Fun With Kids in the Oakland and Berkeley
Do you need any more good reasons to go to the movies? Here are three great ones brought to you by the New Parkway Family Classics! The New Parkway theater in Oakland has great food, BEER, and room for kids to move around. Friday and Saturdays feature throwback movies — called the Family Classics — [...]
Berkeley Unified School District (BUSD) is in jeopardy of losing their pre-K through high school gardening and cooking programs as of October 1st. Many concerned parents and businesses are fighting back. And you can help, too. By eating good food. This upcoming Wednesday May 22nd, Whole Foods Market Berkeley will be donating 5% of Net [...]
Disneyland has alerted us to new park features opening this summer. Here’s a round-up: At California Adventure Cars Land and Buena Vista Street Based on Emeryville’s own beloved Pixar characters — Cars Land recreated the town of Radiator Springs along Route 66 — the recently expanded Disney California Adventure Park just added four new attractions: [...]
If you like to get your tools out and invent in a crafty, constructy, tinkery kind of way then you should head south for the 2013 Maker Faire. There are several excellent exhibits for curious kids (but to be completely honest, I usually wish I left them at home so I could enjoy my own [...]
Join Doulaville Birth Services to learn about local childbirth options including up to date research on maternity services that promote the best outcomes for you and baby in these completely free mini-classes. RSVP recommended. Read detailed class descriptions at http://www.sf.doulaville.com/family-education.html. May 15 – Enriching Pregnancy June 19 – Postpartum Pampering July 17 – So This [...]
I can remember taking surf camp lessons in Sayulita when I was a single, child-free chica. This program sounds like so much fun, albeit completely impractical for my summer camp needs: Sea, Surf & Fun 5 day surf camps are designed for kids ages 6-19 years old. Each day, expert instructors teach a surf lesson [...]
Alameda parents, this fun activity is in celebration of Le Petit Matisse’s one year birthday.
My friend, Carla, recently moved to Oakland with her little girl and they’ve been spreading a little sunshine as they move through our community. This project was spawned as part of a Keep Austin Weird idea but I think it works perfectly for our quirky corner of the world. I love her spirit and I [...]
A Microsoft Store just opened in San Francisco at the Westfield Shopping Center (the newest, fanciest mall with Bloomingdale’s off the Powell St BART station). It is a brightly lit shopping extravaganza for fans of the XBox and other MS projects. I joined a cadre of media to watch the grand opening store unveiling in [...]
Put your helmet on and let’s ride! The East Bay Bicycle Coalition is offering family safety bike clinics, rodeos, helmet fittings, and street parties in addition to the usual Bike to Work and School rides. Find some more events on the EBBC website calendar. I requested their help in deciphering which rides and parties might [...]
This memoir of my childhood summers was sponsored by Camp Galileo. I was just talking with Whitney this morning about what sorts of activities filled our summer vacations. I don’t remember any of the cool daycamp options that we have in the Bay Area today. I’m not sure if they didn’t exist or were too [...]
Crab Cove in Alameda is a terrific place for children age 3 to 12 who like to get their hands dirty. If your kiddo loves the feel of sand between her fingers, consider their nature-themed birthday parties. As of this writing, the Alameda estuary’s visitor center offers two different themes: Bay Critters and Reptiles. What you [...]
This guest post was submitted by Erica from Cruise Web; she is the Social Media Coordinator and did a heap of research at my request. I asked her to share with us a few cruises that sail from the West Coast and other considerations for cruises as a family vacation. Child-friendly cruising is becoming more [...]
I was a lucky chaperone on a field trip to Alameda’s Crab Cove with a class of curious kindergartners. I learned about marine mammals (native critters), estuaries (fresh water + ocean water), and how often snacks and hugs are required to keep our energy up (lots!). What’s so special about Crab Cove? The Crab Cove [...]
The terrific hands-on Museum of Children’s Art is moving to a bigger and better space. Don’t worry, it’s still in Oakland! The new location for MOCHA will be at 1625 Clay St, just a few blocks from the 19th St BART station. Key dates The last day open to the public at the current location, [...]
Go Giants! Though I’m not much of a baseball fan, it’s pretty exciting having world champs in our backyard. Am I right? To get a taste of the action without paying for a ticket, you and your children can head down to the fan lot playground on non-game days. I learned this tip from San [...]
There really is something for everyone as UC Berkeley, AKA Cal, opens its doors to the families of the East Bay for Cal Day. My husband and second grader have their eyes on auditing another physics class while my kindergartner and toddler want to run around the grounds making slime and looking for doggies and [...]
