My five-year-old son has a new hobby. Bird watching. About a week or so ago, once a day, he began telling me, “I’m going into the backyard to watch the birds.” Then he’ll proceed to sit quietly, completely still for 20-30 minutes, waiting for birds to appear. Well, a few days ago, he excitedly ranContinue reading “My Little Birder… Loving the Chickadee!”
Category Archives: Bay Area Things To Do
Monarchs! Butterfly & Bird Festival, Coyote Hills, Fremont
This morning we attended the 13th Annual Butterfly and Bird Festival, held at Coyote Hills Regional Park in Fremont. We’ve attended this event the past two years, too, and this just may be my son’s favorite festival. It’s kind of funny, since my son isn’t usually into doing crafty type activities, but he absolutely LOVESContinue reading “Monarchs! Butterfly & Bird Festival, Coyote Hills, Fremont”
Exploring the Ringtail Cat Trail, Las Trampas, Alamo
Another great Outdoor Discoveries outing! Today, the naturalist took the kids up the Ringtail Cat Trail into Las Trampas Regional Park for a “beanstalk lunch hike” to learn about vines. This is another of my favorite trails in the area, especially on a hot summer day, as the trail winds above a creek through aContinue reading “Exploring the Ringtail Cat Trail, Las Trampas, Alamo”
Hiking the Martin Canyon Creek Trail, Dublin, California
The Martin Canyon Creek Trail is my favorite spot to hike in Dublin. It’s even better now that the trail has been cut through to connect with the Dublin Hills Regional Park. Dublin gets pretty hot in the summer, and this is the only place to hike in the city that has shade. The trailContinue reading “Hiking the Martin Canyon Creek Trail, Dublin, California”
Tony Hawk Event, Rad Science Exhibit, Lawrence Hall of Science, Berkeley
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, alongContinue reading “Tony Hawk Event, Rad Science Exhibit, Lawrence Hall of Science, Berkeley”
Walking with Friends, Inspiration Trail, Tilden … and Playtime at Orinda Community Park
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 GoldenContinue reading “Walking with Friends, Inspiration Trail, Tilden … and Playtime at Orinda Community Park”
Earthquake! And More… California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco
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 “Earthquake! And More… California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco”
Hiking and Playing, Coyote Hills, Fremont
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 favoriteContinue reading “Hiking and Playing, Coyote Hills, Fremont”
Nectar Garden Fun, Coyote Hills
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 “Nectar Garden Fun, Coyote Hills”
Nature Time! Hike, Dublin Hills
We kicked off our Memorial Day weekend with a great hike with friends from our Nature Time! playgroup. The kids had fun on the trail, playing in the tall grass, and stopping to check out insects (mostly stink bugs). The weather was breezy and cool, but the children didn’t seem to notice. It makes meContinue reading “Nature Time! Hike, Dublin Hills”
Great Climbing Structures, Creekside Park, San Ramon
A friend recommended that I check out this park, and we finally made it there a few weeks ago. Creekside Park in San Ramon is a fun little park, with two play areas; one for little kids, one for older kids. This is one of the few parks around that might actually be challenging forContinue reading “Great Climbing Structures, Creekside Park, San Ramon”
Birding with Kids, Shadow Cliffs, Pleasanton
Since the week my son turned three, we’ve been attending the East Bay Regional Parks Outdoor Discoveries program, a naturalist-led class designed specifically for three-five year-old children. Each outing includes a hike and plenty of time for observation, exploration, and play. To make the classes even more fun, I always invite friends from my NatureContinue reading “Birding with Kids, Shadow Cliffs, Pleasanton”
Ten Fun East Bay Parks with Free Water Play Features
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 inContinue reading “Ten Fun East Bay Parks with Free Water Play Features”
Learning About Bees: The Great Sunflower Project
We’ve been making progress in planting our butterfly garden, and now we’ve moved onto the next phase… bees! I’ve been researching citizen science programs that might be fun for me and my son to do together. I love the idea of being a citizen scientist, helping in our own way to assist real scientists byContinue reading “Learning About Bees: The Great Sunflower Project”
The Kora… Outdoor Music at the Farmer’s Market
We try to attend at least one of our many local farmer’s market weekly. While our primary reason for a visit to the market is to purchase fresh, seasonal, local fruits and vegetables, what my son likes the best is the music. Each of the markets seems to have a different musician or band playingContinue reading “The Kora… Outdoor Music at the Farmer’s Market”
Fossils, Flowers, and Fun! Dublin Hills
I thought we’d head to a museum today, but my son asked if we could go hiking instead. Great! When I asked him where he wanted to go hiking, he said, “Dublin Hills!” I liked that answer, as the official trail head (Donlon Point Staging Area) is only a few miles from our home. Easy!Continue reading “Fossils, Flowers, and Fun! Dublin Hills”
The Arboretum at UC Santa Cruz
For Mother’s Day, I wanted to explore someplace new with my husband and our son. I reviewed my “to-see” list, considered outings in the Marin Headlands and San Francisco, and decided, instead, that it would be a great day for a visit to The Arboretum at the University of California Santa Cruz. And I’mContinue reading “The Arboretum at UC Santa Cruz”
Bring on the Butterflies…
After tons of research, I finally decided what to plant in our yard to attract butterflies. As you may know, we’ve been creating a backyard wildlife habit, following the guidelines set forth by the National Wildlife Federation (NWF). My first goal in creating our butterfly garden was to add plants to our yard that willContinue reading “Bring on the Butterflies…”
Nature Play, Roberts Regional Park, Oakland
One of our favorite parks for play is Roberts Regional Park in the Oakland Hills. This park, nestled in the redwoods, has something for everyone. First, if you have a child, the play structure here is among the best in the Bay Area (and it’s barrier free / wheelchair accessible). But other than that, theContinue reading “Nature Play, Roberts Regional Park, Oakland”
Visit a Garden for Free! National Public Gardens Day 2012
This Friday, May 11th, is National Public Gardens Day! Better Homes & Gardens and the American Public Garden Association have collaborated to provide free admission to gardens throughout the United States and Canada. What a wonderful program to help people discover and learn about their local gardens! Interested in attending? Sign up through the BetterContinue reading “Visit a Garden for Free! National Public Gardens Day 2012”
Suburban Nature Explorations 