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

Get ready for the Palo Alto May Fete Parade!

by bonggamom

April 30, 2009

Palo Alto residents know never to plan anything for the first weekend of May. They know to block that Saturday off for Palo Alto's May Fete Parade, and every year since 1922 they've been showing up in droves.  We've been going to this parade every year without fail for the past six or seven years, either watching or marching, and sometimes both.  

What makes the May Fete Parade so special?  At this parade, children are the undisputed stars.  There are no gargantuan animatronic floats, no beauty queens or roaring motorcycles or prancing horses.  Just lots and lots kids, from preschools to high school marching bands to local dance studios to elementary schools, all dressed in bright school colors or uniforms, on bikes and scooters, accompanied by a swarm of parents armed with cameras and camcorders.  Any group can register to join -- there is no limit -- but there is always a section at the end where anyone can jump in and march along.  
Throw in a few fancy cars, some funny-looking bicycles and a couple of rollerskating, bubble-blowing clowns and you've got a charming parade with a nice hometown feel.  

Each year the parade has a different theme (this year's is "Dream Green") and many groups join a float contest.  The floats reflect the annual theme and are relatively small and simple  -- which says nothing about the amount of effort put in by each and every group. Many who don't join the contest still come up with a float, and here and there you'll see a creative family whose wagon or stroller has been decorated to the nines to match the theme.

The parade starts just west of the University Avenue Caltrain Station on University and High.  It winds its way down University Avenue and turns right on Webster Street. The whole route is shaded with trees, and never gets so crowded that your little one won't be able to snag a spot to sit on the curb for prime parade viewing.    It ends at Palo Alto's Addison Elementary School, which hosts a Town Fair for the community. The fair, like the parade, is simple, fun and low-key.  It features a multitude of  children's activities like ball tosses, bead crafts and a giant inflatable slide, all free.  Families like to stake out a spot on the field beside the playground and let their kids loose on the playstructure while they relax on the grass and listen to the live music play.  Many people pack a picnic lunch or line up to buy the usual hotdog/hamburger/chips/soda combination.    It's a great way for Palo Alto residents meet their neighbors and build a sense of community.

The parade starts at 10:00 am this Saturday, rain or shine.  This year I'm marching with my two preschoolers while their sister and dad cheer us on from the sidelines. Grab your hat, sunscreen and water bottle and join us; we hope to see you there!

99 things you must do with your child in Silicon Valley before they grow up

by bonggamom

February 24, 2009

It seems like only yesterday that The Pea was just a little pea.  Now she's 7 and there are still so many things we haven't done together.  I really have to hurry, because some of the best experiences in the Valley have use-by dates:  I want my kids to first experience them while they're young, before the magic fades and they retreat into the solitude of their bedroms and their iPods.

With that in mind, here's a list of must-do activities for parents and kids around Silicon Valley:

Good Eats
 1) Taste garlic ice cream at the Gilroy Garlic Festival.
 2) Chew on saltwater taffy at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk.
 3) Pick berries at a local farm.
 4) Eat fish and chips at Princeton-by-the-Sea.
 5) Get a sugar high at the Jelly Belly Factory.
 6) Have a pancake breakfast at Hobees.
 7) Slurp clam chowder from a sourdough bread bowl at Fisherman's Wharf.
 8) Have an ice cream sundae at Ghirardelli Square.
 9) Burn your tongue at Palo Alto's annual Chili Cook-off.
10) Enjoy berrylicious treats at Watsonville's Strawberry Festival.
11) Go on a tasting tour -- cheese tasting, that is -- around Napa and Sonoma Valley.

The Animal Kingdom
12) Pat a llama at the Happy Hollow Zoo.
13) Join the Los Altos Pet Parade.
14) Milk a cow and feed chickens at Hidden Villa.
15) Watch for whales at the Point Sur Lighthouse.
16) Feed the ducks at Shoreline Park.
17) Spend the day at the Monterey Bay Aquarium.
18) See the Monarch Butterflies in Pacifica.
19) Listen to the sea lions barking at Pier 39.
20) Ride an elephant at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom.
21) Go on safari at Santa Rosa's Safari West.
22) Visit the elephant seals at Ano Nuevo State Reserve.

Events
23) Do the Dragon Dance at San Francisco's Chinese New Year Parade.
24) Welcome springtime at Cupertino's Cherry Blossom Festival.
25) Celebrate Cinco de Mayo at San Jose's annual parade.
26) Watch 4th of July Fireworks from Shoreline Ampitheater.
27) See the Tall Ships and Blue Angels at San Francisco's Fleet Week.
28) See the world's biggest pumpkins at the Half Moon Bay Pumpkin Festival.
29) Go trick or treating at Santana Row.
30) Watch the San Francisco Ballet's Nutcracker.
31) Drive through the Vasona Fantasy of Lights display.
32) Meet Santa Claus at a train station during Caltrains Holiday Train.
33) Enjoy holiday scenes at San Jose's Christmas at the Park.

Sporty Stuff
34) Watch a baseball game at San Francisco's AT&T park.
35) Sail a boat on Shoreline lake.
36) Surf (ok, boogie-board) the waves at San Gregorio State beach.
37) Go rafting on the American River.
38) Ice skate under the stars at Palo Alto's Winter Lodge.
39) Run Bay to Breakers with the little ones in a stroller.
40) Bike the Los Gatos Creek trail.
41) Sink a mini-hole-in-one at Golfland.
42) Take your child for a spin at Redwood City's Malibu Grand Prix.
43) Row, row, row your boat at Vasona Lake County Park.
44) Catch some fish at Ed Levin County Park.

Museums
45) Explore and learn at the Children's Discovery Museum.
46) Scare yourself at the Winchester Mystery House.
47) Play tag amongst the artwork at Stanford University's Rodin Sculpture Garden.
48) Marvel at the California Academy of Science's Living Roof.
49) Count the Pez dispensers at Burlingame's Pez Museum.
50) Walk like an Egyptian at San Jose's Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum.
51) Geek out at the Tech Museum.
52) Take a class at the Palo Alto Junior Museum and Zoo.
53) Play and pretend at Oakland's Habitot Children's Museum.
54) Let your imagination take flight at the Hillier Aviation Museum.
55) Follow the toy trains at the Edward Peterman Museum of Railroad History.

Seein' the Sights
56) Watch an IMAX film at The Tech Museum.
57) See the circus trees at Gilroy Gardens.
58) Enjoy the view from the top of Stanford's Hoover Tower.
59) Watch a space shuttle launch at the NASA Ames Visitor Center.
60) See the stars up close at Lick Observatory.
61) Drive across the Golden Gate Bridge.
62) Check out the local bikers at Alice's Cafe in Woodside.
63) Watch a play, for kids and by kids, at Palo Alto's Hotdog Suppertime Shows.
64) Watch the airplanes bound for San Francisco airport take off and land, from Coyote Point park.
65) See where the San Francisco Bay ends at Palo Alto's Baylands Park.
66) Count as many of the Livermore windmills as you can while driving through Altamont Pass on Highway 580.

Nature
67) Hike through the redwoods at Henry Cowell State Park.
68) Hike up to The Dish at Stanford University.
69) Build a sandcastle at Santa Cruz beach.
70) Find serenity at San Jose's Japanese Friendship Garden.
71) Paint the roses red at San Jose's Heritage Rose Garden.
72) Wade in the creek at Los Altos' Shoup Park.
73) Save the earth on California Coastal Cleanup Day.
74) Pick apples at Gizdich Ranch.
75) Explore the tidepools at the Natural Bridges State Beach.
76) Say hello to the wild turkeys at Deer Hollow Farm.
77) Camp overnight at the Big Basin State Park.

Spend the weekend (or week!) at....
78) ...Yosemite National Park...
79) ...Sequoia National Park...
80) ...Lake Tahoe...
81) ...Napa Valley...
82) ...Sacramento...
83) ...Strawberry...
84) ...Gold Country...
85) ...Carmel-by-the-Sea...
86) ...Big Sur...
87) ...Solvang, or...
88) ...LA

Just Plain Fun
89) Ride the Caltrain up and down the Peninsula.
90) Ride the Billy Jones Wildcat Railroad.
91) Chug through the redwoods on the Roaring Camp Railroad.
92) Catch a cable car on the hills of San Francisco.
93) Hop on the Bill Mason carousel at Oak Meadow Park.
94) Enjoy the rides at Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk.
95) Get stuck on stickers at the Mrs. Grossman's sticker factory.
96) Splash around at the Morgan Hill Aquatics Park.
97) Meet storybook characters at Oakland's Fairyland.
98) Splash through the fountains at the Plaza de Cesar Chavez.
99) Watch a movie at the San Jose's Capitol Drive-In Movie Theater.

My family has done quite a few of these items, but we're nowhere near done.  We (and you) had better get cracking on the rest of this list before the kids grow up!

If you have other activities that simply must be on this list, email us at beingsavvysiliconvalley@savvysource.com. 

Books essential to kids in Silicon Valley

by Bonggamom

November 25, 2008

Pussy cats go to London and Madeline lives in Paris, but does your child ever get to see anything from his home town in one of his storybooks? Here in Silicon Valley we're lucky to live near so many famous (and well-published) landmarks, so it's not difficult to assemble a collection of books that capture the essence of where we live. Here are several that your children will love: 1) With  Read more...

Park Day: Klein Park, Mountain View

by Bonggamom

October 13, 2008

As parks go, Klein Park (on the corner of Ortega Avenue and California Street) isn't one of those huge, full-featured, "must-go" destination parks. It's a friendly little neighborhood park that we like to visit when we find ourselves in Mountain View for one reason or another and feel the need to stretch our legs. Klein Park is big enough to keep my kids happy for an hour but small enough  Read more...