home header

Join e-happenings

Enter email to receive our newsletter:

Get Blog Updates

Most Popular

The Decline of "Serious" Play

5 Dangerous Things Your Kids Should Do

Celebrate Creativity at the Discovery Forum

Camps for Kids!

Is my membership valid at other museums?


Upcoming Events

Jan. 7: Young Storytellers Workshop

Jan. 7: Bay Walk

Jan. 7: Miss Kitty 10 & 11

Jan. 8: Miss Kitty 10 & 11

Jan. 9: Music Together 9:15, 10:15 & 11:15




Bay Area Discovery Museum Blog

Play, discover, create!


Child Lab: Earth Day, April 19

Try some earth friendly activites with your child this month.

- Plant a garden: teach your kids about growing flowers, plants and herbs.  Yes...even a Chia Pet will show how seeds bloom!

- Park cleanup: Organize a cleanup for your child and their friends at their favorite playground. 

- Visit the Conservatory of Flowers and learn about all the different kinds of flowers, common and rare.

-Take a walk and point out the different birds and trees on the way.  Then go home and look them up!

The Museum will host their Earth Day Festival this Saturday April, 19.  Check out the performance from ZunZun.

Surprise... I'm pregnant!

Well not ME specifically...but perhaps you are pregnant and have yet to tell those close to you?

A guy friend of mine told me his wife was pregnant recently. This is how he did it...

Him: "We're doing well. Everything is good considering Michelle isn't working."

Me: "What happened with her job? What's wrong?"

Him: "Oh..nothing, she's pregnant."

Me: "What?!!? Congratulations!"

Women seem to have a little more panache when it comes to announcing the news that they're pregnant. A common way being a present of baby clothes given to be opened by the unsuspecting person. Most of the time it says "I love my daddy/grandma/grandpa/sister/brother."

Recently the new fad for pregnant mothers has been maternity photos.  Beautiful portraits to document this amazing time in a mother's life. Here are a few places I found that offer this service around the Bay Area.


How did you announce your pregnancy to your loved ones? Let us know!

Photo Contest: Museum Moments

It's our Second Annual Museum Photo Contest!  Send in pictures of your kids at the Museum for a chance to win a Passport Membership!

Submit an original, non-professional photo of your children at the Museum via email to jherrera(at)badm.org.

Images should be emailed in jpg format, 72 dpi or higher or 2 MB or smaller.

Please include:

  • child(ren)’s name
  • pets' name
  • age
  • parent(s)’ name
  • address
  • phone
  • email

Up to three (3) photos may be submitted by each entrant.

Entries must be received by April 25, 2008 at midnight.

Click here for entry rules.

 

We Won! Best Kid's Party!

A big thanks to those of you who voted for us! We're happy so many of you choose the Museum to celebrate special events in your lives.

We won Best of Marin - Kid's Party for Pacific Sun!

See full list of Pacific Sun's "Best of Marin" list here.

 

Curtain Calls for Kids

Does your child have a penchant for imagination? Do they "perform" for you all the time?

Movies have always been huge in my family. Musicals especially. We'd sing along and dance the steps to the movie on our television.  We'd even act out the movie when we were just hangout in the back yard.  Come to think of it...we STILL do sometimes! I can't tell you how many times my cousins and I did the Von Trap children cross weave

Take that imagination and interest in acting and play and take your child to see a theater production this spring!

  • Nothing is more fun that the SF classic Beach Blanket Babylon with thier wild hats, costumes and antics on stage.  They welcome kids at their Sunday performances at 2 & 5 p.m.

Give your kids an experience beyond television and make live performances something they'll want to return to see.

Playdate Gala: Saturday, May 3

Our annual gala event, Playdate 2008, and fund-raiser will be held Saturday, May 3rd.  In addition to dinner and dancing, we hold a paddle auction of exquisite and exciting items!

Here are some of the featured packages:

      Egg-citing Easter Events!

      We're closed on Easter but don't let that keep you from having a family outing this Easter Weekend. Don't forget the camera!

      • SF Easter Parade & Spring Festival:  A parade, games, ponies, face painting and the Easter Bunny can all be found on Union Street starting at 10 a.m on Sunday.
      • Easter at the Park Chalet: Egg Hunt, children's music and a delicious Sunday buffet brunch at the edge of Golden Gate Park.
      • Alice and Wonderland Spring Faire: Falkirk Cultural Center in Downtown San Rafael bring Alice and Wonderland alive, bring a picnic, easter eggs, see puppets shows, meet the characters and have fun this Saturday.
      • Easter Egg Hunt and Horses: Special needs outreach Miwok Livery Stables opens their doors for an egg hunt at noon in Mill Valley, Sunday.
      • Breakfast and Egg Hunts: Walnut Creek parks bring hunts and breakfast to families in the East Bay this Saturday.
      • Ardenwood Historic Farm: Eggs hunt and a parade at this beautiful farm house in Fremont on Saturday.

      Also, check out a list of parks in Marin holding egg hunts here.

      Child Lab: Walk, Click and Create

      The sun is shining and you wonder,

      "What can I do outside with my child?" 

      Go out for a Picture Walk!

      • Give your child a disposable camera and take a walk around the neighborhood, mall or park. 
      • Have them take pictures of different things, buildings and people. (Have your child ask permission before taking pictures of people).
      • At the end of the walk, talk about what you both saw and what your child took pictures of. 
      • Get them developed and then use the pictures to create a picture book.  Tape or glue each photo onto a piece of paper and help your child think up a story to go with all the images. 

      It's an activity that can be done with your child over the course of a weekend.

      Or fish out some old pictures of your own and create a picture book of family memories! 

      Does your child love using a camera?  Or being in front of it? Tell us an anecdote of your child and a camera...

       

      Organic Baby Food

      Everyone is going "green" and looking for "organic" products these days.  With foreign chemicals being found in everything, contamination being a scare among consumers and environmental concern growing each day, there is a growing interest in organic foods. 

      All you need is a food processor of any kind, a fork or a potato masher can work as well.  Here are some easy tips for making your own organic baby food:

      • Steam, boil or bake the fruits and veggies to keep as many essential vitamins as possible.
      • Peel and Pit, take off the skins, seeds, and veins of the food.
      • No Seasonings, avoid adding salt or spices to the food.
      • Freeze and Save, use baggies or ice cube trays to portion and freeze foods for later use.
      • Cook throughly, for meat wash, clean and cook thoroughly before boiling and grinding.

      Finding organic foods can be as easy as going to your farmer's markets. Making organic baby food is good for your baby and it's cheaper than buying the little jars of food. If you have a moment to make and freeze some organic baby food, I suggest you give it a try!

      Also, here are some companies that sell organic baby food.

      www.peasofmind.com - SF company that sells in stores all over the country

      www.planetorganics.com - deliveries throughout the Bay Area.

      www.baby-cubes.com - sold at certain Andronicos, Whole Foods & Berkeley Bowl

      www.plumorganics.com - sold at certain stores throughout the Bay Area.

      read more >>

      Behind the Scenes: Willow Maze

      One of our most popular elements of the museum is the Willow Sculpture by Patrick Dougherty.  His installation was meant to last about three years but the children loved it so much that we try to keep it maintained so that it will last as long as it can. Our staff maintains the maze throughout the year.  This week we have closed off access to the Willow Sculpture and have undertaken the upkeep process

      Chip, Adam and Todd have been weaving in new willow into the old willow for the past few days.  Though most of the sculpture is made of willow pieces, it is a living sculpture.  Some of the willow has rooted to the ground and is growing as it stands.

      With passage ways, windows and an open roof..it's easy for children to make believe they are in a whimsical woody secret forest.  It's my favorite part of the Museum. 

      Displaying results 41 to 50 out of 64

      < Previous

      1

      2

      3

      4

      5

      6

      7

      Next >







      Recent Flickr Photos

      Treasure Hunt Family Class Museum Moment: Musical Stamps a family visit building a tall stack ahoy maties! hello up there in the crow's nest

      Subscribe to our Flickr photos:
      Latest | geoFeed | KML


      Our Blogging Friends


      Museums Blog Webring

      Next

      Random

      List

      Add to Technorati Favorites
      Print this page |  Share this page

      home | general info | contact us | privacy policy | español