Your guide to activities and fun things to do with your preschoolers, toddlers and kids in silicon valley, CA

Growing Gardens around Silicon Valley

by bonggamom

April 21, 2009

Let's face it:  when you live amidst the concrete and steel of the urban jungle, it's difficult for young children to really understand that fruits and vegetables come from any place other than the local grocery store. Sure, they've read books and watched the PBS shows.  But there's nothing like digging a carrot out of the dirt to really understand what it means to grow food.  Fortunately, many cities and organizations have wisely set aside  so our suburban kids can still get a taste of nature and see what's sprouting.  Here are some gardens in the heart of Silicon Valley where your preschooler can learn and explore, one leaf at a time:

1)  The Kids' Garden at the Children's Discovery Museum has opened for the season!  This real working garden showcases seasonal fruits, vegetables and herbs.  They offer daily science and art activities inspired by nature, using natural materials.  Activities rotate seasonally and have included water exploration, seed planting, newspaper seed pots, and wildflower jewelry.

2) The Gardens at Sunnyvale's Full Circle Farm is a great place for children to experience growing produce.  It's easily accessible to kids of all ages, and if you become a volunteer Garden Assistant, you're welcome to bring your little helpers along.  You'll even get to take some veggies home with you as a thank-you!

3) Gamble Gardens in Palo Alto is best known for their gorgeous flowers and picturesque gardens, but their vegetable and herb gardens offer great learning opportunities for children.  They host educational tours for children ages 4 and up, featuring learning, exploration and hands-on activities.

4) At Hidden Villa Farm's educational garden, your preschooler will love crawling through the tunnels, holding imaginary tea parties in one of the little willow-bough tents, and marching along the beds of vegetables, fruits, roots and herbs.  If you join one of their weekend guided tours, you'll even get to nibble on some of their produce just seconds after your guide picks it out of the ground.

Spring Has Sprung! Weekend Outlook, March 27th - 29th

by bonggamom

March 26, 2009

The sun is shining, it's 65 degrees outside, and they're predicting more sun and high temperatures this weekend (mid-70's!)... don't you just love California?!  Spring has definitely sprung in our little corner of the world, with lots of fun springtime events, uh, sprouting up all over Silicon Valley.  We've got lots of ways to celebrate the great weather this weekend with your preschooler:

1) Celebrate the beginning of gardening season with a fun gardening activity, this Friday at Cheeky Monkey toys in Menlo Park.

2) It's time for a Spring Fling at Filoli!  Filoli Gardens hosts their popular annual springtime event this Saturday.  The gorgeous spring blooms serve as a colorful backdrop for this family fun event.  Children will enjoy visits from well-loved characters, a puppet show, a magic show, arts and crafts, and storytelling.   For grownups, there are demonstrations, guided walks, floral displays and live music. 

3)  Stanford Shopping Center hosts an early Easter activity this Saturday at 11:00am.  Their Easter Eggstravaganza features a mall-wide egg hunt, visits from the Easter Bunny and Desperaux, and Hop Into Spring entertainment at 2:00pm.

4)  Speaking of Easter, the Easter Bunny is once again making the rounds at various malls.  Dress your little ones in their best Easter Bonnets for a special photo, or just have them sit on Mr. Bunny's lap for a short visit. 
*  Hillsdale Mall
*  Stanford Shopping Mall
*  Eastridge Mall 
*  Westgate Mall    

5)  Now that the weather is getting warmer, it's time to bring out the ice cream!  The Friends of the Atherton Library will be hosting an ice cream social and book exchange. Head to the library this Saturday,March 28, 1:00-3:00 p.m.  Bring a book, take a book, have some ice cream -- it's all free.

Park Day: The Oval

by Shawn Burns

January 05, 2009

As you head down Palm Drive toward Stanford University from Palo Alto the view of Memorial Church rising above the sunken green patch called the Oval is really breathtaking (it is especially cool to see on a foggy day; Memorial Church materializes out of a sea of white). The Oval is exactly what it's name implies. It is a green lawn with a single sidewalk as an X-axis. It is sunken a little, so  Read more...

A green thumb? Not a chance

by Shawn Burns

May 30, 2008

My wife and I are really really good at killing plants. From Christmas trees that die an early death to the herb garden I tried to plant at our last residence, we haven't been able to figure out how to keep other living things alive. This worried me a little bit when we decided to have a baby. As it turned out, though, babies are way easier than plants. Babies cry when they  Read more...