Being Savvy: Your guide to activities and fun things to do with your preschoolers and kids in West La, CA

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Art: Crayons and Markers

Ring in the New Year with Craft Ideas

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

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...

Pumpkin Activities for Preschoolers

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

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 Getty Museum - A Preschooler's Guide Part 1

September 24, 2008

You exit the 405 at Getty Center Drive and make your way to the parking entrance where you fork over $10(!!!!) for parking. You enter the underground parking lot and pass several large school buses and your heart sinks as you anticipate large hordes of elementary school students ready to trample on your tiny preschooler. But you continue on (since you already paid the ten bucks, there's no  Read more...

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

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...

5 perfect preschool playdates

September 09, 2008

Preschool may make it a tad bit easier to set up playdates (no more desperately hoping that another lonely parent will send a friendly smile your way), but there always remains that question - where to go? Here are five perfect places for your kids to play and for grown-ups to bond. Play - I love that Play is set up to facilitate both playdates and one-on-one bonding between parent and child.  Read more...

Scribble Press - for the pint sized author/illustrator

August 25, 2008

A couple of weeks ago my son and I visited Scribble Press, an entirely new kind of publishing powerhouse. Located in Westside Pavilion, Scribble Press aims to make authors and illustrators out of us all, particularly our little ones. Armed with Developmental Curprints fill-in-the-blank type stories that help children process difficult events and transitions or memorialize everything from  Read more...

Mozart, Moby and Miles -- SummerSounds at the Hollywood Bowl

June 04, 2008

There's nothing quite so romantic or fun as an evening at the Bowl, listening to music under the stars. Kids love the outdoor setting and the endless flights of stairs. And who wouldn't love eating a picnic dinner with hundreds of other Angelenos? Unfortunately, sometimes the evening concerts are just a little too late for our littlest ones. Luckily, every summer the Hollywood Bowl holds  Read more...

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

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...

5 Book Nooks for Tots

May 22, 2008

Some parents want to pass on to their children a love of music. Others long for their children to appreciate art. Others hope their children will love to cook. For me, it's literature. I want my children to delve enthusiastically into an afternoon spent reading, to get lost in an imaginary world (even to mourn a bit when it's over on the last page), to relish the smell of a new book. So  Read more...

The Littlest Picasso - Lakeshore Learning Store

May 14, 2008

There are countless stores around Los Angeles to buy top-quality professional art supplies (for top dollar, of course). There also countless toy stores with an aisle or so devoted to paints and play-doh and Crayola crayons. But I've found no better place to buy kids' arts and craft supplies and educational toys of all kinds, than Lakeshore Learning Store . Located on Venice Boulevard near the  Read more...

More of Our Favorite Activities and Things to Do in west la

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Creatures & Critters:
Our Urban Jungle

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Do, Re, Mi! Places to Hear, Sing & Play a Tune

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Artistic Endeavors:
Our Favorite Art Venues

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Room to Run:
Run, Jump & Wiggle Outdoors

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Rainy & Quiet Days:
Cozy & Crazy Indoor Fun

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A Sense of History:
Our City's Stories

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Splash, Spray, Play! Local Spots to Get Wet

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The Most Fun in Life Is Free!

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The Best of... Our Top Can't-Live-Without Spots

The Voice of Being Savvy west la:
Elise Crane Derby, Susan Choi, Nina Moon

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