Fun With Kids in the Oakland and Berkeley
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 [...]
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 [...]
Parents Night Out is a fantastic excuse for a drop-off kid party in which children eat pizza, have dessert (gasp!), watch movies, and play with other kids of a similar age until way past their bedtimes. The formula varies depending on which organization is playing host. In some cases, your kids will do gymnastics, in [...]
Call it childcare or call it camp: sometimes we need to give kids a fun place to go during school vacation days. Here are some options, along with pricing for a la carte days. Sarah’s Science Winter Camp offers an inventors workshop during the days before and after Christmas and New Year’s. Location: The Berkeley [...]
If you are a crafty, makery kind of mama in the East Bay, you must check out the Hackermoms Kickstarter fundraiser as they try to raise money to build a workshop with tools and equipment, plus create a kids program and business incubator for moms inside it. I was blown away by Sho Sho’s story and [...]
[illustration: Harriet Russell for the NYTimes] Berkeley Mom Stephanie Meade wanted a Spanish immersion experience for her child and didn’t win it in the BUSD lottery. After reviewing a zillion resumes, she told me, she identified a qualified teacher and set up Little Bilinguals, now open for registration. Little Bilinguals is a small, fun Spanish [...]
We are grateful to Urban Sitter for sponsoring 510Families in the coming weeks. (If you receive our newsletter, you’ll see their ad there.) What is Urban Sitter? Parents sign up for UrbanSitter using Facebook and can view sitters known through friends or affiliations — including schools, sports teams and parents groups—and can view each sitter’s [...]
Located in Kensington (AKA the Berkeley Hills), 4Cats Studio is a hands-on art center for children based on the work of the masters. I am looking forward to exploring with my children. I asked local owner, Sarah Chester, a few questions so we could plan our visit. WHO is your studio for? 4Cats Arts Studio [...]
Rate your baby nurse is a website that allows parents to rate infant caregivers, doulas, and night nurses to pay it forward to the next families trying to hire the perfect person. Love your baby nurse or doula? Share your personal experiences to help the next family make the best choice. Right now, receive a [...]
As of March 2013, this program has been discontinued. Every Friday night at Studio Grow in Berkeley, parents are invited to drop their children off for babysitting between 6 pm and 10 pm. There is no upper or lower age limit on this offer. Your children will enjoy an evening of open play and group [...]
For kids who are craving to clown around, these camps should be on your list.
Ready for the summer camp shuffle? These great science camps will keep kids learning and engaged while they have fun this summer.
School closed for a staff development day? Rally your fellow school parents to coordinate an impropmtu mini-day camp with friends.
Here are four more East Bay camps that offer two different one-week sessions in April.
Here are three East Bay camps that offer two different one-week sessions in April.
Lego building day camp in Oakland for kids age 5 to 12. For other Thanksgiving week daycamp ideas, see Thanksgiving Camps aka “Ack! I need childcare?”.
Hacker Moms is a women’s hackerspace located in Oakland, CA dedicated to giving mothers the time and space to explore DIY craft and design, hacker/maker culture, entrepreneurship, and all manner of creative expression.
