Fun With Kids in the Oakland and Berkeley
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 [...]
Since launching this site, I have had the great pleasure of becoming connected to other hyperlocal bloggers who have started similar sites in their own cities. From Atlanta to Grand Rapids, MI to Westchester County, NY, my peers have put together online resources to serve their communities, and perhaps, with summer travel on the horizon, [...]
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 [...]
Designed to expose folks both to comic books as an art and entertainment form and also to their local independent comic book shops, Free Comic Book Day is being observed on May 4th by a handful of East Bay locations. The free books, designed especially for this promotion, will satisfy a variety of ages and [...]
So maybe it’s not as cool as ‘First Friday,’ but you can probably get some great deals out at first-Saturday flea market in Alameda. You’ll never have so much fun learning (or practicing) a language with your tot! (This one is Italian.) There’s some tough pizza competition in town, but nothing compares to student garden-grown [...]
Can you think of anything sweeter than starting the weekend with a sing-a-long? If you’re in or near Alameda, you could check out their Mama Goose Story Time for babies and tots. Bring the fam to La Pena for a Latin American music concert. I know some families who’ve crossed the bay bridge to see [...]
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, [...]
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 [...]
Drop in for a musical play group at La Pena. Take your LEGO “maniac” to the West Oakland library for some Lego mania. Saturday is Cal day. So much going on around campus that you’ll want a passport. Ditch the loud music and jumping castles – instead, spread mulch, plant seeds and listen to poetry. [...]
The Exploratorium, long a favorite destination for Bay Area families, has relocated to Pier 15 along the Embarcadero of San Francisco Bay, finally wrapping up its move from its old location at the Palace of Fine Arts. It opens to the public with an ambitious array of public entertainment offerings, many of them free, on [...]
The Children’s Creativity Museum, located next to Yerba Buena Gardens in San Francisco is hosting Creativity Day on Saturday, April 13, 2013. This event is free to the public. Visitors of all ages are invited to meet featured innovators and enjoy a variety of activities and programs such as: Facilitated workshops designed to build creative confidence in youth [...]
The day will disappear quickly if you join in the fun at at Studio Grow’s daily, all-morning programs! Watch even your wiggliest child turn into a still silhouette. (At Alameda and Rockridge!) Bring your tot out to discover fish, crabs and snails at the Hayward Interpretive Center. Go dancing! Or… go dancing! What better venue [...]
Whitney asked me to write up all the great kid-friendly attractions in Hayward and I need your help. This is what we know about already: Kennedy Park: Whitney’s family loves this destination for their favorite pygmy goat plus a carousel, train ride, and playground all in one stop. With Target across the street, you can [...]
Even kids too young for the engine room tour will have a blast. The flight deck features more aircraft, wide expanses of tarmac that little legs can use to run off energy and gorgeous views of San Francisco and the East Bay hills.
