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

Birthday Party Reviews

April 14, 2009

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It's birthday party season in these parts, because a lot of the kids we know were born in the spring.  That means we are touring all the local party spots and then some.  Here is a quick collection of birthday party venue notes for locations in and around the valley:

1.  Danny's Farm in Altadena.  Perfect for some low-impact farm animal petting with your toddlers to older children, Danny's Farm has a little barn with picnic tables, books about farm animals, and space for your party goodies.  Staff points out that you must wash your hands before entering the animal area, because the animals just love to lick frosting from little kids' hands.  This location is a hike from the valley, but well worth it.

2.  McDonald's.  As a lifelong lover of McDonald's - I still list their French fries as my favorite food - I have no problem banning my children from ever entering one of their stores or eating their food.  Just read "Fast Food Nation" and you'll never eat another fast food burger again, much less serve them to your children.  However, in the spirit of good birthday cheer, I brought my kids to a birthday party at McDonald's Playland in West Hills.  Most of the kids had a great time.  The food was, of course, disgusting, but the playing was fun - for them.  The location had only a network of giant colored tubes to play around in, but for them that was enough.  For me, well.  The kids' room had high ceilings and hard floors, and with 30 kids and their parents, the echo became unbearable, and my two children refused to hang out near each other, so I was running back and forth between them the whole time.  Also, the location was not reserved for just our party, so anyone could come in and out of the door to the restaurant, and one especially rude mother crashed our party and let her rude child mess with our kids, raining on our parade quite a bit.  McDonald's?  I vote NO.

3.  The local park.  Not without its hassle for the organizing parent, having a party at the park is otherwise a brilliant idea, especially if you are lucky to live where the weather is always nice.  We recently went to Santa Susana Park in Simi Valley for a birthday party.  Attending with my two children as the solo parent, I was nervous that I would spend the day sprinting from one side of the park to the other, but the party tables were strategically located under a big shady tree and near the main play structures.  Also, the parents had rented a bouncy castle which bordered the other end of our party area.  Both of my kids had a great time and even though I was exhausted, the bonus was, so were they!  If you decide to throw a party at the park, take into consideration that the picnic tables and areas are open for reservations by the city.  If you don't want to get ousted by someone who has a reservation, you should definitely call the town's parks and recreation department first.  There may also be restrictions on what food you can bring (no alcohol) and special fees if you're renting a bounce house or other party trick.

4.  My Gym.  We have been to several of these parties over the years for different age groups.  The brilliant thing about having a party at My Gym is that someone else is in charge of leading the festivities.  The staff takes the children through a semi-typical My Gym class appropriate to the age of the majority of the guests, and the parents get to hang out on the side of the room and talk to each other, or they can participate if they wish.  You have to bring in your own food - usually pizza or other takeout - and the price for the party is expensive, but nobody's trashing your house and you don't have to clean up afterwards.  The other downside, though, is the risk of injury.  The kids see My Gym as an opportunity to go hog-wild and bounce all over the place, inevitably crashing into each other on multiple occasions.  If you want a calm arts and crafts party, this is not the location for you.

5.  Chuck E. Cheese.  Turn on all the lights in your house.  Crank up the kid tunes, as loud as you can stand it and then a little bit louder.  Also turn on every electronic, musical, talking toy your children own.  Then fill your kids with sugar and let them go.  That's what the Chuck E. Cheese experience is like.  Only worse, and you get cheap plastic crap at the end.  NO.

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Weekend Roundup: Jump Up and Smell the Ocean

March 12, 2009

All Weekend:

Dan Zanes and Friends at UCLA :  Being Savvy San Fernando's lucky ticket giveaway winner is Aimee M.  Thank you to everyone who responded.  Please continue to pay attention to this space for future giveaways, because your chances of winning are HIGH, if you know what I'm saying.  There will be two shows on Saturday and one on Sunday and you can still get tickets if you want to bop with your kids to the catchy tunes of Dan the man.

Snow Days at the L.A. Zoo:  Tigers, black bears, takins, and snow leopards will romp in a winter wonderland as their habitats are filled with snow!  10AM to 4PM

Saturday, March 14

Sleeping Beauty at Theatre West in Universal City.  "We do non-threatening, interactive musicals with a message for children 3 - 9 years old."  The show is rumored to be great for "the squirmy set."  Showtime is at 1pm and this is the second-to-last weekend this show is being performed.  Tickets are $12 for adults and $10 for children.

 

[photo courtesy of Theatre West] 

Sunday, March 15

Aloha Beach Camp's Open House :  This radically awesome summer camp held at the beach in Malibu is hosting an open house with games and prizes from 1 to 3pm at Taxco Trails Park in Woodland Hills.  The company runs a program for 4 to 7-year-olds on a day camp basis at Paradise Cove.  Come to the open house to meet the staff and get your questions answered.

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Best Places to Bring the Little One WITH the Older One

March 03, 2009

Sometimes I am jealous of my friends who have one child.  Okay, more than just sometimes.  Especially when mom and child are playing happily, or better yet, the child is playing happily and mom is enjoying a nice conversation with her friends.  I would be the friend who is chasing one and then the other child.  It is very difficult for me to take the two kids out by myself at this point because as soon as we arrive at our destination, they split up.  It is getting to the point where I can actually depend on the preschooler to stay in one place for over 30 seconds while I chase down the toddler, but these outings are still exhausting for me, and take weeks of storing up energy for me to undertake.  And several cocktails later to help me wind down.  But that's just me.

My kids at Playsource

I am going to share a few of the places/activities that I have deemed safe and fun for our little threesome when we go out.

1.  Parks with fenced in children's play areas.  Warner Center Park, Vanowen Park, and Castle Peak Park are a few of these locations.  Depending on the day and time you go, there are only a few other kids playing so it is easy to keep track of your little ones without going cross-eyed.

2.  Indoor playgrounds.  I have a personal affection for Jumping Genius because it was the first one I visited, but Playsource is good for multiple children too, and they let you eat your snacks right in the play area.  Under the Sea is a nice, well-contained area as well.  Creative Leap is fun but their tube system allows children to get out of your sight.  There is a place called the Coop that I have not checked out yet in North Hollywood.  Swanky, I've heard.

3.  The library.  Depends on the location, as with everything, but you might be able to squeeze out 20 minutes of activity time before the toddler runs screaming through the stacks.

4.  Tarzana Community Center park where the TC Kids Club holds their events.  The space is shady and enclosed even though it is right at Tampa and Van Alden.  Just don't let your toddler get wind of the giant open gate or you will be chasing him back and forth the whole time.  Also, don't let him jump into the koi pond.  Yuck.

5.  Dare I say it?  Someone else's house.  Read more...

9 More Things To Do Before Your Kid Is Stuck in School All the Time

by Kim Tracy Prince

January 27, 2009

Last May, I started a series called Seize the Day: Top 99 Things To Do in Los Angeles Before Your Kids Grow Up. I only covered 10. It's about time for the next installment, because at this rate, it will take 8 years to get through it (here's hoping this site will still be around then!). When I took the preschool tour in December, one of my questions to the teachers was  Read more...

I Love a Parade

by Kim Tracy Prince

January 16, 2009

This holiday weekend is full of parades, which couldn't make me happier. Except that I'm not in town, so I'll miss them. Rats. The Pasadena Doo Dah Parade is Sunday, January 18. Sort of the anti-Rose Parade, the Doo Dah celebrates all things wacky and whimsical. It "is expected to draw an estimated 45,000 fun-lovers from all over Southern California and parts unknown. Since 1978, Doo Dah  Read more...

I can see myself!

by Kim Tracy Prince

January 13, 2009

With January being high time to take stock of what the past year has brought us and to plan for the best in the coming year, it's no surprise that we parents can get preoccupied with self-reflection. Some of that must rub off on our perceptive children. I know I've spent a few extra moments looking in the mirror to wish away the new lines I see there. My children can't possibly comprehend why -  Read more...

Ten Things In the Lives of Preschoolers

by Kim Tracy Prince

January 06, 2009

Today's national Being Savvy blog talks about things that matter to a preschooler, and things that don't. That idea seems open to interpretation, and so here I will interpret it from the mind of a mother who lives in the San Fernando Valley. Here's what matters to my preschooler around here, and here's what doesn't: Five places that matter: 1. The beach, where he  Read more...

Give Local Gifts That Keep On Giving

by Kim Tracy Prince

December 16, 2008

Instead of another molded plastic toy from China, why not give your friends' kids a membership to a local activity? It's a gift of memories and time, and the parents will enjoy it too. Better yet, you don't have to go anywhere to buy them, because they can be purchased online. Museum Memberships: Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County : One year membership for 2 adults and  Read more...

Five Local Spots That Inspire Imagination

by Kim Tracy Prince

October 14, 2008

When the kids and I get home every evening at 5:45, the first thing we do is grab a handful of Otter Pops and head outside. I love to lay back on a blanket in the grass and engage them in a game of "what does that cloud" look like? This only works if there are actually clouds in the sky, which isn't very often. I guess it's a special game because it's rare, but that has inspired me to seek  Read more...

Weekend Roundup: Community Hoe-Down!

by Kim Tracy Prince

October 03, 2008

'Tis the weekend for community celebrations! Maybe they think it's cooling off, so now is the right time for a big outdoor festival. I guess nobody could have predicted the 100-degree weather when they scheduled so many great events in the Valley this weekend. Put on your sunscreen and a big hat and bring lots of water, because there's plenty to do out there! Friday, Saturday, and  Read more...

Weekend Roundup: September 20-21

by Kim Tracy Prince

September 19, 2008

Oh, parents, this is the weekend for you. Ignore the financial news and put the political talk shows on "mute." Take your children and do something fun! From Cradle to College Expo in Encino: on Saturday the people behind the parenting website Mommywood are holding a giant retail and information fair at Genesta Park on Ventura Blvd. There will be presentations, raffles, and a special  Read more...

Neighborhood Pride: National Night Out

by Kim Tracy Prince

August 04, 2008

Get off work early, pick up the family, and head down out to National Night Out 2008 for an evening of responsible fun. In a festival setting, the Los Angeles Police Department interacts with the community, serving hot dogs and chips and soda and providing a venue for Neighborhood Watch and other community and safety groups to display their information and sign people up. We're a big fan  Read more...

Weekend Roundup: Making Noise

by Kim Tracy Prince

August 01, 2008

Before I get to today's business, let me ask you a question.If you live in Northridge, Chatsworth, Porter Ranch, or Granada Hills, did you notice a thin newspaper in your driveway yesterday or today? Don't automatically toss it in your recycle bin.It's a monthly free paper called The SFV , and it now features a column by this savvy valley mother. For continuous, up-to-date guidance,  Read more...

Going on a Faery Hunt! Gonna Find a Pretty One!

by Kim Tracy Prince

July 17, 2008

I am the mother of boys, so I am largely spared the princess craze. I am not, however, immune to girlie things. My older son loves Dora, and I will admit to buying him Dora underpants and letting him try on pink sparkly ballet flats in the shoes section of Target. I might never have a girl child, so I enjoy these small indulgences while I can. I was overcome with girl envy, however, when  Read more...

Escape to the Valley 2: Oh No! We're Still in the Valley!

by Kim Tracy Prince

July 09, 2008

On your second day in the San Fernando Valley, get out of it! Of course there's too much to see in three days, but you might as well cover some ground while you're here. Hop in your car and see the lands north of L.A. the way it was meant to be seen from a car window. Day 2 - Pasadena A 45 minute ride on the 210 east takes you to our neighbor, the San Gabriel Valley.  Read more...

Seize the Day: Top 99 Things To Do in Los Angeles Before Your Kids Grow Up

by Kim Tracy Prince

May 29, 2008

They keep wanting to be fed, so they keep growing, despite your wish that they stay babies forever. And while the hours between naptime and bedtime seem to draaaag...the months pass so quickly you find yourself saying "how did he get to be five years old already?" Don't waste the chance to see city through your children's eyes while they're still children. Be a tourist in your own town. I'll  Read more...

Room to Run: The Cool Kids' Playground

by Kim Tracy Prince

May 28, 2008

Before I had kids I was barely aware that parks and playgrounds even existed in Los Angeles. Once my three-year-old was able to run, however, he needed a lot more stimulation and I needed those playgrounds. From then on we made the weekly pilgrimage to several different area parks with their orange and blue play structures and sandy bottoms. Last year a friend told us about Brandon's  Read more...

Top Five Things To Do Outside

by Kim Tracy Prince

May 15, 2008

1. Take a walk. If I'm at home with the kids and I'm struck with cabin fever, I pop them in the double stroller and shove off. If I have a little extra time I take them to Balboa Park in West Van Nuys to walk around the man-made lake and feed the ducks. 2. Hit the playground. Our favorite is Porter Ridge park at the top of Reseda Blvd. because there's never anybody else there and it's clean and  Read more...