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xp: Looking for bday activities for a 6year old!
My nephew turns 6 (!) on the 15th & Im trying to think of something different to do/give him for his bday. Since his bday is so close to Christmas, Im trying Not to get him a physical present (if that makes sense). We live in the same town so I always try & do something special just him & me (& DH) for his bday (more so for the last 2-3 years now that he's old enough to understand..). Last year I tried to take him to an indoor water park here in town, but it was closed the day I had him, so we ended up just coming to my house where we played w/our toys (yes we have them even though we don't have kids, those old toys from when DH was a kid have come in quite handy!) & then we took him out to dinner when DH got home from work.
I was thinking of picking him up from school (kindergarten this year! ::sniffle::), going out to dinner & a movie & having him sleep over. Im trying to think of an activity to do the next day (presumably a saturday, but I have no idea what he has free- have to check w/my sister still), but am drawing blanks. We live in a medium sized town, but we're only 1.5 hrs from the Cities & Wausau.
Anyone have any genius ideas? TIA if you do!! 
Re: xp: Looking for bday activities for a 6year old!
A few ideas that come to mind in the cities:
- Jackson Street Roundhouse
- Children's Museum
- Science Museum of Minnesota
- Way Cool Cooking School
- Children's Theater Company
- Como Zoo/Conservatory
- Minnesota Zoo (very user friendly even in bad weather)
- Arboretum
- Edina Art Center
my read shelf:
I'm sure your nephew just loves the one-on-one time with you. What a great gift! At six years old, driving 1.5 hours each way may seem like a long time to him and might not be much fun (particularly if it's just a day trip and there are other fun activities closer to you). Here are a few other ideas that may be closer to you:
- Bowling alley (bumper bowling).
- Consider calling ahead and trying that indoor water park (that you mentioned in your original post). He'd probably love it.
- If it's cold enough, try a ski hill (even the bunny hill/ little kids area is a lot of fun).
- Sledding if there is snow.
- Google "indoor play area *(insert your town)*." There some pretty amazing play areas for kids of all ages.
The ideas that the other poster's gave for things to do in the Cities are great suggestions if you plan to travel this direction. Particularly the MN Zoo and the Science Museum. Have fun!
If I have my related little ones for the day, I usually do crafts to bring home. I took my 10 year old cousin to Michaels and let him pick out metal jars and we brought them back to the house and painted them. While the paint was drying we made cookies for him and his family to send back home. Lunch was homemade pizza, I had already made the dough, but let him add the sauce and toppings.
I agree with the bowling like PP - that would great for a 6 y.o
Thanks everyone! We already do a lot of the things suggested on a regular basis; indoor sports center, childrens museum, skiing....I know even the "smallest" of things mean the most anyways! Lol, yeah, this time I'll check the waterparks schedule before I plan to take the day off! I don't know why I just assumed it'd be open!
Thanks again!