Your guide to activities and fun things to do with your preschoolers, toddlers and kids in denver, CO

Sea Monsters: A Prehistoic Adventure Opens September 18 at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science

September 07, 2009

National Geographic Dives into Lost World of Marine Reptiles with New IMAX Show
www.nationalgeographic.com/seamonsters

National Geographic's giant-screen film Sea Monsters: A Prehistoric Adventure premieres at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science on Friday, September 18. Click here for ticket and showtime information.

Sea Monsters: A Prehistoric Adventure brings to life the extraordinary marine reptiles of the dinosaur age. From the giraffe-necked Styxosaurus and 20-foot "bulldog" fish Xiphactinus to the T. rex of the ocean-the 40-foot super-predator Tylosaurus-these wondrous beasts defy imagination.

The film, narrated by Tony Award-winning actor Liev Schreiber and with an original score by longtime musical collaborators Richard Evans, David Rhodes, and Peter Gabriel, takes audiences on a remarkable journey into the relatively unexplored world of the "other dinosaurs," the reptiles that lived beneath the water. Funded in part through a grant from the National Science Foundation, the film delivers to the giant screen the fascinating science behind what we know, and a vision of history's grandest ocean creatures.

Kenneth Carpenter, PhD, curator of paleontology at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science, was one of three expert scientists who ensured accuracy of the film. A world-renowned expert on plesiosaurs, Early Cretaceous dinosaurs, armored dinosaurs, and dinosaur reproduction, Carpenter heads the fossil preparation laboratory at the Museum. As part of his PhD studies, Carpenter researched predator-prey relations among the fish and marine reptiles of the Cretaceous, as well as factors that may have influenced the fossil record of the seaway. He has published 11 books and authored more than 200 popular and scientific articles on topics including fossil preparation techniques, mounting of fossil skeletons, and dinosaur taxonomy, behavior, and diseases.

"It was exciting to be involved with the first giant-screen film about what lived in the water during the dinosaur age," said Carpenter. "Much of my studies are reflected in the flipper motion of the creatures seen in this immersive film, when these prehistoric giants practically swim off the screen and into the audience."

The Cretaceous world in Sea Monsters: A Prehistoric Adventure was very different from Earth as we know today. Eighty million years ago, places such as Colorado and Kansas were at the bottom of a great inland sea that divided North America in two. A warmer climate meant more of the globe was submerged. On this sodden sphere, cold-blooded seagoing reptiles flourished, and as these ocean giants died, their skeletons were left in locations that are now high and dry.

Sea Monsters: A Prehistoric Adventure weaves together spectacular photorealistic animation with standout finds from paleontological digs around the world-treasures that shed light on the film's incredible cast of characters.

The film follows a family of Dolichorhynchops, also known informally as "dollies," as they traverse ancient waters populated with saber-toothed fish, prehistoric sharks, and giant squid. On their journey the dollies encounter other extraordinary sea creatures: lizard-like reptiles called Platecarpus that swallowed their prey whole like snakes; Styxosaurus with necks nearly 20 feet long and paddle-like fins as large as an adult human; and at the top of the food chain, the monstrous Tylosaurus, a predator with no enemies.

Dolichorhynchops

Sea Monsters: A Prehistoric Adventure is a remarkable visual journey that also educates audiences on the "how do we know that?" side of paleontology. Do scientists need full skeletons to learn about these creatures? Not always, as we learn from shark teeth found throughout the central United States, proof that these modern-day hunters were thriving during the Age of Dinosaurs when Kansas was at the bottom of the sea. How do we know what these creatures ate, and what pursued them? The shapes of jaws and teeth provide dietary clues, and occasionally paleontologists are lucky enough to discover bones of one species inside the remains of another. In fact, one fossilized Xiphactinus, a 17-foot-long predatory fish, was found with an entire six-foot fish inside-swallowed whole.

From fossil digs to larger-than-life visions of predatory chases in shallow seas, the film immerses audiences in a rarely explored environment during the dinosaur age. Merging ultra high-resolution graphics with National Geographic's trademark authenticity, compelling imagery, and powerful storytelling, the film is a perfect combination of subject and medium: ancient leviathans of the deep brought to life in the world's biggest film format.

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PLEASE NOTE: this film merits a PG rating for some intense wildlife images, including scenes of simulated predation.

Win a $100 dinner at Strings Restaurant & support your community with tuggl.com

September 03, 2009

There's a new way to find good local businesses in Colorado while supporting important causes in our community at the same time. Tuggl.com, based right in Denver at 30th & Larimer, helps you determine what mechanic, contractor, restaurant, or any other local business you should use based not only on the service they've provided our friends and neighbors, but also on what they're doing to give back to the community.

Tuggl has been hard at work for the last year creating a local business search site that helps people find trustworthy local businesses in an instant. For any business on Tuggl, you can see how they rate in terms of service, price, and quality compared to others in the same industry, and additionally, how they rate in giving - volunteering, donating, providing pro-bono support - to important community organizations, also compared to others in their industry.

Since launching to community organizations back in March of this year, Tuggl has brought in over 100 important causes including community foundations, homeless shelters, food banks, and schools, and found more than 1,000 local businesses in every category who are doing something to give back. You can find your favorite local cause to search for businesses they recommend, connect with Facebook to find out who your friends use, or just go with the best business by their "Tuggl rating," Tuggl's index of a business's service and giving rank compared to their industry.

WIN A $100 GIFT CARD TO STRINGS!
Tuggl.com ultimately hopes to prove that becoming a "Tugglr" (Don't use an "e" there!) will make your life easier and better while helping improve our community at the same time. They're officially launching the service, and as part of that are running a "tuggl tastr" contest - an opportunity for you to try Tuggl and perhaps one of Denver's best restaurants at the same time! From now through Friday, September 4, 2009 at midnight, every Tuggl business review that's tweeted on Twitter including "#tuggl" is an entry for you to win a $100 gift card to Strings Restaurant. Additionally, tuggl and local web design firm HotPress Web have agreed to donate $1 combined for each of the first 500 reviews done to the Rocky Mountain Institute of International Education, Twitter or not. Either way, a great reason to try Tuggl!

Josh Clauss, Tuggl's communications & communities guy, invites you to friend him on Facebook to see how tuggl works with your Facebook friends. He's big on cafes, so look that up to get a good idea of what's possible!

Tuggl invites you to follow them on Twitter and become a fan on Facebook as well. 

Check it out! Bluff Lake Nature Center

May 26, 2009

I know that Colorado is known for it's naturey stuff, but it always surprises me when I find new and awesome things that are around to entertain and inform. Below is an article from Kristin, the volunteer program manager for Bluff Lake Nature Center in east Denver.

by Kristin

Bluff Lake Nature Center is a unique urban wildlife refuge and outdoor classroom in east Denver. The 123 acre refuge is adjacent to Sand Creek on the eastern edge of the Stapleton development. It offers a variety of native habitats including a seasonal lake, wetlands, short-grass prairie, a riparian zone and wetland woodland. Thanks to its 60 year history as an airport buffer, Bluff Lake has become an urban wildlife refuge for waterfowl, shorebirds, raptors, songbirds, deer, fox, beaver, reptiles, amphibians and other types of wildlife that visit or live at the site.

Bluff Lake Nature Center is much more than a place for plants and animals. It is an oasis in the city where people can come to view wildlife, appreciate the peaceful sights and enjoy the sounds of nature. It is also an outdoor classroom for thousands of kindergarten through fifth grade students each year. It is our goal to encourage childrens' and adults' interest in natural science and stewardship through curiosity, observation, activity and a sense of wonder.

Bluff Lake Nature Center offers a variety of ways for the family to get outside and get involved.  Week-long Jr. Naturalist  day camps allow children to explore the trails and learn about nature in-depth. Free Fireside chats offer campfires and marshmallow roasts as families discover the animals and ecosystems at Bluff Lake.  Volunteer opportunities let you give back to your community while learning new skills.

Our wildlife and volunteers make this a place worth visiting! Go to www.BluffLakeNatureCenter.org to find out more about us.

Getting Started With Organics

April 13, 2009

Before I get to organics, I have some housekeeping to do! Like giving away a free family 4-pack to Sesame Street Live "Elmo's Green Thumb!" Below is the proof of the randomness of our winner, Earon! Congrats! We'll be getting those tickets to you asap, and feel free to email me at aimee [at] greeblemonkey [dot] com if you have any questions.

NOW. Speaking of green thumbs the earth and stuff, I have a guest poster today. It's my friend Amy Peck (@fruitlady on Twitter - notice a theme?), who is much more knowledgeable on the subject of organics that I am. So I asked her to come over to Savvy Source today and talk to us about the in's and out's of a topic that can be really confusing, especially when trying to balance your budget and your life.

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Getting Started With Organics
by Amy Peck

Talking about organics can sometimes stir up as much controversy in a conversation as bringing up religion or politics. It's a topic with fervent followers and stoic skeptics, and after my children were born, I started leaning more toward the fervent follower side of things. Over the past few years my interest in organics has grown to the point where not only do I try to feed my family organics as much as possible, but I've started a business delivering organic fruits and vegetables to people's homes and offices, plus I write a regular organic gardening column for the Denver Examiner.

The decision of "going organic" is understandably not an easy one to make. There are so many choices about organics out there that it can seem overwhelming. And what does it mean to be organic anyway? The USDA National Organic Program (NOP) defines organic as follows:

"Organic food is produced by farmers who emphasize the use of renewable resources and the conservation of soil and water to enhance environmental quality for future generations. Organic meat, poultry, eggs, and dairy products come from animals that are given no antibiotics or growth hormones. Organic food is produced without using most conventional pesticides; fertilizers made with synthetic ingredients or sewage sludge; bioengineering; or ionizing radiation. Before a product can be labeled "organic," a Government-approved certifier inspects the farm where the food is grown to make sure the farmer is following all the rules necessary to meet USDA organic standards."

What Does That Mean For Us?
Does the benefit to the animals, plants and their caretakers translate to the consumer and our children in some sort of measurable context other than making a bigger dent in our wallets? In the April 2008 issue of Organic Gardening magazine a study from the University of Newcastle on Tyne was reported to have found that, "Organic fruits and vegetables contain up to 40 percent more antioxidants than non-organic produce." Project coordinator Carol Leifert told the BBC News that the ongoing study found that, "there are more of certain nutritionally desirable compounds and less of the baddies in organic foods, or improved amounts of the fatty acids you want and less of those you don't."

In the organic vs. conventional buying decision then there is always the "list" that people talk about when choosing which produce to buy. According to the Environmental Working Group, a non-profit research group, the top ten foods that retain the most pesticides are strawberries, bell peppers, spinach, cherries, peaches, Mexican cantaloupe, celery, apples, apricots, and green beans. While a good starting point for sure when talking about the best organics to buy based on our own consumption, I like to think of the bigger picture. For me it's important to teach my children how buying organics is not only good for us, but for the farmers that grew our food and the environment.

Buying organic has broadened for our family. In addition to the organic certification, we consider the small farmers who practice organics but don't have the capital to get the certification necessary to label their food as such. We consider where our food is grown and like to make choices that are as local to where we live as possible. I consider this thinking "beyond organic."

Getting Started
When people ask me about organics or how to get started, I recommend starting wherever they can. In Denver, shopping for your produce at Vitamin Cottage, which carries only organic produce, is a good place to start in the winter months. Visiting farmers' markets in the spring through fall months gives you the opportunity to meet the farmers themselves. Not all farmers' markets participants are organic growers so be sure to ask if it's not clearly posted. Growing our own organic food is by far the least expensive way to bring organics into our homes, and a highly rewarding experience that the whole family can take part in. I don't think there are any hard and fast answers to this question.

The Bottom Line
As with anything that is good for us and the environment, making any organic choice, however small, will make an impact. We need look no further than our own children to know how small successes lead to big milestones. Perhaps someday, our children won't have to make this decision, because all of their options will be safe for them and the environment.

Win a Family 4-Pack to Sesame Street Live "Elmo's Green Thumb!"

April 09, 2009

Who doesn't love Elmo? My going on 7 year old still loves Elmo. Even me - at near 39 - *I* love Elmo. And if your kids (or YOU) love Elmo, Being Savvy Denver would love to help you get to see him and all his friends from Sesame Street.

I have one free family 4 pack to give away to the readers of this blog. All you have to do is comment on this post before midnight (Mountain time) Sunday, April 12th. On Monday, I will use a random number generator to pick one winner from the comments. Comment as often as you like. Please be sure your email address is in the comment so we can contact you with the prize!

GOOD LUCK and HAVE FUN!

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Sesame Street Live
"Elmo's Green Thumb"
Denver, CO - Magness Arena - University of Denver
April 16 - 19, 2009

When Elmo's sunflower, Sunny, outgrows his flower pot, Big Bird's garden seems to be the perfect place for Sunny to flourish. An excited Abby Cadabby, Sesame Street's fairy-in-training, casts a spell to make Sunny grow faster. The spell does just the opposite and, instead of growing, Elmo and his friends shrink! As Abby tries to reverse the spell, Elmo, Zoe, Telly and friends explore Big Bird's garden from a smaller perspective and learn some big lessons about patience, overcoming fears and appreciation of nature. From dancing ladybugs to grouchy beetles, get ready for a fresh, original Sesame Street Live on a whole new scale!

Sesame Street Live is a larger-than-life, musical touring stage production featuring Big Bird, Elmo, Cookie Monster, Bert and Ernie...and more. Each performance is 90 minutes of singing, dancing and audience participation, including a 15-minute intermission. The perfect length for very young children!

Ticket information:

• Ticket prices: $15.00, $20.00 & $25.00. Limited $35.00 Gold Circle seating available.
• Opening Night (April 16, 7:00 PM)-All seats $12.00 (excluding Gold Circle seating).
• Kids' Matinee (April 17, 10:30 AM) - All seats $10.00 for school/daycare groups 15 or more.
• Additional group discounts available.
• Additional fees/surcharges may apply.
• To charge by phone, call Ticketmaster at 800-745-3000.

Performance Schedule:
Thursday, April 16: 7:00 PM
Friday, April 17: 10:30 AM & 7:00 PM
Saturday, April 18: 10:30 AM, 2:00 PM & 5:30 PM
Sunday, April 19: 1:00 PM & 4:30 PM

New Exhibit at the DMNS! Nature Unleashed!

February 13, 2009

Several local bloggers were invited to the Denver Museum of Nature and Science this week to preview their new exhibit, Nature Unleashed, which opens to the public today. Kind of appropriate given the amount of weather craziness this week, including the huge tornado that touched down in Oklahoma - plus I know my kid has *always* been majorly curious about such things. But even more cool was the fact that DMNS curator of astrobiology David Grinspoon was on hand to answer our questions, which made my geeky husband nearly run home and grab his latest Seed Magazine for David to sign. Non-geek translation: David knows his stuff and is very awesome.

The exhibit itself is very awesome too.  It covers all sorts of big weather: hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes, volcanoes, etc. The topics can be big and scary, but the museum was sure to also bring things down to kid level - with stuff to touch, buttons to push, videos to watch. Declan loved the section where you raise levers up and down to add gas or silica and create several different kinds of volcanoes.

As for me? My favorite part was standing in a semi-enclosed spot with video walls all around as a tornado approached and passed over you. Creepy and cool and much safer than actually chasing a tornado.

There was also an area to share your own natural disaster stories and pin them to a wall. We got a big kick out of reading the one that said: "1986, paying to see Ishtar."

Declan took the idea and ran with it:

If you can't read that because it's too small or kid-like: "2009. Once upon thare was a dog named Poe and he was 17 week's old and Poe allwase chewed my soks. - Declan"

I can't TELL you how proud I am.

But definitely. Go check out the new exhibit. It's open now through May 3rd, 2009.

And what's even *cooler*? The DMNS has shared a coupon for $2.00 off admission through March 9th, 2009. Just print it out and bring it with you to the museum, easy as pie, have at it, and HAVE FUN.

And let me know what crazy "natural disasters" are up on the wall by the time YOU get there.

Kid Art Auction for Earth Day 2009!

by Aimee Greeblemonkey

February 09, 2009

In the springtime last year, my son Declan had this amazing idea. He decided that, instead of a standard lemonade stand, he wanted to have an Art Sale in the backyard. When I posted about it, friends contributed ideas and we had an ONLINE version that raised nearly $800 for environmental causes - in just a few weeks.

This year, we are trying to spread the word early so people have plenty of time to participate!

Whadya say? Wanna play?



























This year, the beneficiary will be The Nature Conservancy. It is their mission to "preserve the plants, animals and natural communities that represent the diversity of life on Earth by protecting the lands and waters they need to survive." Kinda perfect for Earth Day, right?

All the details are on a post over at my personal blog, Greeblemonkey. But you don't have to be a blogger to participate, or be from Denver even.

Come one, come all! Let's rock Earth Day!
 Read more...

Go Green! Top Eco-Friendly Resolutions for 2009

by Aimee Greeblemonkey

January 26, 2009

Going green is an awesome way to teach your child responsibility. And taking care of mother earth is a big responsibility, right? So when sharing the burden with kids, it's important to make it FUN as well. But, I can tell you, with Declan - it's neat to see how eco-minded he is - mainly because that's the way it's always been for him. It's been his habit since very little and that's they way he  Read more...

Time To Get Low Cost Street Trees In Denver!

by Aimee Greeblemonkey

January 21, 2009

Are you looking for trees to plant along your house at the edge of the street? The Park People's Denver Digs Trees program is here to help you. Every spring, this wonderful program makes trees available for the amazing price of $25 each to help beautify Denver. Their trees are available to all Denver residents, but target neighborhoods include: Baker, Barnum, West Barnum, Chaffee Park, Clayton,  Read more...

Give the Gift of Denver!

by Aimee Greeblemonkey

December 16, 2008

Isn't it frustrating when you are searching for a gift for someone and they already have EVERYTHING? Well, in the interest of creating memories (and going green) - what about giving memberships this year to loved ones instead of just stuff? That way Grandma can accompany you to the Zoo any time you go. Or your best friend can easily bring her tots along to the Aquarium. Fun for the whole year!  Read more...

Go Green This Season

by Aimee Greeblemonkey

December 10, 2008

Going green is not just a fad, it's a way of life, right? And what better time of year to teach the principals of eco-friendliness than during the holiday season? Here are some ideas to jump start the green in your house this year: Send ecards instead of paper cards. Give services instead of purchased gifts, like raking leaves, mowing the lawn, etc. Or maybe gifts that you DO together, like  Read more...

Make Holiday Cards With The Kids!

by Aimee Greeblemonkey

December 05, 2008

It's that time of the year, right? Time to get those holiday cards in order. Well, except for me, the process started back in September. I actually put up a post on my personal blog looking for input on how to go about holiday cards this year. Because 1) the sheer number of cards was getting out of hand 2) so many people in my life "see" us on a daily basis through the magic of the internet (so,  Read more...