Fun With Kids in the Oakland and Berkeley
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
I stopped into Apple Pie Maternity + Kids, a new consignment store on San Pablo Avenue, in North Berkeley and met the owner Tianna, her husband and their two toddler boys. She’s created an adorable space for parents and kids, so stop by if you’re in the neighborhood. Here are some of Tianna’s picks for [...]
Chris lives with his wife and two sons (age 2.5 and 5) on the island of Alameda; he thinks Alameda is crazy kid-friendly and we should all be lucky enough to live there. Feel free to ask him anything about his beloved island city in the comments. In the meantime, here is Christopher’s must-list for [...]
The greatest jellybean company in the land offers free tours and will send you home with samples and fun facts to spare. Win win. Kids and adults will like watching robot arms move boxes of jelly beans onto conveyor belts. Grown-ups can have fun on their own too; Whitney and I went here in the [...]
Sunday, January 20th, two shows at the Paramount Theater in Oakland will bring popular Disney characters Phineas and Ferb to the stage in a live show for families. “Part action adventure, part rock concert,” read the marketing materials. Shows are at 2 pm and 5 pm. Kids under 2-years old do not need tickets. Discounted [...]
T-shirts for sale! T-shirts for sale! Last week I posted our {510} tshirts in an online store so that you can order them at your convenience. We’ve got baby tees in short sleeve and long sleeve, toddler sizes, and kid shirts. Use the pull down menus for sizes (after you click through to the store) [...]
We appreciate this guest post by Berkeley mom, Jennifer Pesetsky. She founded KinderCycle (which is now under new ownership)! Jennifer blogs at www.berkeleymommy.blogspot.com. For Hanukkah this year, my toddler agreed that for every present she gets, she’s going to give something that she already has to other children. She was so enthusiastic about this idea, [...]
There are so many wonderful places to shop, play, and eat in the Berkeley-Oakland area that creating a specific gift guide for East Bay families was tricky. To avoid sending you back to my favorite places each year, I’ve included picks from our new contributors. Gifts to keep: Local tee shirts Be proud of your [...]
Introducing another new contributor, Becky Matthews, who has been featured before in our 510 Faves series. You’ll be hearing more from her soon, but today she gives us a tour of her neighborhood. Now living in South Berkeley (The Lorin District) for six years- first as a newly married woman with a career and now [...]
We received a tip about a “FREE” eating program at the Swedish SuperStore going on now. What do you guys think? There is an Eat for FREE event at IKEA Emeryville from November 10 – 12 and again November 24 – 26th and this is how it works: 1. Dine in the IKEA Restaurant (with [...]
Located on Upper Shattuck near Saul’s, Kid Dynamo carries the coolest kids clothes on the market, including rain gear. If a modern aesthetic is important to you, stop by this shop.
I’m happy to introduce Cara as a new contributor to 510families from El Cerrito. She has a four-year old daughter and is expecting a second baby in January. Cara enjoys making crafts, photography and simple scrapbooking. While she’ll be writing for us about a number of Bay Area activities, today she shares her home stomping [...]
We’ve been traveling in the same circles as some of the folks behind Kiwi Crate, a Bay Area kid’s craft company. When they let us know about their Halloween Crates, I thought others might like to know that there’s an option somewhere in the middle of sewing your own costume and buying one at Target. [...]
This is the time of year that my 7-year old and I most look forward to. His birthday is around the corner. Halloween is just two days later. He’s got a costume in mind and I get to figure out which components we’re going to make, and which we need to buy. Two years ago, [...]
Back-to-school prep in the East Bay: hair, shoes, backpack, lunchbox, clothes, what else do you need?
