Refugio Nature Program

We spent a weekend camping at Refugio State Park and enjoyed perfect weather (in June!). We noticed that they have a junior ranger program with activities. The little house where the junior ranger programs are located is at the far end of the day use parking lot.

Otherwise: 

Cost: Day use pass for the Refugio State Beach is $10.

Location: Refugio State Beach 

Directions: From Goleta, take the 101N to the Refugio exit just past El Capitan. Take a left to go under the freeway, another left to follow the frontage road and a right to the kiosk.  

Parking: In the day use area unless you are camping. 

Hours: see the Instagram page for updated info

Time: 45 minutes if you do the craft

Drive Time: 20 minutes 

More Information: Instagram or State Beach Website

Nearby:  Refugio State Beach, El Capitan State Beach (Closed in 2025) and Gaviota State Beach

Quote from my 11 year old: "I liked the craft." 

Related Posts: Choose Your Own Adventure 2025 

Online Pop Up

Hello Community! We are two sisters who are 11 and 14 trying to make spending money for camp and summer activities. Please buy our gently used things. You can pay in cash or Venmo our mom. We will do porch pick up for people we know or who are friends of friends. All things are priced but feel free to make an offer. The gals are learning how this process works! You can look at all the items at https://www.facebook.com/groups/1111811010977417/    Please keep checking because we are still adding things. 

Kid Couch $30 

Mermaid Blanket Sack and Mermaid Swim Sack (for approximately 8 year old) $10

Pirate Dress $3 approximately 4-6 year old

Cat Dress Up $1

Elsa Dress Up $10

5 book Fairy Realm Set $5

Purple light up Pomsies --$5

Mystery Book Set Magic Tree House, A-Z and I Survived $7 (9 books)

Jr Mystery Book Set Boxcar Children, Nancy Drew Clue Crew and others $7 (11 books)

Solve the Mysteries $10 Set (4 hardcovers) 

God's Big Story Cards almost new $5 (This goes along with the 3 year SB Community Dwell Curriculum)

Toy and Costume Grab Bags $1

REI Kindercone 30F Kids Sleeping bag $20  SOLD

Prairie Dress with matching bonnet. Fit my 8 year old second grader $15 SOLD

Hula skirt (about 4 year old) and 4 leis $2 SOLD

Cape, Skirt and Wand for approximately 4 year old. $2 SOLD

Slime and Playdough

 

This Week with one teen in school and one tween at home. We did a lot of play dates, pool time and a class campout! 

Here are our favorite playdough and slime recipes we often make on play days like this! 

Fav Slime Recipe: https://mamapapabubba.com/2013/02/05/valentines-day-slime-favours/

Fav Playdough Recipe:  https://livingwellmom.com/easy-homemade-playdough-recipe/  

REEF

 

Recently we checked out REEF, UCSB's teaching aquarium. (REEF stands for Research Experience and Education Facility.) If you have seen touch tanks at a school science night. they probably came from here. The tanks are interactive, educational and fun. 

Cost: Free

Location: Near Campus Point at UCSB 

Directions: From the 101 take the 217 to UCSB. Take the second roundabout exit (left towards the beach). Follow the road along the bluff and park in the last lot on the left (there are coastal access spots.)

Parking: Saturday $4 or $3 an hour

Hours: Open House hours are on Friday 3:00pm–5:00pm and Saturday 11:00am–2:00pm (but only during the school year). Spring dates are April 11-June 7. SPRING DATES END SOON!
Time: 30 minutes 

Drive Time: 10 minutes 

More Information: https://msi.ucsb.edu/facilities-services/reef or on Instagram

Nearby: Campus Point, Goleta Beach, UCSB Labyrinth, 

Quote from my 11 year old: "I got to hold starfish, a sea cucumber and urchins. It was very fun and I learned a lot. It is fun for all ages and I really recommend it."

Educational videos from 2020: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzNC-IK5BNlgY3cZrGrWEqQ  

Related Posts:

Choose Your Own Adventure 2025 

Campus Point

UCSB Labyrinth Walk 

Tide Pooling 

Choose Your Own Adventure 2025

 

Over the past two summers, I have realized and accepted that summer blogging looks different with a teen and a tween! I only blog about things I have actually done with one or both of my kids, but I have kept a list of things I would like to do and so we have done a handful of things over the past few summers and I have written them up! Here is the list I am chipping away at that we have done a few things from in 2023 and 2024. If you have any suggestions, let me know. 

From 2015 Parks

Armitos Park got new play equipment 

Eastside Neighborhood Park also had an update

From 2016  and 2020 Beaches

Rincon Beach
Sandyland Beach ?
Padaro Beach ?
Loon Point Beach 
Finney Beach 
Summerland Beach 
Gaviota Beach

From 2017 Nature Walks
Wind Tunnels at Gaviota State Park
Cheltham/Westmont Trail
Allan Road Footpath
Ortega Hill Loop
Ennisbrook Trail

From 2018 Day Trips
Lake Casitas Water Park got a facelift! 
Canzelle Alpacas

Great American Melodrama
Pump It Up (Ventura)
Marina Park (Ventura)
Ventura Aquatic Center
Quicksilver Miniature Horse Ranch (Santa Ynez)
Solvang
La Purissima Mission
Seein Spots Farm

From 2019 Museums
Old Mission Santa Barbara
Rancho La Patera & Stow House
Santa Barbara Carriage and Western Arts Museum
Santa Barbara Historical Museum (El Presidio)
Ablitt House
Bellosguardo Estate
Casa del Herrero
Casa Dolores
Karpeles Manuscript Library Museum
Reagan Ranch Center
Ridley Tree Museum of Art (Westmont College)
Santa Barbara Art Museum (UCSB)
Santa Barbara Surfing Museum
Santa Barbara Veterans Museum
Susan Quinlan's Doll & Teddy Bear Museum
UCSB Multicultural Center
Elveroj Museum of History and Art
Guadelupe-Nipomo Dunes Center
Guadelupe Cultural Arts Center
La Purissima Mission
Santa Maria Museum of Flight
Santa Maria Valley Historical Railway Museum
Wilding Art Museum
UCSB Marine Science Institute (REEF)

From Kids Choice Awards 2021 

Riding a Surrey 

Bowlero
Lotusland
Lompoc Aquatic Center
Art from Scrap

From 2022 Hikes

Cold Springs Loop
Gaviota Wind Caves 
Lizards Mouth 
Tangerine Falls 
Lizards Mouth
Rattlesnake Canyon
Parma Park
San Ysidro falls
Seven Sisters
Skofield Park
Tunnel Trail

Related Posts
Summer of the Parks (2015)
Summer of the Beaches (2016)
Summer of the Nature Walks (2017)
Summer of the Day Trips (2018) 
Summer of the Museums (2019)
Summer of the Beaches 2 (2020)
Summer of Kid's Choice (2021)
Summer of the Hikes (2022)

Choose Your Own Adventure (2023)

Spring Snapshot 2025

                                               

While I have kept posting events on Instagram and Facebook, I haven't kept up with the blogging!  I have some more capacity to blog again over the summer and I am excited about it! 

Favorite New Product: Trader Joe's Leave In Conditioner My curly girls and I have used a lot of leave in conditioners and detanglers over the years. Out current favorite is this one from Trader Joe's.        

              

What is Working for Me Right Now: Audiobooks! As part of my job, I have been driving to Carpinteria often. I have an Audible subscription, but I also have been enjoying free library books through Libby and Hoopla. Fun Hoopla fact--with Goleta card you can check out 5 items a month, but with a Santa Barbara card you can check out 10 items a month. The items are slightly different between the two libraries as well. You can have both library cards.

Last Book I Finished: The Housemaid by Freida McFadden
Mille goes to work for the Winchester family because she is desperate for a job. The wife is crazy, the husband is hot. I could see what was happening from a mile away from when we hear the dark secret of how the wife is crazy. The ending was interesting but didn't outweigh the predicability or the creepy.

                                                

Life Project: Getting Ready for house guests and revamping our guest room. 

What we are eating today: "Rainbow Quinoa Casserole" I shared this one back during the 40 recipes the year I turned 40! 

Related Links:
Fall 2023
Summer 2023
Fall 2022
Spring 2022
Winter 2022 Snapshot
Fall 2021 Snapshot
Summer 2021 Snapshot
Spring 2021 Snapshot
Winter 2021 Snapshot
Fall 2020 Snapshot
Summer 2020 Snapshot
Spring 2020 Snapshot
Winter 2020 Snapshot
Fall 2019 Snapshot
Summer 2019 Snapshot
Winter 2019 Snapshot
Fall 2018 Snapshot
Spring 2018 Snapshot

Book Discussion Questions: Soul Survivor

I am reading a book called Soul Survivors by Philip Yancey with my spiritual formation group. It is an autobiography of sorts, telling the people who have influenced Yancey's faith as he matured. This book is not in any free library places, but it was easy to get a used copy on Thriftbooks. We split the book into 4 3-4 chapter sections for discussion over the first half of the year. 

Chapters 1 through 3
How did you relate (or not) to Yancey's experience of the church?
Did you learn about Martin Luther King in this chapter that you did not previously know?
What aspects of our life and culture are we blind to you today in a similar way that the church has been blind to racism?
How is the "problem of pleasure" problematic for the atheist?

Chapters 4 through 7
How do you think Dr Brad's work with the poor and marginalized and forms his life with god?
How do we give live like Dr Cole's and give dignity to each person's life and story?
How do you feel like Tolstoy and Dostoevsky get faith right? How did they get faith wrong?
How do you think Gandhi embraced the ideals of Jesus without learning to live by faith or accept the grace from God?

Chapters 8 through 10
What did Dr Koop model about how Christians should engage with the wider world?
How does Donne's suffering at lack of fear inspire you?
How do we shift our view on heaven to be more in line with God's?
How do we, like Dillard, allow beauty and nature to lead us to God?

Other books this group has read and worked through:

Theodyssey: A Spiritual Formation Journey by David V Smith

All My Knotted Up Life: A Memoir by Beth Moore (Discussion Questions) 

Invitation to a Journey by M. Robert Mullholland 

Praying Like Monks Living Like Fools by Tyler Staton (Discussion Questions)

Practicing the Way by John Mark Comer

The Spirit of Justice by Jemar Tisby

Invitation to Solitude and Silence by Ruth Haley Barton