**Each week I’ll feature fun activities you and your kids can enjoy for the rest of summer vacation

Okay, school is only a week away for most students in the Valley.

Meaning, it is time to start doing a little bit educational things instead of just fun stuff. Who says that being educational can't be fun too.

This week we are going to take a look and see what kind of historical and educational things there are to do around Colorado that will also be fun for the kids.

I have never actually been to Mesa Verde. This is a place I would love to take my kids soon. Every person I have asked about this place has said one thing. "it is awesome and that I should visit." You get to see cave dwellings and signs of people that no longer there. This is an educational place I am sure will keep your kid's attention the whole time you are there.

Have you ever wanted to feel like a miner and get gold from out of the earth? Well, at Hidee Gold Mine your dream can become a reality. The kids will enjoy the fact that they will be able to get a little dirty, too! They will take you on a tour and will give you your own chisel and hammer. You get to keep whatever you pull from the mine. This is a must do with your kids.

Rock Ledge Ranch is a good place to get your kid's brains pumping again. It shows how people use to live in Colorado. They show four different time periods and how each one of them was different in how they lived. Reenactments are also done which I think is extremely cool. One of the eras visited is the Galloway Homestead from the 1860s. This is a place that will make sure your kids are going back to school with the creative juices flowing.

The Museum of Western Colorado is right in your own backyard. I have only been to this museum once but I did spend hours there learning about the Valley. My kids also thought it was really cool seeing all of the things that took place in western Colorado. Our favorite part of the museum was seeing the different vehicles and older stuff from the Valley. Like the really old classroom.

The Denver Museum of Nature and Science is probably my families most favorite place to go. There is so much information there about the growth of Colorado. The different animals and plants that were alive sometime ago. Both my daughters ask so many questions while we are there it makes me a proud dad. Your kiddos will have a wonderful time here anytime you take them.

I know with school being ever so close it is time to get the brain working again. Going to Museums and Historical places is a good way to get back into the swing of school.

This content is brought to you by our partners at Bananas Fun Park. Bananas invite you to their newly opened water park, Coconut Cove. In addition to their already fun activities, now Bananas offers a place to cool off on a hot summer day

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