Your guide to activities and fun things to do with your preschoolers, toddlers and kids in west la, CA

Weekend Warrior: Last Weekend of May

by Susan Choi

May 28, 2009

It is the last weekend of May! Seriously, how fast is this year zooming by? I hope you are enjoying being outdoors as much as we are. My family has been spending a lot of time in our backyard: I planted my vegetable garden and it is growing well. We cleaned out the garage, and my husband made an elaborate fort out of the old boxes for the kids. The barbeque grill is back in service, and we have riding our bikes around the neighborhood. What have you been doing to enjoy the beautiful spring weather these days? This weekend there are a couple events worth checking out in the LA area. Hope you enjoy!  

Sesame Street Live is performing at Nokia Theatre LA Live on Saturday at 10:30 am, 2 pm and 5:30 pm and on Sunday at 4:30 pm. The story is Elmo's Green Thumb which is about Elmo finding a new home for his sunflower, with the help of many familiar faces. If your kids are Sesame Street fans (like mine), be sure to take them to a live show. They will love it!  

I have been wanting to visit the reDiscover Center in West LA for some time now. So I am excited that they have begun their Saturday morning drop-in art hours. Starting this Saturday from 10 am to 12 noon, you can create an original art project for $5, while teaching your kids about reduce, reuse and recycle!

Kathleen Zundell will be continuing the Saturday Storytelling Series at Children's Book World this Saturday at 10:30 am. With her puppet pal, Philbert, Kathleen engages children with silly jokes, tales, and poems. Free to the public.

McCabe's is hosting another Sunday matinee kid's show headlining Tom Freund and friends. Tom Freund wrote the songs on his album Hug Trees for his daughter Delilah, being inspired by the everyday delightful things. Show starts at 11 am.

The Zimmer Museum is hosting Family fun day on Sunday from 2 pm to 4 pm. Science and art is the theme this week. Your children will create paintings that explore the interaction between oil, wax and water.    

Ring in the New Year with Craft Ideas

by Susan Choi

December 31, 2008

For most New Year�??s eves, my family has been very low-key. Being Korean, New Year�??s Day is a bigger celebration with my whole extended family getting together to eat rice cake soup, play games, and enjoy each other�??s company. Plus, my husband and I figure that it is impossible to get a babysitter for this night anyhow, so we don�??t mind just staying home with the  Read more...

Looking back at 2008

by Susan Choi

December 30, 2008

What an amazing year it has been at Savvy Source West LA! The site officially launched in May with Nina Moon and she filled the treasure troves with tons of toddler-friendly times. Savvy source West LA has advice on what to do with your kiddies during sunny days , rainy days , weekend days , and special days . Interested in art ? music ? books ? No problem. We've got it covered. Want  Read more...

Halloween Events for Preschoolers in Los Angeles

by Nina Moon

October 21, 2008

When you're a kid, one day of Halloween is simply not enough. And we here at The Savvy Source are trying to help you sort through the deluge of pre-Halloween festivities. So maybe you've already shopped for a costume and you've got your Halloween craft thing going on, but here are some fab parties coming up in Los Angeles between now and Halloween. Scribble Press - Just drop in the  Read more...

Pumpkin Activities for Preschoolers

by Nina Moon

October 17, 2008

This is the first year my son is old enough to actually, sort of "get" Halloween. Or at least the pumpkin-loving, candy-eating, door-to-door-knocking, costume-wearing part of Halloween. His first Halloween I dressed him up as a bumble bee and let him waddle around my friend's neighborhood. Last year, I was too pregnant with my now infant to even make an effort. But this year we're going all out,  Read more...

5 Places to Spark Your Preschooler's Imagination

by Nina Moon

October 14, 2008

If summer means ample opportunities to explore the world outside, the coming of fall - yes, even in Los Angeles - ushers in a cornucopia, if you will, of the arts and crafts. What it's too cold to play outside, what better than to experiment with paint and clay or curl up in a comfy corner and read a beautifully illusrated picture book? Or even write one? Here are five Los Angeles locations that  Read more...

The Children's Nature Institute - Tykes on Trails and Family Nature Walks

by Nina Moon

October 01, 2008

Ever want to take your little one hiking but don't know where to start? I know I don't. Good thing The Children's Nature Institute's " Tykes on Trails " program can help us out. Once a week for a month, The Children's Nature Institute takes 2-4 year olds and their parents on a nature walk/workshop. Parents and children can bond in a peaceful, natural setting while a guide facilitates  Read more...

It Takes Two - 5 activities that are more fun with a pal

by Nina Moon

September 23, 2008

Sometimes planning a playdate seems like more effort than it's worth. After all, it's hard enough to watch your own kid, let alone their friend too. But preschoolers are at that magical age where they're just learning to play with and not just alongside other children, and it's worth it to give them time with other children even outside of preschool. Here are a few better-with-two fun  Read more...

Noah's Ark at the Skirball Cultural Center

by Nina Moon

September 15, 2008

Noah's Ark at the Skirball Cultural Museum, nestled just off the 405 freeway north of the Getty Museum, is a whimsical, imaginative, non-stop fun destination for young children. Maybe because I'm so desperate for a children's museum here in Los Angeles (because the old one has moved far, far away - or at least too far to visit before naptime) the entire two hours I was there I couldn't stop  Read more...

Noah's Ark at the Skirball Cultural Center - Teaser

by Nina Moon

September 11, 2008

I finally made it out to the raved-about Noah's Ark exhibit at the Skirball Center today. I've been procrastinating, probably because I'm bad at doing anything that involves advance tickets (you must order tickets in advance, which can be done online ). After today, however, I'm hitting myself over the head - how could I have waited so long? My son loved every minute of our two-hour visit. We  Read more...

Art and culture for the cost of parking

by Nina Moon

September 04, 2008

One of the best things about living in a big city like Los Angeles is the sheer amount of options you have when it comes to museums. You can take a stroll through a world-class sculpture garden, immerse yourself in ancient Egypt or spend a morning on playing with the animals in Noah's Ark. And if you plan it right, you can do it all for free. Okay, you'll probably have to pay something for  Read more...

Weekend Warriors -- Fines, Fire Trucks and Festivals

by Nina Moon

August 15, 2008

All of us, I'm sure, have had an overdue library book here or there. But what about those embarrassingly overdue books? Several months, even years, overdue? It's almost easier to just stop going to the library under the weight of that fine, right? Instead, you take advantage of the Los Angeles Public Library's Fine Free Week , which ends this Sunday. And it's still not too late to take  Read more...

Budding Art Critic -- Boone Children's Gallery at the LACMA

by Nina Moon

June 02, 2008

LACMA is enormous, overwhelming even. Where do you start with a preschooler? Why, Boone Children's Gallery of course! There really isn't much not to love here. The gallery is really more like a gigantic warehouse separated into different art and activity stations by towering shelving units displaying children's artwork. The room's theme, construct, carries throughout each station children can  Read more...