Your guide to activities and fun things to do with your preschoolers, toddlers and kids in sacramento, CA

Coming to Sac this weekend...

September 03, 2009

There are so many amazing Sacramento events for kiddos going on this weekend it's only a matter of taking your pick!  Sacramento's Chalk It Up! festival is a great interactive way to teach kids about art and the 10th annual Gold Rush Days in Old Sac is an amazing real-life history lesson.  Take a look at the variety of events going on this weekend and take your babies to do something wonderful! 

Friday September 4

46^th Annual Greek Festival sponsored by Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church of Sacramento. Enjoy a day or three with your family, immersed in Greek culture and food. 11 am – 11 pm (Free admission 9/4, 11 am – 3 pm) For a complete schedule of entertainment, festival menu and $2 off admission coupon visit www.SacramentoGreekFestival.com. Tickets at door: Adults $5; Youth & Seniors $4; Children 11 & Under Free. Sacramento Conventions Center, 1400 J St., Sacramento.

Sacramento’s 10^th Annual Gold Rush Days – Enjoy a fun and exciting event for the whole family! Old Sacramento will "turn back the clock" and transform into a unique historic experience with costume re-enactors, Wild West gun fights, musicians and much more of the Gold Rush era over the four-day event. 9/4, 9 am – 4 pm; 9/5-6, 11 am – 7 pm; 9/7, 11 am – 4 pm. All ages. Free. Located in Old Sacramento. For more info call 916-808-7777 or visit www.SacramentoGoldRushDays.com

Friday Night Concerts in the Park (8/21 – 9/18) - The shows feature local artists representing a range of genres including rock, pop, punk, blues and folk. Enjoy live music, fresh air, good food, and the famous beer garden. 5 – 9 pm. Free. All ages welcomed. Cesar Chavez Plaza, 9^th & J St., Sacramento. For more info visit www.DowntownSac.org/Concerts

Saturday September 5

The Chalk It Up!  Come out and join in the fun this weekend and raises funds for local children’s art education programs. In addition to sidewalk chalk art, the festival features food, arts and crafts and more. 10 am – 6 pm. All ages. Free. 15^th & P Sts., Sacramento. For more info call 916-484-5710 or visit  www.ChalkItUp.org.

Colors of Kids Play Date! - A new way for mothers and children of a variety of ethnicity’s to come together. Have you grown tired of sitting in the house? Enjoy a afternoon in the park for a casual, fun meeting.  Let your kids play and wear themselves out before an afternoon nap while you meet other mothers that are like you! The Group will meet in the grassy area near the water, look for the balloons.  10:30 – 11:30 am. All ages. Free. Howe Park, 2201 Cottage Way, Sacramento. For more info email ColorsOfKids@yahoo.com

Whole Foods Market Cycling Team Appearance - Bring the whole family and their bikes for a fun filled event!  The Health is Wealth cycling team powered by Whole Foods Market will be making their first appearance at the store!  Participants will have the chance to go through a skills course and a local bike shop will be offering complementary helmet fittings!  This is your chance to get a picture taken with the team with a personalized autograph!  Complementary refreshments will be provided at skills course. 11 am – 1 pm. All ages. Free. Whole Food’s Market, 1001 Galleria Blvd., Roseville.  To keep up with the team visit: www.healthiswealthteam.com.

Museum On Us – Free admission for Bank of America Card holders. The California Museum for History, Women, and the Arts, 1020 O St., Sacramento. For more info call 916-653-7524 or visit www.CaliforniaMuseum.org

Sacramento’s 10^th Annual Gold Rush Days

Sunday, September 6

Crocker Art Museum Free admission Sunday’s. 10 am – 1 pm. All ages welcome. Crocker Art Museum, 216 O St., Sacramento. For more info call 916-808-1182 or visit www.CrockerArtMuseum.org

Mark your calendar!

by Kim Mordecai

January 13, 2009

Museums are a great way to get out in the world with your kiddos, big and small, get some walking in, see some sights and learn a little about the world too! So mark your calendars because Saturday, February 7th is the 11th annual Sacramento Museum day when twenty-six greater Sacramento area museums offer FREE (yes totally FREE) admission from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. They also offer free shuttle  Read more...

Looney Tunes Art?

by Kim Mordecai

December 29, 2008

If you laughed at the antics of Daffy Duck and Bugs Bunny on a daily basis like I did as a kid than I have got a great thing for you to do with your kiddos this week. The Crocker Art Museum has a special exhibition through January 18th featuring the art of Warner Bros. cartoons. The exhibit it billed as a comprehensive overview of the legendary Hollywood animation studio and  Read more...

Toys that equal fun, not junk

by Kim Mordecai

October 08, 2008

Toys come and go. In my house they are delivered by the truckload at Christmas and on birthdays and removed by the station wagon-full nearly monthly and donated to the Goodwill. I have a real love-hate relationship with toys. While I love to give my children fun and enriching activities and entertainment, the crappy things litter my house and the clutter ultimately clogs up my overloaded  Read more...

Art Smarts

by Kim Mordecai

September 25, 2008

While preschoolers and art seem to be a natural fit, occasionally we find those kids that aren't so interested in exploring their creative side. I happen to have a four year-old preschooler who fits this profile and today I was speaking with one of his teachers about how to encourage him to get artsy. Art does a lot of great things for little kids it helps with fine motor skills,  Read more...

Brain food and fun

by Kim Mordecai

September 05, 2008

Teaching your preschooler about valuable subjects such as history, environmentalism, art and music can be a daunting task. When most little ones are more interested in watching Dora, playing train or running around in circles and barking like dogs (as my children are), it can be a challenge to get them to sit still long enough to learn something of value. A great way to give them early  Read more...

Chalk It Up!

by Kim Mordecai

August 28, 2008

Art and children just seem to go together. Kids are born these amazing, imaginative, creative little beings that take to crayons and storytelling and dance and make believe like fish to water. As you may know, our little family fully embraces our creative sides but recently I've been wondering about not just enjoying the many opportunities for artistic pleasure in Sacramento, but also giving  Read more...

Art on a budget

by Kim Mordecai

August 11, 2008

We are a very artsy household. That is not to say we have amazing artistic skills, but both the boys and I love to draw and paint and experiment with other art mediums. My boys go through countless stacks of white paper on a daily basis creating animals, monsters and whatever fantastic thing has their interest at the moment. Because of our art habit we go through crayons like wino's go through  Read more...

Artistic relief

by Kim Mordecai

July 11, 2008

I've officially checked the weather forecast and I'm thrilled to report that this weekend the temp will drop to the blissful mid-90's. Ok, I know that doesn't sound that promising but this week we topped out at 109 ridiculous degrees so in my opinion this is news to celebrate. I'm thinking that since tomorrow is Second Saturday Sac's own monthly arts celebration that while I won't tote my  Read more...

History in the Making

by Kim Mordecai

June 12, 2008

Ok, so if you are anything like me, you hate history. I know, hate is a strong word, but seriously, one History Channel special on just about any famous person, place or event can send me into a boredom coma. Despite the face that I am sadly proud of my disdain for this important subject, I do realize it is important to teach our kids about people and times past. And it just so happens that the  Read more...