birthday party options for your Twin Ports kid

BY ANDREA BUSCHE

PHOTOS BY DULUTH NEWS TRIBUNE

From lively activities such as roller skating and bowling to visiting animals at our zoo or aquarium, the Twin Ports are chock-full of fun, exciting activities for all ages. Whether your kids like to run and play or learn and explore, there’s bound to be a venue they’ll love for their next birthday party.

Lake Superior Zoo

The Lake Superior Zoo, 7210 Fremont St., is a wild place to have a child’s birthday party. Zoo parties include admission to the zoo for up to 20 guests, a birthday gift for the child, two-hour indoor pavilion rental, table decorations and discounted admission for any additional guests.

Extra amenities are available, including tickets for the zoo train. A special animal visit to your party also can be arranged. Stokke’s pizza, soda, popcorn, cotton candy and party favors are available for purchase.

Outside food, including cake, cupcakes, cookies or ice cream may be brought in. However, there may not be refrigerator or freezer space available, and no actual cooking may be done. There is limited access to electrical outlets.

Zoo parties can be held year-round, and zoo employees recommend reserving your party at least one month in advance. Spring and summer are the zoo’s busiest seasons, and usually require more than one month’s notice.

Call 218-730-4500, ext. 217 or email rpeacock@lszoo.org. lszooduluth.org

Great Lakes Aquarium

The Great Lakes Aquarium, 353 Harbor Drive, is a fun and educational place for a child’s birthday party. Birthday packages include a two-hour reservation for a private, decorated party room accommodating up to 28 guests. The party package includes admission to the aquarium for all guests. Guests also have the option of attending floor program offerings during the party.

An aquarium gift is provided for the birthday child, and they will receive a personal greeting by staff. Similar to the zoo, an animal encounter may be arranged for an extra fee, where the kids can meet a skunk, snake or giant African millipede. Available party times are 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. or 2-4 p.m.

Contact Emily Wartman at 218-740-2000 or ewartman@glaquarium.org. glaquarium.org

Bowling parties

Bowling parties allow a little friendly competition into the mix. Twin Ports lanes offer an entertaining place for a kids’ party. With bumpers available, everyone from parents to the littlest bowlers can have a great time. Party packages offer different options for the length of time you’d like to bowl, and whether or not you’d like pizza and soda served.

Incline Station

601 W. Superior St. 218-722-2695 inclinestationbowling.com

Skyline Lanes 4894 Miller Trunk Hwy. 218-727-8555 skylinelanes.com

Country Lanes North 2327 Mountain Shadow Dr. 218-722-1741 countrylanesnorth.com

Village Lanes 6419 Tower Ave. 715-394-4436 bowlvillagelanes.com

Legacy Toys

What child wouldn’t want to have their birthday party at a toy store? Legacy Toys in the Miller Hill Mall is a great place for a children’s party, accommodating up to 25 guests.

New to Legacy Toys is their TARDIS time machine. The TARDIS, famous for its key role in the British science fiction TV show “Doctor Who,” has now been installed at the Duluth location. Upon entering the TARDIS, you find yourself in Legacy Toys’ newly finished event and party room. The room is available to host birthday parties and other small gatherings.

Party packages range from basic use of the room to a fully-themed and staff-managed party. Some of the party themes available at Legacy Toys include Lego, Baby Shark and Unicorn Makeovers.

Book online at legacytoys.com.

Planet 3 Extreme Air Park

Planet 3 is a fun and exciting trampoline park located at 101 North 46th Ave. W in Duluth. In addition to regular trampolines, there is a ninja course, dodgeball, trapeze, a slack line, a rock-climbing wall and battle beams.

Event Coordinator Edelyn Codera explained that all birthday packages include a 1-hour “flight pass” (access to the trampoline park) for all guests, and use of a party room for 45 minutes after flight time. Pizza and soda are also included: one large Pizza Hut pizza and one 2-liter bottle of soda are provided for every five jumpers.

Additionally, every jumper in the party will receive a pair of Planet 3 grip socks, and the birthday child will receive a T-shirt. A party host is available to assist with all setup; plates, etc., are included. Guests are welcome to bring any themed paper goods or decorations, along with any party food or drinks, excluding alcohol.

World of Wheels Skate Park

Planet 3 would make a great party place for young, school-aged children, up to and including teens. “All ages are allowed at Planet 3, as long as the child can walk on their own,” Codera said. “But I would say age 6 and up would be a really good age for a birthday party here.”

Guests are allowed to utilize all of the games and activities in the trampoline park area during the party. “Our birthday parties are awesome, and this place is so much fun,” Codera said. There are so many things to do in the park, and guests can use all of our attractions. Most of our customers want to come back.”

Superior’s World of Wheels Skate Park, at 1218 Oakes Ave., advertises its parties as, “Fun for the kids. Easy for mom and dad.” A multitude of party packages are available, which all include guest admissions, roller skate rentals, and a T-shirt for the birthday kid.

Many extra amenities can be added on to the party, including pizza, soda, popcorn, hot dogs, light sticks, laser finger beams, party favor bags, and upgrading to roller blade rental. Bonus: your kiddo and all their friends are bound to be seriously tuckered out after all that exercise. Call 715-392-1031 or visit wowskatecenter.com.

Call 218-481-7667 or visit planet3duluth.com.

BY KEN ROBINSON AND TED DINTERSMITH

With the new school year upon us, parents will be attending a back-to-school night at their child's school. Many ask us, "What questions should I be asking?" Here are seven you might explore with your child's teachers and principal. We hope they'll shed light on what to expect during the coming year and provide constructive food for thought for you and your school's educators.

In what ways will my child's learning be connected to the real world?

Too often, students don't see how school assignments relate to their lives outside school. Their engagement can soar when they see how those assignments help with other activities they enjoy. If they love singing, for example, how can writing exercises help them with composing lyrics? If they love sports, how can math assignments help them create interesting team statistics? What's even better is if your school gives children the opportunity to collaborate on practical projects that they know will make their world better.

How will my child be assessed?

Assessment is meant to inform and support your child's learning and development. That's less likely to happen if the school's assessments are only in the form of numeric or letter grades that hinge on a child's ability to commit material to shortterm memory. To what extent will your child be assessed on creative or analytic written work, in-depth exploration of intellectual interests, completing complicated projects, or generating thought-provoking questions? Will assessments encourage a student to take risks and make productive mistakes, and allow them to produce original work of which they're proud?

To what extent will my child be setting their own goals?

Students who set their own goals can develop a sense of personal agency and responsibility that will serve them well as adults. And they're likely to be more motivated as learners. Even children in the earliest grades can rise to this challenge. Explore whether your school is open to letting students set their own goals, and take part in wider discussions about how the school is run and the activities it provides.

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How important is student engagement in this class/school?

Bored students are less likely to learn well. Teachers know this and want their students to find school interesting. But how will your school determine whether students are engaged? Would they be willing to periodically poll students anonymously to gauge their interest in specific classes and activities or excitement about coming to school? Would the school be willing to change its approach - in teaching, curriculum and assessment - based on that information?

What skills and mind-set should my child be developing in this class? During this school year?

The saying "If you don't know where you're going, any road will get you there" applies to education. Ask teachers and principals about the skills and mind-set they want students to develop. Consider how you would answer this question, as well. Do you want your child to be a creative problem solver? To be a good communicator? To be able to work on a team? To be able to figure out complicated, ambiguous problems? To have empathy? To be on a path to responsible citizenship? Make your own list before back-to-school night. How will the coming school year help your child develop these skills and attitudes? How will your school know that progress is being made?

In any environment, including school, unhealthy dynamics can unfold. And social media can turn small issues into huge crises – to the point of putting lives at risk. How is your school thinking about social and emotional learning? What do educators look for as early warning indicators? What are the respective roles of educators and parents when an unhealthy dynamic starts to unfold? It's far better to clarify these issues before they arise, when no one is emotional or defensive and when preemptive measures can have a positive impact.

How much time will my child spend preparing for and taking standardized tests?

Unfortunately, education in the United States still largely revolves around standardized tests. Do not blame your teachers for this. The tests are imposed by state and federal mandates, not by teachers. There is a lot of criticism within the education community about the value, impact and validity of these tests. Educators know the flaws of the assessments and struggle with being held accountable by them, and with their impact on students and their families. If you share their concerns, ask how parents can play a constructive role in reducing the impact of these tests. Parents can have more influence than teachers with state legislators, so encourage your parent community to call members of your state legislature, particularly those on the education committee. Tell them, "If you're going to determine how my child is assessed, and hold their teachers accountable for the results, we need to understand what's being tested and why." If they argue that the tests are essential and well-founded, you might challenge them to take the tests themselves and publish the results. If they refuse, press them to say why. After all, good chefs should always be willing to eat their own cooking.

Finally, keep in mind that parents should be supportive and helpful to a school's educators, but they can also be disruptive and negative. Stay positive. Recognize how hard the great majority of teachers work, how much they care about their students and how – all too often –they're struggling to make financial ends meet. You're not necessarily helping when you only complain about your child's grades or that your child's school experience is different from yours (it probably should be). Elevate the discussion and work as a team to ensure that your child is learning what really matters, in a safe and supportive environment. — MDT

Robinson is the author of "You, Your Child and School: Navigate Your Way to the Best Education." Dintersmith is the author of "What Schools Could Be."