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

The Great Indoors: Silicon Valley Storytimes

by bonggamom

March 17, 2009

It may go out like a lamb, but March, with its roaring winds and pelting rains, definitely came in like a lion.   That's bad for your clean floors and your sanity, but good for my Great Indoors series of posts -- because as long as this iffy weather keeps up, it makes sense to keep cranking out suggestions for places to take your little ones on a rainy day. 

Today we're all about storytimes.  Ahhh, storytimes.  I can't think of a better way to pass an hour on a rainy day -- your child gets to listen to new stories and sing new songs.   You, on the other hand, get to listen to someone else reading story after story to your child.  What a sweet combination.
 
I'm sure you know your local library's storytime schedule by heart.  But why stick to one branch?  Why not (pardon the pun) branch out a little and try a library from another city?  You might discover a super-talented storyteller, a storytime format your preschooler loves, or a less crowded crowd.  And why go to ten different websites when you can find links to Silicon Valley's major libraries and storytimes, all from this one post? 

Redwood City Libraries
Menlo Park Libraries
Palo Alto Libraries
Mountain View Libraries
Sunnyvale Libraries
San Jose Libraries
Santa Clara Libraries
Los Gatos Public Library
Santa Clara County Libraries
San Mateo Libraries
San Mateo County Libraries

Also, don't forget that your local bookstore or museum might also offer regular storytimes.   My favorite Silicon Valley children's bookstores all have occasional or regular storytimes.  Here are some other stores that have them:

1) Keplers Books hold storytimes most Sunday mornings, often with featuring authors reading their own books.
2) Borders - Check your local Borders for storytime schedules
3) Barnes and Noble - Check your local B&N for storytime schedules
4) Pottery Barn Kids has storytimes every Tuesday and singalong concerts every month or so.
5) It's Tuesday Tales at Coyote Point Museum every 1st, 3rd and 5th Tuesday of the month.  Children ages 2-8 enjoy stories, animal presentations and activities, free with museum admission. 

As always, check their websites or call for schedules.  Happy reading!

Five Things To Look For in a Preschool Game

by bonggamom

March 16, 2009

We're giving away a classic Candyland game!  Keep reading to find out how to enter...

Heads up, everyone, Family Game Nights are back!   Libraries around Silicon Valley host them regularly:  for example, the Palo Alto library is having Game Day on March 20, and the San Jose library's Game Day is on the 27th.  In this economy, Game Nights make sense; they're a fun, inexpensive way for families to bond and reconnect.  But 4-year olds can hardly be expected to sit still for 5 minutes, let alone participate in classic Game Night standbys like Monopoly or Pictionary.  What sort of games should parents play with their preschoolers on Family Game Night or any night?

In today's guest post, toy expert Jim Silver discusses features that parents should look for when choosing games for their preschoolers.  Jim is a widely recognized and often-resourced authority on the toy and licensing industries, having worked within the publishing and toy industries for more than 20 years.  He's also editor-in-chief for www.TimeToPlayMag.com, a great website parents can go to for toy, gaming and entertainment information.   Read below to learn 5 things parents should look for in a preschool game, then check out Jim's list of top preschool games for 2009. 

Five things to look for in a Preschool Game

By Jim Silver, editor in chief, TimetoPlayMag.com

1. Easy to play right out of the box. Instructions should be very simple and easy, so that you can open the box and play right away. Set up should be minimal, which also means clean up should be too. Young children don't have the patience for long instructions, and parents don't want a lot of mess.

2. Appropriate levels of reading, color matching, sequencing and memory for the age group. Playing the game should be fun...not frustrating. The great thing is that your children will let you know when they're ready for more advanced games. The child who loves Candy Land for months may suddenly realize he's too old for it, for instance.

3. Correct balance of chance and strategy. For younger children, the balance should be more chance than strategy. They're learning counting, memory, and matching among other skills. As they get older, strategy-thinking a few moves ahead-can be introduced. Kids also respond well to games that have a clear winner, even if it's not them. Children like the defined beginning and ending of a game with a clear objective.

4. 15 minutes or less. The younger the child, the quicker a game needs to be completed before a child gets bored or loses focus. For a three-year-old, a game should be completed in less than 15 minutes. As a child gets a little older, 20 minutes is the magic number. Many game companies are now putting game playing times on their packages; look for these to help gauge what's right for your child.

5. Motor skills. Many games greatly enhance motor skills through the need of hand-eye coordination. Many young children don't have enough opportunities to develop these skills, and games are a great occasion for younger kids to develop them through play.

Want to get a head start on your Family Game Night games collection?  Being Savvy Silicon Valley and http://www.timetoplaymag.com/ are giving away the classic preschooler's board game, Candyland!  If you don't have Candyland at home (or want to give one as a present), now's your chance to win.  To enter, simply leave a comment below with your email address and your favorite board game when you were a child.

For extra entries, you can also do any or all of the following:
1)  Follow TimeToPlayMag on Twitter (twitter id @TimeToPlay). 
2)  Follow Being Savvy Silicon Valley on Twitter (twitter id @savvySV).
3)  Blog or tweet about this giveaway.

For each extra entry you complete, please leave a separate comment telling me which extra entry you did (leave your Twitter ID or the link to your tweet or blog post). 

This giveaway is limited to US mailing addresses only, and ends on March 30, 2009.  I'll draw a winner at random and post the winner's name the next day.  Good luck!

Kid-Friendly Coffee Shops

by bonggamom

March 03, 2009

One of the great joys in life is being able to sit at a cafe and linger over a great cup of coffee.  But what if you've got little ones in tow, with the kind of jitters that don't come from coffee?  Below are some great places where both parents and children can hang out:

1) Redwood City's Main Street Coffee roasts their own beans on site and cook up an awesome breakfast or brunch.  Their basket of toys will keep little ones busy indoors, but it's when the sun shines that their kid-friendly appeal skyrockets.  Their large outdoor patio has sun-shades, trees, and a children's area with toys galore.  Take note, they close at 2PM and all day Sunday.

2) Crepes Cafe in Menlo Park is tres chic for all ages; grownups love the espressos and lattes, the fondues and crepes, the whole European feel of it all.  Kids love the ice cream treats, the toy baskets to rummage through, and best of all -- the Caltrain that roars by the cafe every now and then. 

3) There's something at San Jose's Yagoz Fine Gelato and Coffee for everyone in the family.  Parents will like the coffee and espresso drinks, the low prices and free WiFi.  Older kids will enjoy the array of board games available for them to play with.  And younger kids -- no, actually everybody! -- will enjoy the yummy gelato.

4)  What makes San Jose's Caffe Trieste kid-friendly?  One word:  babyccinos.   Little ones get their own steamed and foamed milk with chocolate drizzled on top.  Just like mommy's and daddy's capuccino, but with no caffeine, and amazingly, no cost -- they're free!   They've got Nutella paninis, too, in case you want to stay for lunch.

5) How could I not include the ubiquitous Starbucks? There's nothing specifically kid-friendly about them, but every time you go into a Starbucks you're sure to find a parent and a child hanging out.  Whatever you think of the coffee, you can be certain that it will be hot, the service will be quick, and they will always have boxes of Horizon Organic Chocolate milk for the kids.

6) For the ultimate in kid-friendly coffee, head over to Caffino's Drive-Thru Espresso Bars (they've got locations throughout Silicon Valley, including Milipitas, Mountain View, RWD, Santa Clara) and get your java fix without leaving the driver's seat.  The notion of a drive-thru coffee bar might conjure up images of fast food joints and big yellow arches, but their coffee is roasted on site, and they now feature Organic, Fair Trade certified beans.  You don't even have to mess with the carseats and strollers!

Gyms with Childcare

by Bonggamom

January 29, 2009

One resolution that every parent should try is to exercise regularly. It's essential to everyone's health, but there are added incentives when you're a parent. Working out keeps you fit enough to keep up with your little ones -- and all those feel-good endorphins are the perfect antidote to the stress and mental havoc they can induce. During these cold, rainy months, having an indoor gym makes  Read more...

Best spots for indoor play

by Bonggamom

January 20, 2009

We've had spring-like temperatures all of last week, and it looks like we might have a few more sunny I-love-California days ahead. Nevertheless, we're still in the middle of winter, and it's only a matter of time before I find myself forcing my sons back into their fleece jackets. We've already hit all of the places in my Top 5 Things to Do in San Jose on a Rainy Day this season, so in the  Read more...

List Day: Reflective Locations

by Shawn Burns

January 13, 2009

Good day, good day! It's another Tuesday, which means another List Day, and today's list day inspired a lot of, er. self-reflection. It's okay to groan. Everybody does. Today at Savvy Source we are talking about great places to go to let the kids see reflections of themselves. First, let me mention a couple of places not to take the kids to see reflections of themselves: The cigar store counter.  Read more...

The Great Indoors: Cooking classes

by Bonggamom

January 12, 2009

You can take the girl out of the tropics, but the tropics will always rule my internal thermometer. My heart sinks at the thought of shivering outdoors in the cold (yes, 45 degrees farenheit is freezing!). So now that winter has planted itself squarely on our doorstep, my thoughts turn to the warm indoors -- and my focus (for the next several weeks, at least) centers on fun indoor activities  Read more...

Happy Kwanza!

by Bonggamom

December 26, 2008

Kwanzaa starts today! This seven-day African American holiday gets its name from a Swahili phrase meaning "first fruits" and is based on the African tradition of the "first harvest of the crops" at the end of each year. Kwanzaa honors African heritage and culture, as well as family and community. To celebrate Kwanzaa, the Bay Area Discovery Museum in Sausalito is offering free admission and  Read more...

52 Pick-Up

by Shawn Burns

December 24, 2008

It's Christmas Eve and your ol' Uncle Shawn is heading out of town. The weekend, usually previewed here in this space, will probably happen regardless of what I do about it, and I expect much of it will involve holiday cheer of some sort. So instead of a Weekend Outlook post today I have a Counting-Cleaning Classic for your amusement. We keep various things in shoeboxes in our  Read more...

Rink Day: Ice Oasis

by Bonggamom

December 19, 2008

My kids have loved skating every since they first stepped out onto an ice rink about two years ago. Since then, they've been taking skating lessons at a great local indoor rink, the Ice Oasis in Redwood City. Ice Oasis is open year-round for public skating, lessons and parties. I love this rink because it's large enough for novices to circle the outside tracks as the more experienced  Read more...

Indoor Christmas Activities

by Bonggamom

December 11, 2008

The weather outside may be frightful, but the fire is so delightful, you may not want to stay snug and cozy. Until your kids start to drive you crazy with their bored whining or their crazy, cooped-up antics. Here are some of my favorite ways to keep the kids occupied during the holidays: 1) Bake cookies Because ya gotta have holiday cookies, right? Make it easier on yourself by setting up a  Read more...

Holiday Gift Giving on a Budget

by Bonggamom

December 05, 2008

With the economy tanking like it is, it's no wonder that shoppers everywhere are tightening their purse strings and slashing their holiday budgets. But that doesn't mean you can't spread some Christmas cheer all around. Here are some ways you can stretch your budget and still give unique, thoughtful presents to the people you care about most: 1) Know before you go Start your gift-giving  Read more...

Holiday events: The Christmas Creche

by Bonggamom

December 04, 2008

One holiday event we look forward to every year is the Christmas Creche , an exhibit of over 500 nativity scenes from around the world. The four-day event, organized by members of local congregations of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, brings over 10,000 visitors to their Palo Alto church every year. Families of all beliefs and cultures will appreciate the artistry and  Read more...

The ABCs of Silicon Valley

by Shawn Burns

November 04, 2008

Today at Savvy Source we're doing the ABCs of Silicon Valley. Do you have the song in your head? Good. A is for Armadillo Willy's Barbecue . B is for the Baby Loves Disco . C is for the Cinco de Mayo Festival. D is for ducks . E is for environmentalism. F is for farmer's markets . G is for the Gilroy Garlic Festival . H is for Hobee's . I is for Ice Skating  Read more...

Putting on a puppet show

by Bonggamom

October 16, 2008

I get such a kick out of watching my kids engage in puppet play. Sometimes 3Po and Jammy simply invite me in to watch whatever battle scene they're enacting, using their plastic Playmobil figures as puppets and the coffee table as a stage. Other times they like to go the whole hog, making their puppets from scratch and putting on a puppet show. Like most parents, I'm more entertained by the  Read more...

List Day: The Tickle Trunk

by Shawn Burns

October 07, 2008

When I was growing up I would watch a show on Canadian public television called "Mr. Dressup." Mr. Dressup was a man who would do little art projects, tell stories, and most importantly dress up in costumes. He kept all of his costumes inside a big box in his living room, and it was called the Tickle Trunk. Every episode he would wander over to the Tickle Trunk and pull out a new costume  Read more...

Cooling Off

by Shawn Burns

August 26, 2008

How do you cool off? Our national editors have some great ideas for cooling off in the heat. With a heatwave moving into the Silicon Valley this weekend Erin and I will be trying to cool off almost constantly. I love their suggestion to just drop an ice cube down your kid's shirt. I think I'll go do that now... Ok, but today is List Day, which means I get to tell you how to cool off. And I'm  Read more...

Park Day: Playtown

by Shawn Burns

August 25, 2008

Today's Park Day Post is about an indoor park, Playtown at Valley Fair. Playtown is an enclosed (one entryway), rubber-floored obstacle course and playground distraction down by the Lego Store and Build-a-Bear Factory. Within the walls of the lot there are soft row-benches for parents and nannies to sit on while their charges engage in all kinds of running and jumping and sliding and tunnel  Read more...

Children's Discovery Museum: Ground Floor

by Shawn Burns

July 10, 2008

The first level of the Children's Discovery Museum is full of interactive exhibits for the slightly older pre-schoolers (older than 4, the Wonder Cabinet cutoff). As we entered the lobby the first thing we saw was the big fire engine sitting there, lockers and doors open for exploration. Kids were climbing all over it, pulling hoses and cables out of the lockers, and sitting in the driver's seat  Read more...

The Children's Discovery Museum: The Wonder Cabinet

by Shawn Burns

July 09, 2008

I took Erin to the Children's Discovery Museum in San Jose on Tuesday. We've been before, but I wanted to bring her back now that she's a toddling walker instead of a mostly-stationary crawler. We explored both the downstairs area and the Wonder Cabinet, the special area for children under 4 upstairs. This post will be about the Wonder Cabinet. We happened to get there just as the art studio in  Read more...

Those Swedes were too much to handle in one day

by Shawn Burns

June 25, 2008

I wrote about taking your kid to IKEA the other day. But, because IKEA is difficult to walk through without exhausting yourself, so too is it difficult to write about without exhausting yourself. Owing to time and space constraints I left out several key parts of the IKEA experience in my first post. So here, for your perusing pleasure, is IKEA, part 2. What if you actually do wish to shop at  Read more...