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

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: The First Weekend of April and a Starbucks Giveaway!

by Susan Choi

April 02, 2009

There are a lot of activities around town this weekend but I'm going to focus on the outdoor ones in our area and a little beyond since the weather has been nothing short of perfection these days.

LA County Arboretum in Arcadia is hosting a family adventure themed "the Dinosaur Forest" on Saturday from 10 am to 12 noon. Stroll back in time with a short talk, a walk to a special part of The Arboretum, and a take-home nature craft activity. Pre-registration is required and can be done by calling the education department at 626-821-4623.

Want to teach your children about volunteering and caring for the earth? Join the Cabrillo Marine Aquarium in San Pedro 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 in San Pedro on Saturday at 11:30 am and Sunday at 12 noon is the free Weekend Tide Pool Walk. Expose your kids to sea anemones, sea stars, crabs and tide pool fishes. Just be sure to wear shoes with good traction and bring a light jacket.

The Children's Nature Institute is hosting a family walk on Saturday from 10 am to 12 noon at Hopkins Wilderness Park in Redondo Beach. The suggested donation is $10 for this guided hike. Most strollers are okay for this trail.

Bubblefest is back at the Discovery Science Center in Santa Ana. Guinness Book World Record Holder Fan Yang returns from Saturday through April 19th to share his bubbly gift. We attended last year and the show is a little Vegas but a lot of fun! Free with admission.

Lastly, I have a Starbucks gift card to giveaway! Use the credit to try out their new perfect pairings for breakfast for just $3.95. A coffee and a delicious artisan sandwich, or latte with perfect oatmeal. "Perfect" for those days when you didn't have time to get in a proper breakfast and want a little indulgence (hmmm...that would be everyday). Just submit a comment with your favorite indulgence (Starbucks or otherwise). Be sure to include your email address. The giveaway is open until Thursday April 9, 12 midnight PST. Good luck!

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5 Gifts that Keeps on Giving

by Susan Choi

December 16, 2008

What do you give to the family that has everything? How can you support local museums and other non-profit family attractions (and get a tax-deduction in the process)? Give the gift of membership this holiday season! Here are some of my favorite museums, where it pays to be a card-carrying member: 1) Natural History Museum --We come here at least a few times a year. My girls love butterfly  Read more...

Ocean View Farms Community Garden --A Tiny Green Thumb in the City

by Nina Moon

August 20, 2008

A friend of mine recently bought a home, modest but spacious enough for her family of five, with a beautiful yard where she has started cultivating roses and a vegetable garden. While I am very happy for her, I admit that I turned a bit green when I saw her yard. We live in a condominium and our balcony, unfortunately, gets no direct sunlight. All I can do is dream about how lovely it would be  Read more...

Aquariums in Los Angeles -- Here Fishy, Fishy, Fishy

by Nina Moon

August 19, 2008

For so long practically everything that moved underwater was a fish to our son. Whale? Fish. Shark? Fish. Dolphin? Fish. Sea otter? Fish. Now, finally, he's starting to differentiate to the point that if we happen to leave off the puffer in pufferfish we are promptly corrected: No, NO! Puffahfish! Puffahfish! It's probably the perfect time to visit an aquarium, no? Nice that we happen to live  Read more...

Venice Canals - Overlooked but Not Forgotten

by Nina Moon

August 18, 2008

This past weekend my husband and I decided to take the kids to stroll the Venice Canals, an oft overlooked but surprisingly diverting use of a Saturday morning. Originally encompassing 16 miles of canals, the majority of the canals were filled in the late 1920s to make room for increasing car traffic. The remaining canals are lined with multi-million dollar mansions, post-modern glass  Read more...