Fun With Kids in the Oakland and Berkeley
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: [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
Thanks to BandWorks for being a sponsor of 510Families.com this year. BandWorks School of Rock is a year-round program that offers group music classes to grade school aged kids in a handful of Bay Area locations, including Jack London Square. During the summer, half-day camps extend the program, allowing kids to really jam, freed from [...]
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, [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
Mother’s Day is Sunday, May 12, and we thought we’d give you enough notice to make some plans. In other words, don’t panic: it’s not this weekend. (Unless you are reading this after May 6…) Last year for Mother’s Day, I indulged myself with a workshop at Teahouse Studio in Berkeley. If you’re envious of [...]
If your summer childcare situation is something in between all or nothing, perhaps your family would like to explore half-day camps. I’ve wrangled and rounded up a few top picks for part-day camps! Habitot (Berkeley) For young campers (age 2 years, 9 months through 5 year olds), Habitot offers ten weeks of fun. Themes include [...]
On April 27, 2013 get ready for a simulated 6.9 earthquake on the Hayward Fault to hit Berkeley. Are you prepared? Reminding me of the Parks + Recreation disaster drill on television, the Berkeley CERT Citywide Exercise provides participants an opportunity to practice disaster response in their own neighborhoods. All individuals or community groups are [...]
This post is part of a series sponsored by UrbanSitter. When I wrote on our other blog, RookieMoms.com, that I have high expectations of a babysitter, it was met with mixed reactions. I shared that my (adult) babysitter bathes my kids, and some readers felt that was above and beyond the call of duty. I’d [...]
My son and I had so much fun doing a little claymation project at the Children’s Creativity Museum in San Francisco (included with admission) a couple years ago, that I’ve been hoping to have a chance to take it a little further now that he’s older. The after-school class at Sticky Art Lab in Berkeley [...]
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 [...]
After seeing her own daughter’s declining physical activity, Eva Bramwell took matters into her own hands gym and started physical training classes for school-age children. I asked her to tell us a bit more. Why did you start kids fitness programs? Kids are not getting enough exercise these days. PE programs are being cut in [...]
When my son’s best friend at school was “diagnosed” with lice, an itchy feeling on my head told me we were next.
