tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-68116514649326687122026-03-04T15:09:04.148-05:00Your guide to kid-friendly events and trips around the San Francisco Bay Area...and beyondUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger2262125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6811651464932668712.post-62991898792895565262020-03-08T16:50:00.004-04:002020-03-08T16:50:45.815-04:00

The San Francisco Human Services Agency (HSA) and legislators are urging SF residents to support children who have experienced abuse and neglect, by considering becoming a foster parent or mentor, or adopt SF kids. The Board of Supervisors Public Safety and Neighborhood Services Committee is emphasizing that new state mandates to place foster children with families rather than in group

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6811651464932668712.post-79489360669809092962019-08-04T14:00:00.001-04:002019-08-04T14:00:58.653-04:00

This spring we went to the Battlebots filming for the second time. If you’re a fan of the show, you might notice that this year is a little different than last year. The big difference is that it’s 2 hours instead of 1. That means more battles. And that was a pleasant surprise for us, as we saw the line-up for our taping. There were a lot more battles! Here's what happened at the Battlebots

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6811651464932668712.post-58555455521225906052019-07-18T17:58:00.002-04:002019-07-18T17:58:29.481-04:00

Probe Market Research has an opinion study taking place on 7/25/2019 for teens (13-17) and adults (18-39) in San Francisco. They pay $125 for 45 minutes, $175 for 2.5 hours and $50 if a minor is accompanied by a parent (I'm assuming that's an additional $50). Subject: Social Media. Let the teen fill out the form themselves, or you should fill it out from their perspective. Here is the form:

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6811651464932668712.post-1963503867580609062019-07-08T17:33:00.000-04:002019-07-08T17:33:11.028-04:00

UCSF is recruiting for a study on family biology and parent-child social interactions. They are currently recruiting 10-12 year old girls and their parents for a two hour lab visit. Parents and kids will complete a few interactive tasks while the researchers monitor their physiology. Families can earn up to $100 for participating. Email familybiology@ucsf.edu for more information.

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6811651464932668712.post-73131307787332442492019-06-15T09:06:00.001-04:002019-06-15T09:06:06.683-04:00

We used to make an annual spring break trek to Disneyland and California Adventure. We did so again this year, but it’s been a few years since we did both. 2919: both 2018: neither 2017: Disneyland and Universal Studios 2016: Disneyland and California Adventure There have been a lot of changes since both 2016 and even 2017, mostly for the better. Here’s what was new for us. And no, we

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6811651464932668712.post-59126762983680021662019-06-15T09:01:00.000-04:002019-06-15T09:01:22.875-04:00

The MaxPass was introduced at Disneyland/California Adventure since we last went. It's one of the changes at Disneyland in the last few years (read about other Disneyland changes here). It’s currently $15 per person per day. We are FastPassexperts, and the FastPass is free, so we debated whether to spring for the extra cost. We are so glad we did. Here’s why. You can see Galaxy's Edge in the

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6811651464932668712.post-44038633953117121182019-05-27T18:30:00.003-04:002019-05-27T18:30:52.781-04:00

For the first time in many years, we visited Disneyland when it wasn't Passover, and we could actually eat whatever we wanted. The plan was to get churros, as we always talk about that but aren't able to eat them during the holiday. This year when my sister said "let's get a churro" late afternoon, I told her to wait until after dinner. I had another plan. Our trip to Disneyland was right in

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6811651464932668712.post-79920118551657411502019-02-23T21:28:00.000-05:002019-02-23T21:28:09.847-05:00

What's the hottest Broadway show since Hamilton? That would be Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. I finally got tickets to the show in New York - for June. It was too crazy expensive and difficult to get them before that! Good news, though. The traveling show is getting ready to hit the road. It comes to San Francisco in October. You can be the first (ha ha) - or among the first - to get the

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6811651464932668712.post-62700857194802401832018-11-21T10:30:00.002-05:002018-11-21T10:30:28.188-05:00

Touchstone Research has a special opportunity for teens ages 12-17 to be a part of a fun app research project with an in-person follow-up session for a popular technology company. Please read the description of the project below carefully, so that you can determine if this is a good fit for your child. They are looking for teens (ages 12-17) to participate in a 3 day diary project plus an

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6811651464932668712.post-70624599963181336082018-11-06T06:15:00.000-05:002018-11-06T06:15:06.226-05:00

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6811651464932668712.post-34432802834487991862018-11-03T13:26:00.002-04:002018-11-03T13:26:53.501-04:00

The Friends of the San Francisco Public Library Big Book Sale is in its final two days (today and tomorrow). Sunday is $1 Day. Buy books, support the Library. It's the largest book sale on the West Coast and EVERYTHING is a $1 on Sunday! It's at Fort Mason, Festival Pavilion from 10:00-6.

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6811651464932668712.post-68780229236745401902018-07-24T08:51:00.001-04:002018-07-24T08:51:22.231-04:00

This weekend, see Guys and Dolls, Jr., and the next weekend, see Bring it On. These full scale musicals are a result of Hillbarn Theatre Conservatory summer program, with four weeks of intense rehearsals and a cast of more than 30 kids ages 11-13 Here's the plot of Guys and Dolls: Gambler Nathan Detroit, tries to find the cash to set up the biggest craps game in town while the authorities

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6811651464932668712.post-33252731443279452742018-06-28T19:40:00.000-04:002018-06-28T19:40:09.783-04:00

This post is written and sponsored by the organization conducting the study. We have a special opportunity for teens ages 9-14 to be a part of a fun in-person session for a popular technology company. Please read the description of the project below carefully so that you can determine if this is a good fit for your child. We are looking for kids (ages 9-14) to participate in paired

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6811651464932668712.post-87284582460953978932018-06-14T08:17:00.002-04:002018-06-14T08:22:49.369-04:00

I often look to my friends for parenting advice, and I don’t think I’m unique there. So good thing that several of my friends and colleagues not only teach parenting classes, but write books on the subject. One of the most interesting ones I read lately was The Good News About Bad Behavior by Katherine Reynolds Lewis. It’s a book I was anticipating for a few years, as it stemmed from a Mother

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6811651464932668712.post-57279546756817531442018-05-23T09:20:00.003-04:002018-05-23T09:20:40.866-04:00

On May 25, 2018, a new European Union (EU) data protection law, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), takes effect. The GDPR gives individuals in the EU more control over how their data is used and places certain obligations on businesses that process information of those individuals. We’ve updated our Privacy Policy to take into account the new requirements of the GDPR. If you receive

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6811651464932668712.post-85043149278325678922018-05-19T16:49:00.000-04:002018-05-22T18:16:45.009-04:00

The Walt Disney Family Museum in the San Francisco Presidio opened in 2009, and I regret that this was my first visit. I can’t wait to go back – there is so much to take in at the museum. Here's my review: Walt Disney Family Museum! The Walt Disney Family Museum. Copyright Deborah Abrams Kaplan It seems weird that the Walt Disney Family Museum is in San Francisco, when the Disney studio is

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6811651464932668712.post-9044432212939440852018-05-18T15:31:00.000-04:002018-05-18T15:31:09.411-04:00

When you're in the Mission district getting most excellent burritos and other Mexican food, don’t miss a trip to Dandelion Chocolate factory and cafe. This bean-to-bar factory has tastings, tours (on-site and international), classes and dining. Stop in and get some chocolate bar samples from their single origin bars. Don't forget to try their hot chocolates. Dandelion Chocolate factory and

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6811651464932668712.post-20092127244547149092018-05-17T14:44:00.000-04:002018-05-17T14:44:17.801-04:00

Smitten Ice Cream in Hayes Valley. Copyright Deborah Abrams Kaplan I've been wanting to try Smitten Ice Cream for a long time and am glad I finally did! We went to the flagship location in Hayes Valley, which looks a bit like a pop up store. It's quite charming. There's a beer garden near by, so maybe we'll try that one of these days without the kids. Smitten Ice Cream uses special ice

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6811651464932668712.post-53946048241070372682018-05-16T14:43:00.000-04:002018-05-16T14:43:06.812-04:00

We’ve been to two cat cafés, so we wanted to try KitTea Cat Café in San Francisco. I learned not to go late afternoon like we did – the cats are tired and don’t feel like playing. So it was disappointing. Even my son, who begs me to visit other cat cafes, got bored 20 minutes in and asked how much longer we were staying. Given that we paid $20/person for the hour, I was disappointed. It was

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6811651464932668712.post-59742757281909141282018-05-15T13:43:00.000-04:002018-05-15T13:43:05.603-04:00

A day in Japantown Center San Francisco is one of my favorite ways to spend the day. And my teen son loves it too. We recently went there for a few hours, and here's what we found on this trip. As you may know, Japantown is basically the Japantown Center, an indoor mall, though there are some stores outside there as well. Japanese Kit Kat. Copyright Deborah Abrams Kaplan Here were

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6811651464932668712.post-78021218157000132312018-05-14T12:57:00.000-04:002018-05-23T07:52:00.819-04:00

We get asked all the time for the most economical ways to see San Francisco. One way is the San Francisco CityPASS, which we recently got review purposes, over spring break earlier this year. We already planned on seeing many of the places covered by the CityPASS, so it seemed like a good idea - was it? We discuss that at the end. Here’s what we saw. Exploratorium As you know, the

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6811651464932668712.post-23761807705436598612018-05-12T11:38:00.005-04:002018-05-12T11:39:55.555-04:00

The only time locals usually go to Fisherman’s Wharf is when visitors come to town. But for us it had been awhile, so we spent the good part of a day there seeing some of our favorite haunts. We started off taking the trolley from Union Square. But before that, have you been to the Walgreens on Powell Street between Market and Ellis? Wow! It’s really nice and they sell fresh foods like sushi and

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6811651464932668712.post-71779328233791215122018-05-11T17:30:00.000-04:002018-05-11T17:30:18.072-04:00

My son is a huge BattleBots fan. But the filming was going to be in Long Beach, California and we live in New Jersey. We weren’t making a special trip to watch the filming. Lucky us – after making plans to spend part of spring break in Los Angeles, we got an email announcing that BattleBots filming would start on our last day there.  Battlebots set - copyright Caroline Jusko Here’s what

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6811651464932668712.post-31849033951239049282018-05-04T15:04:00.000-04:002018-05-04T15:04:01.264-04:00

credit: Maurice Ramirez Join in as Rhythmix Cultural Works presents Island City Waterways, a site-specific public art event animating Alameda’s past and present through music, dance, theater, storytelling, and more. It includes a cast of 40 actors, dancers and musicians leading audiences on an easy stroll around Crab Cove, Crown Memorial State Beach in a 75-minute performance that shares the

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6811651464932668712.post-40030913846818837622018-04-17T09:28:00.000-04:002018-04-17T09:28:06.401-04:00

Probe Market Research is conducting an opinion study on April 24 in San Francisco, on social media. If you qualify and are chosen, it pays $150 for one hour, or $200 for 2.5 hours. You can take the preliminary survey at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/Q7MLW36

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0