Stratford School Expands Classes, Programs for Fall
Stratford School, a California-based private school with an emphasis on the areas of STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics) is expanding its Altadena campus to offer new classrooms and programs for students. The campus, which currently works with students from preschool through 3rd grade, has expanded with eight brand new classrooms, a large outdoor […]
Our 7 Favorite September Family Events
Our favorite events in September feature duckies, dogs and dinos, things with strings, cirque magic and speechless blue men.
Theater Company Hosts Boot Camp for Kids with Cancer
Dean Productions Theatre Company is jumping into its fifth season of free, family-friendly shows with the Shakespearean classic “King Lear,” which will be performed this fall in front of Brand Library in Glendale. While there are many companies that offer free Shakespeare in the park, what makes this one unique is its dedication to working with pediatric cancer patients and their […]
Rebecca Crews: It’s Never Too Late to Be
Rebecca King-Crews, wife of Hollywood comedian and “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” star Terry Crews, has a story to tell. And while it’s no fairy tale, her unique journey from childhood promise in music to choosing her family over career has come full circle. In her second act, King-Crews is bringing Regina Madre, the pseudonym she performs under […]
Is Screen Time Connected to a Mental-Health Crisis?
For decades, the Volunteer Center in Torrance has run a popular community-service program for South Bay, Long Beach and harbor-area teens. A couple of years ago, staff began noticing that teens seemed less able to focus on and complete service projects. Parents, teachers and others in the community also saw changes in teens. They wondered […]
Creative Entrepreneurship Programs for Kids
Outside a nondescript building just south of Hollywood Boulevard, parents, friends and young siblings are lining up to get a good seat at a fashion show where all the apparel is imagined, constructed and modeled by young designers. Once inside, the excited audience sits around an elevated runway where a kid DJ is pumping out […]
From an L.A. Dojo to Japan
Our oldest daughter, Ava, was 5 the first time she noticed an upper-grade classmate wearing a crisp, white gi with a white belt as she hurried from school to karate class with her mother. Pointing in their direction and whispering, “Mommy, loooooook,” Ava was instantly transfixed. I figured she was more impressed with the gi […]
Letting Kids Explore Their Sense of Style
My high school cafeteria was its own kind of runway, a place where the popular kids paraded their personalities and latest outfits while the timid, clumsy and fashion-starved hoped the ground would open up and swallow them whole. I would like to say I existed somewhere in the middle, but I would be lying. Then, […]
The Right Shoes for Back to School
A new school year is a great time for new shoes. We turned to podiatrist Pedram Aslmand, DPM, at Miller Children’s & Women’s Hospital Long Beach for some advice on finding the right fit. What do parents need to know about choosing a shoe? When kids are just starting to walk, you want a pair […]
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 […]
Go Retro for a Back-to-School Film Fest
As a latchkey kid of the ’80s, I enjoyed summers that were far from over-scheduled. I watched soap operas, fried my skin with friends at the beach and never, ever missed $2 Tuesday movie night at the local theater. We’d pay for the 6 p.m. show, sneak into the 8 p.m. show and eat popcorn […]
Play Hooky With Your Kids
Ever think of taking a day off work and playing hooky with your kids? You should this month! August is chock full of weekday events and unique experiences you should fit in before the freedom gates of summer clang closed. From chasing dancing fairies through Descanso Gardens to leaping across giant indoor trampolines and handcrafting […]
Beat the Summer Heat … L.A. Style
For the first few days in July, summer in L.A. felt more like summer in San Francisco. Sometimes June gloom takes an unwavering hold over the city, continuing well into July. It’s all par for the course when you live near the great air conditioner unit, we call the Pacific Ocean. It can be a […]
Sticky Chicken Dodgers Style
As our L.A. Dodgers play their way through the season, the team has coaches for almost every aspect of the game, from pitching, hitting and the bases to the bullpen and the bench. There are also strength and conditioning coaches, athletic trainers and physical therapists on staff. With all this focus on performance, it should […]
Back to School: Getting Kids to Open Up
From pressure around grades to anxiety about transitions, bullying or home-related tensions such as divorce, some kids will start this new school year facing a host of issues. “One of the big, big issues is immigration,” says Suzanne Silverstein, M.A., founding director of the Cedars-Sinai Share & Care program. “Because a number of them are […]
How Much is Too Much for Young Athletes?
Eleven-year-old Gus Armstrong has been an athlete since before he was born. “[When I was pregnant] I remember distinctly sitting in a business meeting and people started laughing because my belly started running,” says his mom, Roslyn Simpson, who ran track at USC. Gus started playing basketball and baseball at age 5, and now plays […]
Esther Turan: On Creating Opportunities for Women in Film
It’s no surprise that Esther Turan – born and raised in Budapest to a theater family – became a filmmaker. After graduating from the Hungarian Film Academy in 2004, she established Moviebar Productions, featuring an all-female crew, to collaborate with filmmakers in Europe. As a director and producer, Turan creates innovative film projects that are gaining […]
Fair Season Times Three
A trifecta of county fairs is occurring in August. Start your month visiting the OC Fair and the Ventura County Fair, which both close Aug. 11. Then you have a couple of weeks to rest before the L.A. County Fair kicks off Aug.30 “Acres of Fun,” is the apt motto for the 129th Orange County […]
Go Downtown and Take to the Skies
It started in modern-L.A. fashion. I was on time for 6 a.m. sunrise yoga at OUE Skyspace LA, having made the drive to downtown Los Angeles from Altadena in traffic-free time, parked in the convenient garage (Westlawn Parking Garage) on Flower Street next to Central Library and climbed one flight of the lovely Bunker Hill […]
Hot-Air Adventure at the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta
It’s 4:30 a.m., and the alarm is squawking. You are – on purpose – shaking the kiddos out of their warm beds as they moan and complain. Begrudgingly, they pull on warm layers and gloves while the grownups grab blankets and snacks. “Is this going to be worth it?” you wonder aloud as you cajole […]
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 […]
Taking the Road Less Traveled
We Angelenos love our cars (there are almost 8 million of them on our roads), but if you dig a little deeper, you can find many other fun ways to travel, particularly if you have a husband and son to entertain – and tire out. Here’s my take on anything but a road trip with […]
Family Recipes: A Mama and Her Pasta
When she’d used the last of the homemade lasagna and ravioli from her freezer, Leah Ferrazzani faced a dilemma. The busy food writer had been making her own pasta once or twice a week. Now, she was also a new mom. “All of a sudden, that time was gone,” Ferrazzani says. She wanted her family’s […]
Smorgasburg LA: Opening Up Taste Buds and Business Opportunities
In 2009, my husband and I left our beloved West Adams neighborhood in L.A. and moved to the ’burbs so that I could be closer to a new job in Cerritos. I salivated over my 15-minute commute but desperately missed being in the “center of it all,” particularly the vibrant literary, artistic and culinary communities […]
Kidspace: Fabulous at 40
If you said that it took rocket scientists to create Kidspace Children’s Museum (kidspacemuseum.org) 40 years ago, you would be rather on target. In 1979, some folks from the Caltech community partnered with members of Junior League of Pasadena to design a space where families could enjoy hands-on educational fun. The museum launched on the […]
Vaccine Bill Seeks to Curb Bogus Medical Exemptions
In 2015, following a measles outbreak that began in Disneyland and sickened more than 100 people, California enacted a law removing the “personal exemption” option for waiving school immunizations requirements. Since passage of SB 277, only children with medical exemptions signed by a physician can attend school without being vaccinated. Vaccination rates improved in many […]
Anthony Alabi: on Family, Fatherhood and Failure
For four years, Anthony Alabi lived what many would consider the NFL dream. He played offensive tackle for the Miami Dolphins and Kansas City Chiefs. After those stints, another team was angling for him, but Alabi was already in L.A., pursuing a different dream that had been with him since childhood: acting. It was 2010 […]
L.A. by Foot: Exploring Walkable Neighborhoods
My boys are at the age now where we can take neighborhood walks without strollers. Hank, who’s 4, either runs at full velocity down the sidewalk or saunters at varying speeds, zigzagging this way and that as he checks out every flowery bush or squirrel-infested tree we pass. “Hey, Henry, try one speed and in […]
The NAPPA Summer Fun Guide is Here
Our Friends at the NAPPA Awards tested hundreds of products to bring us this guide to all things fun – the best toys, games, travel gear, books, music and educational tools to keep the creativity and learning going all summer long. Click the cover to open the digital edition of this guide and find the […]
Does My Child Really Need Psychotherapy?
In the wonder years of childhood, no parent is anticipating bringing their beautiful, perfect child to see a therapist. I sure wasn’t. You see the other children at school, happily playing. You hear the other parents talking about their children’s incredible accomplishments, and you feel so alone. You swallow hard because you know something is […]
Frostig Opening School for Kids with Learning Differences
The Frostig Center is opening a new school in West Los Angeles for children and teens with learning challenges. Frostig School West will serve students in upper elementary, middle school and high school. The school, located on the campus of Bel Air Church, will open August 26 with two classrooms and gradually grow enrollment. The […]
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 […]
Review: Disney’s ‘Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge’
Like so many Star Wars fans, I anxiously awaited the May 31 opening of Disneyland’s new “Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge.” I recently got my chance to visit the park and its new land, set on the planet Batuu, a busy marketplace and trading post in an uncharted region called the Outer Rim. At the beginning […]
4 Meals from One Roast Chicken
Our L.A. Parent editors were delighted to be invited for a morning of cooking at the Gourmandise School of Sweets and Savories at Santa Monica Place. Co-owner Clemence Gossett helped us be more efficient in the kitchen with her roast chicken recipe that actually creates four meals. Clemence walked editor Christina Elston through roasting the […]
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.
Tomorrow’s Sci-Fi Writers Shine Today
Each May, the Pasadena Playhouse District transforms into a literary mecca. Its streets, alleyways, the playhouse itself and surrounding buildings teem with novelists, memoirists, journalists, food writers, political columnists and actors who cross the brick-laden streets to attend LitFest Pasadena. This year, L.A. Parent was a proud sponsor of a Litfest Pasadena event called The […]
#CampReady: Last-minute Tips for L.A. Summer Camp Procrastinators
In March, I sat in a Silver Lake theater watching “Expressing Motherhood,” a show that gives women a platform for their mothering experiences. I expected to https://expressingmotherhood.com/ chuckle and cry as people shared their stories. I did not expect to be crushed by overwhelming summer-camp anxiety. A piano rolled onto the small stage and Mommy […]
Kids and Cars in L.A.
Being a car guy in L.A. is a tough job because you have to keep track of all the cool car things that exist here. It can be overwhelming sometimes, as there’s simply way too much fun going on. Let’s dive in and look at some of the spots here in SoCal that car lovers […]
6 Places to Make Art
What’s the most important thing you can teach your children? How to let their imaginations run wild! But don’t take it from us. Get some creative tips from the most unique places to make art in L.A. From baking cactus cakes to embracing their inner steampunk rebels, creating fantastic dragons and painting by the sea, […]
Ful Medames Recipe: A Lot of Little Bites of Breakfast
Tim Hollingsworth grew up eating what he calls “very American” food: chili, chicken and dumplings, Sunday pot roast, tacos, barbecue tri-tip and burgers. As an adult, he’s been on quite a food journey, working with culinary legends such as Thomas Keller, Alain Ducasse and Gordon Ramsay – and eventually opening Otium next to The Broad […]
Teens, Tweens and Vaping
Don’t be fooled by the terminology. It may be called JUULing or “vaping,” but that doesn’t mean it’s as benign as inhaling water vapor. And these devices created to help smokers quit are now popular among young adults, teens and even tweens. Michael Ong, M.D., professor of medicine at UCLA and chair of the State […]
Touring Burger Town U.S.A. With a Side of Small Fries
A couple of months ago, I wrote about places in and around L.A. to keep your fitness game high even while raising toddlers. I meant every bit of those 800 words, and readers responded with “You-go-Dad!” encouragement. This month, dear readers, I must admit that recently I’ve been engaging in an L.A. roundup of something […]
Family Fun Around Orlando and Florida’s Space Coast
Think of Orlando and you might think of everything you can probably visit and do much cheaper right here in sunny, Southern California. Disneyland? Check. Universal Studios? Check. Surfing? Double check. Why go all the way to Florida to do what we can do right here? Two words: space coast. And that’s just the beginning. […]
Go Wild in L.A. This Summer With an NHM Guide
The words “wild L.A.” might conjure images of Hollywood celebrities and lavish parties, but this story is about the flora and fauna that exist in our urban sprawl. In the book “Wild LA: Explore The Amazing Nature In And Around Los Angeles” by Lila Higgins and Gregory B. Pauly with Jason G. Goldman and Charles […]
Marvels of Representation
When my son Noah managed to discover his early 5th birthday present, an authentic special-edition Miles Morales Spider-Man costume, the look on his face proved the costume was well worth the $40, plus shipping and handling. After seeing the animated movie “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” he came home and told me, “I really am Spider-Man, […]
6 Tips for Private School Applications
When it comes to choosing a private school for your child, the stakes can seem incredibly high. The hope is that if you choose the right preschool, she’ll get into the right grade school, followed by excellent middle and high schools and, ultimately, a top-tier college. While the school your child attends isn’t necessarily a […]
A Day of Relaxation and Rejuvenation in Westlake Village
We moms know to-do lists well. Keep going, keep doing. Take care of everyone and every project – that’s the mom life. But recently, I’ve been granting myself permission to embrace a different mindset: Treat yourself; no guilt allowed. Trust me: Your mind, body and especially your family will thank you for it. For my […]
An Easy L.A. Bread Adventure
The best way for me to introduce Elisa Callow’s delightful book, “The Urban Forager: Culinary Exploring & Cooking on L.A.’s Eastside,” is to share my own experience with one of the recipes: the Twenty-One-Hour Boule. Following the book’s suggestion, I headed to Pasadena flour mill Grist & Toll and was met with a friendly “Do […]
Leo del desierto: Toddlers in the Desert
Some kids don’t mind the heat. But mine, when the sun beats down just right on their porcelain little foreheads (we’re the descendants of peoples that dealt mainly with dark Brittonic clouds that nay bent to the sun’s relenting power), melt into cranky, lifeless puddles. This is what keeps us on the Westside. So why […]
State’s First Surgeon General Takes on Childhood Toxic Stress
Did your last checkup include discussions of stressors such as physical, emotional and sexual abuse, violence, mental illness or substance abuse in the home, divorce or the incarceration of a family member? If California’s new Surgeon General Nadine Burke Harris, M.D., has her way, your next one will. Our state’s first surgeon general, Burke Harris, […]
Joy Cho: Making Everyday Products Bring Cheer
Contemporary parents are probably familiar with the fresh, colorful work of Oh Joy! founder and creative director Joy Cho. Her super-popular blog, Oh Joy!, is now in its teen years, and Cho’s lifestyle brand creates cheery versions of everything from luggage to baby clothes to, most recently, Clorox wipes. Her fans are especially looking forward […]
Addressing Your Child’s Language-Based Learning Difference
Then 10-year-old Adeela Gokal was 5, most people couldn’t understand her. “She had difficulty finding the right words,” says Alison Gokal, Adeela’s mom. When referencing objects, Adeela might say, “The thing with the thing.” Her parents figured it was something she would grow out of. And when Adeela struggled to read in kindergarten, her teacher […]
Supporting Siblings With and Without Disabilities
In the spring of 1993, like a good mother, I began creating my baby daughter Kelene’s photo book. I purchased colorful paper, stickers and stamps to decorate the blank pages. I pasted in her newborn photo, where she smiles so much her nose squinches and her chubby arm hugs her stuffed Lamb Chop doll. I […]
See D.C. With the Family in Five Days
Washington, D.C. is well known for its monuments and lawmakers, but there’s much more to the area than its statues and politicians. Ask Washingtonians, and we’ll rattle off a list of our favorite bits of history, neighborhood restaurants, museums, theaters and parks. The Trust for Public Land’s 2018 ParkScore ranks Washington, D.C. third and nearby […]
Sensory-Friendly Story Times at L.A. Libraries
Librarians have special powers. With the use of dramatic recitation, song and dance, interactive Q&A sessions and art – and a good story, of course – librarians can captivate any gaggle of children scattered about their feet. They make reading fascinating and make the library a central location for early learning. Story time is a […]
SoCal Programs Let Kids with Disabilities Play with Purpose
On a recent afternoon at Rocket’s Universe Playground in North Hollywood, kids – some with disabilities, some without – were bouncing on an oversized teeter-totter, climbing on a moon sculpture, drumming on hollow plastic tubes and waiting their turn to slip down a reverberating slide. They were doing what kids do best: playing. For children, […]
What You Need to Know About Measles
This is shaping up to be a banner year for a childhood disease declared eliminated from the U.S. in 2000: measles. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention received reports of 79 cases in January, compared with 372 in all of 2018. A public health emergency has been declared in Washington state, where 52 […]
7 Things You Should Do In August
This month, venture out to the Ventura County Fair, support TreePeople with animals and magic, celebrate Elephants and LEGOs, enjoy a uniquely local Wonderland, and say hello to Taiko drummers and good-bye to summer.