Archive for November, 2009

Dance, sing, listen, or tinker, the holiday season is upon us.

11th Annual San Francisco Hip Hop DanceFest

A grand total of 22 hip hop dance companies to blow your mind.

When: Program A, Fri., 11/20, 8pm & Sun., 11/22, 2pm; Program B, Sat., 11/21, 8pm & Sun, 11/22, 7pm; Age 8+; $35 for one program; $62 for both.

Where: Palace of Fine Arts Theatre, 3301 Lyon Street (at Bay Street), San Francisco; 415-392-4400; sfhiphopdancefest.com.

Pier 39 Tree Lighting Celebration

Costumes characters from Disney and live entertainers caper from 2 to 4pm, and at 5:30 the giant Christmas tree blazes to life.

When: Sun., 11/22, 2-5pm; All ages; Free.

Where: Pier 39, Embarcadero (at Grant Street), San Francisco; pier39.com.

Tinkering

Every invention, Coyote Point reminds us, came to be due to tinkering. This newest exhibit shows viewers how an innovation springs from a good idea and lots of tries. of innovation.

When: Exhibit opens Sat., 11/21, 10am; Age 3+; Free-$7.

Where: Coyote Point Museum, 1651 Coyote Point Drive (at Airport Boulevard), San Mateo; 650-342-7755; coyoteptmuseum.org.

Fresh Trade Agreement

A good choice for hipper middle and high schoolers, this party includes live music, DJs, b-boy battles, custom-built bikes, and vendors of streetwear and accessories.

When: Sat., 11/21, 11am-5pm; Age 7+; $10 ($7 with two canned goods).

Where: CellSpace/Crucible Steel Gallery, 2050 Bryant Street (at 18th Street), San Francisco; fresh-trade.org.

It’s possible to make a perfectly good gingerbread house out of a foil-covered milk carton, some frosting, some candy, and some well-positioned graham crackers. But sometimes you want a gingerbread extravaganza that draws a “Wow!” from every kid who sees it.

The Bay Area Discovery Museum’s extremely popular Gingerbread Architecture parties will give you the candy house of your dreams. For $25 per gingerbread house kit, the Discovery Museum hands out real gingerbread (not graham crackers!), frosting, a rainbow of candy, and a space to craft your masterpiece in. The room smells of frosting and sugar, and rings with the happy laughter of children alternately eating and glueing on candy onto their house. While it’s drying, kids and parents play at the museum; by the time they’re ready to head home, their masterpiece is ready.

Gingerbread Architecture sells out early every year; make your reservations early by visiting baykidsmuseum.org. The Bay Area Discovery Museum is located at 557 McReynolds Road (at Fort Baker), Sausalito; call 415-339-3900.

Next weekend it’s going to be all turkey sandwiches all the time. Enjoy your family-free hours this weekend.

Pixar Party at the Cartoon Art Museum

A very rare chance to get a behind-the-scenes look at what Pixar does, with artists and insiders displaying cels and discussing how the studio made movies like Up and Toy Story. All proceeds benefit the museum.

When: Sat., 11/14, 1-4 p.m.; Age 6+; $100 per family of four (no tickets sold at the door; all families must have a reservation).

Where: Cartoon Art Museum Benefit, 655 Mission Street (at New Montgomery Street), San Francisco; 415-227-8666 Ext: 300; cartoonartlivejournal.com.

San Francisco Green Festival

Three days of organic food, recycling, eco-consciousness, and random acts of urban renewal at this festival. Tree Frog Treks brings its reptiles to the party each day of the festival from noon to 2 p.m. and kids will get a lot out of the hands-on off-site greening activities.

When: Fri., 11/13, noon-7 p.m., Sat., 11/14, 10 a.m.-7 p.m., Sun., 11/15, 11 a.m. - 6 p.m.; Age 3+; Free-$15

Where: Various locations including the Concourse Exhibition Center, 635 Eighth Street (at Brannan Street), San Francisco; greenfestivals.org.

The Sippy Cups

The popular kids’ band plays at a snazzy, retrolicious venue with the most important ingredient for parental enjoyment: a full bar.

When: Sun., 11/15, 1 p.m. and 4 p.m.; Age 4+; $17.

Where: Bimbo’s 365 Club, 1025 Columbus Avenue (at Chestnut Street), San Francisco; 415-474-0365; bimbos365club.com.

Gobble Gobble Turkey Dance Party

Exuberant kids’ band Candy and the Sweet Tooths gets the kids up and moving at this family dance.

When: Sat., 11/15, 3 p.m.; All Ages;$18.

Where: Fort Mason Officer’s Club, Upper Fort Mason (at Franklin Street), San Francisco; candyandthesweettooths.com.

In just six weeks, the Saturday Morning Rock Out class squishes the coolest parts of being in a band into one mesmerizing class for kids aged four to seven. At the first class the kids mess around with instruments and pick a band name, at the second class they pick what spots they’re to hold in the band, and then they move on to writing a song, practicing, and performing for a live audience of enthusiastic parents at the end-of-class CD release party.

The Rock Out course is taught by members of local bands, Brian, Lynn, and Pace, all of whom have a wonderful rapport with children and are encouraging of everyone’s ideas and energy so that even the smallest and shyest of the kids get comfortable shouting out lyrics and ideas for album cover art. It’s an uplifting and cool experience for kids, but more than that, it’s their first chance to work collaboratively on a project, a skill they’ll need very much in school and beyond.

The Rock Out course is in mid-session right now; there will be more classes in 2010. Special for l’il percussionists: the Sunday Morning Drum Out, a one-hour class focusing on rhythm for kids aged 4 to 8. For more information, see owies.org.

Now that Halloween is just a memory and a bunch of crackly candy wrappers in a bucket, you can really have some fun.

Mission Indie-Mart

Say no to sweatshop labor and corporate sameness at this fleamarket, where over 40 local designers, retailers, and crafters offer quirky wares for kids and adults. There’s hot barbecue for sale too.

When: Sun., 11/8; noon-6pm; All Ages; Free.

Where: Thee Parkside, 1600 17th Street (at Wisconsin Street), San Francisco; indie-mart.com.

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe

Four children step into an antique wardrobe and fall into an adventure in a magical fairyland in this adaptation with young actors.

When: Ongoing through 9/15; Sat. 1pm; Sun. 1:30 & 3:30pm; Age 4+; $10 adults, $7 children under 13.

Where: Young Performers Theatre, Fort Mason Center, Building C, Marina Boulevard (at Buchanan Street); 415-346-5550; ypt.org.

Animal Secrets

Learn how bats find their way through dark caves and if chipmunks really sleep in a tree like Chip and Dale at this exhibition that pokes into the private lives of familiar animals.

When: Ongoing through 5/9/10; Age 0-8; Free with paid admission (Free-$18).

Where: Bay Area Discovery Museum, 557 McReynolds Road (at Fort Baker), Sausalito, 415-339-3900, baykidsmuseum.org.

SFUSD Public School Enrollment Fair

The biggie, with representatives from every San Francisco public school and all the forms parents need for the 2010 application process.

When: Sat., 11/7, 9am-2:30pm; Age 2+; Free.

Where: Concourse Exhibition Center, 620 Seventh Street (at Brannan Street), San Francisco; portal.sfsu.edu.

Fantastic Fridays
Crissy Field Center naturalists take little ones on an exploration of the outdoors using the senses. This week: cuddle up to trees with a hike and leaf rubbings.

When: Ongoing each Friday including 11/6; Age 18 months-4 years; $12-15

Where: Crissy Field Center, 603 Mason Street (at Halleck Street), San Francisco; 415-561-7752; crissyfield.org.

Let’s put aside the question of whether or not you want to get the H1N1 vaccine because that is one spicy meatball, and for the time being assume you want to get it for yourself or your children. The first few flu-vaccine clinics last weekend were swamped with patients seeking the vaccine, waiting hours on line according to the San Francisco Chronicle. There will be more clinics in November, and only time will tell what the waits there will be like.Vaccine events vary in each city; you can supposedly go to your city’s public health department website (here is a list of California health departments) for more information. Many of the sites are all but useless, with a lot of information on covering your mouth when you cough but not much about where to get the vaccine they keep advising you to get. San Francisco’s site is typical in that it tells you to call your primary care provider and ask about vaccines, but the San Franicsco health department’s swine flu Twitter feed has more up-to-date information, and SF residents can also call 311 for updates. Contra Costa’s public health department site is a welcome contrast from SF’s, with detailed info on upcoming drive-through flu clinics.

Many Walgreens, Rite Aid, and CVS MinuteClinic locations also have the H1N1 shots; call the stores nearest you to ask. Kaiser patients can phone 800-573-5811 to find out where to go get the shot. Walgreens also has dedicated flu shot clinics. Flu.gov has a ton of information and links that will panic you and make you say “Just tell me where to get the shot! Argh!” Hmm, maybe you’re better off calling your primary care physician after all.