Archive for February, 2010

Nothing but wall-to-wall festivals in town this weekend.

Chinese New Year Parade

The dragons dance through the crowded streets of Chinatown in this colorful annual spectacle, beloved by children, who abhor the crowds but adore the music, colorful decorations, and fireworks.

When: Sat., 2/27, 6pm (parade lasts for about 2 and 1/2 hours); All ages; Free.

Where: Parade winds around Market, Geary, Post, and Kearny; chineseparade.com.

Chinese New Year Treasure Hunt

This annual hunt always occurs the same night as the Chinese New Year parade, sending teams of people across Chinatown and the Financial District in search of clues.

When: Sat., 2/27, 4:30-9:30pm; Age 8+; $18-40.

Where: Treasure hunters meet at Justin Herman Plaza, Market Street (at Embarcadero Street), San Francisco; sftreasurehunts.com.

Purim Palooza

Celebrate the riotous and colorful Jewish holiday with costumes, games, hamantashen, face painting, and music.

When: Sun., 2/28, 9:30am-2pm; All Ages; Free (bring a can of food for charity).

Where: Marin Jewish Community Center, 200 N. San Pedro Road, San Rafael, 415-444-8000; marinjcc.org.

Here’s the scenario: baby is thirsty, you give him some milk in a sippy, he drinks for a second of blissful, blissful silence, until “Waaaah!” He’s turned the cup upside down and can’t get anything else out. For the 11 millionth time.

The innovative Bot sippy cup has a cool feature: a weighted stainless steel ball inside a flexible straw. Whenever the kid tips the cup, the same gravity that makes the liquid fall to one side also moves the straw. Ergo, every sip brings up a drink, ergo, you get 15 more seconds of peace and quiet before he empties the cup and starts screaming again.

The Bot is made by Burlingame’s ZoLi, an eco-minded company whose products are free from BPA, phthalates, PVC, latex and chloride. ZoLi’s packaging is made from recycled products and uses soy-based inks, for earth-friendlier degrading. The Bot is non-breakable and the lid and handle are just one part, to cut down on wandering cup pieces.

ZoLi also makes an intriguing child’s nail trimmer, the Buzz B., which uses a gentle whirling sander to grind nails down instead of a clipper that can slip and cut baby’s little cuticles. The Buzz B. is unfortunately out of stock on ZoLi’s site, but the Bot is available, in green or orange.

ZoLi’s Bot sippy cup, $12

As the short winter melts into early spring, the opportunities for outdoor fun keep flowering.

Free King Tut Weekend

The de Young Museum’s blockbuster Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs exhibit is free all weekend; the lines will be huge when the box office opens at 9 a.m. to distribute the free tickets. The de Young’s permanent collection is also free.

When: Sat. & Sun., 2/20-21, 8:30am-4pm; Age 3+; Free.

Where: de Young Museum, 50 Hagiwara Drive (at Music Concourse Drive in Golden Gate Park), San Francisco; 415-750-3600; tutsanfrancisco.org.

Tulipmania

Thousands of tulips in just about every color of the rainbow decorate the pier at this annual event. Free tours are available at 10am daily.

When: Sat.-Sun., 2/20-28, 10am-5pm; Age 4+; Free.

Where: Pier 39, Embarcadero Street (at Grant Street), San Francisco; 415-705-5500; pier39.com.

Lunar New Year Celebration

Celebrate the Year of the Tiger with Chinese lion and folk dancing, seasonal crafts, and a Chinese zodiac tour around the zoo.

When: Sun., 2/21, 10am-3pm; All Ages; Free-$15 (guests born in the year of the tiger get free admission).

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

Can’t make it to that Kenyan safari now that you’ve gone and had yourself some little ‘uns? The next best thing is just a few miles away: Safari West, 400 animal-filled acres right in the middle of Wine Country. It’s not a zoo, it’s not one of those drive-through-lion-country tours that you see from behind your car window. This is a real, live nature preserve, with hundreds of exotic species: lemurs, giraffes, antelopes, monkeys, ostriches, even cheetahs!

Most visitors opt for a jeep tour; try to get the seats at the top, because they give you a bird’s eye view of the place. Animals are well cared-for, with healthy, shiny coats, and are quite tame; don’t be surprised if they wander right up to the jeep to say hello. There are other kinds of tours as well, such as the behind-the-scenes tours where visitors get to see how the animals are kept, and can even hand-feed exotic birds and giraffes.

If the scenery thrills you, stay overnight: there are a range of lodging options, from basic family tents to a two-bedroom cottage that sleeps six. Many of Safari West’s animals are nocturnal, so expect to hear birds calling and lemurs chattering. And early morning is the best time to see many animals, when they’re awake and alert, not sleepy in the midday heat.

Safari West is located at 3118 Porter Creek Road (at Vineyard Spring Lane) in Santa Rosa; call 707-579-2551 or visit safariwest.com.

The Olympics, Chinese New Year, old-timey music; there’s a lot going on in town this weekend.

Reach for the Rings Olympic Celebration and Skating Exhibition

Get the little ones stoked for the winter Olympics at this demo of the amazing things that can be done on ice, including figure skating, hockey, and curling. Guests will also get to try out the ice themselves.

When: Sat., 2/13, 6:30-8:30pm; Age 5+; $7.

Where:  Yerba Buena Ice, 750 Folsom Street (at ), San Francisco; 415-820-3521; skatebowl.com.

Chinese New Year Festival

Celebrate the Year of the Tiger with New Year’s crafts (red envelopes, paper lanterns, calligraphy), watch lion dancers, make dumplings, and learn about the Chinese zodiac.

When: Mon., 2/15, 9am-4pm; $7-14.

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

Pet Adoption Day

Get to meet doggies that need a home at this event, where the animal rescue organization Muttville brings their calm, senior dogs to meet potential new families.

When: Sun., 2/14, 11am-3pm; Age 3+; Free.

Where: Ameoba Music, 1855 Haight Street (at Stanyan Street); 415-831-1200; muttville.org.

The San Francisco Bluegrass and Old-Time Festival

Ten days of old-time music shows, many at venues friendly to kids. There are two shows pitched specifically at children, both on Saturday at the Randall Museum in San Francisco.

When: Thu.-Sun., 2/12-21; See website for schedule (special children’s shows are at 1pm and 3pm, Sat. 2/13); Age 4+; See website for ticket prices.

Where: Various venues including the Randall Museum, 199 Museum Way (at Roosevelt Way), San Francisco; sfbluegrass.org.

Redwood City’s Counsyl has a new testing kit for prospective parents: They each spit in a tube, mail it back to Counsyl, and the company screens for more than 400 genetic mutations, including those for sickle cell anemia, Tay-Sachs, and cystic fibrosis. If each sample shows a marker for a mutation, the parents can consider their options, which include IVF and testing of the resultant embryos. The Counsyl Universal Genetic Test is $350.

Geneticists point out that the test has its limits–there are many diseases not covered, and some are so complex that couples may go through IVF (an expensive and arduous process) for nothing. Possessing a genetic marker for a disease doesn’t necessarily mean you will develop it. But since previous genetic tests required a blood sample and are generally looking only for a specific disease (such as one that affects a family member), this is a significant stride forward. Is it worth $350? Nervous parents-to-be, your guess is as good as mine.

One thing’s for sure, the test is easy to get. Unlike blood-sample genetic screenings, which require a trip to a clinic, Counsyl is available online.

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.