Monday mornings at 10 am, the Valley Cultural Center will host shows for children. The first show (tomorrow, July 29th) involves two kid favorites -- music and dogs. Check out their website for more info.
If you are looking for free performances to watch with your kiddos, and you live in the Valley, I just got a lead through Red Tricycle.
Monday mornings at 10 am, the Valley Cultural Center will host shows for children. The first show (tomorrow, July 29th) involves two kid favorites -- music and dogs. Check out their website for more info.
0 Comments
Pinnipeds are aquatic mammals such as sea lions, seals, otters, and walruses. At the Marine Mammal Care Center, volunteers care for injured pinnipeds. If you visit, you can see these animals and learn about them and their environment. Kids will develop empathy, as well. The site is located in San Pedro, which makes it convenient to pair up with the Pt. Fermin Lighthouse, the Cabrillo Aquarium, or the like.
A lot of us enjoy the Butterfly Pavillion in Exposition Park (see previous post). However, visiting costs money, and if you are traveling with the entire family or a group, the price can add up.
In Orange County, there’s another place to see butterflies and much more: the Environmental Nature Center of Newport Beach. I’d recommend checking out the website in the hypertext above for exact hours and directions. You’ll find a Butterfly House and light hiking in shady woods, picnic areas, a small museum, and educational programs for the whole family–and it’s free! Today, our family took a lovely stroll at the Redondo Beach Wilderness Park. This is a medium sized park with lots of shady trees, a delightful ocean breeze, creeks, two ponds stocked with koi, turtles, and ducks, several picnic areas, tadpoles (you could see some getting their limbs!), butterflies, dragonflies, and several species of waterbirds. The trail is short--not serious hiking for grown-ups, but fun for the kids.
Beware of blackberry brambles (they've got nasty thorns) and the challenging entrance/exit (you can only get in facing one direction). I'd map the trip before going. Rancho los Alamitos is a great place to explore our Southern California heritage. The site has been inhabited for hundreds of years, and the house has many layers to it. My kids loved the old-fashioned Western decor and cowboy memorabilia. My favorite part: the porch where the rancher’s wife fed all the ranch hands.
The barn and much of the outdoors area at Rancho los Alamitos has been under an extensive renovation for a couple years. The job is now complete and we’re all welcome to a grand re-opening this Sunday, June 10! If you don't make it then, find time later this summer--it's really a nifty place to visit. The barn has all sorts of animals for the kids to get up close and personal with. By the way, Rancho los Alamitos was owned by a member of the Bixby family–the brother of the Bixby who owned Rancho los Cerritos, just a few miles away. Visiting the two will give you a fantastic picture of life in SoCal 100 years ago. |