When Eli attended a Waldorf preschool in California, we participated in an autumn lantern walk for kids that was quite magical -- sunset, kiddos, and candles glowing in homemade lanterns. Thus when I heard there was a similar event here in North Georgia, I tracked down information about it. We found the group wonderfully welcoming.
This morning after breakfast, Eli and I made a candle lantern out of a jar, tissue paper squares, thinned glue, and some wire.
This evening as the sun began to set...
We found the group and hung out with them in the cool evening. Kids ran across the grass in packs and waited for the darkness to settle.
Apple cider made it a little easier to wait.
Lanterns were ready.
There were extra lanterns for folks who forgot theirs. The organizers thought of everything -- spare candles, lighters for the grownups, and even flickering electric tealight candles for the lanterns to be carried by wee tots.
There were various designs of lanterns, everybody bringing what they'd like. Next year we want to try this sort of lantern made from paper wrapped around a balloon and stiffened with glue. Once the glue is try and the balloon popped, the resulting lantern is held aloft by strings and a stick.
But Eli was pretty happy with his lantern too.
The group paused to read a poem in unison from little cards printed out on thick paper and brushed with autumn watercolors. (Such a lovely little touch!)
Ready?
Off through the Historic District...
We made a detour through our favorite independent book shop...
We lived in the East Bay from just before my son's birth to when he was three and a half. We moved home to Georgia in the summer of 2012. Although we're happy to be near family and surrounded by the South again, we sure do miss Northern California! Such lovely weather, high adventures, and good friends!
Bay Area friends -- I recently made a sort of visual index of our adventures on Pinterest. "Follow me" and take a peek at that board if you're interested in places to go and events to enjoy.
If you want to see more of our adventures in the Bay Area, please click on the category called "Adventures -- CA Bay Area" in the dark beige column on the right side of the blog page.
It's fun to look back on the things we did this spring while we were trying to finish off our Northern California Bucket List. I think Eli especially enjoyed the San Francisco Maritime National Historic Park (Hyde Street Pier) and the Cable Car Museum, both in San Francisco.
Entering the Park, which is home to a handful of historic vessels...
My favorite was the 1886 square-rigger, Balclutha.
There are tours through the ships and they've done a great job with informational displays as well as placing enough antiques and reproductions inside that you can picture how it felt to work and live on these vessels. The Balclutha cargo hold...
The 1890 steam ferryboat, Eureka, was the largest. Walking through it was like being on the set of a movie. I felt like I was waiting for folks in old fashioned dress to come bustling through.
The view from the back of the Eureka...
Eli's favorite was the Hercules, a 1907 steam tug. He loves the old storybooks Scuffy the Tug Boat (by Gertrude Crampton) and Little Toot (by Hardy Gramatky), so this was like meeting a favorite character face to face.
A month after our visit to the historic pier, we went on a cable car adventure with Brian's parents and his brother's family. We rode the cable car from one end of the city to the other.
Before living in California, I had no idea how a cable car worked. To be honest, I thought it was a trolley. Like a trolley, the cable car doesn't have a motor in it. And there are rails involved. But the cable car moves by basically hitching a ride on a cable that constantly moves under the street. The gripman who rides in the center of the car controls how tightly the cable car holds on to the cable.
Looking down at the gripman's feet...
It may sound easy to be a gripman, just pulling a lever to grab a cable. But San Francisco is, of course, quite hilly. There are curves on the tracks too. The gripman has to have a real feel for the mechanisms of the cable car and excellent reflexes. The first time I rode a cable car, the gripman told me that he and his gripman buddies are whizzes at computer games because their reflexes and hand motions are so honed.
Sitting at the front of the cable car -- but especially if you're one of the folks who gets a spot standing on the outside running board of the car -- you really appreciate the steepness of the hills and how a runaway cable car could ruin your day.
We got off at Ghirardelli Square for lunch and fun, then we caught the cable car again. Here's Eli at the roundabout where the cable cars are turned. Staff manually turn the cars, pushing them with their shoulders on the well-greased wooden turntable.
Midway through the city, we got off to see the Cable Car Museum...
There are informational displays about how the cable cars work and how they fit into the history of the city. And the museum is located at the powerhouse and carbarn on Nob Hill.
You can look down at the huge wheels that keep the cables running under the streets. The whole building hums with motion.
Eli adores the cable car bells (as do Granddad and Cousin Tom). At the gift shop, we got a replica bell to take home to Georgia. Each cable car gripman is practiced at handling the grip, but also in bouncing the rope to ring the bell in familiar patterns. Ding-ding-ding-a-DING-DING-ding... For days after a visit to San Francisco, I can hear the sound in my sleep.
Eli loved Hyde Street Pier, the cable cars, and the Cable Car Museum, but we did too. Our family highly recommends both. (And since we mentioned children's books earlier in this post... Don't miss Maybelle the Cable Car by Virginia Lee Burton, author of Mike Mulligan.)
I wrote about indoor play places yesterday. I thought I'd follow up with some retrospective notes about our favorite playgrounds. I just wrote about Berkeley Marina's Adventure Playground. Here are some additional unusual play structures and outdoor kid zones...
CHILDREN'S WONDERLAND (Vallejo)
First and foremost, get thee to Children's Wonderland. If you live in Berkeley or Oakland, it may seem like a long drive. It's worth it. Trust me. And this playground is underused and under-appreciated, so it needs local support. Click HERE to see the post about this local asset along with photos.
The first time I visited this park, the cement slide literally took my breath away. "Ohhhhh," I breathed, watching kids ride boxes along a looping track beneath a gorgeous old tree in a space terraced with stacked stone. It looks like the superhighway of the Faerie King.
Okay. I have to confess that I haven't let Eli ride down that slide yet. I've seen bigger kids wipe out on it, so it is something that is going to have to wait a few years for one of our future visits to the Bay Area. The park has more charm than just the slide, though. I love how it is high above Berkeley, yet it is in a snug little valley...
The swings at Cordornices are longer than average, which makes Eli giggle with glee. There's a spiffy wooden cable car that attracts kids like a picnic draws ants...
(Thanks for the photo, Lina!)
As if that isn't enough, Cordornices Park is spiffy enough to have a pedestrian tunnel...
(Amber, I smiled when I saw your comment about Cordornices because I already had this post in the works!)
BENICIA
The sleepy but charming and historic town of Benicia has two of our favorite playgrounds. One is the sprawling wood Playground of Dreams. It has lots of fun nooks and crannies...
But we also love Benica Community Park. There is a cement slide that may lack in charm compared to Cordornices' forest fantasy, yet is wide and can be safely conquered by even a small tot. (The angle makes it look daunting here, but actually it is fairly easy slope. For a closer park with a wide cement slide, try Lamoine Park in Richmond, otherwise known as Morningside.)
I could keep going! We love the secret shady steps and paths of Berkeley's Live Oak Park and the sandy wading creek in Oakland's Frog Park. There's Aquatic Park near the bottom of Berkeley, a rambling play structure that is almost always cool even on a hot day. And even if it is tiny, Railroad Park in Hercules has huge blackberry patches all around it, great views of trains, and our beloved "Stick Beach" just across the road.
I've been sharing information with some folks new to the area. Somebody asked about places for kids to play in the water. In an area with a bay and the ocean, there are tons of spots, but here are a few of our favorites.* A few are neat and tidy, while some can involve sand or even mud -- woo hoo! (Note: We find the bay beaches are generally safer in terms of currents and waves yet have greater need for foot protection from glass and other litter.)
I realized that I never blogged some of the indoor play places we enjoyed when Eli was younger. When Eli and his buddies were under two, the group of friends we hung out with met up there often. As the kids got more active, I think we shifted more to outdoor parks. Parents going back to work and kiddos heading to preschool cut down on our attendance too.
EPWORTH PLAYGROUP (Berkeley)
One of our favorites was Epworth Playgroup, and Eli went every week for a year. (Click HERE to see the post on Epworth.) Epworth requires registration and is designed for kids to attend regularly. Although less spontaneous, registration is nice because you see the same kids/parents and get a better chance to make new friends. You also know the space isn't going to get too crowded.
GYMBOREE (El Cerrito and other locations)
Gymboree also requires registration and has programs designed for wee ones. I didn't register Eli, but I did take him to try it out when he was four months old...
They did some neat things I wouldn't have thought to do -- like letting the babies look down into a mirror. They also spun pretty colored balls on top of the mirror. Eli loved it.
Over the years we've lived here, we've attended birthday parties and some of the online discount sites offer cheap sessions. Eli always has a great time. I've been very impressed with the staff and the imaginative ideas they share, but the play equipment is great too.
WEE PLAY (Alameda)
If you're looking for drop-in indoor play places, one of our favorites was Wee Play in Alameda. Basically, there is a huge space that used to be the auditorium of a high school (now a city recreation building) and they fill it with tot toys. Kids from crawling age up to age three can explore as they'd like. Wee Play staff usually offers coloring pages and some singing for kids who are interested. We loved getting out of the house, but it also gave Eli a chance to test drive all sorts of toys. Although it was something of a trek for us, it is only $6 per kid (adults free) and there are discount passes available. (I heard that if you're willing to help put away toys afterwards, you can get in for free.) Other cities offer programs called Wee Play too, but I don't know if they are the same.
STUDIO GROW (Berkeley and Concord)
Studio Grow is located in an old industrial building, which gives kids lot of space to wander. There are various activity stations including a dance floor and an art room. Studio Grow was a favorite, but it did get pricy. Babies under 12 months are free, but kids and adults have to pay. Admission before 1PM is $9 per person and after 1PM is $6 per person. Extra adults are free and their website does offer some discount packages.
I loved these nature blocks (tree branch slices) so much that we tracked down a set of our own. At Studio Grow they sometimes paired the blocks with rubber insects, but at other times there were plastic dinosaurs.
Eli loved the table with computer keyboards. They weren't attached to anything and didn't do anything, but he loved the click of pressing the buttons. Now that he is old enough to not pry off the keys (and perhaps choke on them) without constant supervision, I need to find one at a thrift store for him. He could use it as a cash register, a space ship control panel, rocket launch pad, etc.
This was Eli's favorite. Kids can place plastic shapes on an old transparency projector. Simple, but apparently great fun!
The ball pit...
The indoor playground and gymnastics area...
Little Guy adored the mini roller coaster. I was so glad when he got big enough to hold on by himself!
Music time. There is singing, but they also pass around instruments.
HABITOT (Berkeley)
Habitot is located in downtown Berkeley. Unfortunately, parking is often tricky. It seems like I was always checking the time during visits to keep ahead of the parking meter, although there are nearby parking decks as well. Children under a year are free, but I think kids and adults both pay $9.75 to enter. (Certain times of the year, military families get in free.) There are discount tickets available on their website and some of the online bargain sites offer discount passes. Habitot has a fairly large budget and is the only one of the indoor play places I know that rotates exhibits periodically. They have an art room with various rotating projects. It's fun to see what's new.
There is a big ventilation fan located at the back of Habitot. In the fall, staff put out apple buckets, tot rakes, and silk leaves. Kids can toss the leaves to swirl in the wind. In the spring, there are silk flowers, silk butterflies, and butterfly nets...
Habitot is squeezed into a windowless lower level of a building, but they really maximize the space and make it cheerful. One wall is a vertical network of tunnels complete with ramps, windows, and safety nets...
One of the exhibits they had was a veterinary clinic complete with stuffed animals, various cages, x-rays on light tables, and lots of doctoring kits...
There is a permanent exhibit room with a small cafe kitchen, counter, and cash register on one side and produce bins with kiddie shopping carts on the other. Tot bliss!
The water play area is pretty amazing. Seems like Eli was always walking around with huge sponges sagging with water, but they do offer waterproof aprons.
SUPER FRANK'S (Pleasanton)
Although somewhat of a drive for us, we also enjoyed Super Frank's. This drop-in indoor play place is so large that it offers a restaurant and multiple play areas. Click HERE to see the post about Super Frank's.
One Mama's Two Cents: The frustrating thing about indoor play spaces is that when you need them most -- the third rainy day in a row -- everybody else needs them too. Who wants to be in an indoor play place teeming with hyper toddlers?! The registration-only sites help with this, although it means you can't come other than at your class time. Habitot helpfully posts to their website about real-time crowding conditions so you can plan accordingly. Also frustrating about indoor play spaces is that they can become germ incubation areas. I remember one of my friends wailing that her son always got sick after visiting. (Eli's pediatrician refers to ball pits as "germ pits.") Most of the spaces offer a "yuck bucket," a place where parents can put toys if they've gone in a kid's mouth so they can be cleaned. At Wee Play and Studio Grow, I saw staff circulating with disinfecting wipes, which was nice. I'll be honest that I avoided indoor play places before trips and tried to make sure Eli didn't put his hands or toys in his mouth. But we didn't worry about it overly. On the other hand, the best thing about indoor play spaces is all the great creative ideas you can glean. I made note of some great art projects, toys, and decorating ideas while visiting various spots.
FYI -- A few other spots didn't blog about: Giggles (Pleasant Hill), Happy Frog (Vallejo), First Five California (multiple locations), The Jungle (Concord, San Jose).
The Berkeley Marina is one of those spots you can usually count on for a cool breeze during a heat wave and something fun to do. There's a nice playground with a small but peaceful bay beach behind it...
Then there is the aptly-named Adventure Playground. This award-winning playground is constantly in flux, the kids able to add-on or paint at will. Kids can get their hands on hammers and saws. Understandably, you have to sign a waver for your kid to enter and sturdy shoes are required. I know some mamas who call it "Splinter Park." Eli is a little young for it yet, but he loved exploring the place. The six to eleven year-olds were in their prime. It looks like it was designed by Peter Pan's Lost Boys and then some parents swooped in later to covertly add some safety features -- a rail here, a hand grip there, loops of rope crossing off an exit too high from the ground.
One Mama's Two Cents: If we lived here permanently, I'd leave Adventure Playground for Eli's elementary school days. But it was fun and safe enough with a little mama hovering. Sturdy shoes really do help, but long sleeves and long pants were also helpful to protect arms and knees. Make sure you and your kiddo wear old clothes because there are literally dozens of kids painting the same surfaces where everybody is playing. The paints are water-based and watered down, but still can stain.
Last but not least, don't miss the Berkeley Marina Fishing Pier -- particularly at sunset. This is a great spot for an after-dinner walk.
Looking back to shore, you have a good view of Berkeley...
After walking almost a half mile, your stroll comes to an abrupt end.
Peeking through the boarded-up end, you can see the pier used to continue much farther into the bay. After a gap for sailboats to slip through, the skeleton of the rest of the pier extends out towards Alcatraz. (The island is in the middle of the photo below, faint in the haze.)
One of the fun things about living in the East Bay is that there are so many beautiful vistas. Kiddos seem to thrive on a bird's eye view too. Some of our favorite views in the Bay Area are the pedestrian sidewalk on the Golden Gate Bridge, the sidewalk on the Carquinez Bridge, the Marin Headlands, Mount Tamalpais, Mount Diablo, and Albany Hill. Can't forget Coit Tower up on Telegraph Hill in San Francisco...
Here are a few other favorite views around Berkeley...
1. The Cal Campanile (Sather Tower)
One Mama's Two Cents: Sather Tower offers the best views of Cal campus and it is quite cheap -- $2 for adults and free for kids under three. An elevator zooms you to the top and puts you near the Sather Carillon. (Click the link to see the music schedule.) The one downside is that parking can be a problem. Street parking is available on the edge of campus and you can stroll through to the tower.
2. Lawrence Hall of Science -- Perched high on the hill above Berkeley, the Lawrence Hall of Science has one of the best views around. This kid-friendly learning space has a lot to offer anyway, and then the outside grounds pack a huge "wow factor." If you don't wish to do the museum, the parking lot to the north of the museum offers an impressive view too. (Click HERE for a few pictures of the learning space inside.) Note: On the bottom left corner of the photo below, you can see Sather Tower.
3. Indian Rock Park
One Mama's Two Cents: Indian Rock is a wonderful place to scramble up boulders for a great view -- which means isn't for the faint of heart when preschoolers are involved. Eli and I both had on good shoes and there was a lot of hand-holding, but we got to the top just fine. I don't think a couple of months ago I would have dared try it, though.
For over a half century, Oakland has been home to a storybook theme park for small children called Fairyland. As we gear up to leave the Bay Area, I know it is a spot Eli and I will miss. Until our time got short, we had season passes.
There are lots of tot-sized buildings sprinkled throughout the grounds from Rapunzel's tower to the Three Little Pigs' houses. Kids can go inside.
Similar to the Oakland Zoo, Fairyland sells plastic keys that fit into information boxes. Twist the key to hear a story or more about an exhibit. Eli adores having a key and it was a glorious victory when he got old enough to both reach the hole and twist the key himself. (Convincing him to use the English side rather than the Spanish one, however, took a bit longer.)
There's not a lot that could make Toddler Eli forget his Yogurt Melts, but he would sit stock still for the Fairyland puppet shows, soaking up each character and bit of action.
Fairyland Hotel and Wild West area...
And then there is the beloved Jolly Trolly train....
One Mama's Two Cents: We love Fairyland! In the summer months it is a shady spot with lots to do. Winter hours are limited, so check their website and online calendar. A stroller can be quite helpful as the grounds are large. There are sidewalks throughout, so a sport stroller isn't necessary. There is an outdoor cafe, but offerings aren't very healthy and are relatively pricy, so we usually bring our lunch. The park is geared primarily for preschoolers. There aren't many safe places to turn crawlers loose and school-age children may find many of the attractions too small for them by that point. There are a few rides for wee ones, but kids need to be 42 inches tall to be able to ride everything in the park. Parking is not free and can be a bit of a challenge on weekends or mid-summer days, so you may wish to go early.
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