Best of the East Bay - Kids

Best birthday cake, science camp, swim lessons, party place, theater extravaganza...

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Science Camp

Editor Pick

→ Students walk into a crime scene on their first day of this summer camp. A “body” lies in the middle of a classroom, and “blood” from a gunshot wound covers a wall. The students then step into the role of crime scene investigators, locating, preserving, and analyzing hair, fiber, and DNA evidence so that they can solve the “crime.” At CSI: Danville, a camp hosted by the San Ramon Valley School District and the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, students entering seventh and eighth grades meet crime scene investigators and spend eight mornings learning the science behind crime investigation. On the final morning, they participate in a trial in which they act as attorneys and expert witnesses, and present their evidence.
CSI: Danville takes place June 24–July 3 and July 11–July 22, 8:15 a.m. to 12:15 p.m., at Charlotte Wood Middle School in Danville. The cost is $253. For information, call James Corral, or visit www.srvusd.net. —M.R.

Way To Get Knee-Deep In Nature

Editor Pick

→ This summer, send your child to a day camp that might loosen his grip on the Wii remote. Under the watchful eye of Pleasanton naturalist Eric Nicholas, the Ridge Runners Nature Day Camp propels kids onto the wild side like no other. This is environmental immersion. “We get to see red-tailed hawks, snowy egrets, and bobcats hunting squirrels in the creeks,” says Nicholas.

The camp takes place in several parks, including Pleasanton’s Augustin Bernal Park. Kids ages six through 11 learn how to track and identify animals and plants. One-week camps run June 23–August 1, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

For information, visit www.ci.pleasanton.ca.us/services/recreation, or contact Nicholas at (925) 963-5016, or enicholas@ci.pleasanton.ca.us. —Hannah Craddick

Family-Friendly Library

Editor Pick

→ At the Orinda library, a menagerie of stuffed animals, including a two-foot-tall penguin with a floppy yellow hat, makes the children’s sunny nook especially inviting. Once your little one has loaded up on books, the two of you can descend a curving staircase to Café Teatro Library, nestled directly underneath the library’s entrance. You can sip coffee, and the two of you can enjoy pastries while taking in the sights around the plaza. Outdoor sculptures and a waterfall that plummets alongside the stairs will captivate a toddler long enough that you might get to relax for a minute. After you’ve had your fill of books, art, and snacks, amble over to the elaborate play structures and sandboxes at the bucolic park next door.

Orinda Library, 26 Orinda Way, (925) 254-2184, www.contra-costa.lib.ca.us; Café Teatro Library, (925) 254-5871. —JoAnne Tobias

Kids Theater Extravaganza

Editor Pick

→ If you’re eager to expose your kids to live theater, check out the Chevron Family Theatre Festival at the Lesher Center in Walnut Creek on Saturday, July 26. This all-day event, which takes place both inside the center and outside on Locust Street, features short plays, puppet shows, sword-fighting demonstrations, and musical performances by local and nationally renowned entertainers, from the Fantasy Forum Actors Ensemble to the Sippy Cups, a rock group that performs G-rated songs inspired by the likes of the Ramones and Pink Floyd.

The festival runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Performances outside are free. Tickets for events inside the center cost $5 each and go on sale at the Lesher Center July 1.
1601 Civic Dr., Walnut Creek, (925) 943-7469, www.lesherartscenter.org. —M.R.

Step Back In Time

Editor Pick

→ If you yearn to introduce your kids to simpler, quieter times—say, a Little House on the Prairie vibe—look no further than Borges Ranch in Walnut Creek. This city park, tucked into a narrow canyon on the north side of Mount Diablo, is a great place to get away from the traffic and noise of the modern world, with nearby access to many wonderful hiking and horseback-riding trails.

The park’s ranch house, built by Frank Borges in 1901, is on the National Register of Historic Places, and the surrounding barn and buildings include a blacksmith shop and antique farm equipment, and other artifacts from the early 1900s. Free guided tours are held the fourth Saturday of each month at 2 p.m.

1035 Castle Rock Rd., Walnut Creek, (925) 942-0225, www.ci.walnut-creek.ca.us. —Peter Crooks