Phone: (281) 479-2816

Social distancing and staying home are important measures to help keep the number of COVID-19 cases as low as possible. However, at this point, even the most introverted among us are starting to feel a bit stir-crazy! During these challenging times, it’s more important than ever to reach out to friends and family and maintain the connections that keep our hearts full and our heads on straight. Check out these tips to learn how to stay in touch while social distancing.

How to Stay in Touch with Friends and Family During the Coronavirus Pandemic

Host a party. 

Technology is a double-edged sword, but right now, it’s definitely feeling like a lifesaver. There are more ways than ever to stay connected, including throwing a (virtual) party! 

Houseparty has been wildly popular during the pandemic, and for good reason. This app makes it easy and fun to hang out with friends and family, and unlike many of the other videoconferencing tools out there, it also includes fun games to get and keep everyone engaged. Whether you’re battling it out in trivia or playing the pictionary-esque drawing game, the app can help you forget about the news for a while and just enjoy each others’ company… even if it is virtual. 

Of course, Houseparty isn’t the only option when it comes to group hangouts; you can also host a movie night or watch your favorite shows with friends via one of the major streaming platforms. Netflix and Facebook have watch party features built right in, but there are other apps you can use to start watch parties on other platforms. Check out this guide to hosting a watch party, then pop up some popcorn and settle in for movie night with your favorite people. 

Send some snail mail.

Of course email, texting, and social media are great ways to keep in touch, but if you want to give someone an extra bit of sunshine in their day, why not go the old-fashioned route? Send a letter, a postcard, a care package, or a greeting card. Who doesn’t love opening their mailbox to find that there’s more than just bills and junk mail inside? 

If you have kids, get out the construction paper, markers, stickers, etc. and help them create cards to send to grandparents, classmates, teachers, or anyone your child is missing. These 40 homemade card ideas for kids are a good place to start!

Arrange playdates and hangouts for your kids, too.

Speaking of kids, don’t forget that they need some outside social interaction as well. These are some fun ways to keep them connected, or for you to connect with your own nieces, nephews, grandchildren, etc. 

• FaceTime story time: Enlist family members, neighbors, and friends to read a book to your child remotely. 
• Virtual playdates: Use a platform like Zoom, Skype, Google Hangouts, or Houseparty to host an online playdate for your kids and their friends. They can play charades, sing along to their favorite music, bake together from the same recipe, play dress up or fashion show, or even have a “dance off” with each person choosing a song and demonstrating their coolest moves. 

Once this is over, it will feel even more special to gather with friends for parties and group events, but in the meantime, we hope these ideas help you stay connected with the ones you love!

Families all over the U.S. are struggling to figure out this whole new world of the coronavirus pandemic, with parents attempting to work from home while watching their kids and overseeing online school, even teaching kids how to use digital conferencing tools like Zoom! Others are putting their own health at stake as front line workers in healthcare, grocery stores, pharmacies, and other necessary businesses that are keeping our society running despite everything.

Our hearts go out to all of the COVID-19 patients and their families, as well as the heroes who are still out in public doing their jobs. At Skate World Deer Park, we can’t wait until it’s safe to reopen and welcome you all back for some skating fun and friendship. Until then, check out these indoor activities that we hope will keep you and your kids entertained. 

Things to Do Indoors with Kids During the Coronavirus Pandemic

Online Field Trips

If there’s one saving grace to social distancing and quarantining, it’s the internet. These days there are tons of fantastic resources to help your child learn at home, from virtual museum tours to science activities. You can even watch performances from theaters like Shakespeare’s Globe Theater and the Center for Puppetry Arts. While not quite as exciting as our in-person STEM field trips, these online experiences will make you feel like you’re traveling the world, right from your kitchen table. 

Arts and Crafts

Speaking of puppets, why not get creative with an at-home craft project? The Center for Puppetry Arts has a whole series of videos showing you and your child how to make different kinds of puppets from various odds and ends that you probably already have at home! Other creative indoor activities to do with kids include: 

• Building a glow-in-the-dark jellyfish mobile (Craftiments)
• Getting musical with upcycled lid banjos (The Craft Train)
• Making tissue box monsters (The Best Ideas for Kids)

Games

Since playgrounds are closed down and kids are not able to play with friends and neighbors like they usually would, it’s more important than ever to keep them active. Fortunately there are tons of indoor games you can teach them to get some energy out and stave off boredom. 

• Tape off some squares on the floor with painters tape and let them play beanbag toss or hopscotch. 
• Use empty two liter soda bottles and a nerf ball to create a “bowling alley” right in your hallway. 
• Teach them the pre-internet childhood classic “the floor is lava.” This will no doubt provide plenty of entertainment for you, as well—just remember to set some ground rules for the safety of your kids (and your belongings). 

Recipes

Another challenge of staying home due to coronavirus is feeding your family so many meals, not to mention doing all of the dishes that come along with them! If your kids are old enough, why not enlist them as your sous chefs? There are lots of dishes kids can help with or even make by themselves. If you have teens, give them some important life experience by teaching them simple recipes, then make dinner their responsibility one night a week. They’ll learn how to feed themselves something other than ramen when they go off to college, and you get a night off from cooking!

As we try to contain the spread of novel coronavirus COVID-19, families all over the world are struggling with the challenges of social distancing, not only for work and school, but also for the important events of life. But true to form, the ingenuity of the human spirit can’t be stopped by a virus, as illustrated by these folks who thought outside of the box to celebrate kids birthdays while social distancing. They had some fantastic ideas that just might work for your birthday kid, too!

At Skate World Deer Park, we know birthday parties, and we know how to make them a hit no matter the circumstances! Check out these spring birthday party ideas to make memories with your kids right now despite coronavirus. Once it’s safe to go out for non-emergencies again, you can celebrate in person with the friends you’ve been missing. 

Spring Birthday Ideas for Kids (Yes, Even While Social Distancing)

Stage a birthday parade.

If your birthday guests still want to make the day special, get them to decorate their cars with birthday signs, balloons, etc. and drive past your house. Set up a chair with some decorations on your front porch and let the birthday kid sit on their “throne” while the cars parade by. They can play music, sing “Happy Birthday,” or blow party horns. 

Hold a virtual party. 

It’s easy to feel isolated during this time, but there are still plenty of ways to stay in touch. Consider planning a virtual birthday party for your child using Google Hangouts, Skype, or Zoom. Ask the other kids’ parents to bake cupcakes with them and make construction paper party hats. Then they can sing the birthday song over video conferencing and enjoy “partying” together through their screens!

Go on a birthday walk.

If you’re close with your neighbors, try to enlist them to help you out with a special birthday walk. They can write messages on their driveways with sidewalk chalk, decorate their yards, or just sing “Happy Birthday” from their porches. Take your child on a walk to get out of the house and stretch your legs. As you walk, they’ll get to discover more and more birthday surprises. Just make sure everyone on your route knows to maintain a safe distance of at least 6 feet!
To add an educational component and make it a nature walk, you can even point out different types of plants or wildlife; have your child collect items like pinecones, stones, feathers, and flowers; or help them keep a journal about what they saw on the walk. 

Plant something.

If you’re running out of things to do with your kids while you’re stuck at home, you’re not alone! But if you haven’t already, consider going to your backyard and doing some gardening to take advantage of the beautiful spring weather. Kids can get hours of enjoyment from playing in the dirt, and you can make it extra special by planting a tree, flowers, or a veggie garden. If you plant something edible, you can add it to the menu later when it’s safe to have a “do over” birthday party!

Of course, we hope the coronavirus situation will soon improve, and that you’ll be able to reconnect with friends and family in person to make up for lost time. When that day comes, we’ll be here to help with the best birthday parties in Deer Park. Until then, stay well and take care of each other!

Did you know that family time is not just fun, it’s also important? It’s true! According to the American College of Pediatricians, kids who spend fun and meaningful time with their parents and siblings enjoy a number of benefits, including: 

• Better behavior at school and decreased likelihood to get into trouble
• Less negative impacts from stress and better coping mechanisms
• Stronger family bonds, which are key to helping kids get through the tough teen years

If you’re looking for fun things to do in Deer Park with your family, you’ve come to the right place. Here at Skate World Deer Park, we’re the local experts on family fun! Check out these suggestions for ways to make some memories and bond with your family. 

Things to Do in Deer Park and Around Houston

Hike

You can’t beat the outdoors when it comes to quality family time. Harvard researchers have found that being out in nature is literally good for your overall wellbeing and health, even helping to lower blood pressure and lower the levels of cortisol (a stress hormone) in the body. 

There are lots of cool places to hike in and around Houston and Deer Park, so lace up those boots and get your troop out in nature for some R&R. 

These are some of the best places for hiking and nature walks in Deer Park: 

• Armand Bayou Hike & Bike Trail
• University of Houston Nature Trail
• Trinity River National Wildlife Refuge

Explore

Houston is rich with museums; in fact, the city has a whole museum district! Depending on your kids’ ages and interests, there’s always something new to see and discover, from the Children’s Museum of Houston and the Health Museum to the Houston Zoo and the Museum of Natural Science. 

How many of these museums have you visited? They all have something unique to offer, so take a lazy Saturday with your kids and see what you can discover. 

Skate

Of course, we’d be remiss if we didn’t mention one of the best things to do with your family in Deer Park—roller skating! Here at Skate World Deer Park, we pride ourselves on giving local families a safe, fun place to cut loose and burn off some energy.  Roller skating isn’t just fun and social, it’s also a great fitness activity to do with your whole family. Skating burns calories, strengthens muscles, and improves cardiovascular health. Plus, most kids can start learning to skate shortly after learning to walk, so nobody gets left out. Skating is also a low-impact activity, so parents and grandparents can enjoy it without worrying about putting stress on the joints. 

Check out our spring break hours and regular sessions to plan your visit, and be sure to follow us on Facebook and tag your photos!

Fundraisers are an important way for most schools, sports teams, scout troops, youth groups, and other organizations to earn those extra funds that can make a big difference for our kids. Whether you’re raising money to build a school garden, upgrade a playground, fund a mission trip, pay for soccer tournament expenses, or just provide better services overall to the kids in your program, you’ve found the best-kept secret in the eastern Greater Houston and Baytown areas—FUNdraisers at Skate World Deer Park! 

Putting the FUN in School Fundraisers 

Our Deer Park skating rink has been helping local schools raise money for over 30 years with fun, family-friendly events that not only generate funds, but also create memories that will last a lifetime.  

How Our FUNdraisers Work

Our FUNdraisers are 2 hours long and take place during times when we are closed to the public, allowing your group to enjoy the whole facility to yourselves! In order for your private event to be considered a fundraiser, you must invite the whole school. Kids under 18 years old pay an admission fee of $6, which includes skate rental. Adults can skate for the same price, but non-skating adults are welcome to enter for FREE! 

The more skaters that show up for your fundraiser event, the more money your school makes! Check out our pricing structure to see how it works: 

• At 1-50 skaters, you’ll receive $1 per skater, allowing you to earn up to $50.
• At 51-100 skaters, you’ll receive $2 per skater, allowing you to earn up to $200.
• At 101-150 skaters, you’ll receive $2.50 per skater, allowing you to earn up to $375.
• At 151-200 skaters, you’ll receive $3 per skater, allowing you to earn up to $600!

Why Parents, Kids, and Teachers LOVE Our FUNdraisers

There are so many reasons why people love our Deer Park fundraiser events, but these are some of the top ones:

• We make event planning easy. Just give us a call at 281-479-2816 or email groupsales@skateworlds.com to discuss your fundraising needs. We’ll get you set up with a crowd-pleasing event that people will be excited to attend. 
• Roller skating is a healthy activity! Skating is not only a great cardio workout, but also helps you build and strengthen your lower body and core muscles. It’s a good way to get kids to “unplug” from TV, phones, and video games to get some exercise, without feeling like a chore. 
• Skating parties are great icebreakers and friendship-growers. Our FUNdraisers get everyone out on the rink having a blast, and help kids forge stronger bonds with their classmates. Friendships made at the skating rink can be lifelong blessings. 

Ready to roll with the best fundraisers in Deer Park? We can’t wait to help you make your fundraising goals a reality! 

Roller skating is more than a sport or a hobby, it can be a lifelong passion! With so many physical and mental health benefits, it’s understandable that you’d want to share your love of skating with your children. While some kids pick up skating right away and are zooming around the rink before you know it, others need a little more coaching to feel comfortable on wheels. Check out these roller skating safety tips for kids to keep your little skaters safe while they learn how to skate. 

Roller Skating Safety for Kids

Start With Skating Lessons

One of the best things you can do to help your kids learn to skate safely is to put them in roller skating lessons. Here at Skate World Deer Park, we offer public and private roller skating lessons for ages 5 through 12 years. We’ve been teaching kids to skate for a long time and have helped many people learn to LOVE roller skating!  

Lessons include all of the basics—standing, falling, skating forwards and backwards, stopping, turning—plus games and activities to get kids confident on skates and having a blast. Each course consists of five 45 minute lessons. Email us at skateworldlessons@gmail.com to see when the next course starts.  

Teach Them How to Fall on Skates

Speaking of the basics, one of the first things any beginner skater needs to learn is how to safely fall on skates. Teach your child to try to fall forward rather than backward, how to go down on one knee for a controlled landing, and how to catch themselves and get back up without putting their hands down on the floor. Then practice these skills together until they feel like second nature. Once your child knows that A) everyone falls down sometimes, and B) that falling down doesn’t have to be painful, they’ll be able to relax and enjoy the experience more fully. 

Dress For Success

One of the best ways to keep kids safe while they learn to skate is to make sure they’re wearing the appropriate clothing and safety gear. Comfortable clothing that allows for easy movement is ideal—nothing too tight or too baggy. Long dresses, baggy pants, or anything with trailing ribbons, straps, etc. is not appropriate as they can pose a tripping hazard for your child or other skaters. 

Long pants and sleeves are great, as they provide some protection in case of a fall. However, you should also consider putting your child in safety gear like elbow and knee pads, wrist braces, and a helmet. Safety gear can help them feel more confident as they learn to skate and prevent injuries, ensuring that they have a positive experience instead of a potentially painful one. 

Remember, practice makes perfect, so bring your family for skating fun as often as possible. We host public skate sessions 5 days a week. Good luck, parents! We hope to see you soon at our Deer Park skating rink. 

A lot of New Year’s resolutions involve health and fitness, and if you’re one of the many folks who have made a commitment to getting in shape in 2020, you may be starting to tire of your gym routine. While studies suggest that 80% of New Year’s resolutions fail by February, your fitness goals don’t have to be all or nothing! If the gym isn’t keeping your interest, try fun fitness activities that make working out a pleasure instead of a chore. Roller skating is one of the best ways to combine your health goals with a fun activity you’ll actually look forward to doing!

Fun Fitness Tips for Your 2020 Resolutions

If you’ve been letting your resolution to “get in shape” or “be healthy” fall by the wayside, don’t feel bad. You’re not alone, and skipping the gym for a few days does not make you a failure! Real life is busy, messy, and rarely cooperative with our best-laid plans, so try to be flexible and keep your mind open to new opportunities and ways of doing things. 

Variety Is the Spice of Life

Gyms serve their purpose, but it’s no mystery why so many people stop going after a while. Using the same machines, running on the same treadmill, lifting the same weights—it can all get pretty boring, at least for anyone who isn’t deep into fitness competition or personal training. The key is to find physical activities you love, and to keep trying new things and having fresh experiences! Variety is the spice of life, as they say, so why not switch up your workout routine with roller skating, trying a new sport, or taking a class you’ve never tried before? 

Varying Your Workouts is Actually Good For You!

Whether you work out in a gym, run 10ks, or play a sport, it’s important to change up your workout routine regularly. Doing the same workout every day is not only boring, but can also cause overuse and repetitive strain injuries. (Think tennis elbow, golf elbow, carpal tunnel syndrome, plantar fasciitis, housemaid knee, etc.)

Roller Skating Makes Working Out Fun and Effective

When looking for fun workout ideas, roller skating is a no-brainer. Most of us learned how to skate as kids at a school event or a friend’s birthday party, so getting back out on the rink can make you feel like a kid again. 

Roller skating also has some pretty fantastic health benefits, including: 

• Toning and strengthening your leg and butt muscles.
• Developing those hard-to-reach core muscles of your abdominals and back, which are integral to good posture.
• Cardiovascular conditioning through aerobic exercise. It’s important to get your heart rate up, even if it’s by dancing to a classic skate jam! 

Whether you’re looking for fun fitness in Deer Park or just want to have fun period, visit us at Skate World Deer Park for one of our open skating sessions or special events.

As Willy Wonka famously stated, “If the good Lord intended us to walk, he never would’ve invented roller skates.” If you’re looking for affordable, family-friendly ways to get active and have fun, you can’t go wrong with a visit to the skating rink. In fact, roller skating can even benefit child development! Learn why roller skating is good for kids, and consider signing your child up for our beginner skating lessons in Deer Park. 

How Roller Skating Benefits Child Development

Roller skating strengthens important muscle groups. 

Let’s say you haven’t roller skated in a while, but you spend a few hours at the skating rink. You have a blast, and skating comes back to you just like riding a bike. But the next day, you’ll probably notice that you’re a little sore in your legs and maybe even your abs. Why is that? Well, roller skating actually does a great job of strengthening leg muscles (calves, quads, glutes, hamstrings) and your core (abdominal and back muscles that are integral to balance). 

In kids, roller skating can help them build those important muscle groups, but they won’t even notice they’re getting exercise because they’ll be having so much fun. In addition to toning and strengthening muscles, skating also happens to be a fantastic aerobic activity. It gets the heart rate up and the blood pumping, which is good for heart health. 

Roller skating develops balance and coordination.

The reason that skating can make your abs sore is that you’re constantly using your core to adjust your balance while on skates. You might not realize it at the time, but all of those minute movements you’re making to stay balanced and upright are engaging your core muscles. 

Learning to stand and roll on 4 wheels is tricky, but once your kids get the hang of it, they’ll be zooming around the rink in no time. Learning to do moves like a crossover, skating backwards, or the moonwalk will challenge them even more and help them develop balance, agility, and coordination skills. 

Roller skating provides socialization. 

Of course, the benefits of roller skating for kids are not all physical. Skating is also a great way to socialize, and by teaching your child to skate, you’re giving them the gift of a lifelong hobby. Skating is low-impact and allows you to go at your own pace, which is why some skaters continue to skate into their 80s!

Whether you want to share the fun of roller skating with your kids, nephews, nieces, grandchildren, or anyone else, Skate World Deer Park is the place to be. Save on your next visit with our Family Four Pack. We hope to see your whole crew cutting loose on the skating rink in 2020! 

“Time flies when you’re having fun,” and boy did we! It sure doesn’t seem like we should already be heading into 2020, but there are only a few weeks left before it’s here. If you’re wondering where the time has gone, don’t let the busyness of the holidays keep you from slowing down to enjoy yourself before the year is out. In fact, the stress of the holidays is a good reason in and of itself to carve out some quality time with your partner, kids, siblings, or parents. 

According to the American Psychological Association, 38% of us feel more stressed out during the holidays, and other studies have shown that over half of us struggle with financial stress during the holidays. It’s undeniable that there’s a lot of pressure to spend money—on gifts, travel, parties, food and drinks, etc.—and many people feel that their spending is a reflection on how much they love their family and friends. If this is all sounding a bit too familiar (and probably stressing you out), don’t worry. Just check out our tips for making family memories this holiday season. 

Focus on quality time over quantity of time.

Take a deep breath and let go of your mental to-do list for a minute. When was the last time you really slowed down and enjoyed laughing with your kids or dancing with your spouse? It’s easy to fall into the holiday FOMO (fear of missing out) trap, especially since we’re bombarded with everyone else’s highlight reels on social media. Just remember that those Instagram images aren’t the whole truth, and you don’t have to do it all. In fact, you can’t! 

Instead, focus on being present in the moment with your loved ones. At the end of the day, your kids are more likely to look back and smile on their childhood memories of hanging out with you than on whether or not everyone had matching sweaters in the group photos with Santa. 

Give the gift of experiences.

With that in mind, take a break from the shopping and make some memories with your family! Roller skating is a great way to have fun while also being active; especially important at this time of year when we’re surrounded by rich food and decadent treats. 

Your kids will appreciate burning off some energy at the skating rink, and the adults can take a break from holiday stress to enjoy feeling like a kid again, too. After all, it’s hard to be stressed when you’re cruising around on wheels to your favorite music. 

Hosting out of town family for the holidays? Don’t let cabin fever set in. Get everyone off the couch and join us for one of our public skating sessions.

So, you want to throw a holiday party, but you’re not sure how to start. Fortunately, you’ve come to the perfect place. Here at Skate World Deer Park, we’re experienced pros when it comes to hosting great parties. Our birthday parties and group events are always a hit, and we make it easy by taking care of the details so you can enjoy yourself. 

Ready to celebrate? Read on to learn how to throw a great holiday party!

Nail down your date ASAP. 

The holidays are super hectic for most people, and scheduling conflicts are inevitable. The closer you wait until the holidays, the more booked up people will be. If you’re hosting your party here at our Deer Park skating rink or another party venue, you’ll need to book your party sooner rather than later for the same reason. Holiday party slots are going fast, so don’t put it off any longer. 

Remember to send your invitations out as soon as your party is booked so people have plenty of time to work your event into their holiday party plans. Most people these days would prefer a digital invitation anyway, so find your favorite and spread the word. 

Set your event apart. 

We’ve all been to the same run-of-the-mill neighborhood get-togethers and office parties for years, so why not liven things up with a unique party theme? A roller skating party is the perfect way to enjoy time with your favorite people in a festive atmosphere, without all the work of throwing a party at home. A built-in activity is the perfect way to ensure everyone gets in on the fun, and skating is fun for everyone from little kids to seniors. 

Spread the holiday cheer. 

The holiday season is all about warm hearts and generosity, so use your party to spread the good vibes by organizing a food drive (or books, toys, coats, etc.). Make sure you check with your local charities to see what they need, and encourage your guests to bring a donation with them to the party. Afterwards, you can donate everything you collected to the local food bank, foster kids program, Toys for Tots, homeless shelter, or other organization. 

Give gifts with a twist. 

If you plan to exchange gifts during your party, consider switching things up with one of these unique gift exchange ideas. Secret Santa is a classic, but you can also try Dirty Santa, White Elephant, Hot Potato, even a cookie swap or handmade gift exchange! If you know your guests all have similar interests (coffee, books) you could even do a gift exchange of all mugs, all books, etc. 

Are you ready to eat, drink, and be merry? Get in touch with us to book your holiday party in Deer Park!