Posts Tagged ‘maker faire’

So many fun things this weekend, you’re lame if you sleep in.

Maker Faire

Make magazine’s Maker Faire is ground zero for the Bay Area’s crafters, robotics nerds, furniture makers, and other creatives, who get together each year for a two-day expo and party. Don’t miss the kid-friendly activities, like the ever-appealing rolling Victorian mansion, the Neverwas.

When: Sat., 5/22, 10am-8pm; Sun., 5/23, 10am-6pm; All ages; Free-$25 daily.

Where: San Mateo Event Center & Expo Address, 2495 South Delaware Street (at Concar), San Mateo, makerfaire.com.

KFOG’s Kaboom

Fireworks set to music, street food, live music, and a children’s stage to keep the little ones busy until the big boom pow. Note this year’s new location.

When: Sat., 5/22, ipm (Fireworks start at dark), Age 5+; $15-20 (fireworks are free).

Where: Candlestick Park, Carroll Avenue (at Ingalls Street), San Francisco, kfog.com.

National Safe Boating Week

Free boat rides, a Coast Guard rescue demo, a barbecue, and free life jackets for the first hundred guests.

When: Sat., 5/22, 11am-4pm; Age 3+; Free ($5 for barbecue).

Where: Treasure Island Sailing Center, 689 California Avenue, Treasure Island Building 112, (between Avenues H and F), Treasure Island; 415-421-2225; tiasailing.org.

Sunday Streets

A huge chunk of Third Street is closed to traffic and local fitness organizations have stations to help participants bike, walk, dance, and play, all free.

When: Sun., 5/23, 10am-3pm; All ages; Free.

Where: Third Street (centered on King Street), San Francisco; sundaystreetsf.com.

One of the best baby/kid items spotted at San Mateo’s Maker Faire a couple of weeks ago: Ms. Craftypants’ achingly cute Robots on Parade blankets. Painstakingly handcrafted, the mini-quilts feature simple robot shapes and delicious patterns. Ms. Craftypants herself, Bay Area artist/designer/work-at-home mommy Rebecca Morrissey, tends to shell out for the really good stuff, fabric-wise: the material that goes into her quilts is high thread-count and very pleasing to the eye and the hand. Fabrics are pre-washed too, soft and supple, not stiff with starch like most new bedding.

On Morrissey’s Etsy site there’s just one Robots on Parade blanket, pictured here. But at Maker Faire, the Ms. Craftypants table was piled high with blankets, in blues, reds, browns and more lovely shades. Wouldn’t one look nice in your babe’s crib? Contact Morrissey through Etsy if you’re interested.

Robots on Parade blanket, $35

If you’re not out at the Maker Faire (why aren’t you out at the Maker Faire?), you can sleep on a ship, help build a barge out of bottles,

Maker Faire

Make magazine’s Maker Faire is ground zero for the Bay Area’s crafters, robotics nerds, furniture makers, and other creatives, who get together each year for a two-day expo and party. Don’t miss the kid-friendly activities, and watch out for the cupcake cars (pictured.

When: Sat., 5/29, 10am-8pm; Sun., 5/30, 10am-6pm; All ages; Free-$25 daily.

Where: San Mateo Event Center & Expo Address, 2495 South Delaware Street (at Concar), San Mateo, makerfaire.com.

Family Overnight on the USS Hornet

Spend the night on this retired aircraft carrier, which houses vintage airplanes. Eat, sleep, and float around like a WWII Navy guy.

When: Fri., 5/29 5pm-10am; Age 5+; $100 per person.

Where: USS Hornet, 707 West Hornet Avenue, Pier 3, Alameda, 510-521-8448; uss-hornet.org.

Our Plastic Oceans

Our beautiful, sparkling Bay is contaminated by plastics. Find out how they enter the Bay with hands-on activities like an albatross bolus dissection, plankton examination, and the building of a plastic bottle barge. Bring one or more plastic bottles from your recycling to help us build the barge!

When: Sat., 5/30, 1-4pm; Age 3+; Free.

Where: Richardson Bay Center & Sanctuary, 376 Greenwood Beach Road (at Tiburon Boulevard), Tiburon, 415-388-2524; tiburonaudubon.org.

JAMband Family Concert

The lively, happy, kids band, fronted by effervescent movement coach Charity Kahn, gives a free morning concert in Dolores Park.

When: Sat., 5/30, 11am; All ages; Free.

Where: Dolores Park Playground, 20th and Dolores Streets, 415-425-0372; jamjamjam.com.

Outdoor festivals abound, but if you’re not at the Maker Faire, you’re so square.

Maker Faire

There’s one event this weekend that should have been red-circled on your calendar for months: Make magazine’s Maker Faire. The family-friendly weekend-long San Mateo conference is intended for creative weirdo types: sculptors, knitters, robot makers, and the like. Ideally you’ll be there all weekend enjoying the exhibitions, workshops, and vendor booths, but particularly appealing to kids will be the the Life-Size Mousetrap, the Bike Rodeo and Power Tool Drag Racing, while parents should make sure to attend Saturday’s lunchtime lecture, Five Dangerous Things Your Kids Should Do. In between, make sure to get a good viewing spot for the Diet-Coke-and-Mentos Fountain (going off at 4pm daily), listen to live music, stroll around the Expo Red kids area, and bring some discarded wearables for the Swap-o-Rama-Rama (plus a bag to carry the new clothes you scoop up).

When: Sat., 5/3, 10am-10pm; Sun., 5/4, 11am-6pm; All ages; Free-$25 daily.

Where: San Mateo Event Center & Expo Address, 2495 South Delaware St. (at Concar), San Mateo, makerfaire.com.

Cinco de Mayo Celebration

Everybody’s Mexican today at the Cinco de Mayo celebration in Dolores Park. Bring a blanket, spread on some sunscreen, and watch performances from Latin music and dance troupes.

When: Sat., 5/3, 10am-4pm; All ages; Free.

Where: Dolores Park, 18th St. (at Dolores), San Francisco, 415-647-1533, sfcincodemayo.com.

“See Me” Let’s Go!

This free city-sponsored party is gentle fun for the little ones: bounce houses, face-painting, puppet shows, storytelling, live music. UCSF doctors and dentists will also be there to do on-the-spot health and developmental screenings.

When: Sat., 5/3, 11am-3pm; All ages; Free.

Where: Civic Center Plaza across from City Hall, Polk (between McAllister and Grove), San Francisco, 415-934-4849, first5sf.org.

Stay Tooned, Kids!

Offbeat animated offerings for sophisticated cinephile kids. Short films screened during this San Francisco International Film Festival event include “When I Grow Up,” illustrated conversations with children about their dreams.

When: Sun, 5/4, 10:15am; Age 7+; $10-12.50.

Where: Sundance Kabuki Cinema, 181 Post (at Fillmore), San Francisco, 925-866-9559, fest08.sffs.org.