Lights... Camera... TEACH!: My Favorite So Cal Places Blog HOP FREEBIES and GIVEAWAY

Hello Friends!

Thank you for hopping on over! My So Cal bloggy friends and I are sharing some of our favorite things that we love to do here Southern California. Plus, we have an awesome giveaway and AMAZING winter FREEBIES for you all along the way... because well, EVERYONE loves FREE!!! :) Seriously. After the holidays, I am trying to get myself on a spending freeze ...oh, look Target dollar bin. :/

I love living in So Cal! I can get to the beach or mountains within an hour. It really is amazing. Even though we do not have seasons (I wish our trees would turn beautiful colors), I really would have a hard time moving away from here.

Here are some of my favorite things to do in So Cal...

1. Theme parks like Knott's Berry Farm or Disneyland/Downtown Disney

Obviously, I could not live in So Cal and NOT talk about our theme parks, especially Disneyland! I love Disneyland but to be completely honest, we stopped getting our annual passes about 5 years ago because it really is so pricey. It IS amazing, but as of now, it's just not in our budget for a family of 5. I miss the parades, the rides, the FUN...but I DO NOT miss the crowds.

Right now, our family has passes to Knott's Berry Farm and it is working out really well for us. My kids are 10, 8, and 5 and they LOVE Knott's! The 2 older boys can ride the bigger faster rides and there's Camp Snoopy for small riders like my kindergartener. I love that I can get to BOTH these theme parks in less than an hour.

2. Victoria Gardens

I don't know if many non So Cal friends know about this little gem. Victoria Gardens is an outdoor mall with TONS of shops and delicious restaurants (Cheesecake Factory, P.F. Changs, Lucille's BBQ, etc). In the winter, they have horse drawn carriages and in the summer, they do movies on the lawn. It really is beautiful!

3. Snow tubing

I know for those who get snow, this is not a big deal or may not be as fun....BUT for this So Cal girl, I love that I can GO to the snow (not live in it). Again, I can get here in less than an hour and go tubing with my family. We did that this December and my kids had a blast!

4. Raging Waters

Can you say Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure? I think that movie put the city of San Dimas on the map. Raging Waters is a FUN water park located in this city and claims to be California's Largest Water Park! There are kiddie pools as well as huge drop out tubes for the older and braver ones. It's crowded with kids (and adults) trying to get relief from the summer heat.

5. The BEACH!!!

Of course, the beach is one of my favorite places to go. Our family used to go to Newport Beach but now we go to a smaller beach called Seal Beach. That has quickly become my family's favorite beach! We pay $6 and park right on the beach. Literally. I can step out of my car, step over a little wall, and my feet are in soft sand! My kids love body surfing here and catching sand crabs. There are also cute little shops along the way.

Before you go, I wanted to share a little Winter FREEBIE with you! My Winter Themed ABC FREEBIE is a fun way to have your students practice this skill. It is perfect for group work or in a literacy center. Enjoy!

This FREEBIE is part of my Winter Themed ABC packet. This resource covers ABC order to the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd letter. You can check it out here.

So if you ever plan on visiting So Cal, you'll have a list of MANY fun things to do here. Hop on over to my friend Mona at First Grade School House to hear about her favorites!