Your guide to activities and fun things to do with your preschoolers, toddlers and kids in greater los angeles, CA

Weekend Roundup - BlogHer '09 edition

July 23, 2009

There are no lazy days of summer around here, I'm afraid.  July kicked off our bad back/sick/family visiting/travel season so my household has been rather, well, chaotic.  I remind myself that priority 1 = the children.  Priority "up there too, honey" is my husband.  Then work (for $) then work (for the love, which includes this site), then parties like the ones at BLOGHER '09 which I am really excited to be attending this weekend.  I just can't contain it.  The networking, the free stuff that I will share with you, and the things I will learn will all come back to benefit this space.  If you are attending, please let me know so we can jump up and down and try not to pee our pants together.

Meanwhile, back in the valley...

SATURDAY

Frugal Festival!  Meet the Bargain Babe in person!  Get chances to win free cash!  Get financial advice on the run!  Play outside!

Space Camp at Borders in Canoga Park to celebrate 40th Anniversary of Apollo moon landing. (I will be at BlogHer but otherwise I would not be missing this event that is so perfect for my four year old.  Sigh.)

Free movie at Warner Center Park:  Alvin and the Chipmunks, starts at dusk.

SUNDAY

Warner Center Park free concert!  Desperado, an Eagles tribute band, 6 to 8pm.

Summer Family Fun at Farmers Market LA 12-3PM, face painting and a circus!

Cheap or Free Summer Movies and Activities

June 23, 2009

AMC Summer Movie Camp - Every Wednesday at 10 AM participating AMC Theaters (the closest one for us is AMC Burbank 16) will charge only $1 per ticket and also offer cheaper concessions.  Each week features a different film - click here for the schedule.

Regal Entertainment Group's Free Family Film Festival happens every Tuesday and Wednesday at 10 AM.  Click here and select California, then scroll down to theater location to see schedule of films.  Tickets are FREE! (our closest locations are the Commons at Calabasas, Santa Clarita and Simi Valley)

The Oaks Mall in Thousand Oaks is showing free movies every Tuesday and Wednesday at 10AM (doors open for the rush(?) at 9:00).

Starting July 18, the Valley Cultural Center will host movies outdoors at Warner Park in Woodland Hills.

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The Grove Summer Sessions:  Come join us as we host our Summer Session for kids, a 10 week entertainment and educational series with L.A.'s premier cultural and art institutions, every Tuesday beginning June 23 through August 25, from 2-4pm in The Park.  Each week, a different museum or cultural partner will be featured, provide free arts and crafts, entertainment and educational activities to stimulate young minds.

The Commons at Calabasas hosts Kids Club arts and crafts or music every Tuesday at 6pm.

Healthy Snacks for Movie Night

May 27, 2009

Young children are creatures of habit, so if you serve them the same snack at movie night every week (if you are lucky enough to get them to settle down for it every week) they are probably fine with that.  Adults who are partaking in movie night along with them, however, might get a little bored with the same old thing, so here some recipes and suggestions for healthy snack options to shake it up a little!

1.  My favorite:  homemade popcorn, popped in a little bit of oil right on the stove.  This post by yours truly from last fall also includes links to good suggestions for movie titles for young children.

2.  Snikiddy!  These are healthy snacks, ready made for you to open and pop in your mouths.  I haven't actually tried them yet, but you can go to their website and request a free coupon.  The cheese puffs are being promoted as good gluten-free snacks.

3.  For movies about baking or cooking, like "Ratatouille" (another crowd pleaser at my house) why not whip something up in the kitchen together, like these tasty yet wholesome applesauce muffins, courtesy of Sarah Pachev.

4.  To prepare the little ones for the inevitable days in the future when they will head to the "real" theaters with their friends, bring in some perennial theater favorites.  Here is an eye-opening guide to the nutrition (or not) information for some classic movie candy.  My pick for snacking at home would be Twizzlers, and even though they don't seem like messy food, my kids can make anything into a hot mess, so I'd put them on the floor on top of a sheet and attack their little sticky hands and faces when done.

5.  Fake popcorn - otherwise known as dry cereal.  There are so many nutritious versions that kids love, and if they make a mess, you can just vacuum them up!  My kids love all kinds of cereal so even putting "organic" versions in front of them would work.  (This very obvious idea courtesy of my friend S@L.)
 Read more...

Favorite Movie Picks

May 19, 2009

We aren't quite at the point where we can get excited about summer movies.  Our 4-year-old has not ever been to a commercial movie theater, and I think we'll avoid that experience until he's older.  No, we're still in the world of DVD's or DVR recorded films that he assumes he can watch at any time.  I have been trying to broaden his horizons from focusing solely on Pixar CGI films, though, and add more traditional animation to the repertoire as well as some live action favorites of mine.  Here are the top five films on rotation (we have movie night once a week) in our house.

1.  Wall-E.  It's hard to resist for kids and adults alike, and a go-to movie when we have trouble agreeing on something else.

2.  Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory:  What kid can resist?  Ours tends to get bored during the "talking parts" but he is duly awestruck by the big scenes.

3.  Tinker Bell:  I know, another CGI title.  It's a hard road to go down, friends.  The boy loves his CGI.

4.  Lion King:  This is a traditionally animated title that he LOVES.  Hakuna Matata, anyone?

5.  Space Buddies:  I can tell you from experience that the Buddies movies are not fun for adults.  The fun part is watching your kids watch them.  That is all.  Read more...

Helping Them Help: Kidflicks

by Kim Tracy Prince

December 22, 2008

By now your preschooler has probably grown out of the Baby Einstein phase. On the later end, she's probably already into Hannah Montana and not so much into Mickey Mouse Clubhouse anymore. So what do you do with all those DVD's she never watches anymore? If you're like me, you have friends in the film industry, and so you have stacks of DVD's that spill out of your  Read more...

Sensory Friendly Films

by Kim Tracy Prince

November 05, 2008

One of the great advantages of living in a big city is the prevalence of cool things to do. (Don't argue with me right now. I know there are lots of BAD things about living in a big city, too, and you'll often hear me complaining about them.) One of the great advantages of living in the Los Angeles area is the variety of movie-viewing opportunities, and now the movie viewing opportunities  Read more...

Music Monday: Music Your Kids Will Dig and You'll Like Too - vol. 1, Classical Music

by Kim Tracy Prince

October 13, 2008

I proudly announce the return of David Tobocman, who explained to us how to create engaging children's music that does not make you want to smash your CD player. He's back with a series of essays about introducing your child to good music and helping them cultivate their own musical tastes. Watch this space for his continuing series. Can you dig it? To tell you the truth, I try to go slow  Read more...

Pixie Dust

by Kim Tracy Prince

October 08, 2008

Here's one for fans of fairies and sprites and pixies. The valley has a great resource for fairy hunters (you are not allowed to harm them once you find them) who gather twice a month at O'Melveny Park in Granada Hills. But if you can't wait for those events, you will soon be able to bring a little bit of pixie magic into your home to enjoy over and over in the form of a DVD. Normally  Read more...

Family Movie Night

by Kim Tracy Prince

September 29, 2008

A lot of preschoolers have two speeds: off (sleeping) and warp speed ahead. Mine is no exception. Add to that a little brother who has similar settings (but he has a third: Tasmanian Devil) and we are one weary family at the end of the week. Our newest way to wind down while enjoying each other's company is Family Movie Night. We do it on Friday or Saturday as the schedule  Read more...

Last free kids' movie at Universal CityWalk

by Kim Tracy Prince

August 21, 2008

Alas, summer is coming to an end, and with it the long list of awesome (and free!) outdoor activities around the Southland. Luckily, autumn brings a whole new genre of outdoor events to our area - hayrides, corn mazes, the ability to walk around outside for longer than 5 minutes without overheating! But while we still have summer in our laps, take advantage of the last events that are available  Read more...

Weekend Roundup

by Kim Tracy Prince

July 18, 2008

Here we are smack in the middle of summer. This is one of those weekends that you can pick to sit around and do nothing: practice setting up the tent in the backyard, make some popsicles, take a long walk on the beach. If you do feel like saddling up the kids and going out, here are some more lovely outdoor activities happening in the Valley this weekend. Concerts in the Park! Things  Read more...

Back To Our Regularly Scheduled Programming

by Kim Tracy Prince

July 11, 2008

Boy, the time flies, doesn't it? The 4 th of July is past, the super giant heatwave is over (at least, temporarily), and another weekend is upon us. There are a lot of events taking place this weekend, so close your eyes, spin around three times, and poke the screen. Wherever your finger lands, attend the closest event. (First click on the link below to see the whole post.)  Read more...

No Valley For Young Moviegoers: Or, Where To Take Your Kid To His First Movie

by Kim Tracy Prince

June 12, 2008

People keep asking me if I've taken my kids to see Kung Fu Panda yet. My initial reaction is Are you crazy My 3-year-old can't sit still through a whole episode of Little Einsteins, much less a full length movie. Also, movie tickets for a family require a small loan these days. I figured I would wait several more years before treating the kids to their first film-going  Read more...