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.

Sometimes the best presents are experiences

by VDog

December 16, 2008

This year I have politely requested, 'no stuff' for me or the kiddo. I would guess most of us in the Bay Area have a lot of 'things' for ourselves and our children. We have a tendency to overindulge our children (ok, maybe it's the Grandparent's fault) with abundant toy boxes. But sometimes the best 'things' are not really 'things' at all! They are experiences . Your child(ren) love spending  Read more...

Read Any Good Books Lately?

by VDog

December 04, 2008

Tired of your same old books? Looking for something new to you and them? Try out one of these...they are sure to be a hit. Touch & Feel Fire Engine We have a few of the "Touch and Feel" series books, and they are all big hits, even 1 years after first purchase. This one is sure to be a hit with toddler and preschoolers who are obsessed with all 'things that go!' I love that these  Read more...

Top 5 Local Holiday Traditions

by VDog

December 02, 2008

If these wonderful activities aren't already a part of your yearly Holiday festivities, I would strongly suggest adding one or two to your repertoire. Kids love doing the same thing year after year, and all of these activities would make great outings for a child to look forward to (and hey, maybe you'll even look forward to it, too!). 1) The Tilden Park Merry Go Round and  Read more...

How sunwise are you?

by Heather Gibbs Flett

October 20, 2008

As the warm sunny days give way to cold sunny rainy days, it might seem like an odd time to talk about sun protection. But I'm a little obsessed so it never really goes out of season. I have red hair -- and zero natural sun protection. My one-year old has red hair and very little of it, so he's always splattered with sunscreen and frequently sporting a hat. Holden, at age 3, cannot be bothered  Read more...

A cheap date: Sundays at Golden Gate Fields

by Whitney Moss

October 07, 2008

Yesterday I found myself standing behind Heather's friend Naomi at Picante. She and her brood - one preschooler and one toddler - had just enjoyed an afternoon at the race tracks. I was surprised to learn of this outing and delighted when Naomi gave me the highlights. Golden Gate Fields is in Albany, right next to the Gilman exit of Interstate 80. On "NFL Sundays", admission is $1 for  Read more...

Wild alternative sleepovers for families

by Heather Gibbs Flett

July 28, 2008

Who needs old school camping when Fairyland has "Summer Sleepovers" and the Oakland Zoo has "Family Sundown Safaris" for the 4 and over set? I'm looking forward to next summer when the Rookie families can take advantage of these events as our big guys won't be 4 until summer is over (October and May respectively). [Holden too young to sleep with the lions and gnomes] Fairyland sleepovers are  Read more...

Discovering the wilderness of the urban jungle

by Whitney Moss

May 14, 2008

Back in the day, I had a pet turtle named Gabe. My boyfriend bought him for me in Chinatown and when he presented me with the gift, we realized that we had no idea how to feed or care for him. So off I went to the East Bay Vivarium , where you can learn everything you need to know about reptiles. Fast forward twelve years and I have a toddler to entertain. The above unnamed boyfriend has his own  Read more...