Indy's Childen

Adorable, fun and full of love, pets are just as much a part of our family as the human members. To celebrate Love Your Pet Day on February 20, here are some of our favorite photos we received of our little readers and their pet pals!

Claudia (10) with Coco and Kiwi Mia (9) with Lea Grant (3) with Gus

Isabella (11) with Sour Patch

Benjamin (9) with Jango

Want to see your cute kids on this page?

Silas (4) with Muffin

Liam (4) with Darth Vader

We like getting ideas for new adventures, so we want to see where Indy kids love to play!

Whether it's a park, playground, museum or just your own backyard, email us of

photos of your kids having fun (with the kid's name and age, and the location of the photo) to editor@indyschild.com, and your picture may be selected to appear here!

NEWS & Notes Our monthly roundup of news you can use

8 BILLION

THAT’S HOW MANY POUNDS OF CANDY CONVERSATION HEARTS ARE MANUFACTURED EACH YEAR, SO WE CAN SHARE SWEET SENTIMENTS LIKE “BE MINE,” “KISS ME,” AND CURRENT TRENDS LIKE “TEXT ME.”

Source: mashed.com

celebrate Black History Month

Join The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis during their February First Thursday event for a special Black History Month Celebration to honor African American heritage and achievements in history, science, art and music. First Thursday will take place Feb. 4 from 4-8 pm. Non-members enjoy $6 per person admission during extended evening hours. Children under two are always free. Advance reservations are required and capacity is limited. Reserve your tickets at childrensmuseum.org/visit/buy-tickets.

At the Indiana State Museum, go beyond the exhibit label and learn more about the artifacts featured in the museum that connect to Black and African American history in Indiana during the Black History Gallery Tours. This tour is recommended for teens 15 and up and adults. The tour will take place Feb. 5 from 11am-noon. Register in advance at indianamuseum.org/programs/black-historygallery-tour.

DID YOU KNOW?

The Indianapolis Zoo recently celebrated the birth of two Gentoo penguin chicks, one of which was born to a same-sex pair – a first for the zoo! A female that’s actually paired with another penguin laid the egg and left it with the all-male couple, who have been caring for it ever since. Gentoo penguins co-parent their young, and just as a female-male pair would do, the two fathers have taken turns tending the nest, incubating the egg and now feeding the chick. Congratulations to the proud parents!

Source: Indianapolis Zoo