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

Weekend Warrior: Last Weekend of June

by Susan Choi

June 25, 2009

It is the last weekend of June and school is officially out for most kids. What to do to kick off the summer break? Take your pick...

Kidspace Museum in Pasadena is turning thirty! On Saturday and Sunday from 11 am to 4 pm, there will be a celebration with party games, music, balloons, and more all weekend long. Families can share their favorite Kidspace memory on an anniversary mural, make a party hat and more! And on Saturday, yummy birthday cake will be served!

Join the Musical Coopers for a musical sea-faring adventure at the Mark Taper Auditorium in the Central Library on Saturday from 2 pm to 3 pm. A pirate or two will be making an appearance!

Another chance to visit the open house of the bureau of sanitation. This Saturday from 9 am to 3 pm, visit the West Los Angeles District Yard for truck demonstration and tours, free food and games, 15 gallon citrus tree adoptions and free mulch. What a great way to teach children about recycling!

The Fowler Museum at UCLA is hosting a Summer Sunset concert featuring Mamifero on Sunday at 4 pm. The local musicians present an eclectic mix of musical styles incorporating the didgeridoo and more.

The Autry National Center at Griffith Park is hosting a family playhouse program on Sunday from 1 pm to 2:30 pm. This Sunday theme will be Dragon boat racing. Check out the Family Discovery Gallery to learn more about one of China's most ancient traditions and make dragon boat puppets to race at home.

The Skirball Cultural Center is hosting a Family Weekend Workshop on Sunday. The second session is already sold out so act quickly to reserve space for the 11:30 am session that is still available. Tour the Zap! Pow! Bam! The Superhero: The Golden Age of Comic Books: 1938-1950 exhibit and then join comic book artist Crystal Webb to create your own comic book hero. Tickets for the 11:30 am workshop includes a 10 am entrance to Noah's Ark exhibit.

The Zimmer Museum is hosting Family fun day on Sunday from 2 pm to 4 pm. This week's theme is Messy Science featuring squishy, slimy, and unusual science experiments made from household items.  Read more...

Discover the Beauty of the Santa Monica Mountains

by Susan Choi

June 15, 2009

If you haven't guessed it already, I really enjoy living here in LA.  The world is at our fingertips: the beach, the mountains, the desert--and a Barney's to buy cute shoes to boot (pun intended).  What other city could boast of such riches?

Even though the weather hasn't been a perfect 72 degrees and sunny as it normally is, there is still so much to experience.  Case in point, the Santa Monica mountains.  Managed by the National Park Service, the Santa Monica mountains has so much to offer. Almost daily, there are activities being hosted from Full Moon evening hikes, to the Fun with Nature series for children at the Malibu Creek State Park.

Here is a list of the parks/trails/visitors sites connected to the Santa Monica mountains:

• Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area Map: Headquarters at 401 West Hillcrest Drive, Thousand Oaks
• Arroyo Sequit: 34138 Mullholland Highway, Malibu  
• Backbone Trail:Multiple trailheads
• Cheeseboro/Palo Comado Canyon: 5792 Chesebro Road, Agoura  
• Circle X Ranch: 12896 Yerba Buena Road, Malibu
• King Gillette Ranch: 26800 West Mulholland Highway Calabasas, CA 91302  
• Paramount Ranch: 2903 Cornell Road, Agoura Hills
• Peter Strauss Ranch: 30,000 Mulholland Highway, Agoura Hills
• Rancho Sierrra Vista/ Satwiwa: Main Entrance cross street is Via Goleta and Potrero Road, Newbury Park
• Rocky Oaks: Mulholland Highway and Kanan Road Intersection, West of Kanan on North side of Mulholland Hwy 
• Solstice Canyon Main Entrance is on Corral Canyon Road off cross street Pacific Coast Highway, Highway 1.

Next time your family wants to enjoy the great outdoors (and I'm not talking about The Grove), pack lunch, water bottles, and wear a pair of sturdy shoes, and take the family for a hike! Remember to be smart and conscientious hikers--sign in so the rangers know that you are on the trail, discard trash in designated receptacles only, and do not take any souvenirs from your hike.

 

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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.    

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Great Earth Day Books for Your Preschooler

by Susan Choi

April 21, 2009

In continuation of our Earth Day theme, here are some wonderful books to share with your children. It is never too early to teach children information about saving the earth. Plus these books are as fun as they are educational.

Recycling:
Charlie and Lola: We Are Extremely Very Good Recyclers

Lola participates in a recycling competition and if she can recycle one hundred plastic, metal, and paper items, she can get her very own real tree to plant. Lola decides to ask her classmates to help and they turn out to be "extremely very good recyclers!" The book is printed on FSC-approved paper and includes recycling tips.

Conserving Resources:

The Great Paper Caper by Oliver Jeffers

The trees of the forest notice that something is not quite right. At first, they all blame each other for their missing limbs and friends, but each has an alibi. So they begin to look into the mystery and discover a clue that leads them to the culprit. Turns out the bear just wanted to win a paper-airplane contest so bad he had run out of paper perfecting his model and cut down the trees to make more. It is a great way to teach children that paper (and other resources) don't just magically appear.

Environmental Awareness:

Planet Earth Gets Well by Madeline Kaplan

It is a great book for older preschoolers to help them think proactively about their environment. This book helps them to think more globally to help make Planet Earth a healthier place. When Planet Earth starts getting sick, Mother Nature challenges us to not be so wasteful and to think about the consequences of our actions. Think globally and act locally!

A Classic Tale:

The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein

I remember watching the film of this story as an elementary kid on rainy days. I still recall the emotional impact of this story on me when I was seven or eight years old. Whenever I read this story to my daughters, they get so quiet. It is a poignant, beautiful story about how nature keeps giving to us and I enjoy passing it down to the next generation.

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Weekend Warrior: Earth Day Edition and a Chance to Win $5,000!

by Susan Choi

April 16, 2009

Earth Day is April 21st. One thing I love about this city is how green it is, and I am not talking about our giant palm trees and perfectly manicured lawns. Did you know that we have one of the lowest rates of daily water use per person in the country? The city also provides recycling bins for its residents, and I believe environmental awareness in our community is generally greater than in many other communities. Way to go! I wanted to highlight local programs that are celebrating Earth Day this weekend. It is supposed to be warm and wonderful this weekend, so go out, enjoy, and honor our planet!

On Saturday and Sunday, the Los Angeles Zoo is hosting its annual Earth Day Expo. From 10 am to 5 pm, the zoo will highlight special California wildlife, such as harbor seals and California condors, as well as have special activities such as recycled materials art.

Kidspace Museum in Pasadena is hosting two cool events this weekend. On Saturday, witness the release of hundreds of butterflies at 2 pm. There will be games and activities preceding the 13th annual butterfly release. On Sunday at 11 am, 1 pm and 2 pm, kids can learn how to create organic tie-dye and see the difference between natural and artificial colors while dying a bandanna. $5 per child. Register in advance by clicking on this link.
 
Celebrate Earth Day with Cabrillo Marine Aquarium in San Pedro on Saturday from 8 am to 5 pm. Begin with a volunteer beach cleanup and then head back to the aquarium to take part in environmental activities and create projects you can take home. Information booths of local environmental organizations will distribute helpful information and materials.

Want to support a different but equally important cause? Check out The Wonder of Reading's Explore-A-Story: Celebration of Books on Sunday from 11 am to 3 pm at the Hollywood ArcLight Cinemas. This event features celebrity readers: Shia LaBeouf, Jesse McCartney, Jane Kaczmarek, Madison Pettis and Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. There will also be readings and book signings by authors, a California Pizza Kitchen lunch, and a goody bag to take home with DVDs. There will be crafts and music performances as well. $75 per person or $200 for a family of four (partially tax deductable).

Finally, want to win $5,000 and free paint? Then enter a contest called My House Stinks. Submit a picture and description of your stinky room. The contest is sponsored by Dutch Boy that just released a new line of paints called Refresh. It is specially formulated to help fight common household smells like pet odors and is GreenGuard and Green Cert certified for its zero VOC.
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Weekend Warrior: The First Weekend of March

by Susan Choi

March 05, 2009

When I collect the weekend activities for our Savvy readers, I try to stay within a 10 mile radius. There is so much to do in our neck of the woods that I don't feel it is necessary to venture out further. However, this time, I am including a few more activities a little further away because they seem worthwhile (Debi Derryberry, whale-watching and tide pools, anyone?).

There are a lot of beach related activities this weekend. Unfortunately, rain is in the forecast for the weekend. But if the weather holds out, check out the following:

Every first Saturday of March marks the annual "Whale of a Day" event held at Point Vicente Interpretive Center in Rancho Palos Verdes. This festival celebrates the migration of Pacific Gray whales. The event is free to the public and features many activities for children including crafts and face painting. There will also be food and gift vendors. Hopefully, you will also catch a glimpse of the migrating whales too! From 10 am to 4 pm.

Want to teach your children about volunteering and caring for the earth? Join the Cabrillo Marine Aquarium on their Native Garden Workday/Beach Cleanup day from 8 am to 10 am on Saturday. You and your kids will work with the staff and other volunteers to help maintain the Cabrillo Coastal Native Plant Garden as well as help clean up the beach. Registration is required by today (Thursday). Can't make it this Saturday? Join them any first Saturday of the month.

Also at the Cabrillo Marine Aquarium on Sunday is the Weekend Tide Pool Walk . March is the last month to take part in this free activity. Expose your kids to sea anemones, sea stars, crabs and tide pool fishes. Just be sure to wear warm clothes and shoes with good traction.

If it does rain, here are some other indoor activities:

Wow! Massages for parents, and princess dress-up, face painting and food, while being serenaded by Debi Derryberry? Sounds awesome! Come check out the Royal Dance Party show at the Stardancers Horizon in Glendale from 1 pm to 4 pm on Saturday. Tickets are $15 in advance and $20 at the door.

LA Doll-maker Dorothy Elliott-Taylor will be visiting the Craft and Folk Art Museum on Saturday between 1:30 pm to 3:30 pm to demonstrate how to make a fashionable paper doll . Simple stitching and sewing may be involved, so be prepared to help out your kids. Reservations are required and it is $6 per child.

LA storyteller Karen Golden helps you get into the Purim spirit at the Jewish Community Library of LA on Sunday from 3 pm to 4 pm. This event is free.  Read more...

A Christmas (Tree) to Remember

by Susan Choi

December 15, 2008

Ah...winter in LA. I love the crisp air, the bundled up bodies, and noses red from the chilly sixty degree weather... My children always point out the contrast between what we read in our Christmas themed books and the reality that is the Westside. " Is it going to snow on Christmas?" " Can we go outside and build a snowman?" Though they generally do not mind that we bypass all  Read more...