CREATE at Arizona Science Center Review!

 

If you've ever been to the Arizona Science Center, you might have noticed the building right next door that says CREATE at Arizona Science Center and wondered what it was. This is their space that is specifically designed to be a makers space with everything you need to complete hands on projects along with taking beginners classes for skills such as 3D printing or using a laser to etch wood, etc. They offer a variety of projects and classes for different ages, even adults can join in on a class if you are looking to learn about a new skill or hobby. My children and I were recently able to participate in their 3D printing skills studio. The 3D skills studio is for ages 8+ and cost $35 per person, children ages 8-13 will need a parent to accompany them. Each skills studio runs for about sixty minutes, at the end of the class you will have completed a small print that you are able to take home. You will need to pre-register for a class in order to participate. 

The lab area they have you take the course in will have everything you need from laptops to printers and filament, so you will not need to bring anything to the class with you. We were lucky & there were only two other people in the class with us which allowed more one on one time to ask questions or troubleshoot anything that happened to pop up. Our skills shop host was friendly & very knowledgeable of not just the specific programs and machines they use in the CREATE space, but he was also able to tell us about some other helpful websites and programs. My son received a 3D printer for Christmas, so this is a class we wanted to take so we could learn a bit more about the creating process. 

During our class we talked about a few of the different slicing programs you need to take a print file & convert it to the correct size and file for the printer to create your project. We were shown how to upload a project onto the Prusaslicer, how to resize the project along with how to change the infill, temperature of the print, and how to add in stops or pauses to be able to switch out the filament color. Once everything was completed & loaded up onto a memory card we were able to then plug that into the 3D printers to start our projects. 

We were all assigned our own printer to use & were shown how to remove the old remaining filament from the previous use and add the color we wanted for our project. While our projects were printing, we were able to watch them to ensure everything was running smoothly and went over how to remove the project after the printing was complete. It also gave us a little extra time to ask any additional questions and take a look at some of the finished printing projects they had on display. 

We all enjoyed the class & the information has been helpful in getting everything set up with our printer at home. I feel like everything was set up in a way that was easy to understand and follow along with the class, this is perfect for anyone who is a hands on learner vs just watching a how to video on youtube. If you do not already own a 3D printer it also gives you a chance to take a look at some different models in person to help you figure out which printer you'd like to purchase. If you prefer not to purchase your own printer, they offer what is called a LaterLab, where you can come in & use the equipment they have to freely create your own projects and ask for help if needed. 

As previously mentioned aside from the skill studios, they offer mini maker sessions where you can create a wooden project. Projects & prices for the projects vary depending on what you are wanting to build. The mini makers projects you do not need to pre-register for, they have drop in hours from 11am until 2:45pm so you can swing in either before or after you visit the Science Center. This is a great spot to visit to beat the heat during the summer while allowing your child to complete a fun project. Stop by their website to learn more about one of the fun projects or classes you can complete! 

🔬 If you were to register for a skills studio would you prefer to do woodworking 101, Laser cutting, 3D printing or Sewing? 

🌵 If you live in Arizona check out the "Things to do in Arizona" section of my blog to find entertainment, restaurants, vacation spots & more. (Click on the name or locate it on the right-hand side of my page).

Disclaimer- The skills studio mentioned above was provided by The Arizona Science Center / CREATE for the review free of charge no other compensation was provided. However, no product compensation will influence the outcome of any review. My honest opinions are used in all reviews, they are solely my own & they may vary from others. My reviews are posted for readers in order to provide an informed decision before purchase.

Upcoming Arizona Events!

 

This post is for all of my local readers! There are several upcoming events that I think you would be interested in, so I will share all of them here. Some of the events are free & others require you to buy a ticket, I will include that information in the little snippet I include for each event. Drop a comment letting me know which event you are most interested in. If you end up visiting any of the events, let me know how it went. 

The Bao & Dumpling Festival + The Arizona Rice Fest. 

This two-day food festival will feature local food trucks & vendors along with a artist alley where you can purchase a variety of goodies. Tickets to this event range it is $5 for Happy Hour admission (after 3pm), $15 for general admission or $20 for early entry. I've featured the Bao & Dumpling festival in the past, my family and I love visiting this event. It is family friendly, kids under the age of 12 are FREE and it is a great event for foodies. Click on the name of the festival above to be taken to the event page for more info. 

Maricopa Home & Garden Show. 

This is the third Maricopa Home show this year & it is sure to be just as fun as the last two. Stop by this event to shop local small businesses, purchase plants, find companies to make home repairs or sit in on a seminar/workshop. Tickets are $8 for everyone over the age of thirteen, children twelve and under are free. You can score tickets for $2 if you visit between 2pm-5pm on Friday or Sunday. Parking at the event location will be $10. Click on the name of the event above to be taken to their website for more information and to purchase tickets. 

Heroes & Villains Show. 

This is a family friendly comic & anime pop up! The event takes place in the parking lot of a shopping center directly in front of Ready Player 1 Games. There will be dozens of local vendors to browse plus head inside Ready Player 1 to play some arcade games or check out the comic book shop, board game shop or trading card shop. There will be a cosplay contest at this event so feel free to dress up. This event is FREE to enter. 

Tubby Todd x StyleFitFatty 

This is an event being put on by the brand Tubby Todd along side a local influencer StyleFitFatty. This is being hosted at a park in Mesa, Arizona. The event is FREE but you MUST register on their website ahead of time to have your name put on the attendance list. There will be goodie bags for the first 500 families who registered and show up, plus there will be bounce houses, bubbles and more. Click on the name of the event above to be taken to the information + registration page.

Easter Eggstravaganza

The city of Mesa is putting on an Easter event in downtown Mesa. This event is for children ages 9 & under who will be split into two groups depending on their age to participate in an Easter Egg Hunt. There will also be a photo opportunity with the Easter Bunny + food and snacks for sale. Along with the egg hunt being put on by the city there is a list of participating business close to where the event is taking place that will also be hanging out eggs if you visit their business. More information on that can be found on the event website which you can visit by clicking on the event name above. This is a FREE event. 

Water Lantern Festival 

The water lantern festival is returning to Surprise, Arizona on April 6th. This is a fun family friendly event where you will decorate a lantern & let it go into the lake. There will also be local vendors set up to shop from & food trucks. Your lantern is included in the cost of admission, no need to worry about fetching your lantern from the lake at the end of the event - they have a clean up crew who will make sure the park is cleaned up after the event. Tickets are $36 until 3/29, they will go up to $46 after the 29th and day of will be $56 so it is best to buy your tickets early. Visit the event page by clicking the name of the event above. 

Arizona Renaissance Festival 

There are only two weekends left to enjoy the Arizona Ren Fest until it is gone again until next year. Tickets are $34 per adult and $22 for children under the age of 12. However if you visit on the last weekend March 30th-31st children will receive FREE entry with the donation of three non-perishable food items. Visit the event page by clicking the name of the event above. 

Libertalia Winds of Galecrest Board Game Review!

If you've ever found a board game that you wanted to add to your collection, then learned it is no longer in print, it can be a bummer! Libertalia is a board game that originally released in 2012 & has since been added to the "Out of Print" category. However one Libertalia enthusiast loved sharing that game with his online followers & after many comments about fans wishing it was still in print, he reached out to the original publisher, then the designer. He was able to get the rights & work along side the original designer to create a newer updated version of the game. The man who was able to accomplish that is Jamey Stonemaier who owns & runs Stonemaier Games. The newest version of this game is called Libertalia: Winds of Galecrest. It is recommended for ages 14+, however this is a fairly easy game to understand & if you are a family that plays board games together kids under the recommended age shouldn't have an issue playing this. You can play this as a solo player with it's own set of rules or you can play with up to six people total, games last 45-60 minutes. 

When you pick up this game box it is quite hefty which may lead some to believe the game is too complex, but the game only gets the weight from the high-quality materials the game pieces are made from & the fact that there are seven character card stacks. One of the stacks is for a solo game & the other six are for the players. I love the little loot tiles that come with this game, they are fun to shake around in the loot bag and I appreciate that they aren't flimsy pieces of cardboard. I also really like the art on the character cards, there are forty different characters & each one is unique. All of the character cards have a pirate theme to them & are all animals, one of my favorites is the Gunner which is an adorable pirate sloth! 

This game is played over the course of three rounds & each round has a different number of turns. The first round will consist of four turns, the second round has five turns and the final round will have six turns. You will also start each round with a different number of character cards to play, this may vary from the other competing players depending on which cards you play each round. To start off the game, one person will shuffle their character deck & select six random character cards. The other players will pull out the same character cards from their deck & this will be the hand you will play with during the first round. Everyone will be on the same playing field, but what will set you apart is the order you play your cards in and how much reputation you have on the board. 

Once per turn, you will select one character card to play & at the end of your turn if your card is still on the board it can be moved to your ship. Every character card has it's own ability that will be used to play the game, some cards allow you to add additional character cards to your ship without playing them, some remove other players characters from the game & more. The order of who goes each turn is determined by the number at the top of the character cards, it starts from the lowest number to the highest in how they are placed out onto the board. So what happens if there is a tied number? There is a reputation track that helps determine the winner during a tie, the lower reputation will be placed out first. At the start of the second & third rounds, you will do the same character card selection mentioned above and add them to any cards you have left over from the previous round. 

Your main goal is to collect characters in your ship who will help add doubloons to your treasure chest, you will also want to collect loot that helps add doubloons as well. At the end of the game the winner is the pirate who was able to find & collect the most doubloons. It can be a pretty fast paced & also cut throat game as you work to build your loot while also stopping your competitors in their tracks. It can be a lot of fun to see how everyone plays out their cards, even when someone plays a card that boots one of your characters, it is still all fun and games. We enjoy playing this together, it is an easy game to set up, game play is fun + quick and it is fast to put away as well. This has made a wonderful addition to our growing board game collection.

Does this sound like a board game you would enjoy playing? What is your favorite feature of this game?

If you want to find more great board games like Libertalia head over to check out my Board Game Reviews section.

Disclaimer- The products mentioned above were provided by Stone Maier Games for the review free of charge no other compensation was provided. However, no product compensation will influence the outcome of any review. My honest opinions are used in all reviews, they are solely my own & they may vary from others. My reviews are posted for readers in order to provide an informed decision before purchase.

The Court of Miracles Board Game Review!

 

Having board games that are easy to set up & quick to play is a must in our house. We love playing board games, but sometimes one of us is busy or doesn't want to play something too long so having a fun, quick & easy game to play is our go to. I recently received a copy of a game called "The Court of Miracles" and it fits that category perfectly. The game itself takes less than five minutes to put together & depending on how well you strategize your movements, this game can go by pretty quickly. It is also easy to learn & there isn't a lot of rules to remember. The Court of Miracles is recommended for ages 10+ & it is set up for two to five players. The box states it generally takes forty minutes a game, however as I mentioned if you have a clear game plan & everyone else does as well a games can be shorter than that. This game retails for $40 on the Lucky Duck Website. 

Each player gets their own factions of "beggars" looking to earn the most coin in order to conquer neighborhoods by placing out all six of their Renwon tokens onto the board. You'll start the game with four player tokens + four rouge tokens along with a plot card and a set amount of coins. The game is set in 16th century Paris, the deck of plot cards feature a wide range of characters from Jesters to Knights. Plot cards can help push a game into your favor & they can also help you stop a competitor in their tracks. The rouge tokens have a face side which features a number & picture that each represent a score, these scores will be used to fight in duels on the board. 

We've had a lot of fun playing this game together as a family. I think it would also make a fun game for a game night with friends as it would be easy to teach so you aren't wasting time explaining a wide range of rules. Everything in this game is pretty straight forward, collect items you need to get your Renown pieces onto the board and battle to take control of each neighborhood onto the board. The first person to put all six of their Renown pieces onto the board is the winner. 

Does this sound like a board game you would enjoy playing? What is your favorite feature of this game?

If you want to find more great board games like The Court of Miracles head over to check out my Board Game Reviews section.

Disclaimer- The products mentioned above were provided by Lucky Duck Games for the review free of charge no other compensation was provided. However, no product compensation will influence the outcome of any review. My honest opinions are used in all reviews, they are solely my own & they may vary from others. My reviews are posted for readers in order to provide an informed decision before purchase.

March Beauty & The Book Giveaway!

 

This month's Beauty & The Book giveaway has an assortment of both beauty and fun non-beauty products that are all bright and colorful. Instead of going with an actual book this month, I found an adorable 52 week self-reflection journal that can help you keep track of lists, weekly plans and more. I actually picked two of them up so you'll see the journal again in another month's giveaway bundle. 

February was a good & very busy month for me and my family. The month really seemed to fly by, so this last week we've just been enjoying have a slower week spending time together, hence why this post is being put up a few days late. I don't really have any updates for this months beauty and the book post so lets get to what is in this months giveaway bundle. 

🍀What's Included in this month's Giveaway; 🍀

★ Self-love planner
★ NYX Mini Palette
★ It Cosmetics face cream
★ Revolution Beetlejuice Mascara
★ Ioni Eye lashes
★ Maybelline Lipstick
★ Maybelline Tattoo Studio brow lift stick
★ L.A Colors black eyeliner
★ Glass nail file
★ Three different face/eye face masks
★ Mini Watermelon cards
★ Lipstick organizer
★ Conditioner sample
★ Colorful Tumbler
★ Makeup Bag
★ Baby Grogu
★ Set of shower steamers 

This is open Worldwide! Please remember if you DO NOT leave a comment on this blog post as your mandatory entry into the giveaway then all of your entries will be void. Doing the Daily entries will increase your chance of winning. Winners have 72 hours to respond to the notification email! This giveaway is hosted by ME.

This giveaway ends on 03/02/2024

Giveaway entry question: Leave a comment answering at least one of these questions.

Which item in this bundle are you most excited about?

Do you have any fun upcoming plans?

What kind of products would you be excited to see in an upcoming bundle?

a Rafflecopter giveaway

It is easiest if you log onto Rafflecopter using the Name/Email Address option. 

You can complete as many entries as you want, there are several one-time activities and daily activities that can earn you more entries into the giveaway. Be sure to keep an eye on my site & social media pages for more giveaways headed your way.