Continium Science/Discovery Museum

Reader Contribution (AS)

Have you heard about the Discovery Center Continium in Kerkrade?  It’s a science center with special events and exhibits.  Looks like fun!   The website is in Dutch and German, but click on Bezoekersinfo for details on open hours and cost.  The home page will show you events.  Bob the Builder was there just last month!

Continium
Museumplein 2
6461 Kerkrade, Netherlands
t +31 (0)45-5670809
info@continium.nl
www.continium.nl

Continium is located next to the train station in Kerkrade with free parking for visitors.

Local Fun List – all ages

The weather is getting nicer now and it’s time to get out… peruse this.  It’s an older list, but you may not remember it all.  Check out the Dagstrand park in Oost Maarland just 4 clicks from Maastricht!  So many fun things to do!

Less than an hour away

Niederheid, DE (7 min from GK)

Pee Wee’s — rainy day fun for young kids
Max Plankstrasse 14; Neiderheide DE
Tel: 02451 – 8228
Open: Mon – Fri: 13.30 – 18.30; Sat & Sun: 10.00 – 18.30; Holidays and vacation weeks: 10.00 – 18.30 (Great place in the winter, but do dress warm… and keep in mind that there is no air conditioning, so it does close on extremely hot summer days.)
Website: http://geilenkirchen.peeweeposterholt.nl/Auskunft.html
*Large Indoor Play area with separate toddler area, large slides, huge air bed/bouncy castle, bumper cars, ball pits, food available, large seating area for adults. Pee Wee’s is a favorite among kids and with enough to do for toddler ages as well, I’ve seen plenty of adults enjoy themselves with a book and a cup of all-you-can-drink coffee while the kids run off and play for hours. Like most, it is socks only, but where socks you don’t cherish as they’ll be black by the end of the day. Socks with the no-slide bottoms would be helpful for younger kids. Saying that, the place is not spotless, so don’t white glove test it and the bumper cars are fun though it smells of burning rubber. Still, kids love it and we’ve been to a few thousand (feels like it anyway) parties there now and it always turns out great.

Gangelt, DE (13 min from GK)

Haus Hamacher – Swimming pool and mini-golf
Am Freibad 10
52538 Gangelt
Telefon: (0 24 54) 14 14
Telefax: (0 24 54) 93 93 01
Email: Haus.Hamacher@t-online.de
Web: http://www.haus-hamacher.de/
Open: Monday-Saturday 1100-2200 and Sunday 1000-2200

Wildpark Gangelt
Schinvelder Str.; Mindergangelt
Tel: 02454-2459
Web: http://www.wildpark-gangelt.com/
(The Website has English translations on all its pages)
Open: 0900-1900 every day
Price: Adults — 6 E; Children ages 4-15 — 4 E
Food: 1 Euro/bag to feed the animals. They also like chestnuts and acorns in the fall.

Heinsberg, DE (13 min from GK)

Monkey’s Spielparadies — More rainy day fun for little ones
Humbolt Strasse 5; Heinsburg
Tel: 02452-977655
Open: Mon- Fri 1000-1900; Sat and Sun and holidays 1000-2200
Web: http://www.monkeys-spielparadies.de/
Price: Kids under 2: Free; Kids up to age 12: 4 Euros; Adults: 3 Euros; Grandma and Grandpa are free.

Landgraaf, NL (20 min from GK)

SnowWorld Indoor Ski Fun!
Witte Wereld 1, Landgraaf, NL
Web: www.snowworld.nl (English site available)

Limbricht, NL (24 min from GK)

Limbricht Kasteel – medieval themed vaulted bowling alley and good food
Allee 1; Limbricht Tel: 046-451 44 44
Opens: Thurs – Sun evening.
Web: www.kasteellimbricht.nl
*Look carefully at bowling package pricing… most look expensive, but include food.

Heerlen, NL (26 min from GK)

Kinderstadt — Large indoor playground
Parallelweg 4; Heerlen
Tel: 0031-455-717-252
http://www.kinderstad.nl/
Open: Every day 1000-1800
Price: 9.50 for ages 2-9

Neoliet Heerlen – Indoor Wall Climbing!
Sportpark Kaldeborn
Stadionbaan 52
6416CS Heerlen
31 (0)45 5424358
http://neoliet.climbing.nl/
> 17.5 m height, 1000 m² area
**They teach children from age 7, and do groups, parties, and can teach in English.

Würselen, DE (27 min from GK)

Euregio Freizeitbad Würselen – FUN! Indoor Swimming Center
Willy-Brandt-Ring 100; Würselen

http://aquana.de/Freizeitbad/Freizeitbad.htm

Open: M-Th 1300-2000, Fri 1300-2100, Sat-Sun 1000-2100

Kerkrade, NL (28 min from GK)

Gaia Park — zoo
Dentgenbachweg 105
6468 PG Kerkrade
Tel: 045 567 60 70
Web: http://www.gaiapark.nl
Hours: Opens daily at 1000.
Dec – Feb closes at 1600. March – June and Sept – Nov closes at 1700.
July – August closes at 1800.
Prices: Age 13 to 64 years € 17,00
Children 3 – 12 € 12.50
Under 3 is free
65 and over € 12.50

Echt, NL (28 min from GK)

De Ballon – rainy day fun for little people.
Bandertlaan 13; Echt, NL
Tel: 0031-0475-410845
Web: http://www.de-ballon.nl
Open: Wed, Fri-Sun 1000 – 1900
Cost: 3.25E
*This is small, but is open weekday mornings and has a separate toddler area.

Indoor Kartcenter — Bowling and Indoor Go-Carts!
Bandertlaan 9; Echt, NL
tel. 0475-418900
info@pke.nl
Web: www.pke.nl
Hours: Mon-Thurs 1800-2300, Fri 1800-2400, Sat 1300-2400, Sun 1300-2300

Aachen, DE (29 min from GK)

Badminton und Kletterhalle Tivoli Rock Aachen
Strangenhäuschen 11; 52070 Aachen
Tel: +49 (0) 241 / 15 77 60
Open: Mo – Fr: 09.00 bis 24.00 Uhr
Sa, So, Feiertags: 09.30 bis 22.30 Uhr
Web: www.tivoli-rock.de
*More than 1000sqm of indoor climbing space, bistro, camps for kids, and more!

Juelich, DE (30 min from GK)

Bruckenkopf Park
Rurauenstraße 11
52428 Jülich
Tel: 02461 – 9795-0
E-Mail: brueckenkopf-park@t-online.de

Web: http://www.brueckenkopfpark.de/
(Click on the Brueckenkopf park photo in the center, then click on the “fur kids” link above)
Price: Adults 4Euro, Kids above 1 meter 1.80, Kids under 1 Meter free
Open: Nov-Feb 1000-1630, Mar-Oct 0900-1800
*This park has several playgrounds (nice, big ones), minigolf, rafting, a bungee, rock climbing, sand pits, sports fields, a small kid train, a lake for water play, skate board ramps, and a nature park.

Neuss, DE (34 min from GK)

Kinderbauernhof
Nixhütter Weg 141, Neuss-Selikum
Tel: 02131 90 85 21
http://www.kinderbauernhof-neuss.de
Open: daily 0900-1800
Kurse = Course…. check the link online for many classes available.

Maasmechelen, BE (35 min from GK)

Cargo Karting
Heufkensweg 5; Maasmechelen, BE
Tel: 0032-089-77-28-50
Email: info@cargo-karting.be
Web: www.cargo-karting.be
Open: Mon – Fri 1800-2330, Sat 1300-1415 kids and 1415-2400 adults, Sun 1300-1500 kids and 1500-2300 adults.

Vaals, NL (36 min from GK)

Outdoor Go-Carts in Vaals
http://www.kartingvaals.nl/

http://actionfun.goedbegin.nl/

Labyrint Drielandenpunt – Large maze and playground
Viergrenzenweg 97; Vaals, NL
Tel +31 (043) 306 52 00
E-mail info@drielandenpunt.nl
http://www.drielandenpunt.nl/

Gulpen, NL (37 min from GK)

Mosaqua
Landsraderweg 11; Gulpen
tel.: +31 (0)43-4507400
email: info@mosaqua.nl
http://www.mosaqua.nl/
**Amazing subtropical aquatic extravaganza with indoor and outdoor
facilities. The indoor complex has several pools, slides, river rapids, Jacuzzis, Turkish
Bath and a small toddler pool with slides and water canons. For all ages. Hours and prices online in English. Reasonable rates.

Dusseldorf, DE (42 min from GK)

Duesselstrand
Kettwiger Strasse 50; Dusseldorf
http://www.baeder-duesseldorf.de/duesselstrand.htm

Kessenich, BE (43 min from GK)

Alles Kids
Venlosesteenweg 330; Kessenich, BE
Tel:- (0032) 089 57 22 80
Web: www.alleskids.be
Hours: Wed 1330-1900, Sat-Sun 1000-1900, School vacations 1000-1900, Summer 1000-1800
*Large indoor play area includes trike track, sponge ball guns, a couple of big slides,
separate toddler area, and enclosed mini football pitch with goals. Great for young kids on rainy, cold days.

Genk, BE (44 min from GK)

EuroPlanetarium
Planetariumweg 19; Genk
Tel: 0032-089-65-5555
Web: http://www.europlanetarium.be/

Valkenburg, NL (45 min from GK)

Laser Tag, Chairlift and Toboggan at GoGo Valkenburg
http://www.kabelbaan.nl

Valkenier Family Park
Koningswinkelstraat 53; Valkenburg NL
Tel: 0031-043-601-2289
Email: info@pretpark-de-valkenier.nl
Web: www.pretpark-de-valkenier.nl

Venlo, NL (45 min from GK)

Laser Quest & Bowling

VENLO MEGAZONE
Rijksweg 181
5941 AD Velden
Netherlands
Tel: 0031 77 472 2274

Noervenich, DE (45 min from GK)

Bubenheimer Playground and Maze
Burg-Bubenheim; 52388 Nörvenich
Tel: 02421 – 71194
Infoband: 02421 – 9709969
Web: www.bubenheimer-spieleland.de
Open: Mo. : Sa. 9.00 – 12.00
Mo. : Fr. 15.00 – 18.00

Oost-Maarland, NL (48 min from GK)

Dagstrand – Outdoor Recreation Park
Oosterweg 5, Oost-Maarland
Tel: +31 43 409 44 41
Tel: +31 43 409 36 71
info@dagstrand.nl
www.dagstrand.nl
*beach, paintball, indoor and outdoor playgrounds, restaurant, paintball, quad runners, canoes, boats, rope courses, camping, team buidling events, and more – reasonable prices. See website for details.

Bruehl, DE (48 min from GK)

Phantasialand Amusement Park
Berggeistrasse 31-41; Bruhl, DE
Web: http://www.phantasialand.de
*Ticket prices, hours, and other information is available on the easy-to-use English website.

Duisburg, DE (49 Minutes from GK)

Duisburg Zoo
Mülheimer Strasse 273; Duisburg, DE
Tel.: 0203-305590
E-Mail: Info@Zoo-Duisburg.de
Internet: www.zoo-duisburg.de
Price: Adult 11 Euro, Children 5.50 Euro – Family ticket available with good discount
Hours: Everyday from 0900. Holidays (Christmas and New Years) open at 1000. Closes at 1600 in winter, 1730 in summer.
*zoo with Dolphin exhibit

Tegelen, NL (50 min from GK)

High Ropes Course

Genk, BE (53 min from GK)

Het Domein Bokrijk – Bokrijks Adventure Park
Bokrijklaan 1; Genk
32 011 26 53 00
bokrijk@limburg.be
http://www.bokrijk.be
http://www1.limburg.be/bokrijk/eng/index.html

This entire town is set up to entertain you from March through September with its Open Air Museum which recreates special events in the past with music, costume, and actors. Enjoy the town and the many gardens, forests and walking paths surrounding it and take the kids. There is A LOT for them to do as well.

Bokrijk Adventure Park: There is a high and a low rope course, by which most challenges are at an average of about 6 meters. Open: year round
Miniature golf: Open: March – June weekdays 1100-1700 & weekends 1100-1800
July – August every day 1100-1900 & September 1300 – 1800
Playground: The Bokrijk playground is the biggest in the country. Sensational toys, a slide complex, a rope pyramid, and an animal corner are ready for hours of play. A playground specially designed for pre-schoolers offers safe playing pleasure for the smallest. And when the weather’s bad, there’s always Bokland, the indoor playground.
Bokland: Children from 3 to 10 years can play to their heart’s content in this indoor soft-play area. Diving into the vat of balls, scrambling on the toys, the entire area is suitable for children.
Open air Museum — Arboretum and a garden of fragrances and colours — Het Groene Huis — Covered wagons and a fishpond (more information available on the websites above or here)

Sevenum, NL (56 min from GK)

Toverland
Toverlaan 2; Sevenum
T (+31)077 – 467 70 50
info@toverland.nl
http://www.toverland.nl/
Price: € 19,50 per person
Parking: € 5,00
Hours: 1000-1800 every day
** Large indoor and outdoor play place. Great for kids all year round!

Oberhausen, DE (59 min from GK)

CentrOPark Oberhausen
Promenade 10; Oberhausen
http://www.centropark.de

SeaLife Oberhausen
Zum Aquarium 1; Amsterdamer Strasse; Oberhausen DE
Tel: 0208-444-88-444

http://www.sealifeeurope.com/map.php
oberhausen@sealife.de

One to two hours away

Bottrop, DE (62 min from GK)

alpincenter Bottrop — indoor ski center
Prosperstr. 299-301; Bottrop (DE)
http://www.alpincenter.com/
Open: Daily 0930 – 2400

Last entry: 2130 (Su – Thu) or 2230 (Fr – Sa)

Kevelaer, DE (64 min from GK)

Niederrheinpark Plantaria — gardens, playgrounds…
Am Scheidweg 1-5; 47624 Kevelaer
Tel: 02832-93270
plantaria@t-online.de
www.plantaria.de

Gelsenkirchen, DE (65 min from GK)

Zoom Erlebniswelt Gelsenkirchen
Bleckstr. 47
D – 45889 Gelsenkirchen
Tel. ++49 / (0)209 / 954 50
Fax ++49 / (0)209 / 954 51 21
e-mail: info@zoom-erlebniswelt.de
Internet: www.zoom-erlebniswelt.de
Review: http://livingingk.blogspot.com/2008/04/gelsenkirchen-zoo.html

Bottrop-Kirchhellen, DE ( 67 min from GK)

Movie Park
Warner Allee 1
46244 Bottrop-Kirchhellen
(Germany)
http://www.movieparkgermany.de

Kasterlee, BE (87 min from GK)

Bobbeejaanland

Olensteenweg 45; Kasterlee
Info 0032/ (02) 528 28 28
http://www.bobbejaanland.be
** Rave reviews from families who have been there.

Hilvarenbeek, NL (90 min from GK)

Beekse Bergen Safaripark and Adventure Playground
Beekse Bergen 31; Hilvarenbeek, NL
Tel. 0900-2335732
Web: http://www.safaripark.nl

Wavre, BE (100 min from GK)

WALIBI BELGIUM AQUALIBI
Rue J. Deschamps 9, Wavre, BE
Tel : 32 (0)10 42 15 00
email : info-wbe@cda-parks.com
site : www.walibi.be

Kaatsheuvel, NL (103 min from GK)

De Efteling
Europalaan 1
Postbus 18
5170 AA Kaatsheuvel
Phone: +31 (0)416 – 288 111
http://www.efteling.com

Biddinghuizen, NL (142 min from GK)

Walibi World
Spijkweg 30; Biddinghuizen, NL
Tel : 31(0)321 32 99 99
www.walibiworld.nl
info-wwo@cda-parks.com

Indoor and Outdoor Swim Center in Wassenberg

Fairly new, the new Parcbad Wassenberg is not only reasonably priced, but has enough pools to keep everyone happy. This isn’t an over-the-top play center like Aquana, but inside, you’ll find the sports pool for the serious swimmers as well as a small children’s pool, a hot tub, sauna, plenty of place for big kids to play and a 65M waterslide they’ll love. The outdoor pool is open year round at a nice hot temperature, so you can swim aside the snow. But when the weather is nice, you and your family can enjoy the large grassy area, volleyball, soccer, basketball, and a sand play area as well.

Parcbad Wassenberg
Auf dem Taubenkamp 2
41849 Wassenberg
Telefon: 0 24 32 / 8 91 14 0
E-Mail: parkbad@wassenberg.de
Web: http://www.parkbad-wassenberg.de

Classes: Pool staff offer aqua-fitness, water-cycling, children’s swim classes, mommy and me babies swim classes,

Prices are 3.50E for adults and 2.50E for kids, but you can get a package of 10 tickets for a discount price.

Hours:
Monday 1500-2130
Tuesday 0700-1000 and 1330-2130
Wednes 0700-1000 and 1330-1800
Ladies night – women 16 and older only 1830 – 2130
Thursday 0700-2130
Friday 0600-1000 and 1330-2130 (1330-1700 Water Play with Pool Toys)
Saturday 0800-1900
Sunday 0830-1730

Thermen Museum Heerlen

It’s raining and windy here (really? never) and you have guests in town who don’t want to spend their European vacation in your living room… or may be the kids are just restless and need to get out. Here’s a little something we did on a blustery day not long ago that ended up being really pretty cool.

Thermenmuseum
Coriovallumstraat 9; Heerlen
T: 045-5605100
W: http://www.thermenmuseum.nl

Open: Tues-Fri 1000-1700; Sat-Sun 1200-1700
Closed: Jan 1, Carnival, and Dec 24, 25, 31

Cost: Adults 5E, Kids 4-12 4E

Parking: There are several public covered lots nearby. The museum itself is on a main road very near the pedestrian only centrum area.

Background: In the 1940′s, when the war was still raging in this area, a Roman pot was discovered in an empty field as it was being plowed. The area was excavated and an entire Roman bath house was uncovered. Due to lack of funding to properly protect it, it was covered up and not re-excavated until 1977 when it was again uncovered and the current building was built over the top of it to enclose it and protect it. As recently as 2003, more Roman artifacts have been found and they are all housed here.

The Museum: Smallish in size, you can spend a good 2 hours here. There is an introductory movie shown as you enter on the first floor. It is available in English. Also on the 1st floor is a room with the newest Roman finds – currently the sarcophagus found in 2003. The first room upstairs is a large open room that encases the bath house. You’ll walk across on a tall platform. Push the English button and you’ll have a tour of the bathhouse in English that will tell you about how it was made and used. As rooms are described, they are lit up. Past this room is a series of smaller rooms that house all the things found in the area – vases, pottery, jewelery, and other artifacts. It’s very nicely done and interesting. My 4 year old even enjoyed herself.

Educational Websites for Kids

If you’re PCSing, or just curious, you can test your child’s academic levels according to the school they will be attending using the website below.

• www.soarathome.com

Websites: The best resources for knowing about the best websites are our teachers. Most of my favorites, I’ve learned from my children’s teachers and the school website. Look at the classroom links at the GKES website for lists of even more amazing FREE resources for your kids. http://www.geil-es.eu.dodea.edu/

All Grades: (many of the websites below have areas for other grades, I have just not had time to thoroughly search through them all to figure out which ones yet)

• http://www.iknowthat.com
• http://www.brainpop.com — free trial available, then paid subscription only
• http://www.learner.org/interactives/story/index.html
• http://www.learningplanet.com/
• http://www.readwritethink.org/student_mat/index.asp
• http://www.spellingcity.com — spelling
• http://www.starfall.com/
• http://www.mhschool.com – Click on the grade to find online tools and games

Elementary Math:

• http://www.abcteach.com/directory/basics/math/ — free math worksheets
• http://ejad.best.vwh.net/java/patterns/ — math: pattern blocks
• http://www.aaamath.com/plc12c-placevalue-specific.html — math: place value quiz
• http://www.primarygames.com/math.htm — math: games
• http://www.aplusmath.com/flashcards/index.html — math: flashcards
• http://www.cut-the-knot.org/Curriculum/Arithmetic/VeryTiles.shtml — math: match math questions with answers
• http://nlvm.usu.edu/en/nav/vlibrary.html – math: online manipulatives
• http://www.internet4classrooms.com/skills_1st.htm#math — review of 1st grade skills and tests

Elementary Reading Skills/Read Aloud Books

• http://www.bradleys-english-school.com/online/alphabet/index — practice alphabetical order
• http://www.starfall.com — reading: Love this site!
• http://www.literacycenter.net/lessonview_en.htm# — pre-school practice, letters and numbers
• http://www.internet4classrooms.com/skills_1st.htm#lang
• http://www.sightwordswithsamson.com/sw/sight_words.asp — reading
• http://www.tumblebooks.com/library/asp/home_tumblebooks.asp — Read Aloud Books: LOVE IT! But sometimes it will only work if you access it through the GKES website here: http://www.geil-es.eu.dodea.edu/Classes/1ALinks.html
• http://www.storylineonline.net/ — Stars read stories
• http://www.rif.org/readingplanet/content/read_aloud_stories.mspx — nicely done, stories read out-loud.
• http://www.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/interactive/onlinestory.htm — you have to complete a puzzle to start the story. Nice site!
• http://pbskids.org/jakers/stories/ — Read aloud with follow along text
• http://www.mightybook.com/ — Funny read along, read aloud stories
  
• http://www.bookpop.com/bookpop.html — read aloud or read alone Stephen Cosgrove books
• http://www.eduplace.com/marketing/leveledbooks/sampler/content/index.html — Many nonfiction books to choose from – read alone or read aloud
• http://www.britishcouncil.org/kids-stories.htm — read alone or read aloud
• http://www.kizclub.com/level3.htm — printable books
• http://www.weread.org/kids/index.asp – read aloud
• http://www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/drilldown/stories/3/1/1/ — cute British read aloud stories
  
• http://www.beenleigss.qld.edu.au/requested_sites/storiesontheweb/storiesontheweb.html – selection of stories to read across the net
• http://www.earobics.com/gamegoo/gooey.html — reading: fun!
• http://www.leapingmatch.com — Fairytale stories and games (the text page is quiet to give the child a chance to read, then on the illustration page, the previous page’s text is read aloud)
• http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/laac/story/sbi.shtml — Read aloud stories
• http://www.janbrett.com/games — Jan Brett’s site with games and stories
• http://www.storyplace.org/eel/eel.asp
• http://www.primarygames.com/social_studies.htm — social studies
• http://www.primarygames.com/science.htm — science
• http://www.playkidsgames.com/

All Subjects:

• http://www.sheppardsoftware.com/

6th grade:

• http://www.eslus.com/LESSONS/GRAMMAR/Gram.htm
• http://www.funbrain.com/grammar/
• http://www.chompchomp.com/
• http://yourpage.blazenet.net/bterney/practice.htm

Toverland

Reader Rave!

I learned about this one from a friend who loved it enough to get season passes for her family. With a HUGE amusement park both indoors and outdoors, Toverland is just as fun for kids in the cold, wet winter as it is in the summer. Great for pre-school kids too with a lot for them to do and only one hour away from GK!

Toverland
Seventum, Netherlands
www.toverland.de

Rainy Day – Go Carts and Movies

Reader recommended…

Go-Carts:

http://www.cargo-karting.be/index.htm

Movies:

http://www3.euroscoop.be/
http://www.foroxity.nl/

CenterParcs Europe

Reader Recommendation…

With 17 village parks spread throughout The Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, and France, Center Parcs Europe could be the answer to your rainy day, long weekend, what-to-do-with-kids blues.

It’s a village. Equipped with apartments and hotel rooms in various sizes, a family from 4-8 can find just the spot to call their own for a weekend, weekday trip, or a full week. Bring your own linens and food to prepare in the small kitchenette if you’d like and you’re ready to go explore. With walking and riding trails, you can go all over the enclosed park from activity to activity. Click on the activities link – you’ll find everything from saunas to childcare, water skiing to horseback riding. It’s amazing!

Each of the Center Parcs is built around a natural habitat, so you’ll find forests and lakes full of outdoor activities to enjoy. But, they are also all very different. Some have large indoor play centers for younger children. Some have classes. Some have BMX bike trails. Just check out the website.

Discounts are available for early and late bookings as well as large groups.

To find the park that is best for you, peruse the map showing you the parks and what main activities that they offer. You can also look at the “village rating” for each village. Click on that link and it will break it down from 1-5 leaf ratings based on age group and quality of attractions. The majority of the parks are within a two-hour drive from here.

To see everything included at the park, go to the park information page, then click on the PDF map and enlarge it so that you can see the list of activities in the right hand column. There will be a lot there that isn’t advertised on the main page. Boating, biking, swimming… this is a place that is fun all year.

http://www.centerparcs.com/EN/US/villages

http://www.centerparcs.com/

The portion below Courtesy of the American Spouses of Brunssum Travel Information Guide

Vosmeeren Parc in Belgium

The basics- you rent a cabin type accommodation from one of 3 options Friday to Friday, Monday to Friday and Friday to Monday. There is a large pool complex at each parc that is available on check in days, before you check in on day of arrival and after you check out on your last day.

The accommodations are basic. We had a cabin for 8 persons. Rooms were small with 2 beds in each room. One room did have a double bed. We had a full bathroom and one extra toilet. Living area and kitchen. Kitchen did not have regular oven but had stove top/microwave and refrigerator. You can pay extra for linens (would recommend to cut down on what you have to pack). There are also different levels comfort, deluxe- some come with dishwasher and/or washing machine.

Suggestions: I felt it worth it to pay the extra to be in a cabin closer to the main pool area, easier on tired kids. It is very casual, jeans/shirts/shorts. Recommend a robe for pool area if you get cold easily.

Our Experience: We went Mon to Friday to Vosmeeren Parc in Belgium. Monday we checked in and then just walked around to see what was there and signed up for activities. You need to sign up for any activities you want the kids to do the first day or if during busy season, I would recommend calling and signing up ahead of time. The Vosmeeren parc is geared more towards older end of the ages between 4-12. The younger ones(under 8) did not have as much to choose from for activities as the 9-12 age range. Each activity is extra or you can buy a pass which gives you 3 activities for a lower price (well worth it). Our kids combined participated in wild water rafting, archery, wall climbing, zip line, treasure hunt, pirate adventure and a baking class. Everything was held inside so if you go during winter season you can still participate in the activities. The pool was great with 3 slides, wave pool, lazy river and wild water river plus an area where you could snorkel and see fish/sharks in underwater tanks. Kids loved the entire week. The indoor play area was in the shape of a pirate ship with sand bottom, slides, ropes to climb and a rope bridge towards the ceiling to cross. There is also pony riding, petting zoo, miniature golf, bike rentals and in the summer you can wind surf, canoe and kayak.

Things that are helpful- there is a good size grocery store on site and it was fairly reasonable in pricing. They do not sell medications over the counter so you need to bring anything you might need for medicine, pain med/children’s meds etc…

Restaurants are decent, not too expensive as you might expect with a place like this but it is helpful to make reservations for dinner especially if during a busy season.

Bring

• toilet paper
• extra towels as there are no washer/dryers in the cabins but there is a washerette on site
• if bringing bikes is easy, do it. Otherwise you can rent bikes there.
• roller blades are also fun as the parc is car free other than on the day you check in and out.

The CenterParc at Erperheide

My family and I visited the Centerparc at Erperheide during spring break this year. We stayed in a 3 bedroom standard deluxe villa. I have 2 children, Megan is 23 months old JP is 5 years old. This place was perfect for spending time with the family.

Booking this vacation over the internet was a little intimidating because there are so many activities and extras listed. (The website is www.centerparcs.com. So it may be easier to call to make the reservation 0032-11-61-62-63 and someone can help you decide exactly what would be right for your family.

But basically, it is a large compound on about 500 acres of land. Included in the price of your villa you have access to Aqua Mundo and Baluba. Aqua Mundo is a huge indoor water recreation area. There are 4 slides, a rapids pool, a wave pool, a pool that has fish tanks in it so it feels like you are snorkeling, 2 hot tubs, a big baby pool with a slide and an outdoor pool and hot tub. Baluba is an indoor recreation area that has a ball area, a huge climbing area with slides, a moon bounce, kiddie go-carts and several other age-appropriate play areas.

For the adults, there is a bar and tables for having a drink and a snack while the kids play.

Also, there is a stage where they have kid shows. There are several outdoor play areas throughout the compound and a small petting zoo. I did not book any additional activities in advance. I thought it would be a good idea to see the place and then decide what we wanted to do. As it turns out, my kids didn’t need anything else to keep them occupied. They were more than happy to swim in Aqua Mundo or play in Baluba.

There is a kids club were you can leave your kids and you can pay per activity if you only want them to be there for an hour or two.

There are activities for older children. These include: archery, zipwire, big swing, and outdoor climbing. Also, there is a cycling center where you can rent bikes. There are several places to eat but we found them to be a little expensive.

The villa itself was OK. It was nice having 3 bedrooms and a kitchen but it was not very “deluxe”. Basically it was just a step above a cabin in the woods. And they don’t provide you with anything unless you pay for it (i.e.: sheet package, towel package). Overall, we had a great time. The park was clean and the staff was very friendly and helpful and we will definitely go back for another visit.

__________________________________________

Here’s another website that I found that could be helpful.
http://www.takethefamily.com/

Movie Theaters: NL and BE

Netherlands:

Foroxity
Sittard
Review and complete information
www.Foroxity.nl

Royal Theater
Stationsplein 3-5
Heerlen
Tel: 045 571 420
www.royaltheaters.nl

H5 Theaters
Geleenstr 9
Heerlen
Tel: 045 571 3030
www.H5theaters.nl

Lumiere
Bogaardenstr 40
Maastricht
Tel: 043 321 4080
www.lumiere.nl

Minerva
Wilhelminasngl 39
Maastricht
Tel: 043 326 0543
www.minervabioscopen.nl

Belgium:

Euroscoop
Zetellaan 74
Theaters in: Maasmechelen, Lanaken, and Genk
Belgium
Tel: 0032 89 778590
www3.euroscoop.be