Kid Stuff
What’s New on Catalina Island
Catalina Island is consistently named one of the favorite nearby island getaways for families— and for good reason. With a rich history and laid-back vibe, Catalina is a great place to relax and enjoy the outdoors. Always evolving to entertain visitors, Catalina is celebrating its 125th anniversary with new and improved restaurants, hotels, trailheads, museums […]
Labor Day Getaways
As summer draws to a close, many of us (kids and parents alike) have difficulty stepping into a routine once again. Luckily, there’s one saving grace for those of us who want to experience summer fun before it’s gone for good: Labor Day weekend. “Labor Day weekend is always a great time to snag deals on […]
Dream, Explore, Create in Octavia Lab
The library was once the place we ventured to research, study, check out books. Along came the internet, and some of us began viewing libraries as halls of dusty irrelevance. In response, the Los Angeles Public Library has for some time positioned itself as a hub of state-of-the-art technology and learning, and its latest foray […]
9 Family-Friendly Wineries
Separating “grown-up time” from parenting is crucial to creating a healthy life balance, but today’s busy parents often yearn to include their kids in their recreational activities. According to the Wine Institute, travel and wine-tasting with the little ones is on the rise. That’s good news for those of us who love wineries– and there are […]
Legoland Turns 20; Still an Escape for Families
Legoland is celebrating its 20th birthday this year, and it’s still a perfect and fun weekend getaway for L.A. families.
Dark Arts at Hogwarts Castle
With the castle as the projection screen, the World of Harry Potter comes alive in a way that is even more multidimensional than watching one of the Harry Potter movies on a theater screen.
Truman’s Adventure: A Parakeet, a Dog and a Family Explore L.A.
As a resident of the city that everyone loves to hate (including many of those who live here), it’s refreshing to see works that encourage us to embrace L.A. In her new children’s book, “Truman’s Los Angeles Adventure,” Barbara Dourmashkin, originally from New York but now living in L.A. with her husband and their two […]
EasyLunchboxes: Packing Meals is now a Breeze for Families
With her company, EasyLunchboxes (easylunchboxes.com), L.A. mompreneur Kelly Lester helps take the headache out of school-lunch prep. Created out of Lester’s own need to prepare lunches quickly, these containers were designed to hold healthy, portion-controlled meals for kids on the go. “I love to eat and feed my family healthy food, but I don’t like […]
Grey and Ray: Remodeling Fashion for Boys
Heidi Lieberman and Gudrun Kosloff are refashioning boys’ clothes one stylish outfit at a time. These creative collaborators met when their sons were in preschool and bonded over a shared frustration: Where are all the fun clothing choices for boys? Faced with so many cute options for little girls and nothing for their sons, they […]
Transform Your Cardboard Boxes into a Dream Castle
What child doesn’t love a good play castle? During a recent photo shoot with local children here at L.A. Parent, we watched as kid after kid was drawn to a little plastic castle sitting on a corner table. There’s just something about castles – they stir up images from children’s books and invite little fingers […]
L.A. Parent Chat Room: Meet Screenwriter and Author John August
You may know L.A. local John August from his screenwriting credits, which include “Big Fish,” “Charlie’s Angels” and “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.” But, now he’s notched up a new credit: middle-grade novelist. “Arlo Finch in the Valley of Fire,” an engaging and exciting blend of magic, mayhem and mystery, introduces readers to 12-year-old Arlo, […]
Getting a Strong Hold on Fitness and Fun
As I watch kids scramble up the bouldering walls at Stronghold Climbing Gym one recent morning, the words “no fear” come to mind. Up the sculpted gray walls they go, using the colorful hand- and footholds to stretch, push and pull their way to the top. The gym, located in Downtown L.A.’s Brewery Arts Complex […]
Seven Summer Activities for Learning in and Around L.A.
It’s a sweet synergy when you can have fun with your kids while they’re learning. Los Angeles is a big city with even bigger opportunities for families to discover and explore together, but you might not have heard of these lesser-known gems. Among them are a path-blazing center that rescues animals while helping kids connect […]
Toddle and Spin at Baby DJ School
For a unique musical experience, visit Baby DJ School in Santa Monica or West Hollywood. Run by enthusiastic teacher Anna Wallace (also known as “DJ Annie Wonder”), this isn’t your typical children’s music class with guitars, pianos and drums. Instead, kids ages 2 months to 5 years are introduced to faders, laptops, vinyl records, turntables […]
Where to Buy, Sell or Trade Your Kids’ Clothes in L.A.
Buying used clothing for children makes a lot of sense, and if you can clear their closets of outgrown duds at the same time, it’s a no-brainer. I hit up the top resale shops in the L.A. area to find out what types of deals I could make. Here’s the rundown on these awesome spots! […]
Make These Cute, Crafty Owls
As a parent and an art teacher, I permanently have my eyes on the lookout for materials that are fun, inexpensive and kid-friendly. Craft sticks have gotten on my radar lately, since you can buy them in so many lengths and widths, and since craft stores often sell so many fun wooden shapes with them. […]
L.A. Mom Designs Dolls Representing the Global Scene
You can learn a lot about a little girl by watching her play with dolls. Stacey McBride-Irby, a Gardena native, played out her love of fashion with Barbie dolls. That love never waned, and after earning a degree in fashion design from Los Angeles Trade-Tech College, she turned her childhood passion into a design career. […]
Giving Kids a Strong Hold on Fitness
If monkeys had a playroom, it would be the Stronghold Climbing Gym in Downtown Los Angeles. Located in the historic building that once housed the California Edison Company’s Los Angeles #3 Steam Power Plant, in the Brewery Arts Complex, this state-of-the-art facility houses hundreds of opportunities to scale walls and find routes to the top, […]
Angel City Derby Gets Girls into Four-Wheel Drive
It’s Saturday morning, and a couple dozen girls age 7-18 are skating around a Gardena warehouse on old-fashioned four-wheel skates. As their coach, Shilow “RegulateHer” Castro, shouts instructions, they pair up and practice nudging each other out of the oval track striped on the cement floor. The girls wear helmets, knee and elbow pads and […]
4 Classic Carousels for L.A. Family Fun
Want to share an American history lesson with your kids this summer without dragging them to a state capital? Take them for a whirl on an antique carousel. “When you take your kids on a classic carousel they’ll learn lessons about our country that go beyond mere words. You are allowing them to physically experience […]
Where to Find the Perfect Toy Truck Around LA
Hank is a 1-year-old gear jockey. He bounces with a kind of Strauss waltz-like ebullience when a wheel positions itself in his field of vision. I have no scientific data to back this up, but he seems to possess a nimble radar for all things automotive, almost like a shark sensing a floundering adolescent seal […]
12 Great Books for Black History Month
Your child may be awash in historical stories of notable African- American heroes this Black History Month. We’d like to add to the conversation with our list of relatable stories that will help your child see themselves in children from different backgrounds. Here we present books that feature young characters of African descent, among others, […]
A Local Crop of Kids’ Books
Shop these independent stores for personal recommendations and great family fun By Ronna Mandel If you only shop online, you’re missing out on input from some of our city’s most enthusiastic and knowledgeable kid-lit experts. To find bookstores that felt “just right” for this roundup, I channeled Goldilocks and made tracks for the independents – […]