Photos of the evolving outdoor sculpture gallery, from the Create-With-Nature Earth Day Celebration, 2013, at Stinson Beach, California… For more information about the celebration, visit the official website… 9th Annual Free Create-With-Nature Earth Day Celebration. All photos taken April 20th, 2013. Continue reading »
Apparently, back in the 1950′s, engineers were considering building two dams in the San Francisco Bay to create fresh water reservoirs, right in the bay. Luckily, the US Army Corps of Engineers decided it would be a good idea to study the potential impacts that such a huge undertaking might have, both environmentally and economically, … Continue reading »
What a beautiful weekend! Photo taken March 9th, 2013 Continue reading »
Photos taken January 29th, 2013 Rainforests of the World California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco Continue reading »
Photos taken January 29th, 2013 California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco Also see… The Living Roof: California Academy of Sciences Continue reading »
We love to visit The Living Roof whenever we visit the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco. This paragraph from the Academy webpage states it best… “An open-air observation terrace enables visitors to get a close-up look at the roof’s lush canopy of plants. The view encompasses the densest concentration of native wildflowers in … Continue reading »
Photo taken January 29th, 2013 Sculpture by Benjamino Bufano Academy of Sciences, San Francisco *** WordPress Weekly Photo Challenge: Love Continue reading »
Here’s our son, waiting impatiently for me and my husband to get ready to head out on the trail at Crissy Field. My eyes, however, are drawn “beyond” to the Golden Gate Bridge shining in the background. Please view the weekly challenge here: Weekly Photo Challenge: Beyond Continue reading »
On Monday morning, my husband and I went for a run out at Crissy Field in San Francisco (while our so rode his bike). This is my absolute favorite spot to run in the Bay Area. Luckily, it’s also an awesome trail for kids to ride bikes! I took a couple photos from the East … Continue reading »
Photos from a hike I took this morning with my son at Don Edwards S.F. Bay National Wildlife Refuge in Newark, California . We walked the the short 0.7 mile walk around the LaRiviere Marsh Trail, beginning at the Visitor Center. Continue reading »
Photos taken Sunday, October 21st, 2012 UC Botanical Garden at Berkeley Continue reading »
For more information about the festival, see my post… This Weekend! Harvest Festival, Ardenwood Historic Farm Continue reading »
Another of our favorite festivals is coming up this weekend… the Harvest Festival at Ardenwood Historic Farm in Fremont. This is such a fun festival for kids! The highlight of this event for us is the corn picking. How often do kids get to head into the fields and hand-pick corn?? My son (then four) … Continue reading »
This looks so much fun! In one of the most beautiful parks in the San Francisco East Bay, this festival will feature music, dance, sculpture, painting, poetry, theater, kids crafts, and so many other art forms. The Art in Nature: The Nature of Art Festival is being held this Sunday, September 23rd, along the Stream … Continue reading »
On Monday, my son and I enjoyed a fun visit to the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco. It was our last outing before his first day of school. I think the highlight of this visit was the baby ostriches! So many, and so cute!! My son also wanted to go into the Earthquake … Continue reading »
What is it with kids and carousels? I’ve given up trying to figure out what children love about them. I only know they do. Does your child have a favorite? Do you have a favorite memory of one from childhood? Please share! *** Links to carousels in the San Francisco Bay Area Creativity Carousel, San … Continue reading »
The weather is heating up here in the San Francisco East Bay. Take a break from the local swimming pool, and cool off in a nearby lake instead. Del Valle Regional Park in Livermore has two swimming areas, East Beach and West Beach. Swimming is free, but there is a $6.00/vehicle park entry fee. Is … Continue reading »
A highlight of any visit to Point Reyes National Seashore, on the California coast, thirty miles north of San Francisco, is the Point Reyes Lighthouse. Growing up, my family would visit here every January to watch the migrating gray whales. Assuming a clear day, the views from here are incredible! The lighthouse is located on … Continue reading »
A visit to the Conservatory of Flowers in San Francisco has been on our to-do list for a couple months, ever since the Plantosaurus Rex: Prehistoric Plants exhibit opened a couple months ago. Our five-year-old son is still loving anything dinosaur-related, so a visit here was a must-do. We were warned that the roaring of … Continue reading »
What an incredible selection from the tropics. Beautiful gardens, worth a visit! Interested in going? The Conservatory of Flowers is located in Golden Gate Park, near other popular museums and destinations (California Academy of Sciences, de Young Museum). For current admission fee and hours, visit the website… http://www.conservatoryofflowers.org/visit/hours. This is an indoor museum, and, need … Continue reading »
Yesterday, I wrote about our visit to the Randall Museum (see post here… “The Randall Museum, San Francisco”). Whenever I visit a museum, I also like to schedule some outdoor play or exploration. The Randall Museum is an excellent spot for indoor and outdoor nature fun, but we enhanced the experience by taking an Urbia … Continue reading »
The Randall Museum in San Francisco was created to be a place where children can handle, see, and learn about animals and other living things through hands-on experiences, as well as be exposed to different kinds of arts and crafts. The museum has no entry fee, though memberships are offered to provide a discount on … Continue reading »
On our way back to the car from the San Francisco Botanical Garden (see post from yesterday), we took a little detour to visit Stow Lake. We first discovered the lake on a visit to Golden Gate Park a few weeks ago. Now, how did we “discover” a lake that’s been there since 1893? Let … Continue reading »
My husband, a 5th grade teacher, is now on vacation for the summer. We celebrated the beginning of the season with a family trip to the San Francisco Botanical Garden, located in Golden Gate Park. Neither my husband nor I had been here before, so we were excited to explore. The second Tuesday of each … Continue reading »
Yesterday we had the opportunity to see Tony Hawk and other professional skateboarders perform, as part of the opening festivities of the new Tony Hawk Rad Science exhibit at the Lawrence Hall of Science (LHS). All I can say is… it was awesome. Here’s the event description from the LHS website… “Watch Tony Hawk, along … Continue reading »
On Sunday afternoon, we enjoyed a lovely 3-mile walk with friends on the Inspiration Trail in the Berkeley Hills. This is a trail that has grown with us through the years. My husband and I liked to hike here because of the gorgeous views of the San Francisco Bay, the Marin Headlands, and the Golden … Continue reading »
For months, my son has been asking when the new Earthquake exhibit will be opening at the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco. Well, it finally opened last weekend, so I took him on Tuesday. How was the exhibit? I thought it was great! First, visitors are shown a short movie about plate tectonics. … Continue reading »
If you read my post yesterday, you know we attended the Nectar Garden Fun Day at Coyote Hills Regional Park on Monday. I invited friends from my Nature Time! playgroup to attend with us, and the kids had a great time running around and playing after they were done with the butterfly activities. A favorite … Continue reading »
Nectar Garden Fun Day As many of you already know, we’re in the process of creating a butterfly garden in our backyard. So I couldn’t resist attending the Nectar Garden Fun Day with my son yesterday morning at Coyote Hills Regional Park in Fremont. This is one of my favorite parks in the East Bay, … Continue reading »
The weather is warming up, so it’s time to find fun outdoor activities for the kids that incorporate water play. Kids love to play in water… any kind of water! The play areas I’ve included in this list are all free and are located within local community parks. If the features aren’t already on in … Continue reading »
