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

50 Things to Do Before Your Child Goes to School (Kindergarten, That Is)

by VDog

February 24, 2009

Roughly. A lot of these are great activities for your older kids, too!

This list was compiled over several blog posts by our former Being Savvy Editor, Heather Gibbs Flett. You can still catch her daily at RookieMoms.com! 

1. Children's Fairyland: trippy and bizarre unless you grew up here and remember it fondly from your childhood. Whoa, they even offer a sleepover.

2. East Bay Vivarium: stinky and warm homage to all things reptilian right off Fourth St. in Berkeley.

3. Pumpkin patch (which one's the best? I've heard good things about Clayton Valley?)

4. Little Farm at Tilden Park: wonderful, free working farm. Bring celery or lettuce to feed the animals.

5. Pottery painting at Brushstrokes: work together to make a keepsake gift and have fun getting all painty.

6. Sand castle building contest: play or watch in Alameda in June each year (this year, it's June 7th).

7. Ashkenaz for the kids' music series: we saw Hot Buttered Rum here and my son got hooked on their foot-stomping bluegrass. Plus the venue is a Berkeley institution.

8. The Oakland Museum of Children's Art, MOCHA: free for gallery visits and has an awesome Drop-In Art Studio for kids between ages 18 months and 5 years for $7.

9. Ferry to San Francisco: hop on the ferry at Jack London Square

10. Sketch for ice cream: whether you're pro-sugar or anti-sugar, this place is a real treat. Don't your kids deserve sustainable, organic, deliciousness? Yum.

11. Alameda Flea Market: first Sundays of each month at the former naval air station. Miles of wandering with very little shade, but an amazing trip for a little one. Bring water and a healthy snack or two.

12. Visit the Berkeley Rose Garden: meandering paths, stunning views of SF, and roses of all hue. An antidote to the flea market.

13. BART trip to anywhere: gas prices are so high, you'll want to do this without my suggestion

14. Watch an all ages movie at the Parkway or Cerrito Theaters - snuggle up on couches and enjoy being together as well as watching a show. Check the schedule for weekend all ages shows.

15. Berkeley or Oakland Farmers Market: there are so many good ones, you should pick the closest or most convenient time, then enjoy a snack together.

16. Lawrence Hall of Science: Great little kids area, many hands-on exhibits, and ample outdoor space. Worth a membership. My experiences with the younger scientist on RookieMoms.

17. March (or tricycle) in a Parade. The Pride parade (this weekend) is in SF: join the family fun with a group from the Discovery Museum. Or find a spot to watch from the sidelines. And we'll cover the Solano stroll as it happens. Otherwise, you're just on the receiving end of all those flying candies. Better to be in the action, right?

18. Fireworks: let your kid stay up late to watch the fireworks. We'll be taking our boys to the Berkeley Marina show. In earplugs.

19. Walk around Lake Merritt: Good luck to you! This jewel of Oakland has a 3.4 mile circumference.

20. Go to Berkeley Family Camp: Find a couple days or a weeks to make this tradition your family vacation.

21. Rock out at a Baby Loves Disco Party: You decide far east bay or the big city depending on where you live. I vote SF to relive my glory days and ride the BART.

22. Ride the (real) rails: Amtrak wherever you want or follow my tips for a fun daytrip to Martinez.

23. Circus class at Ha Ha This a way: he'll learn how to juggle and I'll refine my trapeze act, right?

24. Climb Indian Rock: Tucked away in the paths through the hills, reward your little climber with a treat at the top. Follow my tips and mini history lesson or just wing it.

25. Plant a garden: big or small, something edible so they can learn where real food comes from. I'll share my dirty experiences soon!

26. Brunch at Wat Mongkolratanaram, Berkeley's Thai Buddhist temple: At Russell St and Martin Luther King Jr. near the Tool Lending Library, monks invite the public to sit on the lawn and eat delicious and bountiful Thai food. I can't wait to try this! [helpful article in Berkeley Daily Planet]

27. Visit BAM: take your little art critic to Berkeley's Art Museum and ascertain MOMA-readiness.

28. Preschooler yoga class at Yogalayam: Namaste!

29. Wander through the Edible Schoolyard: living history and another great lesson in food!

30. Enjoy story time at N Berkeley Library: N. Berkeley has Whitney's favorite story times. Which one do you like best?

31. Captain's Cottage for High Tea for little princes and princesses in training. Recommended by a fellow preschool mom of 4. Her just-three-year-old enjoyed this place's charms and behaved the whole time.

32. Berkeley Kite Festival (pictured, my husband - photo by me). We loved this festival for our one- and three-year-olds. Responding to the excitement and peer pressure, we bought the Octopus Kite so we'd have something to fly. If at all possible, bike to the festival and avoid the traffic and parking scene.

33. Ice skating in Alameda where the groovy surface is slick without the cold. Cool. Can't wait to try it.

34. Funky sleep over at the Zoo or Fairyland for a change. Good for the over-four set. We'll have to do it next year.

35. Daytrip to SF Giants game and fan lot. Fun for baseball lovers and baseball haters.

36. Visit the USS Hornet for a climbing history lesson. Anyone done this with their kids yet?

37. Bike the Ohlone greenway

38. Pick fruit from neighboring trees and make a tart or pie

39. Visit the fab waterpark swimming pools in Antioch or San Ramon

40. Oakland A's game

41. Boogie through lunch at Cheeseboard Pizza, bring your tipping money

42. Parents' Night Out at Dig's bistro

43. Venture to the Discovery Museum in San Rafael

44. Ride out to Sonoma's Train town

45. Head to Chapel of chimes during a concert

46. Cheer for the Oakland Warriors

46. Go to the pet wash at Telegraph and Alcatraz and watch for sudsing pooches

47. Swing out for a party or take a class at Trapeze Arts

48. Pass the day away at the amazing indoor playspace of Studio Grow

49. Cal Berkeley football game while they're still young enough to dress like a mascot

50. Ardenwood Farm in Fremont -- draft horses pull a train car, kids can help feed the sheep and the chickens, and they offer many seasonal special activities.

Good Eats: La Val's

by VDog

December 08, 2008

La Val's is primarily a pizza joint that also serves tasty pasta and salads. It's kid friendly because it's off the street and offers a small "subterranean" ampitheatre for kids to run around in before the pizza arrives (provided there's not a show going on). The plain cheese pizza is excellent and kid approved (both my husband and I love it too), the salad with grilled chicken or Greek salad  Read more...

"Tea" is for Teddy

by Whitney Moss

November 10, 2008

When I read about the Teddy Bear Tea event at the Ritz Carlton in San Francisco, with it's fireside storytime, teddy bear-shaped cookies, and $80 per person price tag, I thought, "sounds nice for the Bugaboo set." For the rest of us, however, I am certain we can make our own fun with teddies and tea. The Buttercream Cafe at 841 San Pablo Avenue offers a fancy-feeling crossiant and tea  Read more...

A love letter to Studio Grow

by Whitney Moss

October 01, 2008

A little voice in the back of my head has been nagging me about how I have not given enough love to Studio Grow on this blog. I LOVE STUDIO GROW! Do you hear me? Studio Grow, located in Berkeley on 10th Street and Gilman, is an indoor play space for kids 0-6. You pay for yourself and your child(ren), but babies under 1 are free and a second adult is free. How do I love thee, Studio Grow? Let  Read more...

Birthday Treasure Guide, Part III: Merritt Bakery

by Whitney Moss

September 01, 2008

"It's an Oakland institution," Willie, my ex-boyfriend-turned-married-father-of-a-two-year-old, tells me about Merritt Bakery . T here's the bakery component, of course, (great, great cakes, but kinda pricey) and also a restaurant (good fried chicken and waffles) with sit-in dining and take out food. But wait, there's more: breakfast around the clock. You heard it here! Show your kiddies how  Read more...

Good Eats: Amanda's in downtown Berkeley

by Whitney Moss

August 06, 2008

Older preschoolers who are ready for matinee movies in downtown Berkeley now have the perfect apres theatre cafe to visit. It's called Amanda's and it's located on Shattuck, one door north of the Wells Fargo building. The format is similar to In and Out with it's simple menu , but let the comparison end there. I'd eat off the floor at this place. Seriously. It is amazingly clean. The modern,  Read more...

Oh, the Choices: Ice Cream Parlors in Berkeley

by Whitney Moss

July 01, 2008

It's really summer.  My son really rarely naps.  It must be time to introduce the most delectable afternoon pick-me up of them all: the ice cream outing. (Side note: Yesterday I told him if he took a nap we could go out for ice cream when he woke up.  He finally fell asleep after much protest and I had to wake him up at 5.30. Unable to keep my ice cream promise due to my need to get to the  Read more...