Well, my eight-year-old finally has a toothless grin. Our kindly dentist said we could wait no more, it was time for those top two teeth to come out. Prior to today, he'd lost only three teeth, with a whole year going by without a wiggly tooth! Continue reading

The Exploratorium has always been the haunt of locals with kids. Dads and kids. Moms and kids. Nannies and kids. Families and kids. Local scout troops. Students on field trips. If you were raised in the Bay Area, you likely... Continue reading

Exclamation Point is an excellent read aloud for first through fourth graders, with second and third graders probably appreciating it the most. If they've studied and practiced punctuation, they will love this book. Or in the style of the book, I should say, "They will love this book!" Continue reading

Is marshmallow flapping becoming a trend, a way to silence the noisy applause of a young audience while not altogether stifling their enthusiasm? Continue reading

Check out the class descriptions! Lego Robotics, Kitchen Chemistry, Video Game Design, Mobile App Design, Filmmaking, Photography and Photoshop, Lego Robotics (and a special Lego Robotics for girls), Computer Programming and more. Continue reading

This park is everything other parks are not, and that is, it has an element of danger. It's one of the few parks that has not been completely encased in molded plastic. It's not same old, same old here. It's good, old-fashioned fun. Continue reading

I have a new obsession, one that has been simmering for years but has now boiled over into madness, vintage Pyrex madness! Continue reading

It's not easy to select just the right picture book for third graders. Much of what is on the library shelves is either too preschoolish, too gender specific or has too much text for a ten minute read. Some third graders, like my son, are deep into the tween stage. They are too cool for school. Continue reading

Note: I thought parents deciding whether or not to delay kindergarten (for a typically developing child) might like to read about the experience of my boys. We did not delay kindergarten and here is a look back, from the perspective... Continue reading

Painted by children. Back in 1996, I rediscovered my inner crafter. Petroglyph had just opened in Palo Alto, the first of its kind. So I gathered up a group of friends (this was before all my friends got married and... Continue reading

If you've got plain Lego bricks, you and/or your children can make one of these simple kaleidoscopes in minutes. Continue reading

Should I tell my 8-year-old boys one final white lie as to why our Elf on the Shelf has not returned this year? Continue reading

Rumor has it that one of my local Barnes and Noble bookstores will be shuttering its doors at the end of December, leaving the landscape of existing bookstores lonely and barren. Continue reading

Battery Alexander is part of what remains of coastal Fort Barry north of the Golden Gate Bridge, in Marin. It's a wonderful historical setting for children to expore and unleash their imaginations. Continue reading

This past Friday, I rounded up my boys along with a boy from school and headed to downtown San Jose. I'm one of the Art Vistas docents at our school and my plan was to point out some of what we've learned in Art Vistas at the San Jose Museum of Modern Art. Continue reading

I spent many post-Christmas and post-Birthday days toiling over thank you notes. First on my list was always my grandma, then aunts and finally, the various friends who'd graciously betstowed me with gifts. Writing thank you notes really wasn't all... Continue reading

Per the design moms whose posts get pinned to Pinterest, the best (and most beautiful) way to sort their children's Legos is by color. What? By color?! Continue reading

I've seen the Lion King movie. I'm familar with the Elton John-Tim Rice score. But what was likeable about the theatric production is that it's not an exact reproduction of the film, unlike Disney's Beauty and the Beast, which was the film brought to life. In fact, I didn't remember this was a Disney production until the cartoonified (but lovable and well-played) arrival of Timon and Pumbaa (the meerkat/warthog vaudeville act duo) at the end of the first act. This version seemed slightly less Disneyfied and more, if you will, authentic... Continue reading

But our favorite Bay Area Halloween time destination is Swank Farms. It's a real farm. You're kids are going to get dusty on hot days and muddy after it rains. It is the perfect place for kids age 5 to 10. Teens might like the haunted house, but during the day, this is an autumn paradise for school age kids. Got toddlers? They'll still enjoy it, but this is a place where school age kids will never be bored. Continue reading