Classes

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.

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.

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.

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.

School’s almost over, and if you don’t want your kid cluttering up the couch all day you’d better schedule him up. A fertile source of activities: the vast slate of classes and day camps offered by the San Francisco Recreation and Parks system. There are so many selections that you’ll probably find classes you’ve paid hundreds of dollars for offered free, or for a nominal fee.

Now, you can sign up for classes using SF Rec’s online portal, but the catch is that first you must have a “family account,” an enormous pain to get since you generally must take a raft of paperwork, in person, to McClaren Lodge in Golden Gate Park during business hours (read: the hours you work somewhere else). But for the next two weeks during open registration, you can instead visit SF Rec’s satellite offices (here are a list of those; call the location to confirm hours). You still must bring the same pile of paperwork, but at least now you don’t have to drive across town if you live far from GGP.

Once you have the account, signing up for classes is a cinch– and since getting the account is so difficult, most classes are wide open. Is your child interested in swimming? Ceramics? Yoga? Baking? Well, she might be, after this summer.

Dancing, camping, making art or watching it: it’s a busy weekend out there.

Wild Nights Family Overnight

Take a tour through the zoo at night, when nocturnal animals are awake and prowling. Attendees will meet with a zookeeper, go on a guided ramble through the park, and then camp indoors (in a heated building, thank God. It’s foggy out there). In the morning, warm drinks and a continental breakfast is available before early-morning tours of the zoo. Those who prefer to sleep in their own beds can take the evening tour and then bug out, for a reduced fee.

When: Sat., 5/24, 6pm-10am (5/25); All ages; $65-85 (pre-registration required).

Where: San Francisco Zoo, Great Highway (between Sloat and Skyline), San Francisco, 415-753-8124 sfzoo.org.

Break Out Dance Project

The Center’s noted KidSpace classes make a return with this free six-week series of dance classes for kids aged 5-6. Kids will dance to world music and incorporate movements from a variety of cultures; the class ends with a performance.

When: Saturdays, 5/24-6/29 (no class May 31), 10-11am; Age 5-6; Free.

Where: The Center, 1800 Market St. (at Octavia), San Francisco, 415-865-5553, sfcenter.org.

Photo Workshop

Learn how to coax natural expressions and poses from your infants or young ones in this free photo class for parents. Our tip: set your camera on the fast-capture “sports” setting to freeze that perpetual motion. Free snacks and beverages are provides, and kids are welcome to attend with parents.

When: Fri., 5/23, 11am; All ages; Free.

Where: Fima Photography, 1414 Castro (at 25th St.), San Francisco, 415-641-1010, fimaphotography.com.

And If We Shadows

Performers as young as 14 enliven the thrilling urban-themed “hip hop circus,” which features breakdancers, aerialists, contortionists and other folks who can do crazy things with their bodies. This is the show’s final weekend.

When: Fri.-Sun., 5/23-25, 8pm (Fri.), 3pm and 8pm (Sat.) and 3pm (Sun.), Age 4+; $12.50-$25.

Where: Brava Theater Center, 2780 24th St. (at Portrero St.), San Francisco, 415-665-2276, citycircus.org.

Red Poppy Art House Family Art

Wander past the Outer Mission classroom and studio any Saturday afternoon to find that the art has taken over the sidewalk, and passers-by are free to take part in projects utilizing glitter, glue, paper, paint, clay and all other manner of supplies.

When: Saturdays, 1-4pm; All ages; Free.

Where: Red Poppy Art House Family Art 2698 Folsom St. (at 22nd St.), San Francisco, 415-826-2402, redpoppyarthouse.org.

If you have an indifferent nurser or a bad latcher, you may find yourself getting a little paranoid that your newborn isn’t getting enough milk. Is she getting anything at all? How much? Why aren’t there ounces marked on your breasts, anyway?

A call to the pediatrician will net you the following sage advice: if the baby is breastfeeding and gaining weight, he’s getting enough. But who knows if the kid’s gaining weight when she only weighs as much as a economy-size bottle of detergent? How can you tell the difference between 7 pounds and 7 pounds, 1 ounce? Are you supposed to whip out the postal scale or what?

Here’s a better option: soothing retail outlet DayOne (locations in San Francisco’s Laurel Village and Palo Alto) offers gliders and nursing pillows aside precision baby scales. You bring in your baby, strip him down and weigh him, then breastfeed and weigh again. There, you see! You’re doing just fine. Stick around DayOne to browse the parenting library, attend a support group, or just sit with other mamas nursing their babies; the store’s a vital resource for parents of infants and young kids.

Are you enjoying San Francisco in the springtime as much as we are?

Film Night in the Park: The Wizard of Oz

Watch the children’s classic on a blanket under the stars. Dress warmly and watch for flying monkeys in the trees.

When: Sat., 5/17, 8pm; All ages; Free ($3-6 donation encouraged).
Where: Dolores Park, 18th St. (at Dolores St.), San Francisco, 415-453-4333, filmnight.org.

Lollipop Family Fun Run

Make the whole family sweat at this kid-friendly 1-mile or 5K run. There’s a party at the finish line featuring a DJ, scavenger hunt and face-painting, and all participants get a T-shirt and goodie bag. Strollers are welcome, and all proceeds benefit Girls on the Run running club.

When: Sat., 4/17, Registration begins at 9am, runs begin at 10am; All ages; $15-30.

Where: Meet in front of the De Young Museum, 50 Hagiwara Tea Garden Drive (at JFK Drive in Golden Gate Park), San Francisco, 415-831-2700 or 415-863-8942, gotrbayarea.org.
Young at Art: SFUSD Art Festival Family Day

Celebrate budding young artists at this annual festival where thousands of K-12 kids display their visual or performance art. Admission to the de Young is free today, with performances from young dancers and actors at noon and 1pm.

When: Sat., 5/17, 9:30am-5pm (festival continues through May 25); All ages; Free.

Where: De Young Museum, 50 Hagiwara Tea Garden Drive (at JFK Drive in Golden Gate Park), San Francisco, 415-863-3330, youngatartsf.com.

Zany Patterns: Quilting With a Twist

A teenage quilter shows kids aged 6-12 how to make paper quilts, a great way to experiment with color, form, and design.

When: Sat., 4/17, 2pm; Age 6-12; Free with museum admission, free-$8.

Where: Zeum, 221 Fourth St. (at Howard), San Francisco, 415-820-3320, zeum.org.

Feel that sun? It’s San Francisco’s summertime, and it’s time to think about swimming before the weather cools back off in July. If you haven’t already signed up for a series of swimming lessons somewhere like San Bruno’s tony La Petite Baleen or the magnificent pool at UCSF’s Mission Bay location, it’s not too late to get in on classes offered by San Francisco Recreation and Park — though most courses aren’t open for Internet registration until June, calling Recreation and Park at 415-831-2747 can usually find you an open space in one of the local pools. Classes are offered for kids as young as six months or as old as 17, and many are incredibly cheap or free.

If you can wait a few weeks, the new cycle of classes at the dreamily warm pool at the Janet Pomeroy Center out by the SF Zoo start June 9. Kids aged 3 and under get an introduction to water in the Cuttlefish classes; those aged 3-6 may opt for the Penguin option, in which kids learn swimming skills. There’s no schedule online for classes, but Cuttlefish classes are offered generally in the late mornings Tuesday through Friday, while Penguin classes are Tuesday and Friday afternoons. The online information is hopeless; call 415-665-4241 for questions and to register. Students in swim diapers are accepted.

Prefer drop-in pool time? The JCC offers daily Family Swim time free to members or to those who can pay the rather steep day fee, $20 for adults and $10 for kids. Most of the public pools in San Francisco offer open swim times as well, and for a much more reasonable $4 for adults and $2 for kids. Each pool has a different schedule, so finding the right location and pool may take some clicking around. But SF Rec and Park does admit kids in swim diapers, a bonus for those with smaller kids, if not the rest of us.

May breakfast in bed be coming your way.

SFC Double Dutch Classes

Double dutch bus walking down the street, classes at Cellspace will help you learn to work your feet. Boys and girls aged 7-18 learn the fast-paced jump rope dance for fitness and fun. An adult class follows the kids’ class, for mamas and papas who want to stay and learn some new tricks.

When: Ongoing Sundays starting 5/11, 12-1:30pm; Age 7-18; $25 drop-in, 5 classes $95.
Where: Cellspace, 2050 Bryant (at 18th St.), San Francisco, 415-939-2225, Cellspace.org.

KFOG KaBoom!

More than 30,000 people are supposed to show up at this annual live music-and-fireworks show, which this year features the strains of Los Lobos and Collective Soul. The music and crowds are too much for very little ones, but spunky kids age 6 and up can handle it. And all ages will enjoy the fireworks that cap off the show at 9pm, synchronized to KFOG’s broadcast on 104.5 FM. If your kid’s too little to appreciate a humanity-strewn band show, drive over to the piers, put KFOG on the radio, and get ready to ooh and aah.

When: Sat., 5/10, 4pm; All ages; $15-20.
Where: Pier 30/32 - Embarcadero and Brannan (south of the Bay Bridge), San Francisco, Kfog.com.

Mothers’ Day BikeAbout

You can teach a kid to bike in the city, but where are they going to ride? All through the San Francisco Zoo, where cyclists take an early ramble through the grounds before walking patrons are let in. Maybe you’ll catch the animals yawning and stretching in the fresh morning air.

When: Sun., 5/11, 8:30-10:o0am; All ages; $25-30 for bicyclists, $7 for kids on parents’ bikes.
Where: San Francisco Zoo, Sloat Blvd. (at Great Highway), 415-753-7073, sfzoo.org.

SFC Double Dutch Classes

Double dutch bus walking down the street, classes at Cellspace will help you learn to work your feet. Boys and girls aged 7-18 learn the fast-paced jump rope dance for fitness and fun. An adult class follows the kids’ class, for mamas and papas who want to stay and learn some new tricks.

When: Ongoing Sundays starting 5/11, 12-1:30pm; Age 7-18; $25 drop-in, 5 classes $95.
Where: Cellspace, 2050 Bryant (at 18th St.), San Francisco, 415-939-2225, Cellspace.org.

Patrick Carman reading

Meet the bestselling author of the “Land of Elyon” series at the spiffy Laurel Village outpost of Books Inc. as Carman reads from River of Fire, the second book in his “Atherton” series.

When: Fri, 5/9, 6:30pm; Age 5+; Free.
Where: Books Inc., 3515 California (at Locust), San Francisco,415-221-3666, Booksinc.net.