By Victoria Armijo

As parents and teachers we are always looking for new resources that can help our children succeed in school.  Here a few resources you can find close to home and online. 

Children’s Museum of Houston:  The museum is a great hands-on educational experience for younger children to middle school-aged.  Admission is $8 for children 1+ and adults. The museum has won a Parents Pick Choice Award for 2010. 

Cy-Fair Music and Arts:  The Cy-Fair Music and Arts provides classes and summer camps surrounded by the arts.  They offer summer camps, kindermusik, music lessons, singing class, drama, and art classes.

Cypress Academy:  Keeping your child involved in sports and healthy activity is very important for your child’s development.  Cypress Academy offers classes such as Mommy & Me, Pre-School, Girls Gymnastics, Boys Gymnastics, and Tumbling.  Check out their website for more information on schedules, classes, events, and special discounts.

Harris County Public Library:  Local libraries are a great way to find educational resources for parents and educators.  The Harris County Public Library has amazing resources for kids and teens.  They have created two different links on their website to help students find anything that they need. 

• “Kids Know it All” is what the library calls their kid's site.  Online, children are able to find a book catalog that is age appropriate, games, information to help them in school, the history of Houston, how to surf the net, and about the library.  They also have a link that will take your child directly to award-winning books, a kid's blog, and a kid's newsletter. 
• “Teens Know” is the site for the teenagers.  The website is created to make it easy for teens to find any information they need, such as  audiobooks, e-books, music, resources for homework, a book database, events and entertainment going on in the area, college information, and an easy way to contact the library directly or a librarian with any questions they might have. 

Houston Family Arts Center:   HFAC is a non-profit organization established to provide a fun outlet for creative community involvement through the production of affordable, high-quality family-friendly entertainment.  The Arts Center presents mainstage dramas, comedies, musical theatre, and dinner theatre for the entire family. 

Houston Museum of Natural Science:  On the website they have links pertaining to educators and parents that can help with some extra resources.  Teachers can research field trips, workshops, and learning centers.  Parents can learn about family events, summer camps, and family labs.  The Museum of Natural Science is a great hands-on resource for parents and teachers to allow children to learn first-hand about science.  Some of the exhibits include the butterfly exhibit, the IMAX (now playing “Born to be Wild” in 3D), and the Planetarium (now playing “Dark Side of the Moon”).

Houston Zoo:  The Houston Zoo has great information and resources that both parents and teachers can use.  This link will take you directly to the Education section of their site.  All children love animals, so this definitely makes a great field trip.  Admission for children 2-11 $8, adults 12-64 $12, the zoo also provides 1 free afternoon once a month.  Check out their schedule on the website. 

LoneStar College Cy-Fair:  Lone Star College is a premier community college, which offers many different resources for students.  They also offer a $10 per year program for adult learners (senior citizens) where they can audit any class they want. Even seniors want to learn!

Museum of Fine Arts Houston: The Museum of Fine Arts is a great resource for teaching children about the arts and its history.  The museum has monthly and weekly hands-on activity in which allows children to participate.  Admission $7 for adults and Thursdays are free. 

YMCA:  YMCAs are known to provide many different resources for parents, teachers, and students about health, social responsibility, and youth development.  Visit their website for a list of branches, membership information, an events calendar, a list of programs and services, and volunteer opportunities.

There are many places to visit in Cy-Fair and near by that can be great resources for yourself and your child.  I hope you get a chance to visit some of these amazing locations.

You can teach a student a lesson for a day; but if you can teach him to learn by creating curiosity,
he will continue the learning process as long as he lives.  ~Clay P. Bedford