UrbanBaby San Francisco

It’s warming up out there, the almond trees are blooming, and finally the rain has stopped. Let’s take advantage of it while we can.

Giants FanFest

The yearly party is a free chance to ogle players, get autographs and dugout tours, and generally soak up the sporty atmosphere.

When: Sat., 2/6, 10am-3pm; Age 3+; Free.

Where: AT&T Park, 24 Willy Mays Plaza (at King Street), San Franciscp; sanfranciscogiants.mlb.com.

Crissy Field Center’s Grand gREen Opening

Explore the new green building with a party including tours of the sustainability features, live music, food tastings, and eco giveaways.

When: Sat., 2/6, 11am-3pm; All Ages; Free.

Where: Crissy Field, 1199 East Beach (at Mason Street), San Francisco; 415-561-7752; parksconservancy.org.

Every Child Belongs: Inclusion and ADA Law Workshop for Parents

Parents of children with disabilities can learn what their rights are under IDEA and ADA law, as well as who can help. Pre-registration is required, write to mdickerson@childrenscouncil.org.

When: Fri., 2/5, 9:30am-noon; Adults only; Free.

Where: Children’s Council of San Francisco, 445 Church Street (at 16th Street), San Francisco, 415-343-3309; childrenscouncil.org.

Children’s Authors and Illustrators Festival

Meet the men and women who make your favorite children’s books, with guests like Elisa Kleven (the Paper Princess series) and Tim Myers (Takuki’s Gift).

When: Sat., 2/6, 10am-3:30pm; Age 5+; Free.

Where: Orion Elementary School, 815 Allerton Street (at Alden Street), Redwood City, rcsd.k12.ca.us.

A recent column in the Washington Post, “With rising child-care cost, many parents are paying to work,” brought to light a parenting issue that many keep to themselves: for some middle-class families, the cost of daycare is more than one of the parent’s salaries.

“I really thought it wouldn’t get much worse than the unpaid college internship. I raced from that gig in my duct-taped car to make it to my paying job as a waitress. I barely scraped by,” writes Post columnist Petula Dvorak. “But 20 years later, I’m horrified to realize that my ramen days were more lucrative than the illogical mess I’ve got going today. Because right now, most weeks, I actually pay to work. And I’m not the only one.”

So why work at all? The Post spells it out.

“‘If you’re leaving the workforce to take care of your kids, that financial calculus may make sense in the immediate year or two,’ said Heather Boushey, a senior economist with the D.C.-based Center for American Progress…. ‘But looking at the long-term economic health of a family, that can be devastating.’ When you step off a work path, you lose seniority, experience, benefits — workforce capital that is difficult to regain once the kids are in school (assuming they go to a free public school, of course).”

Such parents are reluctant to talk about their issue, because they’ll be swiftly (and judgmentally) advised to quit work. But as Amy Graff, a writer for San Francisco Chronicle blog The Mommy Files has it, there are reasons both tangible and intangible: “You might wonder why I worked but our family needed that little bit of money to survive in San Francisco, and I loved my job. Plus, it would have been risky for me to take a break from working at a point when I was young in my career. I had been out of college for only six years.”

Riffing on this, Graff also called daycare centers in San Francisco to see how much they charge to care for infants (prices are higher than for older children). She got back a range of costs, from a low of $1,280 and a shocking high of $1,851 a month. That’s a high of more than $22,000 a year and a vast chunk of family change to drop. Not to mention that many of the centers are difficult or impossible to get into, as San Francisco has a dearth of options for infant daycare and is undergoing a bit of a baby boom. So…good luck with that.

Rain, rain go away. We’ll get you out of the house some way.

Monster Energy Supercross

Flying dirt, revving engines, racing motorcycles, and kids screaming in excitement. There’s an alcohol-free “family section” of the stadium set off for families.

When: AT&T Park, 24 Willie Mays Plaza (at King Street), San Francisco; supercrossonline.com.

Where: Sat., 1/30, 12:30pm-9pm; Age 5+; $10-75.

RACE: Are We So Different?

Race is not skin color, says this multimedia exhibit that pokes into the history, sociology, and geography of race.

When: Sat., 1/30-5/2, Age 4+; Free-$12.

Where: Lawrence Hall of Science, Centennial Drive (at Stadium Rimway) on the University of California, Berkeley campus, 510-642-5132, lawrencehallofscience.org.

Ramona Quimby

Based on the much-loved series by Beverly Cleary, this stage adaptation follows Ramona through the third grade, as she feuds with her teacher and sees her dad lose his job and mom start working.

When: Sat. & Sun. 1/30-2/7, 2 & 4:30pm; $14-16.

Where: Julia Morgan Performing Arts Center, 2640 College Avenue (at Claremont Avenue), Berkeley, 925-973-ARTS; activeartstheatre.org.

Surprise: Kids weaned on Wii still like pinball. The low-tech thrill of bleeps, bloops, and a couple of flippers lives on at the Pacific Pinball Museum in Alameda. Ten bucks gets you in the door (a mere $5 for kids), and all-you-can-play pinball in any one of a warren of rooms. Which one you’ll like might depend on when you were born. Did you grow up playing the gentle pinball machines of the ’60s, with just a couple of dingers and no multi-ball challenges? Did you learn how to play on a machine with a buxom broad painted on the back in the ’70s, or did you learn on Indiana Jones in the ’80s? They’re all represented here, and many more.

All the machines are set to free play and kids are free to wander. There’s no alcohol sold on the premises, just sodas and Wright’s pink popcorn for $1. The kitsch value is incredible, and a lot of the games are still surprisingly fun to play. Make sure not to miss the notorious Orbitor 1, which uses magnets to send the ball on unexpected looping trips around the board. Oh, and be sure to leave all your stuff in the car, you don’t want to be dragging the diaper bag when you’re working the flippers. If you come on a Friday or Saturday evening, the Museum opens the “back 40″: an old gaming parlor called Lucky Ju Ju with an additional 40 vintage machines.

Pacific Pinball Museum, 1510 Webster Street (at Santa Clara Avenue), Alameda; 510-769-1349; pacificpinball.org.

Even if it does rain all weekend, there’s still plenty to do.

Bay Area International Children’s Film Festival

A film event for kids that showcases animation and shorts aimed at kids from all over the world, many of which are very difficult to see outside of this event.

When: Sat. & Sun., 1/23-24, 11am-6pm; 3+; $15 for an all-day pass (3 and under free).

Where: Auctions by the Bay, 2700 Saratoga Street (on the Alameda Naval Air Station), Alameda, baicff.com.

JAMband Family Concert and CD Release Party

Popular kids’ band Charity and the JAMband puts on an interactive show with stories and music.

Where: Sat., 1/23, 4:30-5:30pm; Family; $15-25 per family.

Where: Recess Urban Recreation, 470 Carolina Street (at 18th Street), San Francisco; 415-701-7529; jamjamjam.com.

The Peking Acrobats

Jaw-dropping feats like acrobatics atop a tower of chairs, contortion, and wire walking are the staples of these Chinese acrobats.

When: Fri., 1/22, 3pm; Age 5+; $20-45;

Where: Marin Veterans’ Memorial Auditorium, 10 Avenue of the Flags (at Civic Center Drive), San Rafael; 415-499-6400; co.marin.ca.us.

Life in a Pond

All the recent rain has produced startling changes in local ecosystems. Take an up-close look at this tromp through the edges of a big pond with a naturalist.

When: Sat., 1/23, 10am-noon; Age 5-8 (children under age 4 may participate if accompanied by an adult); $15.

Where: Richardson Bay Center & Sanctuary, 376 Greenwood Beach Road (at Tiburon Boulevard), Tiburon, 415-388-2524; tiburonaudubon.org.

Taking your children to the movies can be a real horror show when they’re autistic, have Sensory Processing Disorder, or are otherwise sensitive. The boom of the Dolby sound system, the dark, the intense visuals; all of these can combine to turn even the mildest movie into a nightmarish experience for kids and parents. If you’ve ever spent time cowering in a lobby with a hysterical child while everyone else enjoys the show, you’re not really eager to repeat the experience.

Take your sensitive child(ren) instead to Sensory Friendly Films, a monthly children’s film screening presented jointly by the Autism Society of America and AMC Entertainment. Each month at this special screening, AMC turns the sound down, turns the lights up, and temporarily flings its “Silence Is Golden” policy into the trash can. Audience members can get up, dance, sing, hoot, or race right out the door, and no one in the tolerant audience will bat an eyelash.

There are screenings across the country, but the two Bay Area locations are AMC Van Ness 14, 1000 Van Ness Avenue (at O’Farrell Street), San Francisco; and AMC Cupertino Square 16, 10123 N. Wolfe Road (at Vallco Parkway), Cupertino; 408-871-2262. The next screening will The Tooth Fairy on February 6 at 10am; tickets are $4-6; see autism-society.org for more information.

The doldrums of January have struck, but there’s still fun to be had in town.

Family Circus Day

Mess around for a day in mixed-ages classes on clowning, physical stunts, and general tomfoolery.

When: Sun., 1/17, 1:30-4pm; 5+; $15-20.

Where: Rhythmix Cultural Workshop, 2513 Blanding Avenue (at Everett Street); Alameda; 510-865-5060; rhythmix.org.

Play in a Day Camp

Hey, there’s no school Monday! Start panicking now! Or, put your kid in this Glitter & Razz drop-off day-camp where kids will write and perform a play about peace in one eight-hour period.

When: Mon., 1/18, 9am-5pm (play is staged at 5pm); Ages 4-10; $75.

Where: Glitter & Razz, 5951 College Avenue (at Harwood Avenue), Oakland; glitterandrazz.com.

School Break and Holiday Animal Camps

Learn about animal care and welfare with a day of games, activities, and the opportunity to pet and cuddle kittens, puppies, rabbits and chickens.

When: Mon., 1/18 (also offered other school holidays), 9am-4pm (aftercare until 5pm $10); Age: Fourth through eighth grades; $90.

Where: San Francisco SPCA, 2500 16th Street (at Florida Street), San Francisco; 415-554-3000; sfspca.org.

You want your kid to get exercise, but she wants to prance around in dress-up clothes. Why not do both? At Cardio-Tone, a brand new gym in Noe Valley, Princess 101 is a “storybook dance class,” with movements inspired by classic fairytales like Sleeping Beauty and Cinderella. Little princesses (and princes!) can wear their favorite dress-up clothes as they learn about storytelling through dance.

The class is recommended for kids aged 3 and up; smaller siblings are welcome at the on-site childcare. And Mama can sit and read a book and relax. Bring your own tiara.

Cardio-Tone is located at 3813 24th Street, San Francisco; visit cardio-tone.com. The Princess 101 class is offered each Thursday at 3pm.

Hey! Welcome back from the holidays!

Mochitsuki: Mochi Pounding Ceremony

Ring in the Japanese New Year with the traditional pounding ceremony for the sticky rice paste, loud and beloved by kids.

When: Sat., 1/9, noon-1pm (art activities take place until 4pm); Age 4-12; Free with adult admission, $7-12 (free admission for children under 12).

Where: Asian Art Museum, 200 Larkin Street (at Grove Street), San Francisco; 415-581-3500; asianart.org.

Marsh Youth Theater Family Fun Day

Kids aged 4-18 can get free samples of classes like drama, hip-hop dance, trapeze, and the visual arts at this vibrant local theater.

When: Sun., 1/10, 1-4pm; Age 4-18; Free.

Where: Marsh Youth Theater, 1062 Valencia Street (at 22nd Street); 415-828-5750; themarsh.org.

Sunday Sampler

Kids and grownups can sample the slate of classes offered at the Berkeley Rep School of Theatre, from stage combat and improv to clowning.

When: Sun., 1/10, 1pm (sample classes begin at 1:20, 2, and 2:30pm); Family; Free.

Where: Berkeley Rep School of Theatre, 2071 Addison Street (at Shattuck Avenue), Berkeley, 510-647-2972; berkeleyrep.org.

Endangered Species Big Year Kick-off

See the many endangered flora and fauna in the Golden Gate National Park system with a walk and bike ride around the parks, as well as concrete information on what you can do to save them under the Big Year conservation program.

When: Sat., 1/9, bike ride at 9:30am, kickoff party 1pm-3pm; Family; Free.

Where: Party and walk leaves from Sports Basement; 610 Mason Street (at Halleck Street); Bike ride begins in front of the Bazaar Cafe, California Street (at 21st Avenue); both locations are in San Francisco, wildequity.org.

Just because Christmas and New Year’s are now in your rearview mirror doesn’t mean wintry fun is over. The snowy vistas of Tahoe are just hours away. It’s just a matter of picking the right place to stay.

Northstar-at-Tahoe is probably the most popular Tahoe destination for families. Along with the snow, there are kid-friendly restaurants, indoors activity centers with a bungee trampoline and climbing wall, and a recreation center with a heated pool and a big, well-kitted-out game room. Families usually stick to well-groomed, moderate Mt. Pluto; or parents leave the kiddies with a youth instructor and brave the slopes of Schaffer’s Camp or Lookout Mountain.

Other Tahoe resorts popular with families include Alpine, Squaw, Kirkwood, and Homewood, all of which offer ski programs for kids as young as preschool age, and/or daycare for parents who want to get out on the slopes sans kinder. But if skiing isn’t quite your thing, you can still play in the snow: Tahoe Meadows is close to Reno and Sparks, on the south side of Mount Rose Highway (Highway 431). The entire slope is reserved for sledding, snowshoeing, and other slow snow pleasures. Families can cross-country ski, go tubing, or build forts on the flats. There’s plenty of nearby free parking and no entrance fee. There’s also no rentals or food for sale, so bring what you need.