This is a repost of a previous letter to our preschool community. I hope you enjoy! This is a locally-focussed post, so I apologize in advance to my world-wide (ha!) audience.
Dear Parents,
First of all, thank you so much
for all of your warm words and sweet comments! It has been fun running into you
around town, in the parking lot, and in the classrooms and hearing you say such
sweet things about the Dear Parents letters. (Miss Chris keeps warning me not
to get a big ego from you. It may be too late.)
It was requested that I keep on
writing, and one request was for suggestions of things to do with preschoolers
during the upcoming vacation time.
Here is a list of places in the
Los Angeles area, that I think every child should visit at some point before
they grow up. (Obviously my list doesn’t cover all of the places we are so
lucky to have in our area… I am trying to think of things that you haven’t done
already, that are off the radar of most people. You already know about
Disneyland, the beach, and the LA Zoo.) These suggestions are also pretty
budget-friendly. Some are free, some charge admission, but none of them is too
crazy expensive. If you plan ahead and pack a picnic lunch, you can have a
super day for not too much money! I am sure you have many more places you can
suggest… please send them in to us via the clpsantaclarita@gmail.com or on the
school facebook page.
Before you head out on any day
trip, please check the website for hours of operation, costs, etc. They do
change sometimes!
1.
Visit a garden. We are so lucky to have weather
that means we can wander through a garden any month of the year, and see plenty
of beautiful flowers, plants, and trees. My favorite garden is Descanso Gardens
in La Canada. It has a Japanese Tea House, a small children’s train ride
through the camellias, a rose garden, a children’s maze, and acres of beautiful
flowers and plants. It is plenty for a full day of exploring! https://www.descansogardens.org. Two
other gardens I also enjoy are the Los Angeles Arboretum in Arcadia http://www.arboretum.org and the South
Coast Botanic Garden on the Palos Verdes Penninsula http://southcoastbotanicgarden.org
.
2.
Play in Noah’s Ark at the Skirball Center. The
Noah’s Ark exhibit is an amazing, whimsical, artistic take on the story of Noah
and his ark. Children can interact with pulleys, conveyor belts, toy animals,
rope ladders, and more as they make their way through the ark. Most of the
exhibit is made of wood and upcycled elements, and the details are amazing for
both kids and adults. Thursdays are free (on a first-come, first-served basis),
or you can make reservations ahead for other days of the week. http://www.skirball.org/noahs-ark
3.
Visit an art museum. Yes, really, take your
preschooler to an art museum! I love both the Getty Center in Los Angeles and
the Getty Villa in Malibu. Both have gorgeous gardens to wander (and let the
kids use up some extra energy) and both have children’s rooms filled with
interactive displays to get kids really engaging with the art. They are very
different from one another, so be sure to visit both on different days. Both
museums are free (you pay $15 to park), although the Malibu location requires a
reservation. http://www.getty.edu/visit/index.html Another art museum you should definitely
visit is the LA County Museum of Art (LACMA). It has amazing art, and the
grounds are neat as well! If you sign your child up for the free NexGen
program, you get one free adult with every child (LA county residents are free
after 3:00 pm every day). http://www.lacma.org/kids-families
4.
Another place I can never get enough of is a
cross between visiting a beautiful botanic garden and an art museum. If you
haven’t been to the Huntington Library in Pasadena, you must! It is a little
pricier than the other museums and gardens, but nothing comes close to
comparing with the Huntington in scope, beauty, and world-class collections.
You can spend days wandering the Chinese Garden, the Japanese Garden, and
plenty of other areas. The children’s garden is a wonder unto itself with
little surprises around every turn! http://huntington.org
5.
Visit a children’s museum. I love the Discovery
Center in Orange County, and I hear great things about the Discovery Center in
Los Angeles (I haven’t been to that one yet). The Orange County one, I can
vouch, has tons of interactive displays about digestion, music and sound waves,
the solar system, physics, and much much more. Additionally, they often change
the special exhibits. http://www.discoverycube.org I also truly love Kidspace Children’s Museum
in Pasadena. In addition to fun interactive science and art displays, the
outdoor space is spectacular too, with room to run and play in the water. http://www.kidspacemuseum.org
6.
Griffith Park has tons to do with kids! You can
do a pony ride, a whirl on the carousel, a hike, or visit Travel Town. Travel
Town is a super fun place for anyone, but especially any kid who loves trains.
They can climb aboard antique locomotives, check out an old dining car, walk
the tracks, and pretend to drive the engines. There is a short train ride
around the grounds, and an indoor area with toy trains, but the most fun is
simply climbing on the big engines. There are lots of other areas to explore in
Griffith Park, too. I love walking through Ferndell, a paved path along a creek
and among gorgeous plants. Or visit the site of the old LA Zoo, where you can
wander into the animal enclosures that were left behind when the zoo moved.
Griffith Observatory is there, too! http://www.laparks.org/dos/parks/griffithpk/attractions.htm
7.
Check out a museum about a specific topic, too!
We have many many museums in our area, about a whole range of things. I like
the children’s area in the Autry Museum of the American West in Griffith Park
(right across from the zoo). Kids can pan for gold, pretend to work in a WWII
era-Chinese restaurant, or climb aboard a covered wagon. https://theautry.org/programs/family-activities
Another great one to check out is the
Natural History Museum in Exposition Park. Kids love the dinosaur exhibit, and
the gem room. Check for discount days on the website, and special exhibits like
the butterfly and spider gardens. http://www.nhm.org/site/ My kids love the California Science Center
in Exposition Park as well. You can watch baby chicks hatch, try out an
earthquake simulator, learn to build an arch the way the Romans did, touch sea
anemones, and of course, see the Space Shuttle. Admission is free, parking is
not. http://californiasciencecenter.org
8.
Take a hike! There are tons of hiking trails
right here in Santa Clarita. They offer a whole range of difficulty and length,
from just a half mile to 10 miles or more! If you hike from Placerita Nature
Center, you get the advantage of checking out the wildlife and displays in the center,
the landmark Oak of the Golden Dream, (and even family activities on weekends).
http://placerita.org However, don’t just
limit yourself to Placerita. Santa Clarita has many many trails and natural
areas to choose from. http://hikesantaclarita.com
9. Go to a sports event! The Dodgers and Lakers are the first that come to mind, but they can be pricey. Check out the LA Galaxy, or the Lancaster minor-league baseball team. Or one of our high school football games or basketball games. To your children, even the high school quarterback can be a hero!
Please, let us know what other little gems you have visited
with your children! Like I said, we are so lucky to live near so many many
great day-trip destinations. I would love to hear about things I have missed!
Miss Susan
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