Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links. This means that, at zero cost to you, I will earn an affiliate commission if you click through the link and finalize a purchase. Educational toys are very important for children. Lyons Cub received his first junior microscope for Easter, and from his aunty, he got…
As a kid, we’ve probably all learned that dandelions are “poisonous.” We used to pluck the stalks into small pieces and pull them apart, throwing them into a bucket of water to watch them form cute, little ringlets. Do you know why? The dandelion stalks form rings because their inner side takes in more water…
What’s it like to get a visit from Saint Nicholas on December 6th in Germany? Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links. This means that, at zero cost to you, I will earn an affiliate commission if you click through the link and finalize a purchase. Saint Nick had come to us in…
What’s it like to find a huge spider in your basement? First of all, stay calm. Then, don’t hurt the spidey. It’s not its fault that it’s cold and rainy outside, and it would rather be in your warm and safe basement. Then, take a fun picture with your kid (who is not afraid of…
Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links. This means that, at zero cost to you, I will earn an affiliate commission if you click through the link and finalize a purchase. What’s it like to celebrate a kid’s birthday in Oki Doki? We were sure that this time, we would celebrate it at…
What’s it like to celebrate carnival in Germany? Well, we’re not living in one of the prime destinations for carnival celebrations, such as Cologne or Mainz, but even small cities and towns have parades and celebrations for the kids (and adults alike). So even if it’s not Carnival in Rio or Carnival of Venice, German…
Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links. This means that, at zero cost to you, I will earn an affiliate commission if you click through the link and finalize a purchase. What’s it like to go to judo class? It was Lyons Cub’s second day at the judo course, because the tryout was…
Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links. This means that, at zero cost to you, I will earn an affiliate commission if you click through the link and finalize a purchase. The Christmas Market in Monheim, which you can reach in ten minutes by foot from the Nature Adventure Trail and the splash…
What’s it like to watch the cranes fly south? Lyons Cub has seen the Canada geese and the Siberian geese fly in formation, but this time, while we were at a playground with his little friend Giuliana, we watched a flock of cranes fly to warmer regions. They were right over our heads in arrow-like…
This was Lyons Cub’s fourth Circus visit! First, he went to Circus Liberty; then, to Circus Proscho; and finally, to Circus Florida. Each one was an exciting event for a preschooler, and each one contained specific attractions that were phenomenal. This is a short comparison of what the four circuses we have been to so…
Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links. This means that, at zero cost to you, I will earn an affiliate commission if you click through the link and finalize a purchase. My son has been to Cologne a couple of times already, once to visit the Chocolate Museum, see the Gothic cathedral, and…
Lyons Cub has found his favorite indoor playground! Having tried out GeckoFun in Burscheid, Hoplop in Cologne, and Oki Doki in Langenfeld, we went to Trampolino in the city of Hilden, and this place had something of everything and some additional attractions the other places lacked. Let’s see how those four indoor playgrounds compare. Attractions…
We were at Duisburg Zoo yesterday, when the sun was shining, so today, when it was rainy and cool, we JUST wanted to go to the post office in town, but we happened upon the fall festival… And here it goes. Lyons Cub went bungy jumping (which he already enjoyed as a toddler), fishing for…
Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links. This means that, at zero cost to you, I will earn an affiliate commission if you click through the link and finalize a purchase. Ahhh, the fascination of little kids with sand and water 😉 Here we are at the park with the climbing animals and…
This was Lyons Cub’s second visit to a circus. The first one he ever went to was Circus Liberty, where he got to ride a horse and feed the animals during the break. He had enjoyed that very much, so when we saw the posters advertising for the “Mitmachzirkus” (participation circus) Proscho, he thought he…
Hello expats, travelers, or even locals who need a few tips what to do and where to go with kids aged 2-12 in the Rhineland — check out our recommendations for activities around here, be it inside or outside, in all kinds of weather. I moved back to Germany after 15 years in the United…
It’s not “Irland” (= Ireland), but “Irrland” (country of the crazy) that we visited… So it’s not a typo! For our summer vacation in 2022, we took a 4-day trip to Kevelaer, a famous pilgrimage place. On the fourth day, we did visited a basilica and a couple of churches, but we were really there…
Lyons Cub loves indoor gyms, such as GeckoFun, which have lots of inflatables, trampolines, and climbing towers and bridges and slides. The biggest one we ever went to (with his little friend, Giulianna and family) is the Hoplop in Cologne. It has a huge play area for the children and a nice quiet area for…
Second visit to the magical place for Lyons Cub… this time with his American friend, John. It is really possible to go to the same attraction twice and see completely different things! Last time, we went with grandma to Legoland in Oberhausen. We were busy collecting stamps and noticed we didn’t get a stamp from…
At the age of four, Lyons Cub is not aware of the Nibelungen saga and the story of Siegfried slaying the dragon yet, but he loves all things castle, knights, and dragons. Especially dragons!!! He even visited the village of Erpel on the Rhine River across from the famous bridge at Remagen, which sports a…
Lyons Cub knew something was up when mommy researched medieval markets in North Rhine-Westphalia. We found one that took place on May 22nd in the city of Witten. Which little kid doesn’t love knights, armor, horses, castles, and dragons? Admittedly, the dragon that was supposed to appear at the medieval festival in Witten was the…
Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links. This means that, at zero cost to you, I will earn an affiliate commission if you click through the link and finalize a purchase. While grandma gifted Lyons Cub a day each at Legoland and SeaLife in the city of Oberhausen for Easter, mommy offered him…
Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links. This means that, at zero cost to you, I will earn an affiliate commission if you click through the link and finalize a purchase. Have you ever painted Easter eggs with terrible, electronic Christmas music in the background? No? Then, you absolutely need to try the…
It’s Easter Sunday and our second day of adventures… We have a double ticket for Legoland and SeaLife, and now, we’re doing the second part of it. Lyons Cub had been to the AquaZoo in Düsseldorf before when he was merely 1.5 years old, on our summer trip to Europe. I figured that at 4,…
Lyons Cub’s Easter present was a visit to Legoland and SeaLife in the city of Oberhausen in the Ruhr river area in Germany (a former coal mining district). My son is a big fan of LEGO. Like other little kids, he started out with Duplos (his dinosaur duplos, for example) and evolved to dinosaur skeletons…
Today was awesome! Lyons Cub went to GeckoFun, an indoor playground with inflatables and lots of climbing castles. We went with another family with two little girls and spent from noon through about 4 p.m. there. This adventure playground is in the city of Burscheid, where we had never been before. It was totally worthwhile!…
Yay, the circus is in town! No, not the big Moscow State Circus or Circus Krone, just a small family circus, but for my son, it was the first time ever to see one. I had read to him a book about a happy lion who finds his lioness at a circus, his favorite story…
Strictly speaking, “Jurassic LIVE Tour” is a misnomer, and my son knows that the dinosaurs have long been extinct because a meteorite hit Earth and killed them all. Still, he seemed to forget about that from time to time, asking me, “When will they fight? When are the real ones coming?” We’re at the dino…
Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links. This means that, at zero cost to you, I will earn an affiliate commission if you click through the link and finalize a purchase. This year, like in the past two, there won’t be much of carnival going on, at least not in our city, because…
Oh no! We’ve read in the press that from May on, the Tonieboxes and Tonies will get more expensive! I can totally understand that added material and production and transport costs will cause a little price hike, but 20 bucks more for a Toniebox is quite a bit, and it’s not cheap as it is…