Scientists agree that the only reason adults have children is so they have a socially acceptable reason to visit amusement parks, eat at novelty pizza arcades, and see movies with Shreks in them. Put some fun in the oven with today's kid-friendly Groupon to Kidsville Playtown in Carlsbad. Choose between the following options:

• For $20, you get admission for two children to a character event (a $40 value). This deal may be used by two children in one visit, or by one child twice.
• For $24, you get a five-admission punch card (up to a $50 value).

At Kidsville Playtown, young children play, make friends, and learn about how communities work in a safe, socks-only environment. Structured like a small town, Kidsville’s mini Main Street bustles with play cars that wheel past brightly colored, playhouse-size versions of a local firehouse, doctor's office, and DMV. Littler ones can visit Kidsville's neighboring suburb, Babiesville, where kids 2 and younger bounce around in soft-foam blocks for free with paid admission of an older friend or sibling. While the kids busy themselves with putting on a puppet show about the pitfalls of Keynesian economics at Kidsville Theater, Mom or Dad can sit in the adult lounge and check email on the free WiFi or enjoy a refreshing beverage from the concession stand.

Weekly character events stimulate two hours of imaginative play with stories, crafts, and dress-up games attended by children and a costumed cast of mermaids, space heroes, and storybook princesses. Meanwhile, parents can rest easy knowing their kids are under the watchful eye of attendants trained in CPR, first aid, and cooties inoculation.