Archive for June, 2009

A landmark 1990 study by the American Association of University Women showed something scary about American girls: by the time they’re in sixth grade, they associate masculinity with power and opportunity and femininity with reserve and restraint. No sexist pig has to keep these girls down; they’ll do it all by themselves.

But not if they can pilot a sea kayak with confidence, or rappel down the side of a cliff. Or, at least, that’s the thinking behind GirlVentures, a San Francisco non-profit that takes girls in 6th-9th grades on vigorous outdoor adventures designed to let them take risks that pay off. They hike, bike, climb mountains, they learn self-defense moves. They bond in the physical, exhilarating ways that are so often closed off to girls, and in doing so, GirlVentures hopes, they will be able to take a flying leap through any glass ceiling.

GirlVentures offers month-long classes on self-defense and urban hikes during the school year, as well as a once-a-week rock climbing class in the East Bay that’s developed a cult following. The prime summer offerings are two-week backcountry camping trips into the Sierra Nevadas. For more information, visit girlventures.org.

Dear God, it’s been hot. So very hot. And it seems like no one in the Bay Area has air conditioning, not me, not you, not the grocery store where the lettuce is as limp as the streamers tied to the fans blowing the hot air around. You know where it’s nice and cool? At the movies! Cinemark Theatres sweetens the deal with the Summer Movie Clubhouse, 10am screenings every Monday and Tuesday for just a buck a show (or $5 for the whole 10 movie series).

This week’s movie is Space Chimps; I hear it’s pretty meh but: air-conditioning! Two whole hours where you won’t have to get anyone milk! The cavalcade of films continue until August 17-18, when things wind up with Open Season. Save a seat for me at CineArts at the Empire, 85 West Portal Avenue in San Francisco. Call 415-661-2539 or visit cinemark.com.

I’m no fan of ironic t-shirts. But this one’s actually funny. Milkbomb’s “Congratulations! You get to sit near me” shirt is 100% cotton, available as a onesie or a t-shirt, short sleeved for those heading off to exotic tropical locales, long-sleeved for kids who spend the summers in San Francisco. Wring a smile from your fellow airline/train/bus passengers and maybe they won’t be shooting you evil “Can’t you control that kid?” looks when little one hits a crying jag two hours into a five-hour flight. And you’ll be supporting a local business, as the husband-wife team that runs Milkbomb designs from San Francisco.

This particular t-shirt design is available in sizes up to 6T which begs the question: “What kind of creep objects to sitting next to a six-year-old?”

“Congratulations! You get to sit near me” shirt or onesie, $20-24

A train tour, a treasure hunt, and rampaging Fisher-Price Little People.

80th Anniversary Celebration and Little People Musical Show

The San Francisco Zoo is 80, and Fisher-Price Little People are 50. How do these two things go together? Find out at this weekend-long party at the zoo, where the Little People Musical Show entertains with vintage 1920s acts and there are special take-home Little Peopleish crafts. There’s a special Playland-at-the-Beach booth too: beware Laughing Sal.

When: Sun., 6/28; 10am-5pm; performances at 11:30am, 1:30pm, and 3pm; All ages; Free with admission (Free-$15).

Where: San Francisco Zoo, Great Highway (between Sloat and Skyline), San Francisco; 415-753-7201; sfzoo.org.

Disney’s A Christmas Carol Train Tour

Disney prepares for the December release of its update of A Christmas Carol with this train tour, which arrives in Oakland Friday, with cars equipped to show visitors behind-the-scenes look at the technology that made the film.

When: Fri.-Sun., 6/26-28, Fri.-Sat. 9am-7pm; Sun., 9am-4pm, Age 3+; Free.

Where: Oakland Middle Harbor Shoreline Park, 2777 Middle Harbor Road (at Maritime Street), Oakland, disney.go.com.

Fiendish Treats and Scary Vegan Snacks

Here’s your excuse to visit the San Francisco house of kinder-oddities, including vintage and Victorian toys. Vegan chef Pamela Baird prepares ghoulish vegan snacks at this afternoon party.

When: Sat., 6/27, 2-4pm; Age 4+; Free.

Where: Paxton Gate’s Curiosities for Kids, 766 Valencia Street (at 19th Street), San Francisco, 415-824-1872, paxtongate.com.

“Sense of Place” Treasure Hunt for Families

A pair of San Francisco nature lovers have created a map booklet that families can pick up free to lead themselves on a two-hour self-guided adventure around the green spaces of the city. The map-makers will have free yerba buena tea to taste, as well.

When: Sat., 6/27, pick up maps from 10am-noon; Age 5-11; Free.

Where: Moraga Steps, 16th Avenue at Moraga, San Francisco; Contact Damien Raffa, 415-992-8141, email@urbikids.com; urbikids.com.

Ask most parents their biggest hope for their kids and they’ll give the same answer: “I just want them to be happy.” But no one seems to know exactly how that’s done. Does it involve parents always being around or letting kids develop their independence? Is it all about limits and discipline, or should you merely ignore bad behavior and praise the good? If you give your kids dessert every night, are you teaching them to enjoy sweets in moderation or getting them addicted to sugar?

Well, Christine Carter’s Half Full blog probably won’t weigh in on that last one, but the first two questions are eminently fair game as this UC Berkeley PhD, whose specialty is the study of happiness in children, synthesizes social science research to provide sensible advice to parents. Popular past topics include “How Not to Raise an Ungrateful Brat” and “The Right Way to Praise Kids” (hint: praise effort, not innate qualities). Hey, now you have the science to back up your opinions. Nice!

Economic hard times have an unexpected beneficiary: kids, who suddenly get to spend more time with out-of-work Daddy. Eighty percent of recent recession layoffs have been male; that leaves an awful lot of fathers “getting thrown into roles at home,” says Jeremy Adam Smith, San Francisco author of new book The Daddy Shift: How Stay-at-Home Dads, Breadwinning Moms, and Shared Parenting Are Transforming the American Family.

But the new crop of homebound Daddies is just a continuation of several-decades-long trend in America, Smith told the New York Times‘ blog Motherlode: “Today, 80 percent of mothers work and a third of wives make more money than their husbands. In response, men have evolved, though many people fail to see it. Since 1965 the number of hours that men spend on childcare has tripled. Since 1995 it has nearly doubled. Fathers now spend more time with their children than at any time since researchers started collecting longitudinally comparable data.”

As Smith’s argues, never have American couples had more of a need for flexibility, with each pitching in on home, work, and childcare duties as needed. In response, dads are throwing themselves into the stay-at-home-dad job; and finding it as exhausting, exhilarating and demanding as their wives.

Lifeguarding isn’t all running down the beach with breasts akimbo, the way they show it on Baywatch. Learn how to recognize the signs of someone in distress and give them first aid at Junior Lifeguard Camp, a weeklong lesson in life-saving for boys and girls age 11-14. Junior life guards will play games, have swimming drills, be bonded in team-building exercises, and, most of all, will learn the basic first aid for distressed swimmers. They will also participate in the swim lesson program, teaching young children how to swim.

Bring a swimsuit, towel, bag lunch, change of clothes, sunscreen, tennis shoes, and altruistic leanings.

When: Mon.-Fri., 6/22-26; 9am-3pm; Age 11-14; $110-115.

Where: Terra Linda Community Center, 670 De Ganado Road (at Freitas Parkway), San Rafael, contact Kat Reisinger, 415-485-3444; cityofsanrafel.org.

The weather hasn’t actually been too horrible of late, which means tomorrow night’s Film Night in the Park in Dolores Park, traditionally one of the city’s warmest parks, might actually be tolerable, weather-wise. And the film’s a crackerjack one for school-age kids and tweens: Goldfinger, the third Bond movie, which stars Sean Connery (the only Bond for me), hot Honor Blackman as Pussy Galore, and a chick painted in gold. Outtasight!

The violence is muted by today’s standards, as is the sex-and-smut; a lot of the double-entendres will likely slip over smallish kids’ heads. So bring the little ones if you like, and a blanket and some snacks. Film starts at 8pm at Dolores Park, 18th and Dolores Streets. Film Night in the Park is always fee.

It’s Daddy’s weekend. Make sure he enjoys it.

Fee-Free Weekend at National Parks

National parks waive fees for the weekend (and two more in the summer: July 18-19 and August 15-16). Stay local and go to Muir Woods or the gorgeous San Francisco Maritime museum at Fort Mason, or range afield and hit Joshua Tree or Death Valley.

When: Sat. & Sun., 6/20-21, check website for opening/closing times; All ages; Free.

Where: Various locations, see nps.gov.

KidStage at the Stern Grove Festival

The free summertime music festival is back, and before each weekly show kids can meet in the West Meadow for activities in the theme of that week’s performers. Dance lessons, drumming, crafts, singing, and more. This week: Roberta Flack kills you softly with her smooth soul tones and Precita Eyes shows kids how to paint a mural.

When: Sun., 6/21 (shows run through 8/23); Noon-1pm (concerts start at 2pm); Age 3+; Free.

Where: Sigmund Stern Grove, Sloat Avenue (at 19th Avenue), San Francisco; 415-252-6252; sterngrove.org.

Northern California Pirate Festival

Eye patches and shoulder parrots are de rigeur at this yearly celebration of swashbuckling that features pirate demos and performers, swordfighting, ye olde crafts, and costumed performers galore.

When: Sat. & Sun., 6/20-21; Sat., 10am-sunset; Sun., 10am-6pm; All ages; Free.

Where: Vallejo Waterfront, 401 Mare Island Way (at Capitol St.), norcalpiratefestival.com.

Father’s Day Solar Car Challenge

Dad doesn’t want a tie or breakfast in bed. He wants an excuse to play with Legos. Here’s a good one: kids and Dads team up to design, build, and race Solar Lego cars.

When: Sun., 6/21, 1pm; Age 5+; $5 plus admission.

Where: Chabot Space & Science Center, 10000 Skyline Boulevard (at Joaquin Miller Road), Oakland, 510-336-7373; chabotspace.org.

One of the best baby/kid items spotted at San Mateo’s Maker Faire a couple of weeks ago: Ms. Craftypants’ achingly cute Robots on Parade blankets. Painstakingly handcrafted, the mini-quilts feature simple robot shapes and delicious patterns. Ms. Craftypants herself, Bay Area artist/designer/work-at-home mommy Rebecca Morrissey, tends to shell out for the really good stuff, fabric-wise: the material that goes into her quilts is high thread-count and very pleasing to the eye and the hand. Fabrics are pre-washed too, soft and supple, not stiff with starch like most new bedding.

On Morrissey’s Etsy site there’s just one Robots on Parade blanket, pictured here. But at Maker Faire, the Ms. Craftypants table was piled high with blankets, in blues, reds, browns and more lovely shades. Wouldn’t one look nice in your babe’s crib? Contact Morrissey through Etsy if you’re interested.

Robots on Parade blanket, $35