Fun at The Crayola Experience

Last month I signed up with the following blog entry for a chance to win a complimentary, fun-filled day at The Crayola Experience for my family. I was asked to share why I thought it would be a great chance to win, and then didn't hold my breath.  If anything, it opened my eyes to a place that was not already on my parent radar as a kid-friendly place to consider for Sarah.

To my surprise, I was randomly selected as one of ten winners to receive admission tickets along with a $50 gas stipend for transportation.

 

Most adventure or activity type places such as The Crayola Experience including Great Adventure, Sesame Place, Hershey Park or even Disneyland, have a cost for entrance that can seem a bit high, especially for big families. However, if you plan ahead, seek out any promotions in advance, consider carpooling with friends like we did, and bring along food and snacks, you can save money in other ways and still have an enjoyable time that is fun and memorable. 

When I stood in front of The Crayola Experience all I could do was smile. I was ready to be a kid myself.  That's the beauty of being a parent. While you still have to be responsible here you too can unlock your youth and relive fun memories and experiences.  

 

I love arts and crafts so you can imagine that I was in it with Sarah every step of the way drawing on computers watching my designs dance around on walls and making wall art on paper plates with melted crayons.  

 

There was so much to do. Let's see, you can:

- Draw messages on computers that danced on walls (left) 
- Develop personalized crayons and wrappers
- Create markers of one or two colors
- Take and print images from photo booth (above)
- Make personalized puzzles (below)
- Design a paper car with melted crayons that dries in seconds 

And, there was so much more.

Lest I not forget to mention, there is also a nice size jungle gym that gives parents a rest and the kids a chance to run around and be crazy. In fact, when I needed a mental break while Sarah was playing with her friends in the gym area I sat down at one of the many tables and made a treasure box with tissue paper squares and glue and took a much-needed moment to chill out, not think, and breathe doing something I enjoy.

Certainly bring your camera to capture the fun memories and activities you will do together with your child. Also be prepared to come home with a baggie, provided as part of admission, filled with lots of arts and crafts projects done onsite.

With four floors of interactive and unique attractions there is certainly something to meet all of your family's wishes and interests.  

A cool part of the exhibit was learning about the history of Crayola and how the crayons are made.

It was pretty neat.

When I left The Crayola Experience I kept saying that I wished we could have spent more time on the fourth floor.  I especially loved the melted crayons to apply on paper cars. They dried so quickly I kept wanting to do more. If only we weren't so tired from our full day of activities. To do again, I would start on the top floor and work my way down. 

Here are suggested tips for your visit:

• Plan ahead
• Visit Monday through Friday versus weekends as crowds are less
• Seek out any promotions in advance
• Consider carpooling with friends/family
• Bring along food and snacks, and water
• There will be so many things your kids will make and be able to take home. Therefore, no need to visit the gift shop if you are looking to keep your trip budget-friendly.  You will have many keepsakes from your visit.

Expect to be tired after your visit to The Crayola Experience but if you pace yourself and get there early it can indeed be a fun filled day. I do suggest that if you are at all able to visit Monday through Friday that is certainly better as the crowds are much less than the weekends.

One request I would like to suggest for The Crayola Experience is that they have a "rest area" for parents whose children need a nap and a place that we can bring blankets for them to lay on to take a cat nap or come down from the high if necessary before proceeding with doing more.

All in all...this was a fun experience and look forward to doing it again. Thanks Crayola!

 

Disclosure: "The Crayola Experience Tickets for Admission and the Gas Card were provided by Crayola."