KidZania Frisco: Everything You Need To Know Before You Go

KidZania opened their very first location in the United States last November in Frisco, TX at the Stonebriar Mall. I waited until February to take my kids in hopes that some of the kinks that come along with new establishments would be worked out, and hopefully the crowd not so overwhelming. I will share everything there is to know about KidZania and what You Need To Know Before You Go!

What is KidZania?

KidZania is an 80,000 sq. ft. indoor play experience where kids can experience a wide variety of professions from firefighter, news broadcaster, courier, CSI investigator, model, doctor, hair stylist, pilot, dentist, banker, and many more.  However, this isn't just a cute replica of a grocery store in a children's museum. KidZania is an actual kid sized town with streets, stoplights, store fronts, and even working ambulances and fire trucks!

How it works?

KidZos is the currency of KidZania

Each child is given KidZos (KidZania's currency) when they enter KidZania and from there they can earn money working and experiencing the many professions or spend money if they want to attend pilot school or the ropes and climbing courses. Trust me, these are super cool! In the end, there is a store where kids can go and spend their hard earned money on candy, toys, and goodies.

What makes KidZania so unique is that each profession takes anywhere from 6-12 kids at one time for about 20-30 minutes so they can all thoroughly enjoy these hands on experiences. No pushing or shoving here to get a turn. (You know you have all been there with your little one patiently waiting your turn and then some pushy kid or parent jumps right in and acts like they did nothing wrong!) That doesn't happen at KidZania because there are adult employees at each profession to guide the children through their job, but ultimately the kids do the work.

How long will I have to wait?

Because the work experiences are limited to a small group there is some waiting around. However, each experience has a screen outside of the store front with detailed information on what ages are appropriate for the particular profession (either 6 and up or 4 and up), how many kids can go in at once, do they earn or spend money, and how long until the next session begins. This is very helpful because if you don't want to wait that long you can move onto another profession that is starting sooner.

I will tell you that the firefighters are one of the most popular and the longest experience at about 30 minutes. Once you see this, you will understand why it's one of the most popular.

Tip: Pilot school is located on the second level and by far, all my kids' favorite! This experience does cost 10 KidZos and you MUST go to the eye doctor first which is located just to the left of the pilot school entrance. The kids can dress up as pilots and get to experience a super cool airplane simulator where they take off, fly, and land the plane without being rushed!

What ages are best suited for KidZania?

Spotify Podcast Studio

The KidZania website says ages 6-14 and kids under 6 are allowed in too. I personally would say kids ages 5-12 would get the most out of KidZania. A few of the activities do have a height requirement of 48 inches for safety. Kids ages 4-5 are only $15 but that is because they are too short or too young for some of the professions and activities like pilot school and the steel structure ropes course.

They do have a cute toddler area and kids 3 and under are FREE however, KidZania isn't geared towards the toddler crowd. There are plenty of toddler places in the area like Cheeky Monkeys, My Little Gym, or Play Street to meet up for a toddler play date. However, if you have older kids, and the younger ones are tagging along then this area will be perfect for them.

My 11 year old boys came along and loved it! Would they choose to come here with their friends for an outing? Probably not. However, they thoroughly enjoyed it with their family and want to go back again. They really were the perfect age for the airplane simulator and we saw kids who looked a little older and they seemed to be enjoying it also.

Security/Safety

Parent Lounge

Because I had younger and older kids with me it was hard to keep them all together all the time. With the security measures KidZania has in place I was completely comfortable letting my older ones go off on their own. Everyone who enters KidZania wears a wristband that is electronically matched to their party and they must scan them when leaving. So no child can exit without the adult they came with. Everyone also goes through a metal detector and their are security guards constantly walking around KidZania.

How much time do I need there?

This is something you want to plan a lot of time for! At least half a day. We were there for 4.5 hours and completed about half of it. And of course the amount of time you can spend there depends on how busy they are and how much your kids want to do.

They don't currently have annual passes but they do have the PaZZport you can purchase for $10 a piece. These offer a few perks and benefits like extra KidZos and you can get your passport stamped after every job experience. These are optional and NOT required.

Can I bring outside food in?

Outside food is NOT allowed. However, they do have a 7-11 with lots of snacks, Lunchables, and drinks. There are a few coutner service restaurants for burgers, pizza, and tacos. For a small fee, kids can also work at a few of these interactive restaurants and make their own food.

Is it expensive?

Yes, KidZania is pricey at $39.95 for kids ages 6-14 and parents are charged $14.95 for entering even though they don't participate in most experiences. However, they do have a really nice parents lounge upstairs if you are comfortable letting them roam around and parents are able to watch their kids through the store windows. There is also plenty of seating around the town to sit while your kids are in an experience.  Kids ages 4-5 and 15+ are $14.95 and children 3 and under are FREE.

They do run specials for certain weekends and admission is 50% off on Friday and Saturdays after 5pm and after 4pm on Sundays!!

Colgate Dental Office

Is it worth it?

YES, I think the cost is totally worth it. KidZania is a one of kind place, there is no other like it! The detail that goes into every experience is amazing. Small groups allow for each kid to thoroughly enjoy each hands on experience under the guidance of an adult employee. From our experience, every single employee we encountered was patient and great with the kids. AND there is no time limit, you can stay as long as you want. Or until they close for the day. 

Lastly, as we were leaving for the day, employees were asking us what they could do to improve the experience which tells me they are committed to making KidZania the best place it can be....

In case you are wondering what my response was, it was to add more employees to assist kids on the climbing wall ;)

Have you been to KidZania? What are thoughts?

ADDRESS: Stonebriar Center 2601 Preston Rd #3011, Frisco, TX 75034


❤️
MJ

For more of my party ideas, home decorating, favorite recipes, twin activities x 2, and all things

"Mrs.Party Planner" please check me out on facebook and "like" the page. New blog posts will appear in your news feed.You can also follow me on www.bloglovin.com, on Instagram and Pinterest

Glo Bingo- A School Event

Glo Bingo Night

Every year, the 5th grade students put on a Bingo Night at our elementary school. The students are responsible for promoting, working, and cleaning up. The 5th grade parents organize it all. I have been wanting to have a Glo Party for some time and thought this would be a great time to do it. Thankfully, the other awesome parents that helped with this event were on board and Glo Bingo was created!

The most important prop for a glo party is a black light, and in our case we needed multiple black lights to make sure the whole cafeteria glowed. Thankfully, between a few parents, we had about a dozen black lights that we scattered around the perimeter of the gym propped up on ladders. We also bought a couple of these high powered black lights from Amazon and they were perfect for a large area.

Since the school already had white laminated bingo cards, we figured that we could use highlighters to mark the cards since they glow under black lights. We placed a small pack of baby wipes on each table and these were used to wipe the boards clean once a bingo game was completed.

On the bingo flyer we asked everyone to bring a highlighter, but we also had about a 100 to give out in case people forgot. Which they did. And as another back up plan, we had bingo chips ready to hand out.

As with any school event, there is a lot of work that goes into making it a success. Parents and teachers all helped in coordinating volunteers, finding prizes, setting up, and working the event. I had the fun job of decorating the cafeteria, making centerpieces, and putting the Glo Shop together.

We asked everyone to wear neon or white so they would glow.

We hung up black craft paper on the sides of the stage and simply decorated with neon and black light reactive decor. Tip: not everything that is neon will glow under a black light. You can purchase a mini black light flashlight and bring it with you shopping to check if the neon item glows. I got my black light flashlight from Amazon for $9. We also used the flash light to check Bingo cards since we had one light left on the stage for our bingo caller to be able to see.

A parent already had the fun neon lanterns and fans in her party stash. I bought this awesome neon reflective tape from Amazon to decorate the walls and floor. I found neon paper in pre- cut shapes to stick on the walls that glowed. The only disappointment was the neon paint. The bottles glowed like crazy under the black light but the paint barely showed up on the black paper under the black light.

I wanted to have a fun photo spot for the kids to take pictures and one creative mom went to work and helped create this awesome back drop. This was all done with the neon reflective tape.

My girls and I made the hanging decor. I put them to work making paper chains out of neon paper and used crepe paper that I mixed in and tied to hula hoops.

Glo Bingo 2020

My biggest concern with this event was that the tables wouldn't be bright enough for people to see. Thankfully they were and every thing turned out great!

I picked up neon poster board from Dollar Tree and cut each sheet into fours to make a neon place mat. On top of some mats were these super cool, battery operated fiber optic centerpieces. These were only $4.99 from Save On Crafts.

Other tables sported balloon centerpieces. I used tall cylinder vases wrapped in the neon reactive tape and filled them with glow sticks. I also used neon balloons from Dollar Tree and a LED light balloon for each centerpiece. This provided more than enough light for each table. Plus, each person who bought a bingo card also received a glow bracelet. And many people purchased more glow items from the Glo Shop.

You can't have Glo Bingo without a Glo Shop! We had an array of super cute glow necklaces, neon glow glasses, bracelets, hats, fiber optic hair clips, jelly rings, and finger flashers all for sale. The kids and parent volunteers worked the shop and sold a ton. The whole place was glowing!

I would have to say Glo Bingo was a huge success! We had pizza donated by our local Marcos Pizza! Snacks, beverages and candy were also available for purchase and we had over a dozen bingo winners leave with great prizes donated by parents.

A big thank you to the 5th grade students, amazing parent volunteers, 5th grade teachers, PTA, the principal, and all the school families that came out to support these kids!!!

What are your most favorite school events? 

For more of my party ideas, home decorating, favorite recipes, twin activities x 2, and all things

"Mrs.Party Planner" please check me out on facebook and "like" the page. New blog posts will appear in your news feed.You can also follow me on www.bloglovin.com, on Instagram and Pinterest

Budget Friendly Halloween Party Ideas for Kids

I had the pleasure of hosting a cute little group of "ghouls" for this Halloween party. I wanted to keep this party one of traditional Halloween fun with lots of orange and black colors, bats, spiders, and pumpkins. Nothing gruesome or scary, just fun and cute! 

Black and orange crepe streamers and balloons hung from the chandelier and ceiling. Dollar Tree is a great place to find balloons and streamers! All tableware was orange and black. Halloween Bingo cards purchased from Target Dollar Spot were at each place setting ready for the little "ghouls". Prizes were colorful skeleton pens, stretchy skeletons, Halloween stamps, and stickers also from Target Dollar Spot. If you are sensing a trend here, you are correct. Target Dollar Spot has the cutest Halloween goodies! Dollar Tree is another favorite for Halloween prizes and goodies. 

Cake pops made by Pallister Pop Shop

Other party activities included making slime. Yes, it's messy, but kids love it! We did take this activity outside. This was the only part of the party that wasn't orange and black. We made sparkly pink slime. Only 3 ingredients are needed for this slime recipe. Elmer's pink glitter glue, 1 1/2 Tbsp. of saline contact solution, 1 Tbsp. of baking soda. Mix, knead and play. I did add some little plastic spiders to the slime also. 

Another activity that we did was the spider race. I had little pom pom spiders and the girls used a paper straw to blow their spider down the table to the finish line. An easy, inexpensive, yet fun game! This would also be great for a classroom party too. You could also have the kids make the pom pom spiders from yarn and add some stick on eyes.

And of course, no traditional Halloween party is complete without a pinata! You can find really good deals on pinatas at the end of season. I got this pumpkin pinata for $1 the prior year! Fill with candy and cute little prizes from Target Dollar Spot or the Dollar Tree and you have yourself a fun and inexpensive activity.

The cutest little giraffe, kitty cat, and ladybug ever!

So there you have it, easy, inexpensive, and fun activities anyone can do. You can read more fun Halloween ideas I have done in the past HERE. Enjoy your October!! And please share any fun and budget friendly Halloween party ideas you have.

❤️
MJ

For more of my party ideas, home decorating, favorite recipes, twin activities x 2, and all things

"Mrs.Party Planner" please check me out on facebook and "like" the page. New blog posts will appear in your news feed.You can also follow me on www.bloglovin.com, on Instagram and Pinterest

Halloween Party Ideas for Kids

Mrs. Party Planner

Today is October 1st and the beginning of my most favorite season and holiday. Fall technically began last week, however, here in Texas, we have yet to experience a real fall day this year. But, when the first day of October arrives, it is fair game for all things Halloween!!

I tend to go a little over board on Halloween decorations, parties, neighborhood fun, and cute lunchbox ideas during the month of October. I can't wait to share them with you and hope you follow along and find some inspiration for your own Halloween fun to share! 

This Halloween party is one that I haven't shared yet and took place a couple years back for a great group of boys. 

When the costumed guests first arrived to the party, I had a bunch of black and orange balloons scattered around the entryway. The boys were instructed to pop the balloons with any means necessary and a fun surprise awaited them inside. The boys discovered stretchy skeletons and even dollar bills. But, there was also another surprise. The first clue to the Halloween Scavenger Hunt. 

Here is a little alien reading the first clue to the scavenger hunt

There were four clues in all that led the boys all over the property finding bats, rats, spiders, and finally the remains of Mr. Bones buried with treats for the boys.

 

After all that excitement I had some hungry boys on hand. Pizza was ordered since it's easy and usually a crowd favorite, but I also had some other fun snacks and dessert. The beverage of choice was swamp juice aka Sierra Mist, a couple drops of green food coloring, and gummy worms. You could also sherbet for a more 3 dimensional effect.

Mrs. Bones was serving the children that night 

Mrs. Bones, the happy hostess

Halloween cake pops

I really limit sugar in my house during the year, but when it comes to a party, I let loose. Mr. Bones Jr. was stuffed with donuts, Little Debbie Swiss Rolls, Twizzlers, gummy worms, and Bubble Tape Gum. I got the idea to do this after seeing a gruesome skeleton with meat and blood. While the meaty skeleton is creative, it really isn't my style, so I adapted to make it kid friendly.

Party Tip: Did you know that tonic water glows with a black light? Give it a try, you can create all kinds of fun, spooky scenes! You can also learn how to make glow in the dark slime HERE. I gave these out as party favors years back, but they would also be fun for a classroom party.

Welcome to October!!! What kind of Halloween fun do you have planned this month?


❤️
MJ

For more of my party ideas, home decorating, favorite recipes, twin activities x 2, and all things

"Mrs.Party Planner" please check me out on facebook and "like" the page. New blog posts will appear in your news feed.You can also follow me on www.bloglovin.com, on Instagram and Pinterest