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NORAD Santa Tracking Website Up and Running
Each year, for more than 50 years, NORAD has tracked Santa Claus as he flies around the world on Christmas Eve. NORAD headquarters in Colorado Springs under Cheyenne Mountain was featured in the movie War Games
The centerpiece of NORAD’s claim to fame is that the North American Aerospace Defense Command, which is a joint operation between the United States and Canada, is that it is responsible for detecting incoming attacks against the United States of America. Most famously, this involves detecting the launch of nuclear missiles from the Soviet Union. The idea is that no one on the planet is better at tracking objects as they fly through the air. Who better then, to track Santa Claus on his famous Xmas Eve flights?
NORAD Tracks Santa Website
Not long ago, NORAD’s radar detection of Santa’s flights was a small segment on the local news broadcast or a mention on the radio. But in the days of Web 2.0, NORAD has a full website up and running to provide up to the minute updates on Santa’s exact position as he circles the globe.
Since, there is no tracking action going on right now, the NORAD Santa Claus website has other entertainment and information available for visitors. Kids with an interest in the Air Force or radar or technology, or just old Saint Nick himself will find plenty of fun things to see and do on the NORAD Christmas site.
Of course, Christmas Eve is when the real action starts.
Christmas Eve NORAD Tracking Information Online
On Christmas Eve, NORAD tracks Santa live on the Internet. Graphics, charts, maps, and radar screens that will satisfy the most technical of kiddos appear to track Santa Claus as he moves across the globe bringing toys to all the good little girls and boys. As an added bonus, this can be a great way to also teach children about things like how time zones work, how it is night on part of the Earth while at the same time daytime on another part of the Earth. If you want to get really fancy, you can even broach the subject of the International Date Line and explain how in some places on the globe, it is already tomorrow.
The Santa Tracking NORAD website address is www.noradsanta.org. You’ll find plenty of dot-com addresses that are either imitators, or flat out steal the images and content while serving up plenty of advertising to unsuspecting girls and boys (and their parents). However, the real NORAD website tracking page is plenty of fun for kids of all ages.
One quick word of warning, though. Unless you really want to test out your parenting skills, before you try and fire up the Internet and show your kids where Santa is in order to rush them off to bed, check the site first. Otherwise, you’ll have children who feel no urgency since Santa is still in Europe, depending upon when their bedtime is.
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Best Denver Fireworks Shows For Kids
Independence Day, July 4th, or the 4th of July, no matter what you call it, it all ends with a bang.
When it comes to young children, toddlers, babies, and other kids, what makes the best fireworks show isn’t necessarily the same as what makes the best fireworks show for adults. Fortunately, there are plenty of Denver Fireworks displays to chose from. There are numerous fireworks displays on July 3rd this year as well as July 4th. Consider using one of the Denver area fireworks shows on the 3rd of July to get an idea of how well things might go on the 4th of July.
- Coors Field – Colorado Rockies Fireworks Display – July 3rd and July 4th
- Denver Country Club Fireworks Show– July 4th – Watch from the Bed, Bath & Beyond Parking lot, or enter on University Avenue to sit on the fairways.
- Red Rocks Fireworks and Concert – July 4th – With Concert by Colorado Symphony Orchestra
- Englewood – Cornerstone Park – July 4th – Easier parking than the downtown events and less traffic too.
- Arvada – Fireworks at Lutz/Stenger Sports Complex – Synchronized with a broadcast on KOOL 105 which might make staying in your car more enjoyable.
- Boulder Fireworks at Folsom Field – July 4th – Watch fireworks inside the stadium from the stadium bleachers. Good for kids who get bored waiting, because of entertainment provided in the time leading up to the show. However, you are going to have to walk because you aren’t going to find parking in close.
- Dick’s Sporting Goods Park – Colorado Rapids Fireworks Display – The Rapids don’t play at Invesco Field anymore, their game and fireworks show will be at their home in Commerce City.
- Invesco Field – Colorado Outlaws Lacrosse Team Fireworks Show – The Colorado Rapids soccer team doesn’t play at Mile High anymore, but the Outlaws do, and they are continuing the fireworks tradition.
Fireworks and Small Children
Thinking of taking your toddler or baby to see fireworks on the 4th of July?
Don’t let preconceived notions stand in your way of fun. Yes, some kids are scared by fireworks, but not all of them. In fact, some younger children might actually do better with the loud noises and bright flashes in the sky because they don’t have the experience yet to know that such things could mean trouble for them. On the other hand, some toddlers scream and cry with the first firework shot in the air.
There is no faster way to a bummer of a night for July 4th than having spent and hour finding a good spot and waiting for the fireworks begin only to have to run to the car after two-seconds.
Here are some tips for enjoying The 4th of July Fireworks with babies, toddlers, and small kids.
Tips for fun 4th July Fireworks:
- Do a test run. If you can find a fireworks display that happens before July 4th, usually for some kind of local event, take your youngster to seem them. Such fireworks shows are usually much less crowded and you’ll feel less need to get a great spot to see them since it is just a test. Stay near your car so you can leave quickly if necessary. If Junior likes the fireworks, or at least isn’t scared, and if baby sleeps straight through even the loudest booms, then proceed to the full 4th of July fireworks shows. Otherwise, plan for alternate events for your child.
- Stay Back – Fireworks are quieter and less scary when they are farther away. See if you can view a show from a few miles, or even several miles away. Hilltops are a good option, but what is more important is a clear view of the sky. Find an empty field or park without tall trees between you and the fireworks. Not only will your toddler be more likely to enjoy fireworks from far away, traffic will be lighter and the crowds will be smaller.
- Take an Extra Nap – Most fireworks shows don’t start until after it gets dark. That can mean 9:30 pm, or even 10:30 PM, depending on where you live and when the sun goes down. If your baby’s bedtime is normally 8:00 PM don’t expect a trouble-free evening if they stay up straight through to 11:00 PM. Instead, throw in an extra nap during the day. Don’t try and do a nap at bedtime. Toddlers drop into deep sleep quickly and won’t like being woken up. Instead, do a late nap that is still clearly a nap. A 6:00 PM or even 7:00 PM nap (for later bedtimes) would be a good choice.
- Scout out Fireworks Displays – Know where you are going, where you will park, and where you want to sit BEFORE July 4th. Nothing makes a small kid crankier than driving around in a car while Dad tries to find the fireworks, and then a parking space, and then a spot for sitting, and so on.
- Bring Snacks, Drinks, and Diapers – Just because your body knows that you don’t have to eat late at night, doesn’t mean your child’s body knows it. Your toddler, baby, or small child all regulate their eating based on number of hours since their last meal unless they are asleep. Since they’ll be awake, chances are they’ll be hungry right before the show starts. Come prepared with healthy, filling snacks, and some drinks. Make sure to have more than one sippy-cup. Chances are, they’ll need a refill.
Coming tomorrow, Undefeated Daddy’s Best Denver Fireworks Shows for Kids and Toddlers
Father’s Day Coming Sunday June 21st
The date for Father’s Day is Sunday (next Sunday, relax) June 21st this year. Flag Day is the 14th if you are wondering.
Father’s Day Gifts can be lots of fun if you take off the pressure of making is “special” or “something he will remember forever.” Look, most Dad’s like toys, electronics, tools, and other fun things. Save the memories that will last a lifetime for Mom and buy us something fun.
I don’t know whether the following statement from Fat Brain Toys is true or not, but it cracked me up:
Nothing says "I love you Dad" like a Medieval siege weapon…let him build a desktop version of a Middle Ages Catapult or Trebuchet.
Best Easter Egg Hunts in Your Area
Here is my list of Easter Egg Hunts in Denver.
If you are looking for a good big Easter Egg Hunt to take your children to but seem to be coming up empty, rest assured that most communities have several solid options for Easter Egg Hunts or Easter Egg Scrambles.
Searching Google sounds like a good plan but it can be frustrating because Easter is a transient event and Google’s ranking system rewards sites for longevity and the number of sites that link to them. Plenty of people link to their church’s website, but not so many people link to the event page for the local parks or recreation center, so the good Easter Egg Hunts might be pretty far down on the list.
To make a good Google search for Easter Egg Hunts or Easter Egg Scrambles requires using a couple of the fancier “advanced” Google tricks. Don’t worry, the aren’t really advanced, that is just what Google calls everything that isn’t just typing words in the standard rectangle box and pressing the search button.
Search Google For Easter Egg Hunts and Get Good Results
Here is a step by step guide to finding good Easter Egg Hunts in your area.
- Click Advanced Search and scroll down until you see where you can limit your search results by date. Select within the last month. This will keep you from getting “troll results” published by some lame websites a few months in advance in order to build up “link power” and get ranked high in Google. Anyone who is really just trying to help you would with good Easter information didn’t post anything until March. — Trust me. Choose “Last Month” – This will also keep you from getting last year’s information! If it’s 2009 and you see an April 7-ish date, you are looking at last year’s information. This year’s Easter Egg Hunts will be the 10th, 11th, or 12th for the most part.
- Use Quotes – putting words in quotes tells Google to only return results with those exact words in that exact order. Searching for Easter Egg Hunt without quotes technically matches sites that say, “Easter means wonder pastel colors and the start of duck hunt season. But don’t combine the two or you’ll have egg on your face.” – Um, yeah, whatever. — “Easter Egg Hunt” would eliminate that kind of thing and only give you answers with those three words in order.
- Remember Scramble – Technically, a hunt is where you hunt for, or try to find eggs that have been hidden. Many areas do an Easter Egg Scramble which is where you put a bunch of eggs out in plain site on a field or grassy area and just let the kids run around picking them up. These are way better for younger kids and definitely the way to go for toddlers. So, search for “Easter Egg Scramble” (remember the quotes) too.
- Use the minus sign “-“ AKA the exclude operator to eliminate unrelated results. Hey, I love church services as much as the next guy, but if I want to take my kids to see a guy in a bunny suit and watch them run around finding eggs, churches aren’t actually the best places for that. Any word you put in the Google search box with a minus sign in front of it (no space) means don’t give me search results that have this word in them. If you are getting too many results for Easter Sunrise Service Followed by… Just put –sunrise or –service or whatever keeps popping up. You can put as many minus sign words as you want, so just keep adding them until your results are clear enough to go through.
- Use the site operator – If you know what website will give you good results if you can just find them, use the site operator. By typing site:undefeateddaddy.com, for example, Google will only give you results from this website. Try it. This should be the only result for the search “Easter Egg Scramble” site:undefeateddaddy.com – Good target sites include local newspapers and local news channels, as well as community sites.
What Kind of Easter Egg Hunt Is Best For Toddlers
Toddlers don’t like to be trampled under the feet of bigger kids and shouting at other parent’s is a sure fire way to have a junky egg hunt. So, look for egg hunting events where there are times broken out by age group. Ideally, you want an event with narrow age groups. A two year old is very different than a three year old when it comes to running around with a basket trying to pick up as many eggs as possible.
On that note, stick with the scramble-type Easter Egg hunts. With this type, the eggs are out in the open and the kids just run around picking them up. Assuming that there are enough eggs out there, your child will get a handful of eggs, have fund, be happy, and be done, before it drags on long enough to stop being fun.
Also, make more of it. Grab breakfast or donuts or sandwiches and have them before and after the hunt. Then head to a toy store and buy the little guy a bunny or something. Then, play with them all day. If Easter is sacred to you, there are plenty of events held on the Saturday before.
If all else fails, go to the zoo. Usually they give colored eggs to some of the animals for fun!
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