kristined's Passport
 | Been to 159 Attractions |
 | 114 Reviews |
 | 82 First to Review |
 | 276 Photos |
 | 35 Helpful Votes |
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Send a ComplimentAbout Me & My Family
I'm the mother of a two high energy kids who were born ready for adventure. My oldest is a gifted athlete and my youngest is a charmer with special needs.
Our Family's Travel Personality
adventurous, curious, rowdy, disorganized, independent, energetic, spontaneous, easy_going, social_butterfly
We Just Got Back From
Gold Country
Our Favorite Vacation Spot
The Big Island, HI
A Place We'd Love To Visit
The Cook Islands, Australia, Jordan, Alaska, Israel ---oh, did you say PLACE as in singular? HA!!!
Favorite Vacation Memory
Riding a water bike on a Hawaiian lagoon with one of my kids on each pontoon!
Worst Travel Moment With My Kids:
Flying with my three month old baby just weeks after September 11 -- what a nerve wracking and tense experience that was!!
Websites I Like:
SF Bay Area Locations Where Toddlers Rule!
Now that the kids are back in school, toddlers are taking back the following locations and settling for nothing less than ruling them all!
1 Zoo Road
Sloat Boulevard at Forty-fifth Avenue San Francisco, California
Comment:
Awesome petting zoo, great little playground, and a fabulous little steam train ride are among the attractions toddlers love at this zoo.
600 A Octavia st.
crossstreet is Grove st. San Francisco, California
Comment:
Interactive toddler playgroups, foreign language lessons (French, Mandarin, and Spanish), music and art classes are all among the offerings for toddlers and the preschool set here.
221 Fourth Street
San Francisco, California
Comment:
Safe, cushy places to play and create, opportunities to play with Legos and what kid doesn't want to make their own music video? Your kid could be the next viral video star on YouTube with a music video made in the recording studio at this museum!
reviewed on: June 21 2012
"A Hotbed of Creativity "
Are you living with a little digital artist? A young vocalist? A short film director? Well, you need to get these creative types of yours to the Children’s Creativity Museum. Formerly Zeum, the mission of this creative hot spot is to nurture creativity, collaboration, and communication --- and they do one heck of a job!The proof is in the stop motion film my children created. Titled “Lyndsey, Philip and Kona go the Moon,” this flick is one action-packed minute starring characters the kids fashioned from wire and clay in their own likeness. (Kona is our dog, by the way.) They then chose a backdrop and began shooting after a quick tutorial on how to use the equipment. My favorite part of the whole activity was my children’s faces when they saw the end results of their teamwork. The entire project forced these two to leave their sibling rivalry behind for a time to work together --- and it was a beautiful sight!
Their partnership held up through studios and labs where they pulled together a couple of dance performances then costumed up and sang a duet for a music video as well. They also learned enough iMac and Adobe Photoshop skills to tinker with photos and text. There were no brother-sister arguments, no competitions over who could do it better, there was simply my kids working together, drawing on each other’s strengths, bolstering each other up and getting it done!
One of their favorite spots was the Community Lab, a charming and colorful room designed to look like a meadow of mushrooms much like those in the Mario Brothers video games. Perched atop each mushroom was an iPad. Kid creations drawn on those tablets were broadcast on the walls resulting in a mural of creatures come to life.
The Children’s Creativity Museum is designed to not only provide children the opportunity to innovate in multimedia but also allow them to take home their unique projects. For a nominal donation, staff is happy to burn a DVD of your performances. There is the option to receive your stop motion video via email. My kids enjoyed treating their dad to a showing of all their videos later in the evening.
Other offerings at the museum include:
• A wide array of artist-led DIY workshops that introduce innovative tools and methods
• Daily mystery box challenges that encourage problem solving and design thinking skills
• Areas for drawing, creating and building
• Ample computer equipment to create and design and gallery wall space to display works
Before you leave this wonderful world of creativity, be sure to hop on the historic Charles Looff Carousel built in 1906 and located out in front of the building.
Cost: General Admission $10, Kids age 2 and under: Free
Note: General admission prices will increase by $1 on July 1, 2012
Carousel Rides: ($3 for two rides)
This review is based on a complimentary visit to the Children's Creativity Museum. I received no other compensation and was not asked to express a particular point of view. My opinions are entirely my own.
1300 Senter Road
San Jose, California
Comment:
HHPZ has a sweet little zoo, a cool maze to explore, and a lot of cool play structures where little ones can test their skills and agility!
615 Cuesta Drive
Mountain View, California
Comment:
Cuesta Park has a nice little set of pathways for stroller and trike cruising as well as a nice set a baby swings and playground structure suitable for getting those walking legs.
reviewed on: August 19 2010
"Things to Know About Cuesta Park"
Cuesta Park was one of the many things that attracted us to the neighborhood it sits in. We're lucky to live within walking distance of this lovely place. I have walked my babies through it in strollers, enjoyed the Music in the Park series, logged in many hours at the playground and my daughter has taken tennis lessons at the very well run tennis center. There are a few things that should be noted about Cuesta Park that visitors may not be aware of:
- Food is not allowed in the playground area. This rule is in place due to a series of squirrel attacks that began occuring after years of visitors feeding the critters. The squirrels become desensitized to humans and began crawling into diaper bags under strollers and even attacking kids carrying snacks around the playground. And no, I'm not kidding about this though I wish I was.
- The bowl next to the tennis center isn't really a dog park. Although I would have liked for it to be and tried to convinced the city council to fence it and put a dog park in there, it is not a dog park. Many people make this mistake because it is a posted off leash dog training area. Ball throwing doesn't count as off leash training. My husband narrowly escaped a leash violation here once.
26870 Moody Road
Los Altos, California
Comment:
Bury your hands in sheep wool, throw corn to the chickens, and more. A wonderful way to introduce your little one to our gentle farm animals. Be prepared to get dirty! Offered rain or shine.
400 University Avenue
Los Altos, California
Comment:
A wonderful little toddler playground --- the fact that it is in off the street also makes it a great place to take any kids going through a bolting phase.
1451 Middlefield Road
Palo Alto, California
Comment:
The Jr. Zoo is filled with wonderful hands on, interactive experiences for tots. Don't miss the outdoor zoo outback. The bats are particularly interesting!
Tilden Park
Berkeley, California
Comment:
A nice little interactive farm excursion for little kids!
