prices.

Specialty grocer Trader Joe's has signed a lease to open a store in Denver, with a target opening date in 2013, the company announced Wednesday.

As expected, the store will be located at the southeast corner of East Eighth Avenue and Colorado Boulevard. The company said a separate wine shop will be adjacent to the grocery store.
 
For months, Trader Joe's had been expected to build a store on that vacant site, but the company wouldn't confirm its plans. Various news outlets reported that Trader Joe's had signed a letter of intent to develop the site, formerly Annie's Cafe.

It will be the second Trader Joe's in Colorado, the company having already announced a Boulder location in the Twenty Ninth Street mall, also to open in 2013.

Trader Joe's, which has 365 stores in 34 states, bills itself as a neighborhood grocery featuring "high-quality imported and domestic foods and beverages at honest, low prices."

The Monrovia, Calif-based grocer said the Denver store will feature a festive décor that mixes traditional Trader Joe's elements such as cedar-covered walls and Hawaiian motifs, combined with a local flair that includes art celebrating the neighborhood.

In May, the Denver City Council cleared the way for a Trader Joe's by approving a zoning change that would allow for the grocer. The zoning application, however, never mentioned the words "Trader Joe's."

The previous zoning designation was intended to accommodate a hotel on the site, but that project was abandoned during the economic downturn.

The Trader Joe's announcement apparently will have no bearing on the 9th and Colorado redevelopment project. Developer Jeff Fuqua wants to build a Walmart as the anchor of that project at 11th and Albion — a plan that has angered many area neighbors.

Asked by The Denver Post last month if there was any connection between Trader Joe's and his project, Fuqua said: "No. I hope Trader Joe's comes. The more the merrier. I think that legitimizes the intersection as a mixed-use retail site."

For more information see the Denver Post.

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Chicago Style Pizza in Denver

 Chicago Pizza is coming to Denver through Patxi Pizza.  The company is not only bringing pizza, but they are bringing 100 or more jobs to the area.  They are also hoping to use local ingredients whenever possible.   The pizzeria has various styles of pizza from Chicago, Italian, and everything in between.

 Patxi Pizza's partners Francisco "Patxi" Azpiroz and William Freeman are bringing Chicago-style pizza to metro Denver by way of San Francisco.

“With seven successful locations in the Bay Area, we are ready to take the next step and bring our concept to the Denver market,” said Freeman in a statement. “We’re thrilled to bring our fresh, authentic Chicago-style and Italian pizzas to Denver’s thriving food scene. We’re committed to becoming a vital part of the Denver community by creating more than 100 jobs, sourcing ingredients locally when possible, and giving back through our charitable endeavors throughout the year.”
Two locations are slated to open this fall: One at 185 Steele St., Denver, in the Cherry Creek area and at Kent Place, 3455 S. University Blvd., Unit B, in Englewood.

Patxi’s menu offers both Chicago-style and Italian pizza with two styles of dough, four styles of mozzarella and more than 30 meat and veggie toppings, with ingredients sourced locally when possible. The restaurant also serves salads, appetizers, and beverages including beer and wine.

For more information see BizJournal.

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