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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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Boo at the Zoo 2009
Get ready for the 2009 Boo at the Zoo special event. The Denver Zoo’s fun Halloween event is approaching fast. As one of Denver’s top attractions, the zoo is always a good bet for fun.
Finding fun safe Halloween events and parties for kids in Denver isn’t always easy, but the zoo chips in with fun for the whole family.
Each year, the zoo offers kids of all ages the chance to dress up in costumes and trick or treat in a safe and fun environment. Boo at the Zoo is offered in two formats, one is during regular zoo hours in the day time. It is on the Saturday and Sunday closest to Halloween. This year Halloween is on Saturday, October 31, 2009, so that means you can go to Boo at the Zoo on Halloween day!
There are over 30 stations being set up this year! That means plenty of opportunities to trick or treat and get lots of candy. Of course, the zoo will also pull out some of its scarier residents and give the brave of heart an opportunity to pet a hairy tarantula or hold a big slimy snake! Zoo staff and volunteers dress up in fun costumes too.
The great thing about Boo at the Zoo is that it is a daytime Halloween event that is open all day long. That means you don’t have to make anyone miss their nap, or stay up late to have a fun Halloween day.
The daytime Halloween zoo event is free! Everything is included in the regular price of admission, so that means it is free for zoo members, and just $12 for ages 12 and up, and only $7 for children 3 to 12. Zoo admission is free for kids 2 years and under. There is also a special senior discount rate of $9 for people over 65.
Boo at the Zoo at Night
For the more adventurous, or for those who just know how to have fun in the dark, Boo at the Zoo at Night offers a rare change to visit the zoo after dark. The 2009 Boo at the Zoo Night time version is on Friday October 30, 2009 and runs from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Unlike the daytime version, the nighttime Boo at the Zoo is not free.
Admission is $10 for member 12 and older and $5 for kids 3 to 11. As always, kids 2 and under are free. For non-members, the cost is $15 for 12 and up and $10 for youngsters. Advance tickets are available NOW!
Consider buying your tickets in advance because it fills up fast, and the lines get CRAZY!
A money saving tip and line avoiding trick from your pal Undefeated Daddy: Go to the zoo during regular hours and then stay inside and Boo at the Zoo at Night is yours for the taking! Don’t forget, event though the Denver Zoo is open until 6:00 p.m. the entrance gates close at 5:00 p.m. so to pull this off, you have to get in before 5:00.
Have a fun save Halloween everyone!
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Object Down!
A game that I started playing with my daughter has turned into a great parenting technique. There was a commercial a while back for one of the “Buy your movie tickets online” companies in which a family was racing to get a movie. As they ran to the box office, the boy tripped and fell. His sister called out, “Man Down!” to which the mother shouted back, “Leave him!” Classic.
Anyway, I started doing the same type thing with my daughter when she was still too young to talk. “Monkey down!” when her stuffed monkey fell. By doing that, it made dropping things a game. (You must be very careful to never do this at the table, or food will be dropped constantly.) It is always good to come up with ways to let your children know that sometimes things just happen, and there is no need to worry or get upset by them.
It turns out, that this has actually become helpful to me. The other day, her shoe worked off her foot while we were in the store. I didn’t notice, and I would have eventually lost that shoe or had to go back through the whole store to find it. Instead, I heard my daughter say, “Shoe down!” (She matches the rhythm and pitch of the way my wife and I say it, it is soooo cute.) I turned to look, and sure enough, there was her shoe on the floor. Now, there are two of us looking after our stuff, and one of us isn’t even old enough to use a complete sentence. Not bad.
Dad Kids and the Public Library
If the last time you were in a public library you were doing research for a paper on the Civil War, it might be time to take another visit. Most cities larger than a bread box have upgraded the way their libraries look and feel as well as having dramatically increased their collections for children.
Undefeated Daddy Loves the Library
I took my daughter to the library in order to give her a new place to see and do things. As a work from home father, my daughter doesn’t go to daycare or see a nanny. So, in order to keep it fresh we frequently go places. One day I decided I would take her to the library, because she loves her books.
I was surprised at what the library had become. Tight budgets in our town have caused some cuts in the library system, but instead of cutting back on things like books, they cut back hours. Our libraries are closed one day per week, but not all libraries on the same day. So, in theory, there is always a library open nearby, if not the closest one.
The first library we went to was the main branch. I figured it would be the best. I remembered the library, like a lot of others in their 30s and 40s, from the days of high school. I remember beige metal shelves, threadbare carpet, and dusty old books published at least 10 years ago. I was in for a surprise.
The library has a HUGE children’s area. As a double bonus, that means that there aren’t any adults around to look peevish if my little one decides to squeal with excitement or voice a little frustration. The main library has a couple of children’s tables, games, puzzles, stuffed animals, and computers. Even better, it has rows and rows of books for my toddler to run up and down. There is an enormous amount of safety relief in watching your daughter run down a corridor. There is no way for her to veer dangerously off course, and if anyone is coming the other direction, you can see them far in advance.
The Toddler and Books
As an added bonus, my daughter associates the library with fun. Our smaller neighborhood library has a table with those beads on wires that form a maze. When I say the word “library” my daughter says, “beads.” If we are going to a different branch, I just tell her what is there. Another common visit has shelf full of teddy bears. “No, not beads, the other one.” She pauses for a second and says, “bears.”
Everyone wants their kids to read. Making the environment of books fun is the first step. Mission accomplished there. The next step is to actually get interesting books. This is where the library shines. Any child gets bored of the same thing again and again. On the other hand, every child also develops favorites. My girl had plenty of books she loved and of course I got her more books that were similar and she loved them. One day at the library we came across a book with flaps that open. I showed her a flap and she sat mesmerized for the rest of the time opening the flaps. Needless to say, I found a few more. Now, I know she likes books with flaps. (But not pop-up books – I don’t think it registers enough that opening the page makes something happen. I think she just thinks the pages are always like that.)
The library is great for me too. Gone are the days of 5 or 10 year old books. New editions of computer books for Dreamweaver CS3 line the shelves; same thing for Ruby on Rails and others. The really great part is that the card catalog is online so I can look in advance and know exactly where I’m going so as to not spend too much time boring my daughter before we go to the kid’s section. Even better, books can be reserved online and you tell them which branch you want to pick them up at and they’ll be waiting for you at the desk.
Do yourself a favor and check out your local library. It just might be a cool FREE place to take your youngster.
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