Activities

The Glorious Fourth edition! Enjoy looking at the colored fog!

San Francisco’s Fourth of July Waterfront Celebration

When people ask “When do the fireworks start?” this is what they mean. The family-friendliest place to watch may be from the room of your apartment building, but failing that, the party at Aquatic Park has live music, food, kids’ activities, and, of course, fireworks that may or may not be visible. KISS-FM provides the simulcast soundtrack, should you care to tune in.
When: Fri., 7/4, 2-10pm (Fireworks begin at 9:30pm); All ages; Free.

Where: Fisherman’s Wharf Aquatic Park, Jefferson Street (at Hyde Street), San Francisco; 415-674-7503, fishermanswharf.org.

San Francisco Mime Troupe in Dolores Park

Even if your kids are too young to get the political references, they’ll love lying on a blanket in the park and taking in the show.

When: Fri.-Sun., 7/4-6, 1:30-3pm; All ages; Free.

Where: Dolores Park, between 18th and 20th Streets and Dolores and Church Streets, San Francisco; sfmt.org.

Pier 39 Fourth of July Waterfront Celebration

Best for kids who want something zippier than face-painting, this party’s main attraction is lengthy sets by two popular San Francisco cover bands, Big Bang Beat and Tainted Love, along with the glittery touristy allure of Pier 39’s shops and restaurants itself. Unless the fog rolls in, Pier 39 is an excellent spot to view the city fireworks show. If the fog rolls in, of course, no one’s going to see the show.

When: Fri., 7/4, 1-10pm; Age 7+; Free.

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

July 4th Family Festival at the Cannery

A family-friendly alternative to fireworks shows that don’t even start until long past bedtime, the Cannery party features live music, face painting, and food booths.

When: Fri., 7/4; 11am-3pm; All ages; Free.

Where: The Cannery at Del Monte Square, 2801 Leavenworth Street (at Columbus Street), 415-771-3112, delmontesquare.com.

For a city with such crappy weather, San Francisco has a shortage of indoor play spots. When you wake up to pea-soup fog for the third day in a row and you know the playground’s going to be bone-chillingly cold, where do you take a kid who needs to run and scream? The library? You’ll be tossed out on your ear. A coffee shop? Good luck facing down the gauntlet of hairy eyeballs from telecommuters trying to work. The Randall Museum? Great idea! So great that approximately 2,000 other families are crowding its play space.

That’s exactly why Peekadoodle Kidsclub has a shot, if it can manage to sign up enough members to make a go of it. Located in a magnificent spot at the corner of Ghirardelli Square, Peekadoodle is a spacious, well-appointed members-only play space for kids and comfy lounge for moms. Opened in February by mom-preneurs Kayla Lee and Ellen Park, the club is intended for kids aged 0 to 5.

“We send them off on their sixth birthday,” says Lee with a smile. She was the one with the idea for Peekadoodle, during a Chicago summer when her son was small. “It was 100-plus degrees outside, and I found an indoor place to play that was $100 a month. One hundred a month and nothing there but a play space, and I was happy to pay it just to get out of that heat. I knew we could do something better.”

They have. I visited last week with my 3-year-old, and both of us were bowled over by the accommodations. A big play-den filled with miniature wooden San Francisco icons like a Victorian house, cable car, and the Golden Gate Bridge! Friendly staffers overseeing the play as moms and nannies lolled on long benches, reading magazines! Kid-sized toilets in the bathrooms! Washers and dryers by the changing tables in case someone has a blowout! The rooms where kids can take cooking, language, music, and other classes were spiffy too, particularly the small-scale kitchen, and the food at the cafe is delicious.

The downside, of course, is the price. Membership at Peekadoodle starts at $100 a month, and most everything else — classes, food, childcare if you want to play on the computers or work out uninterrupted — is extra. The small hotel-style workout room is free, a plus; as are the computers in the lounge, and the free Wi-Fi. The convenient underground parking is a huge plus, but again, it’ll cost you: $2.25 for 90 minutes if you get a validation from Peekadoodle, but then $2.25 every 20 minutes thereafter.

If I had the extra cash, I’d be at Peekadoodle in a second. It’s posh, friendly, relaxing, safe, and my kid went insane for it. If you find yourself with kicking-around money, check it out. Work-at-home parents in particular might find Peekadoodle cost-effective. With on-site childcare available for a mere $5 an hour, Peekadoodle makes a lot of sense for telecommuters. Hey, maybe you could write membership off as a business expense? Check with your accountant on that one.

900 North Point St., 415-440-7335, peekadoodlekidsclub.com.

Sleep once under a redwood tree and you won’t soon forget it. Underneath the canopy all is silent and still, and you’ll wake up to the sound of water condensing on the redwood needles and dripping onto your tent.

Grab an unusual chance to camp under some extremely local redwoods at The Great American Backyard Campout, a national celebration of camping with a local overnight party at Joaquin Miller Park in Oakland. Usually closed to campers, the 500-acre park is home to the world’s only urban second-growth redwoods, startling panoramic Bay views, rushing waterways and verdant, steep trails. Besides, how often can you camp 20 minutes away from your house? You need a pizza or a diaper, you can make a quick run back over the bridge.

The $8 per person fee includes dinner, snacks, and breakfast, a nature talk, a campfire party, and a star-viewing session. You’ll bring your own camping equipment and set it up, but you have to admit that this is pretty cushy camping.

When: Sat., 6/28 (event continues through Sun. 6/29), 3pm-10am; All ages; $8.

Where: Joaquin Miller Park Large Meadow, 3300 Sanborn Drive (at Joaquin Miller Road), Oakland, 510-238-7275; oaklandnet.com/parks.

Go where you will this weekend; just don’t move your car or the pride people will steal your space.

The Art of William Steig

See the career highlights of the man responsible for Pete’s a Pizza, and the original Shrek at this fascinating exhibit of Steig’s drawings, New Yorker covers, and other doodles.

When: Ongoing daily through 9/7 (museum is closed Wednesday); Age 7+; Free with paid admission (Free-$10).

Where: Contemporary Jewish Museum, 736 Mission Street (between Third and Fourth Streets), San Francisco, 415-655-7800, thecjm.org.

38th Annual San Francisco LGBT Pride Celebration

The big parade starts moving down Market Street at 10:30 a.m. Sunday; hunker down early to get a good spot and once you’ve gotten an eyeful, move on to the afterparty at the Civic Center for food, music, vendor booths, and fun. If the crowd scene gets too hectic, drop in to the Family Garden for gentle kiddie fun: face-painting, games, arts and crafts, and the like.

When: Sun., 6/29, noon-7pm; All ages; Free.

Where: Parade goes from Market and Beale Streets to Market and Eighth Streets; Civic Center party is between Market, Van Ness, Leavenworth, and Turk Streets; (Family Garden is at Larkin and Grove); 415-864-0831; sfpride.org.

Peter & the Pirate

If your child has gotten bitten by the pirate bug, bring him to the San Francisco pier to meet Peter, Captain Bootleg, and Peter’s sea lion pal, Saline D. Ion, in this original maritime musical. Kids are invited to sing and dance with the cast.

When: Ongoing Saturdays and Sundays, 6/28-8/31 with shows at 11:30am and 1pm; All ages; Free-$15.95.

Where: Pier 39, Beach Street (at The Embarcadero), San Francisco, 415-433-3939, peterandthepirate.com.

Mrs. Grossman’s Company Store Annual Warehouse Store

Few local parents realize that Mrs. Grossman — she of the long, skinny sticker sheets that are sold in just about every toy store and pharmacy in America — is practically a local, and once a year the Petaluma warehouse sells deeply discounted stickers that make the sale worth the drive. No strollers allowed during the sale so leave very small kids at home and just bring the walking sticker freaks.

When: Fri., 6/27, 9am-5:30pm; Age 3+; Free.

Where: Mrs. Grossman’s Company Store, 3810 Cypress Drive (at South McDowell Boulevard), Petaluma, 800-429-4549, mrsgrossmans.com.

With the new season of Project Runway starting in just a few weeks, a lot of fledgling fashionistas out there are suddenly getting interested in crafting their own clothing. Are you handy enough with a sewing machine to handle all the gussets and godets your young designer is going to want to throw in? If not, time to call in the professionals.

Young designers who sign up for San Francisco’s Wee Scotty Fashion School Project Junior Runway class will create a garment from the ground up with the help of a Tim Gunn-like mentor. The fashions will then be presented in front of a panel of judges selected from local design companies, and the winners will go on to show their creations in a runway show at San Francisco Fashion Week.

Too much pressure? Wee Scotty also offers a full range of classes for kids from age five to teens. Choose from basic sewing skills classes, or take a project-based series and make your own sun dress, bubble skirt, or beach cover-up.

The next session of Project Junior Runway begins June 30; other classes run at various times throughout the year. Wee Scotty Fashion School is located at 1807 Divisadero Street (at Bush Street), San Francisco. Call 415-345-9200 or visit weescotty.com.

I know several San Francisco moms whose kids take swimming lessons at La Petit Baleen in San Bruno, so I assumed they’d be jumping ship for the new location in the Presidio.

“Absolutely not,” one mom assured me. “The kids fall asleep in the car on the ride home. And besides, if I drive to San Bruno, I can experience the wonder of Mollieland.”

Mollieland is the child-minding center at Mollie Stone’s (upscale, expensive) grocery store. As long as they stay in the store, parents can drop off their potty-trained kids aged 2-12 in a clean, attractive little room staffed by a smiling babysitter who urges them to play games, fiddle with the computers, color, or encrust something with stickers. The kids are on closed-circuit TV, so parents can stop by the monitors in the store and make sure their kids aren’t screaming.

It is so much fun, says my savvy mom friend, that her children regularly beg her to take them grocery shopping (!) and to leave them in Mollieland longer (!!), and my friend gets to slowly peruse all the types of cheese, and maybe even sit down and have a salad from the superbly appointed salad bar, in total, blessed silence. There’s a Peet’s coffee too.

Since I regularly find odd items in my cart due to my daughter’s sticky fingers, or my own distractedness, see you there.

Mollie Stone’s Market is located at the Bayhill Shopping Center, 851 Cherry Ave. (at Bayhill Dr.), San Bruno. Call 650-873-8075 or visit molliestones.com. There is another Mollieland at the San Mateo location, 49 42nd Ave. (at El Camino Real) but none in San Francisco. Hey, Mollie Stone’s: Where is the love?

Puppet shows, county fairs, star shows and a chance to let trained professionals wiggle and strap your car seat into submission.
Zanzibar Puppets present Cinderella

Extraordinary puppets, a classic story, and a swanky venue. Drag out the velvet dresses for this one.

When: Sat., 6/21, 11am, 1pm, and 3pm; Ages 3+; $15-25.

Where: Harry Denton’s Starlight Room in the Sir Francis Drake Hotel, 450 Powell St. (at Sutter St.), San Francisco, 415-391-8619, zanzibarpuppets.com.

Alameda County Fair

Watch the pig races, join the pie-eating contest, and take a chance on the whirling rides — will your kid throw up cotton candy and corn dogs? It’s all part of the fun at this old fashioned fair. Admission is free for kids under 12 on Fridays and always free for kids under 6.

When: Fri. 6/20 to Sun. 7/6, 11am-10pm Mon.-Thu., 10am-10pm Fri.-Sun.; All ages; Free-$10.

Where: Alameda County Fairgrounds, 4501 Pleasanton Avenue, Pleasanton, 925-426- 7600, alamedacountyfair.com.

Lake Chabot’s 125th Anniversary Free Family Fun Day

The venerable planetarium/science center throws itself an anniversary party with admission, movies, free planetarium shows, and special space games, all free. Design a rocket, play space bingo, and kibbiz with Bill Nye the Science Guy.

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

Where: Lake Chabot Space & Science Center, 10000 Skyline Blvd. (at Redwood Road), Oakland; 510-336-7300, chabotspace.org.

CPMC BabySteps Kick-Off Event

Oh, you got the carseat in your car — but is it in properly? Professionals give it a check at this launch party for a new California Pacific Medical Center parenting networking site. You can also get toys tested for toxic lead levels, eat a free healthy lunch, and enjoy a storytime and face painting for the kiddies.

When: Sun., 6/22, 12pm-2pm; All ages; Free.

Where: Fisher Family Hall in the Jewish Community Center, 3200 California St. (at Presidio St.), San Francisco, cpmcbabysteps.org.

Cinemark’s Summer Movie Clubhouse, ten weeks of bargain-basement-cheap film showings for kids, is probably an easier sell in cities where it’s actually hot in the summer. No one weathering a San Fran summer is dying to spend a couple of hours in an air-conditioned theater…although at least it’ll keep you off those windy playgrounds.

The weekly special engagements are $1 a throw or $5 for a card good for all showings, and take place at several Bay Area theaters, including San Francisco’s CineArts @ Empire in the West Portal. All of the screenings are revivals, a treat in a summer when the new kids’ movies all look like crap. The first movie is Annie. Just try to leave without getting It’s The Hard-Knock Life stuck in your head.

When: Tue., 6/17, 10am; All Ages; Free.

Where: CineArts @ Empire, 85 West Portal Ave. (at Vincente), San Francisco, 1-800-FANDANG, theater number 963, cinemark.com.

The sparkling, pristine new location of swimming school La Petite Baleen is finally open in the Presidio. No longer will San Fran parents have to haul their cranky children down to San Bruno or (ye Gods!) Half Moon Bay to get a crack at the fancy swimming school’s excellent instructors.

It’s not like there aren’t places in San Francisco to get swimming lessons. But with the notable exception of the pool at the JCC, local pools tend to be, well, kind of grotty, with suspicious dark spots on their bottoms, and extra-strength mold around the ladders. La Petite Baleen is brand-spankin’, well-appointed, nicely located and just plain nice. That said, it’s going to cost you — $85 a month for lessons in the San Francisco location.

Non-potty-trained swimmers are accepted, as young as two months, and as kids get older they move from splash-and-play sessions to more serious stroke drills.

La Petite Baleen is located at 933 Mason St. in the Presidio. For more information, call 866-896-3603 or visit swimlpb.com.

Don’t forget to bring Daddy breakfast in bed, now.

Northern California Pirate Festival

Go for the arrrgh of it, and enjoy pirate demos and performers, swordfighting, olde crafts and cannons a-blasting.

When: Sat. & Sun., 6/14-15; 10am-6pm; All ages; Free.

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

Stern Grove Music Festival

Get into the swing of things at the summer outdoor music festival as R&B/soul singers Booker T. Jones and Bettye Lavette perform in verdant Stern Grove. Bring a picnic and a blanket.

When: Ongoing, Sundays starting 6/15; 2pm; Free.

Where: Stern Grove, 19th Ave. (at Sloat Blvd), 415-252-6252, sterngrove.org.

Music For Families

Give Junior a taste for classical music at this special concert geared at young ones.

When: Sat., 5/14, 2pm; Age 4+; $7.50-54.

Where: Davies Symphony Hall, 201 Van Ness St. (at Grove St.), 415-864-6000, sfsymphony.org.

Cool Daddy-O

Celebrate Father’s Day in true hipster style by learning how to customize your bike, courtesy of the Shorty Fatz lowrider bike crew.

When: Sun., 6/15, 12-5pm; Age 4+; Free with museum admission,

Where: Oakland Museum of California, 1000 Oak St. (at 10th St.), Oakland, 510-238-2200, museumca.org.