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

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Weekend Warrior: Last Weekend of July

July 23, 2009

There is so much to do this weekend around the LA area, so let's get right to it...

Family Saturdays at the Ford Theatre has begun this month at 10 am and runs through the end of August. This year's theme is Big!World!Fun! This week's performers are the Masanga Marimba. This ensemble music group performs music from Latin America and Africa on Zimbabwean marimbas. Children are free but reservations must be made for them. Adults are $5. This week's preshow activity is entitled, Junior Scientist Workshop--Air: Butterfly and Bugs. Your child can draw different wings of bugs based on the many specimens that will be available for viewing. Workshop begins at 9 am before the show, so get there early!

The Santa Monica Playhouse is hosting a Cinderella Gala Grand Masquerade Ball on Saturday at 6:30 pm. Come dressed up in costumes (or your own idea of grand ball attire), and prepare to be royally entertained! With dinner, dancing with a prince, face painting and more, this is sure to be an evening your little prince or princess will not forget. Proceeds from this evening the Santa Monica Playhouse Diversity-in-Education Family Theatre Program.

On Saturday from 10 am to 3 pm, Cabrillo Marine Aquarium is hosting Sizzlin' Summer Sandcastle Day. Bring your own supplies and help your kids build something fun in the sand.

The Wiggles Go Bananas at the Gibson Amphitheatre this Saturday and Sunday at 1:30 pm and 5 pm. Kids of all ages love the Wiggles and seeing them live is a real treat!

Ellen Switkes will be continuing the Saturday Storytelling Series at Children's Book World this Saturday at 10:30 am.

The Skirball Cultural Center is hosting Contra-Tiempo on Saturday at 12 noon and 2 pm. The urban Latino dance theater troupe performs salsa-inspired dances. On Sunday at 12 noon and 2 pm, you can listen to the Karen Golden tell stories from around the world, accompanied by her saxophone.

The Skirball is also hosting a family event called The Science of Super Heroes on Sunday at 10 am and 1 pm. Join the Scarlet Scientist and investigate the secrets behind some of comic books' greatest heroes! Through hands-on experiments, expose the truth behind various super powers such as flight, x-ray vision, and lightning speed. Tickets to this event also grants you entrance to Noah's Ark.

Levitt Pavilion at MacArthur Park is hosting a free summer concert series. It is a casual, open-lawn venue where you can pack a picnic dinner and enjoy an outdoor concert that is family friendly and free! Target is hosting the Children's Night concert series on Sunday evenings at 6:30 pm. This Sunday, it is youth talent night. Youth from Westlake and surrounding communities will be the stars.

The Fowler Museum at UCLA is hosting a Kids in the Courtyard art session on Sunday from 1 pm to 4 pm. Make a kangaroo mask and then compete in a leaping contest! The Summer Sunset concert featuring Dave's Aussie Bush Band begins at 4 pm. The native Australian music group will perform folk and pop songs from Down Under.

The Zimmer Museum is hosting Family fun day on Sunday from 2 pm to 4 pm. Today's theme will be Korean kites.

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Weekend Warrior: The First Weekend of March

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...

Holiday Performances We Love: Nutcracker

December 18, 2008

What holiday season would be complete without a viewing of the Nutcracker? It is the perfect opportunity to expose your child to a little bit of culture, without worrying about disturbing other patrons (most likely their legs are dangling two feet off the ground too)! It's also a perfect opportunity to forego the usual t-shirt/jeans attire and get a little dressed up. Matinee performances  Read more...

Five Tips for Trick-or-treating with preschoolers

October 28, 2008

This being Los Angeles, the land of make-believe, there are no dearth of scarily decked-out haunted houses, skeletons dangling in foliage and realistic bloody corpses. Color me overprotective, but this isn't my idea of an ideal Halloween for a preschooler. I'm also not one for crowds and the idea of waiting in long lines to knock on doors when I'd consider ourselves lucky to even knock on 10  Read more...

Allergy-safe Halloween - Trick-or-treating with your allergic child

October 24, 2008

My son has a serious peanut and tree nut allergy and for awhile I thought we would never be able to safely celebrate Halloween. Although parents complain about the candy-gorging, the thought of having to keep our child home and away from the costumes, trick-or-treating and general merriment made our hearts ache. But thankfully there are ways to make Halloween a safe holiday for allergic  Read more...

Let's Date: The Treehouse Social Club

June 23, 2008

As indoor play spaces go, The Treehouse Social Club on Robertson Boulevard has a leg up on the competition. They don't have a lot of toys per se (they do have a few, but if that's what you're looking for, go elsewhere). Neither do they have piles of primary colored foam blocks or children's gym equipment. Instead, the main room is dominated by a fantastic treehouse (complete with a tree, of  Read more...

Princess for a Day -- So you want to be the Greatest Mom on Earth?

May 19, 2008

Sometimes, girls just wanna have fun. I don't have a daughter (yet!), but I did have The Greatest Mom on Earth who made sure to plan special mother-daughter days where I was basically pampered silly. And although there are tons of places to have fun on a much more modest scale, why not splurge a little? After all, Los Angeles is such a great place to be pampered. Start your day at the Grove  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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