Being Savvy: Activities, things to do with your preschoolers, toddlers and kids in East Bay, CA

Birthday Treasure Guide, Part I: Mr. Mopps

by Whitney Moss

Here's the dilemma: we don't want to make toy buying at Target a habit and drive our local shops out of business, but the trend in boutiquey children's stores around here has made birthday shopping for a "friend" an budgetary nightmare. Small wooden pull toy for neighbor's first birthday, $29.99. I don't think so!Here's the answer: Mr. Mopps.Located on Martin Luther King between Rose and Vine, ... Read more >

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Where the fish live: aquariums

by Heather Gibbs Flett

Yesterday at breakfast, Holden challenged us by saying that fish don't live in the ocean because "the ocean is water and water is liquid and fish aren't liquid". Hmmm, interesting.So, we asked, where do fish live? He said "aquariums like at the doctor's office and at school". Hmmm, interesting again. I'm not sure we can fix this notion by visiting some of the great small east bay aquariums but ... Read more >

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Little Miles and Little Jon Spencer should head down to the MusicFest

by Whitney Moss

From Thursday, August 21 to Sunday August 24, the First (Annual!) Downtown Berkeley MusicFest will be offering live music in 15 different venues in Berkeley.The complete schedule can be found at www.downtownberkeleymusicfest.org. I won't even begin to summarize because there are shows at all times of day, from 10 am until 10 pm, many of them at kid-friendly locations like Jupiter, The Berkeley ... Read more >

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Make bubbles as big as a car

by Heather Gibbs Flett

One day at his preschool, I saw the kids blow the most amazing huge bubbles -- like as big as a car -- and I vowed I would try it in my own backyard. It looked like they were dunking some rags intricately woven onto a large stick. I was so impressed. When I found this recipe for bubble goo on the Being Savvy: Chicago site by Caitlin, I wanted to share it and go try it:Here is a simple recipe to ... Read more >

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Walk on the wild side: Albany Bulb

by Heather Gibbs Flett

I was playing board games with some friends -- both dog owners, one a preschooler parent -- earlier in the week and learned about the Albany Bulb for the first time. At first, I thought they said "Albany BOWL" and then the conversation veered in a way that made it obvious I had misheard.You see, the Albany Bowl is a bowling alley (and surely a post for another day) but the Albany Bulb is a crazy ... Read more >

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Fantasy birthday party: Mermaid Tales

by Whitney Moss

If you believe the big 5-dot-0 (that's 5 for you parents who aren't in the software biz) is worthy of an amazing party, consider the services of Just Imagine.A mermaid-themed birthday party can be delivered to your door, complete with a live grown up dressed as a mermaid. Mermaid games, costumes, face painting and tableware are included! For DIY-parents, bring on the underwater theme with blue ... Read more >

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Make an instant fort: indoor fun

by Heather Gibbs Flett

Whitney recently turned me on to PreSchoolMama, a fantastic resource for moms of preschoolers (such as ourselves) looking for fun and educational activities all the time!Regarding tents and forts, she offers 8 suggestions for instant cozy fun:All kids love having a little enclosed space that they can call their own. It could be a tent, or a playhouse, or anything similar that no one can enter, ... Read more >

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Wannabe Natalie Coughlin?

by Whitney Moss

Ok, so the East Bay might not see another hometown girl become an Olympic swimmer for a long time, but why crush their dreams early? Canyon Swim School seems to be the unanimous choice for lessons that will actually teach your child to swim. Located in El Sobrante, this swim school emphasizes "effective" lessons. Whether your goal is water safety or competitive swimming, this is the place to ... Read more >

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Oakland zoo: tips and tricks

by Heather Gibbs Flett

I like taking Holden to the Oakland Zoo. When it's just the two of us, we can ride the zoo train over and over and over and then run off to try and "see the animals poop" (sorry folks, he's 3). When we have more friends and family with us, we spend a little more time wandering among the animals. Over the past couple years, we've discovered our favorite can't miss places and can be happy there ... Read more >

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Frog and Toad on stage!

by Whitney Moss

I am very excited about my big plans for tomorrow. I am taking Julian, my three-and-three-quarter-year old to his first play.A Year with Frog and Toad, based on the books by Arnold Lobel that are so popular in our house, will be presented as a musical performed by children at the Performing Arts Center in San Ramon. I bought tickets online and showed them to Julian. Since the word "audience" is ... Read more >

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