UrbanBaby San Francisco

Throw a rock and you’ll hit a moms’ club or a playgroup, but being a new Mimi, Bubbe, Nanny, or Gran is just as complicated as the new-mom thing (if a lot more fun). How do you keep your mouth shut when your daughter-in-law is trying out some insane new parenting technique? How many cookies is it okay to give the grandkids at your house? These issues and many others are the fodder du jour at the GaGa Sisterhood, a Bay Area grandmas’ group that meets regularly at homes around the Bay Area.

The grandmas kibbitz, discuss their common problems, sometimes even invite an expert speaker. And they sound like a lively bunch: Donne Davis, the founder of the Sisterhood, is a very young-and-bouncy grandma who blogs regularly and intelligently on the GaGa Sisterhood site.

The next GaGa Sisterhood meeting is September 19, see the site for more information.

The Bay Area is bristling with opportunities to get outdoors this weekend.

Berkeley Kite Festival

Look, up in the sky! Japanese kite battles and just about anything else you can do with some fabric and a string.

When: Sat. & Sun., 7/31 & 8/1, 10am-5pm; All ages; Free (Parking $10).

Where: Cesar Chavez Park, 11 Spinnaker Way (at Virginia Street), Berkeley; 510-235-5483; highlinekites.com.

ODC Summer Sampler

A special modern dance show for kids, with choreographers on deck to explain to young enthusiasts what they’re seeing and what it means.

When: Sat., 7/31, 4:30 p.m.; Age 6+; $20 adults, $10 kids 16 and under.

Where: ODC Dance Commons, 351 Shotwell Street (at 18th Street), San Francisco; 415-863-9834; odcdance.org.

Day Out With Thomas

A party by the tracks with live music, storytelling, costumed celebrities from the Thomas the Train Engine PBS show, and most of all, a 25-minute train ride on a real train decked out with a friendly Thomas face.

When: Weekends, 7/31-8/8; hours vary by day, see website for details; Age 2+; $18.

Where: Roaring Camp Railroad, Graham Hill Road (at Mt. Hermon Road), Felton; 1-866-468-3399; roaringcamprr.com. Tickets are $18.

Tour de Peninsula

Take a fun ride with your kids at this bicycle tour of the most beautiful parks in the South Bay.

When: Sun., 8/1, 8am-3pm (family rides through the park start at noon); Age 3+; Free-$40.

Where: Rides begin Eucalyptus Picnic Area near the Coyote Point Marina, 1701 Coyote Point Drive (near Airport Boulevard), San Mateo; 650-321-1638; supportparks.org.

If you live in the Bay Area, you already know that our citizenry is exceptionally whimsical and in touch with our childlike side. These qualities are best evidenced by a pair of local features with vintage, storybook appeal: Children’s Fairyland and the many Bay Area storybook houses.

The former, set on Oakland’s jewel-like Lake Merritt, is probably more familiar to you, but a San Francisco Chronicle article in Fairyland by Peter Hartlaub has some details you probably didn’t know, such as the fact that the marionettes for the puppet show were costumed by the mother of Frank Oz of Muppet fame, and that the crown-topped Fairyland Magic Key was designed by a dude who went on to make lock systems from hotels, and a key from 1950 still works in the park’s audio story boxes. The story does not, however, delve into rumors that Fairyland inspired Walt Disney to create Disneyland.

While you’re getting yourself to Fairyland to soak in the antique charm, make sure to drive through the storybook homes of Alameda and Oakland. The architectural style, popularized in the 1920s by architect Walter W. Dixon, is characterized by houses with a Tudor air: white stucco, steep roofs, giant fireplaces and chimneys, sweet “Juliet” balconies, turrets. The best place to see them are on Picardy Drive in Oakland, and in Alameda’s Stonehenge and Stoneleigh housing developments. But they’re scattered all over the Bay Area. Here are some pictures of storybook homes, so you’ll know what you’re looking for. Happy hunting!

Get shipwrecked, goggle at Chinese dancers, or run your tail off at the SF Marathon. It’s your weekend!

Shipwrecked

Enjoy a barbecue dinner, ghost stories, sea chanteys, and mayhem with costumed pirates at this sunset party.

When: Fri., 7/23, 5-8pm; Age 4+; $5-8.

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

Shen Yun

Chinese dancers and acrobats do things with their bodies that you couldn’t know could be done.

When: Fri., 7/23, 8pm, Sat. & Sun. 2pm & 8pm; Age 4+; $30-40.

Where: War Memorial Opera House, 301 Van Ness Avenue, San Francisco; 888-569-2009; sfshow.net.

S.F. Tsunami Synchronized Swimming Exhibition

Just before it heads off to the Gay Games, the eight-member synchronized swimming team shows off a few of its tricks.

When: Sat., 7/24, noon; Age 3+; $5.

Where: MLK Jr. Swimming Pool, 5701 Third Street (at Carroll Street), San Francisco; 415-621-4833.

San Francisco Marathon Munchkin Kids Run

School kids on the joy of running early with this first-ever offshoot of the grown-ups’ race. Kids can run a mile, a half mile, or do the 100-yard dash. Big kids can even do the 5K.

When: Sun., 7/25, 8:30 a.m.; Age 4+; $25.

Where: Embarcadero (at Mission Street), San Francisco; thesfmarathon.com.

Traveling starts to seem so complicated when you’re a parent, dripping with toys and blankies and gear of every size and description. But if you have friends or family with kids coming to visit you in the Bay Area, there are a whole bunch of local agencies that can help cut their packing list short:

Little Luggage: This San Francisco company has a friendly website and safety information about each product it rents. Luxury brands like Peg Perego are available. For an extra $200, the company will shuttle you back and forth from the airport in a Town Car with a carseat, something experienced parents learn not to expect from the rental car companies (even if you have a reservation!).

Baby’s Away: This nationwide baby gear rental company has branches in San Francisco and the South Bay that services the East and North Bay as well. Baby equipment such as cribs, strollers, toys, car seats, and high chairs can be delivered and set up for travelers. All gear is sterilized between renters.

Traveling Baby Company: Have equipment like bed rails, baby baths, or strollers delivered to a Bay Area location, or pick it up yourself in Fremont. Gear can be rented by the day or by the week.

Toy Lending Library at the Children’s Council of San Francisco: Toys, books, and videos, available to any caregiver, free. The library is open every business day, and one evening a month for borrowers.

Rent That Toy: A nationwide members-only service that rents out an incredible variety of toys.

It’s arts galore and other midsummer delights this weekend.
Arts & Wonder Festival

Free admission to six different local museums over three different days, with special art activities for families at each location.

When: Fri.-Sun., 7/16-18, see website for times; All ages; Free.

Where: Various locations in San Francisco; see onlyinsanfrancisco.com for details.

Disney 55: A Birthday Celebration

More than half a decade ago, Walt Disney opened the doors to Disneyland. Celebrate the occasion with a weekend full of special guests, film programs, and other events.

When: Fri.-Sun., 7/16-18, see website for event times; Age 3+; Free-$20.

Where: Walt Disney Family Museum, 104 Montgomery Street (at Lincoln Avenue), San Francisco; disneygo.com.

Teddy Bear Festival

A special zoo party with all the usual animals plus crafts, live music, face painting, and puppet shows.

When: Sat. & Sun., 7/17-18, 10am-4pm; All ages; Free for children aged 14 and under if they bring a stuffed teddy bear.

Where: San Francisco Zoo, Great Highway (at Sloat Boulevard), San Francisco; 415-753-7080; sfzoo.org.

Family Nature Crafts

Each Sunday, families are invited to participate in hands-on art activities inspired by current exhibits.

When: Sun., 7/18 (and every Sunday thereafter), 11am-12:30pm; Age 4-8; Free with paid admission (Free-$25).

Where: California Academy of Sciences, 55 Music Concourse Drive (at MLK Drive in Golden Gate Park), San Francisco; caladacademy.org.

A decidedly Gallic streak runs through the Bay Area, and thus the French celebration Bastille Day is celebrated with more-than-typical fervor for an American city. A couple of fun options for you and the kiddies:

The best party in town takes place this Friday, as the regular Friday Night at the de Young series takes on a French flavor, with ballet, impressionist art, French-gypsy live music, and children’s art activities. Fri., 7/16, 5pm; de Young Museum, 50 Hagiwara Drive in Golden Gate Park, San Francisco, 415-750-3600, deyoungfamsf.org.

In Healdsburg, the best celebration for miles around happens at Costeaux French Bakery on Bastille Day itself, July 14, where the fun begins early: 7am, with Eiffel tower-shaped cookies for the kids to decorate. At 9am visitors can practice their croissant-rolling with a baker; following that, fencing, magic, petanque, and a visit with Marie Antoinette. Wed., 7/14, 7am-4pm; Costeaux French Bakery, 417 Healdsburg Avenue, Healdsburg, 707-433-1913, costeaux.com.

In Yountville, Thomas Keller’s Bouchon sets itself apart from the zillion other Bay Area restaurants offering special Bastille Day menus and prix fixes with a kid’s party that starts at 3pm in the outdoor courtyard. Decorate cupcakes, participate in a Twister tourney, listen to live music, and eat whole roasted pig, crepes, ice cream sandwiches, and chocolate bouchons. Wed., 7/14, 3-7pm (adults can linger until 10pm); Bouchon, 6534 Washington Street, Yountville, 707-944-8037, bouchonbistro.com.

Things are a little slower after last week’s fireworks, but there are still some ways to keep yourself (and those summer-bored kids!) busy.

Sunday Streets

The popular festival of traffic-free streets and local fitness organizations moves to the Mission this time.

When: Sun., 7/11, 10am-3pm; All ages; Free.

Where: Mission, Harrison, and Valencia Streets (centered on Harrison and 26th Streets), San Francisco; sundaystreetsf.com.

SIMCHA!

The Jewish Music Festival’s 25th Anniversary Party is kind of a DIY music be-in, with a big BYO family picnic, an Instrument Petting Zoo for those who want to try their hand at a flute or a fiddle, and an Instant Harmony chorus where everyone plays and/or sings.

When: Sun., 7/11, noon-5pm; All ages; Free.

Where: Yerba Buena Gardens, Mission Street (between Third and Fourth Streets), San Francisco; 510-848-0237; jewishmusicfestival.org.

California Seablite Habitat Restoration

The Golden Gate National Parks contains more endangered species than any other park in North America, but it won’t if we keep destroying the ecosystem. Learn how to make habitat for the California Seablite, a purple, flowering plant, as you learn about what species make their homes in our city.

When: Sat., 7/10, 9am-noon; Age 4+; Free.

Where: Presidio Transit Center, 215 Lincoln Boulevard (at Graham Street), San Francisco; 415-561-2857; wildequity.org.

A lot of parents try to teach their children to save some of their income by running a sort of allowance-allocation program: this much goes to charity, this much goes into savings, this much can be freely blown by the child in question. But at least one institution in San Francisco goes the extra mile, with savings accounts for kids aged 5 to 10, administered by a teller who’s just 16.

As ABC’s Newschannel 7 reports, the Mission San Francisco Federal Credit Union is encouraging savings with accounts they call PLAY: prize-linked accounts for youth. Accounts can be started for as little as $5, and there are no service fees. Depositors make three percent interest on their account, and each time they make a monthly deposit, they are given a raffle ticket. The prize raffled off yearly: a laptop. Accounts of kids aged 12 and younger are under the control of parents; those 13 and over manage their own money.

Little savers start the process with a PLAY orientation. The next one, for kids age 5 to 10, is this Saturday, July 10, and participants must reserve a spot ahead of time. For more information, call 415-206-0846, ext. 19, or visit mission.coop.

Hey! It’s the Fourth! Here are the best of the local celebrations.

City of Alameda’s 4th of July Parade

This fantastic old-fashioned parade has a long, long route and plenty of low-tech flash: horses, people in costume, marching bands. The parade is followed by Jumpin’ & Jivin’ Jubilee, a party for families in a local park.

When: Sun., 7/4, parade starts at 10am, Jubilee starts at 4pm; All ages; Free.

Where: Parade winds from Park and Otis to Webster and Lincoln, spots are available all along the street; myalamedaparade.com.

Fourth of July Waterfront Celebration

Big booms on the waterfront lead to (usually) colored fog. A party with music, food, and kid fun precedes the fireworks.

When: Sun., 7/4, 3-9:30pm (Fireworks begin at 9:30pm); All ages; Free.

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

4th of July at Berkeley Marina

Cool child-oriented celebration-before-fireworks emphasizes live performers (dancers, jugglers), and is held adjoining Adventure Playground, open until 8pm and the site of much cheerful sawing and hammering.

When: Sun., 7/4, noon-10pm; All Ages; Free.

Where: Berkley Marina, Marina Boulevard (at University Avenue), Berkeley; anotherbullwinkelshow.com.