PlayDaily coming again this Saturday!

Last March, I heard about this event for kids called PlayDaily. It was a Saturday morning and it was being hosted at Cinespace in Hollywood, a place I had always wanted to visit. They didn't say too much about it except that kids would be able to play with light and shadow. It piqued my interest.

Well, we walk in and the first room is this...

...a black light room filled with balloons. It's hard to take pictures but we did our best. There was nothing structured, just lots of things to play with and discover. Balloons, scarves, and hand puppets...

this whole wall of blank paper and tons of hi-lighter pens...

Really fun. Then we wandered through the bar area (which has little tvs in the structural pillars - cool!), passed through an area with overhead projectors where the kids could make shadows or play with flashlights, and ended in the dance space.

They were projecting some underwater scenes and playing disco/hip hop music. If you know my kids, you know they love to dance, so this was a hit. They could also climb up on the platform. They liked that part too.

These are the glasses that were on every table. If you put them on, you see this...

We met some friends and there were plenty of booths and tables to sit and chat while the kids ran around. And free snacks and drinks. That helps keep the kiddos happy.

Apparently, this is the brainchild of Julianne Wurm, an educator who is working on a doctorate in Early Childhood Education. She started as a member of Teach For America (hello Wade and Michelle, do you know this woman by chance?) teaching kids in inner city Houston (nice coincidence). Another interesting coincidence...About a month before this, I had picked up a copy of Scientific American Mind. The main impetus was this crazy show they were showing on Discovery or The Science Channel called Secret Life Of The Mind. There were only 5 episodes I think, but it was unbelievably fascinating (well, to me, anyway). I tried looking it up on the internet but there is NOTHING out there, almost like the show never existed. I just loved it and felt starved for more information about the brain. Then I saw this magazine on the newsstand that I have never seen before and picked it up. The cover story: "The Serious Need For Play".

What is lying around everywhere when we get there? Copies of this article, of course.

So, it's happening again this Saturday at Cinespace again. I don't know if it's the same theme but we are definitely going. Maybe we'll see some of you there?

Little Ninja

Saturday mornings for the past few months, Bastien has been taking a karate class called Little Ninjas at a place called Creative Seeds. I went to the first few classes, then Jason took over. Once he went out of town, I had the pleasure of seeing the progress Bastien has made. It's pretty awesome. I love this class because it teaches three import things: "Focus, Discipline...

...Respect."

Right now, the class is small. There are 2 other boys and 1 girl. The teacher, Master Torres of Crescent Moon Karate, is great with the kids. He teaches with a good balance of seriousness and fun. And they actually talk about what these words really mean. The other great thing is they get to yell and kick and punch and jump.

There are surely not enough opportunities for city kids to do these things unfettered. (That's why I like the Santa Anita Racetrack but that's another post).

I finally bought Bastien a little gi. The arms are way too long and the pants are a bit long too, but he looks so cute in it. Notice the camouflage belt. He has earned a white tip and a yellow tip so far. They earn these tips by learning things like their phone number, parents' names, address, etc. (in addition to the karate moves).

Driving up Highland the other day, I saw two boys in their gis standing in the front yard. They were probably 10-12 yrs old. I'm guessing they were either on their way to or from a karate class. They saw me looking at them and I smiled. I'm sure they thought I was a weirdo. But, I was smiling to think maybe that would be Bastien and Isabella 8 years from now. I'd like that.

How many fit...

The kids were playing with their little farm animals...

Then sometime later, they did this...

What is it with Volkswagen bugs?

Mini Farm, Rockclimbing, and 3D Movie

So two weekends ago, I decided to take the chillen to see Under The Sea at the California Science Center IMAX. This was hands down the best 3D effects in a movie I've seen at the theater and the screen is 7 stories high. It's really neat. And the show is only an hour, so okay for little ones.

Of course, we had to sit at the very top. And then of course, Bastien had to go to the bathroom halfway. So I got to lug what I now will refer to as the "cute bag of cement" up and down these stairs twice. Yeah, I mean Isabella. I think all that sand she eats at the beach must just stay inside her. That's what it feels like anyway.

I had planned on exploring some of the Science Center before we went to the movie but we got distracted by many things on the way.

First, we had to see what the playground by the parking lot was all about.

Bastien's verdict:"boring". Isabella must have agreed...

.

Exposition Park has a little farmer's market every Saturday (11am-4pm) and they had the most perfect little petting zoo. Little lambs (they were so cute-I wish I had better pictures), rabbits, chickens, ducks, a pig and a cute little donkey.

I love these guys especially...they have cool 'dos.

They also had pony rides but I was trying to get to the Science Center before the movie. The animals were all little sweeties and the people running it were very nice. If you plan to go, I think they only come to the farmers market every other weekend. And they do birthday parties and what not. So check them out....Giddy Up Ranch.

The next distraction was this rockclimbing wall in the lobby of the Science Center...

Bastien was chomping at the bit (a little pony humor) to give this a go. However, the requirements were 38" (ok) and 5 years old (not ok). So yes, I told my child to lie. Nice parenting, huh? But when it was his turn, the guy running the show said he was too small. I said he's taller than 38". "We need to change that. They're too small to really be able to climb." I mouthed silently to him "Yeah, but he doesn't care. Let him try." The guy reluctantly agreed.

And here is the result...

Not too bad, right? I think he would have made his daddy proud.

It had a self-retracting rope and I think jumping off and swinging down was just as much fun for him.

So, we never made it into the California Science Center. I can't even figure out if there's an admission charge. I guess I could check the website.

Huntington Gardens

How have I lived in Los Angeles for 10 years and never visited this place?!  Why don't more people talk about how gorgeous it is????  And I only saw about 1/8th of the place?  Just the drive there is beautiful.  And the pathway to the parking lot is lined with jacaranda trees which are blooming now and creating a lovely carpet of lavender.

It is a GREAT place to take kids.  We visited the cafe (which has a great selection of food for kids and adults), the rainforest area, and the children's garden.  

The rainforest area has tons of cool plants and a perfect pond for kids.  Part of the wall is glass and there are stairs leading down to view the fish.

Cool huh?   Now it's time for the children's garden...

Nice misting teepee for a hot day...

I soooo want this in my backyard...

There are a lot of water features that I didn't take pictures of.  This is endless fun for little people.  The kids were pretty wet and dirty by the end of it all, so I would recommend bringing extra clothes.

The plants and trees are just incredible.  I love southern California just for the climate to grow all kinds of kooky things...

Does anyone know what kind of tree this one is?   Yes, it is a tree, you can kind of see the trunk in the middle.  Wild huh?

There was a hill in the middle of the garden with tunnels going to the center from both sides.   The wonderful thing was that the tunnels were lined with jasmine so it smelled like heaven.
The middle was tall enough for adults to stand up in and the ceiling had little slits to the sky that made rainbows everywhere...

I think my favorite part was an area that created a big cloud of fog.  It was so much fun!!

Also not pictured was a concrete bowl of magnetic sand (very cool) and this slot with nails in it that you dropped pebbles through and it made music.  This place is just magical!