Begin Summer with Adventure During Yapa Events' Kids Adventure Hunts {&Giveaway!!!}

**Disclosure: We were given tickets to giveaway and will be attending one of the hunts. No compensation was received. All opinions are 100% my own.

Summer is here! Summer is here! Memorial Day Weekend traditionally heralds the beginning of summer which means the kids will be out of school soon. Some of you may be scrambling for plans. Fortunately, Yapa Events will again be holding Kids Adventure Hunts in downtown Arlington Heights during the kids' first full week off of school!

If you are unfamiliar with Yapa Events' Kids Adventure Hunt, check out our experience last year! We found it to be an fun and energetic way to kick off summer break! Now, Yapa Events has two options for the Kids Adventure Hunt--an Exploring Arlington Heights Kids Adventure Hunt that focuses on the history of Arlington Heights and Arlington Heights in Picture! A Photo Hunt! that shows you Arlington Heights through a lens. The hunts are a good way to spend a day with your kids where you do not have to come up with the itinerary--and they are affordable, too! {They are $10 per kid but adults are free---I love, love, love when adults are not charged when accompanying kids!}These events are designed for kids ages 5-10--so perfect for those in elementary school! We had a blast on the Kids Adventure Hunt and learned a lot about Arlington Heights, too! Here are some more deets:

Kid Adventure Hunts Details:

• When: Monday, June 9, Wednesday, June 11 and Friday, June 13, 2014
• Time: Start any time between 10 am and 3 pm
• How long:  the events take approximately 1.5 to 2 hours
• How much: $10 per child (Adults are free.)
• What’s included: Map, clues, challenges, beverage (Exploring AH)  and your Yapa (an unexpected reward) at the end
• Who: Children ages 5 to 10 and adults.  Children must be accompanied by an adult.
• What to wear: Comfortable clothing and shoes
• Weather conditions: Event takes place rain or shine.  If you need to postpone to the second date due to weather, please email Yapa Events.
• Where: Start at Runners High ‘n Tri, 121 West Campbell Street, Arlington Heights.  Instructions and maps will be given to you there.
• Parking:  Free 4 hour parking on the ground floor of the parking garage, just south of Campbell Street between Vail and Highland Streets.  Free 2 hour parking is available on the streets.  However, the event takes approximately 2 hours and the parking time limit is enforced.

GIVEAWAY TIME!!!!

We have good news for all you trying to line up fun and engaging activities for your kids for their first week of break--we are giving away 2 tickets to Yapa Events' Adventure Hunts to 2 winners! Winners may choose hunt and date. Giveaway ends 6/2/14.

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Kids Adventure Hunt {Learning, Bonding, Loving Life}

Working hard on the challenges.

**Disclosure: We received complimentary admission to the Kids Adventure Hunt in order to facilitate this review. No compensation was received. All opinions are 100% our own.

Yesterday, we completed the Kids Adventure Hunt in Arlington Heights. Children love scavenger hunts so you can imagine our girls' joy at doing a large scale scavenger hunt! Through a maze of clues, we covered the downtown area of Arlington Heights learning the whole way. The challenge allowed us to look at Arlington Heights with a more investigative eye, exposing some new treasures. We had a great time beginning our summer journeys with this adventure. Plus, the girls got to stretch their brains--not necessarily an easy feat in the summer!

Here is our experience:

Kat's take:

My daughter and I enjoyed the adventure hunt in Arlington Heights, organized by Yapa Events. It was educational (we learned a lot about the town's history), fun and good exercise, to boot!  I particularly like how it required her to hunt around for the clues to complete the challenges - finding names, dates, train schedules - instead of handing them to her on a silver platter.  Now in this age of the Internet and Google, I think a lot of kids don't have as well-developed a sense of fact-finding as they did a generation ago.  Today's event tapped into skills I want my daughter to have.  I hope Yapa does more of these type of challenges in different towns; my daughter would eagerly participate in them!


Mel's take: 

My daughter and I are history buffs, so this challenge is totally up our alley. The hunt took us by and through many key spots in Arlington Heights like the train station, Dunton House, the Village Hall and Berry-Yo. (Ok, well, Berry-Yo is key for those with a sweet tooth!) Even though I have lived in Arlington Heights for 10 years, I learned a lot and even visited the William Dunton statue for the first time. The walk is not strenuous and since you are in the downtown area, you can even stop somewhere for a bite (which we did--don't those girls look like they eat a lot!). There is a drink stop on the tour, but having a water bottle may be handy. Joan Dubnicka of Yapa Events has designed an impressively thorough adventure through Arlington Heights which even includes bypasses if you are short on time. There are photo challenges involved, which provide you with cute souvenirs. At the end, the kids receive a sweet treat as a reward for their efforts.{I don't think you will have difficulty solving the mystery of the sweet treat at the end!} If you are looking for something fun yet educational with the kids, I recommend this little adventure!

Some more info:

Yapa's Kids Adventure will be uncovering Arlington Heights for more families Thursday, June 13, Saturday, June 15 and Wednesday, June 19. You can start your adventure anytime between 9:30AM and 2:00PM. It took us about 4 hours to complete the adventure including a stop for lunch and a treat at the end. You can register through Yapa Events. The event costs $9 per child.

A surprise from the adventure:

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10 ideas to get yourself organized for {summer break}

When the bell rings on Wednesday, parents in my neighborhood will be greeted by a stampede of exuberant children. While the kids will be scurrying home, some of the parents will likely be walking back a little deflated. Summer can sometimes be a challenge when it comes to keeping the kids busy and even a little productive. However, if you do some research and planning beforehand, you can make sure that your kids have fun and are productive instead of staring at the TV or playing video games ad nauseaum. Here are some ideas to help keep your sanity intact:

1.) Designate specific cleaning days: You may want to pick a specific day of the week when you would like kids to clean their rooms. If you have a larger cleaning project, you may want to warn the kids ahead of time. My daughter seems to do better with cleaning if she is aware ahead of time. If I spring it on her, no dice!

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