Regions

Music, dance, and a look ahead to how you’re going to fill the summer.

Dan Zanes & Friends

The tousle-haired rock God of the swim diaper set does a show for families on the UC Berkeley campus.

When: Sat., 3/6, 11am & 4pm; Sun. 3/7, 3pm; Age 3+; $16-26.

Where: Zellerbach Hall, Bancroft Avenue (between Dana and Telegraph Avenues) on the UC Berkeley Campus, Berkeley, calperfs.berkeley.edu.

Disney on Ice

Disney characters glide around the rink in this show custom-made for elementary-school kids.

When: Fri., 3/5, 10:30am, 7:30pm; Sat. & Sun. 3/6-7, 10:30am, 3pm, 7:30pm; Age 2+; $16-70.

Where: Oakland Arena, 7000 Coliseum Way (at Hegenberger Road), Oakland; 800-745-3000; disney.go.com.

Summer Resource Fair

Find out where your kid can take summer soccer sessions or attend theater camp at this conglomeration of more than 200 providers, all eager to give you brochures.

When: Sat., 3/6, 10am-3pm; age 5+; Free.

Where: Concourse Exhibition Center, 635 Eighth Street (at Brannan Street), San Francisco, sfkids.org.

Rain, rain go away. We’ll get you out of the house some way.

Monster Energy Supercross

Flying dirt, revving engines, racing motorcycles, and kids screaming in excitement. There’s an alcohol-free “family section” of the stadium set off for families.

When: AT&T Park, 24 Willie Mays Plaza (at King Street), San Francisco; supercrossonline.com.

Where: Sat., 1/30, 12:30pm-9pm; Age 5+; $10-75.

RACE: Are We So Different?

Race is not skin color, says this multimedia exhibit that pokes into the history, sociology, and geography of race.

When: Sat., 1/30-5/2, Age 4+; Free-$12.

Where: Lawrence Hall of Science, Centennial Drive (at Stadium Rimway) on the University of California, Berkeley campus, 510-642-5132, lawrencehallofscience.org.

Ramona Quimby

Based on the much-loved series by Beverly Cleary, this stage adaptation follows Ramona through the third grade, as she feuds with her teacher and sees her dad lose his job and mom start working.

When: Sat. & Sun. 1/30-2/7, 2 & 4:30pm; $14-16.

Where: Julia Morgan Performing Arts Center, 2640 College Avenue (at Claremont Avenue), Berkeley, 925-973-ARTS; activeartstheatre.org.

Surprise: Kids weaned on Wii still like pinball. The low-tech thrill of bleeps, bloops, and a couple of flippers lives on at the Pacific Pinball Museum in Alameda. Ten bucks gets you in the door (a mere $5 for kids), and all-you-can-play pinball in any one of a warren of rooms. Which one you’ll like might depend on when you were born. Did you grow up playing the gentle pinball machines of the ’60s, with just a couple of dingers and no multi-ball challenges? Did you learn how to play on a machine with a buxom broad painted on the back in the ’70s, or did you learn on Indiana Jones in the ’80s? They’re all represented here, and many more.

All the machines are set to free play and kids are free to wander. There’s no alcohol sold on the premises, just sodas and Wright’s pink popcorn for $1. The kitsch value is incredible, and a lot of the games are still surprisingly fun to play. Make sure not to miss the notorious Orbitor 1, which uses magnets to send the ball on unexpected looping trips around the board. Oh, and be sure to leave all your stuff in the car, you don’t want to be dragging the diaper bag when you’re working the flippers. If you come on a Friday or Saturday evening, the Museum opens the “back 40″: an old gaming parlor called Lucky Ju Ju with an additional 40 vintage machines.

Pacific Pinball Museum, 1510 Webster Street (at Santa Clara Avenue), Alameda; 510-769-1349; pacificpinball.org.

You want your kid to get exercise, but she wants to prance around in dress-up clothes. Why not do both? At Cardio-Tone, a brand new gym in Noe Valley, Princess 101 is a “storybook dance class,” with movements inspired by classic fairytales like Sleeping Beauty and Cinderella. Little princesses (and princes!) can wear their favorite dress-up clothes as they learn about storytelling through dance.

The class is recommended for kids aged 3 and up; smaller siblings are welcome at the on-site childcare. And Mama can sit and read a book and relax. Bring your own tiara.

Cardio-Tone is located at 3813 24th Street, San Francisco; visit cardio-tone.com. The Princess 101 class is offered each Thursday at 3pm.

An East Bay school district made national news this week when the Alameda Board of Education voted to replace a curriculum that emphasized tolerance for gay people with a more general lesson about bullying.

The original lesson, a.k.a. “Lesson 9,” became a hot topic due to the national controversy over gay marriage, and became an extremely divisive issue amongst East Bay Parents, sparking weeks of intense meetings, and a lawsuit. Gay parents hoped that Lesson 9 would prevent their children getting grief, while other parents argued that elementary school children aren’t old enough to learn about gay issues.

The new curriculum agreed upon by the board will include six children’s books that talk about stereotypes and how they hurt people, including gays.

A dozen Alameda families sued the school district earlier this year, contending that parents should be notified in advance of the gay-tolerant lessons, so their kids can be excused. The judge in the case sided with the district, ruling that a state law that allows parents to “opt-out” of discussions about human sexuality was not applicable to Lesson 9.

The best thing about Christmas: fancy eye-candy, and kids to appreciate it with. Take advantage of the fantastic recent weather and spend an afternoon on a Christmas decor crawl. Start at the Macy’s holiday windows at Stockton and O’Farrell Streets lining Union Square; Christmas tableaus are dog- and cat-sized, all the better to make you go “Aww!” over the adoptable dogs and cats from the SPCA that live in the windows for the season.

Your next stop is the Westin St. Francis, 335 Powell Street (at Geary Street) on the corner of  Union Square for a look at the slowly spinning twelve-foot sugar castle that looks worthy of Cinderella. After you’ve gotten an eyeful of that, walk through Union Square to admire the giant lit-up tree, menorah, and ice skaters. Stop and have a cup of cocoa, and maybe try a few chocolates at See’s (avoid the pumpkin truffle!). Then walk  a few blocks over to jewelry store Shreve and Co., 200 Post Street (at Grant Street). There you’ll see “Christmas at the Opera,” holiday windows featuring San Anselmo artist Kat Soto’s marionettes in scenes from 14 different operas.

Next is the Grand Hyatt Hotel, 345 Stockton Street (between Post and Sutter Streets), to see the Snow Village miniatures. Castro Valley resident Len Connacher started collecting the miniatures back in the ’80s and soon had such a giant collection he donated thousands of them to the hotel. Miniature scenes like children playing on tiny statues of Rudolph and Santa and couples whirling in a scale-model ballroom, are particularly fascinating to very small kids.

Still got energy? The final stop on the tour is a long, steep haul up Powell Street. Wow, look at that hill. Maybe you’d better jump on that cable car, unless your kids are particularly spoiling for a bunch of hills. Hop off at California Street, hang a left to the Fairmont Hotel at 950 Mason Street, and head straight for the gigantic gingerbread house near the front desk. It’s two stories high, beautiful and vast, and makes the entire lobby smell like gingerbread. This year there’s even a room inside for kids to write (and post!) letters to Santa. Have a well-earned cup of cocoa at the Laurel Court Restaurant. Or, if you’re there after 5pm, get a Tiki cocktail and some island-y food at the Tonga Room, where kids are welcome at the tables (just not at the bar) and the indoor thunderstorm goes off hourly.

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.

Halloween is on a Saturday this year! Get your costume on and go go go!

Dia de los Muertos Procession and Festival of the Altars

The parade is too spooky for little kids, but older ones will enjoy the rattling bones, creepy makeup, and the thrill of being out with adults at night; the colorful altars celebrating the lives of those passed on are great cultural eye-candy.

When: Mon., 11/2, 7pm; Age 5+; Free.

Where: Parade starts at 7pm from 24th and Bryant Streets in San Francisco and continues to 26th and Bryant Streets, where the Festival of the Altars starts at 8:30 p.m.; 415-722-8911; dayofthedeadsf.org.

Potrero Hill Halloween Parade and Costume Contest

An early-evening Halloween party with a movie, prizes for best costume, and a parade down to 18th Street.

When: Sat., 10/31, 4-7pm; All Ages; Free.

Where: Axis Cafe, 1201 Eighth Street (at Irwin Street), San Francisco; 415-279-1899; axis-cafe.com.

Exploratorium Halloween

A grand Halloween party with a visit from the Neverwas, a Victorian mansion on wheels, and creature features like giant insects and hissing cockroaches.

When: Sat., 10/31, 3-8pm; Free-$14.

Where: Exploratorium, 3601 Lyon Street (at Jefferson Street), San Francisco; 415-561-0360; exploratorium.edu.

Dia de los Muertos Family Concert

A special concert for families with classical music from Latino conductors and pre-concert festivities like sugar skull-decorating and a display of family altars.

When: Sun., 11/1, 1pm; Age 4+; $15-65.

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

A Nightmare Before Christmas in 3D

The spooky holiday classic screens in eye-popping 3D during its week-long engagement at the Castro Theatre.

When: Fri. 10/23 through Thu. 11/5; 7pm, 8:45pm (Sat., Sun. & Wed. shows at 1:30pm, 3:25pm, and 5:10pm); Age 6+; $7.50-10.

Where: Castro Theatre, 429 Castro Street (at Market Street), San Francisco; 415-621-6120; castrotheatre.com.

Scare Grove

A Halloween carnival specially aimed at families, with a haunted house, hay rides, bounce houses, rides, and treats.

When: Fri., 10/23, 4-9pm; Age 2+; $5 for an all-access pass.

Where: Sigmund Stern Grove, Sloat Avenue (at 19th Avenue), San Francisco; sfgov.org.

Creepy Crawly Week

Get weirded out by science with an exhibit of scary animals, a scavenger hunt for spooky creatures, and naturalist lessons in which you get to meet (and sometimes touch!) frightening critters.

When: Sat., 10/24 through Sun. 11/1; Age 3+; Free with paid admission (Free-$25).

Where: California Academy of Sciences, 55 Music Concourse Drive (at JFK Drive) in Golden Gate Park, San Francisco, 415-379-8000; calacademy.org.

Jack o’ Lantern Jamboree

Come in costume to this annual Halloween party, which boasts roaming costumed characters, jump houses, pumpkin crafts, face painting, and the festive, make-believe atmosphere of Fairyland.

When: Sat. & Sun., 10/24-25, 10am-5pm; All ages; $10 per person.

Where: Children’s Fairyland, 699 Bellevue Avenue (at Lake Merritt), Oakland, 510-452-2259, fairyland.org.

Half Moon Bay Art & Pumpkin Festival

Acres and acres of fall fun, with horsey rides, pumpkin-carving contests, pie-eating contests, and delicious things to eat. The traffic is a mess; leave time before and after the event to deal with it.

When: Sat. 10/17-18, 9am-5pm; All Ages; Free.

Where: Main Street between Miramonte and Spruce Streets, Half Moon Bay, 650-726-9652, miramarevents.com.

Goblin Jamboree

The super-cool kids’ museum dresses up for the holidays and throws a party with a train ride, live performers, pony rides, and a petting zoo.

When: Sat. & Sun., 10/17-18, 10am-4pm; All ages; $12-14 (Free for kids under 1).

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

Outrageous Outgrowns

A vast money-saving fiesta of tens of thousands of gently used clothes, shoes, toys, books, strollers, cribs, and other baby gear.

When: Fri.-Sun. 10/16-18; 9am-5pm; Age 5+; Free.

Where: Santa Clara County Fairgrounds, 344 Tully Road (at Old Tully Road), San Jose; outrageousoutgrowns.com.

San Francisco Symphony Celebrates Disney

The symphony marks the opening of the Presidio’s Walt Disney Family Museum with a concert with songs from Cinderella, Pinocchio, and Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.

When: Fri., 10/16, 8pm; Age 7+; $15-70.

Where: Davies Symphony Hall, 201 Van Ness Avenue (at Turk Street), San Francisco, 415-864-6000; sfsymphony.org.