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Friday, November 30, 2012

Coming up: Bank of America's Museums on Us - this weekend

Bank of America's Museums on Us program runs this weekend, giving B of A cardholders (credit or debit) one free admission per card at participating museums. We've used this program and love it! It's this weekend, September 1-2 (some museums are only one day). The website won't let me give you an individual list of cities to click, so just check the main website and look for California in the pull-down menu. 


Participating museums in San Francisco:
·         Children's Creativity Museum (formerly Zeum)
·         Chabot Space & Science Center
·         Contemporary Jewish Museum
·         de Young Museum
·         Legion of Honor

Gingerbread House Activities in the Bay Area

Sadly, we never built our gingerbread house kit from last year, and the kids are balking about using a "stale" kit this year. Not that they ever eat the house (even the candy is nasty from current boxes). If you don't have a spare kit sitting around and want to do some gingerbread activities, here's where to go in the Bay Area.


SAN FRANCISCO
The Conservatory of Flowers has its annual gingerbread decorating event on December 15.

The Mandarin Oriental is hosting "ho-ho-ho homes for the holiday" which includes gingerbread house making on December 2nd. Details here at Frisco Kids.

BERKELEY
Join friends at Habitot to decorate a giant gingerbread house on Saturday, December 22 from 9:30-4:30. It's free admission, and the house will be donated to a local homeless shelter. You can make your own gingerbread house at a workshop during their December 15-21 schedule. Workshops are $22 for members, $29 for nonmembers and include admission.

MARIN
Gingerbread Builders sells Gingerbread supplies. Make one on site (and you don't have to clean up), or they can make one for you. The Mill Valley site (Strawberry Village), is open for the season. Houses start at $29 including icing and some candy. You can buy additional candy as well. Go with your kids, or make it a party.

HALF MOON BAY
Ending soon (December 1) is the 9th Annual Gingerbread House competition. The houses are on display at the Ritz Carlton through Saturday, when the winner is announced at their tree lighting ceremony (4:30-6:30).


NAPA
Enter your gingerbread house in the Westin Verasa Napa's Gingerbread House Contest, on November 16 from 12:30-2. They'll have separate amateur and professional contests. All proceeds go to the Boys and Girls Clubs of Napa Valley. You can win a monthly dinner for two at their French restaurant BANK Cafe and Bar plus a 2 night stay at the hotel.


Thursday, November 29, 2012

Family-Friendly Board/Card Games for the Holidays

Our family is big into games. Board games, card games, you name it. So I'm bringing you some games to consider for the holidays. Whether you're giving them as gifts, or bringing them with you on a family trip, these are great.




Spot-it San Francisco
The Spot It deck has 55 cards with 8 pictures each. Any two card will have one image in common. While there are 5 ways you can play the game, basically they all involve matching one of the pictures on your card to one of the pictures on another card before another player finds a match from their card. Given our competitive family, the games are intense. Since there are 55 different images, it can be hard to remember the right description for every picture (we'd call out "boat" when really it was a houseboat, or "building" when it was really the Transamerica Pyramid). In some games it's easier for adults to win. In this one, the kids did equally well.
Made by a Bay Area game company (who sent the game to me for review), they make various versions like the San Francisco edition we got. I like that it's portable and small enough to play on an airplane.

You can play Spot It online and try it out.
Ages 7+. 2-8 players
Cost: $10-20 (different versions priced differently)
Portable: yes
Can play on an airplane? yes
Junior version? Yes


Reverse Charades
Instead of one person acting something out for a group, the group acts something out for one teammate. My kids loved this game (sent to us for review), where they got to act like dorks and watch us acting like dorks too, trying to act out as many words as possible within 60 seconds. My husband didn't love it - he's into more strategic games, but watching the kids laugh that much was worth it.

Ages/Players:  age 4+, 6 or more players
Cost: $17-24
Portable: yes (put everything in a gallon size Ziploc)
Can play on an airplane? No
Junior Version? Yes

Gobblet
This is my son's latest obsession. It's like a combination of Connect Four and Tic Tac Toe, only you can use your larger pieces to cover (or "gobble") up your opponent's pieces to prevent them from winning. It's a simple game to learn, but when you start playing, you realize that it's quite complicated and you need some strategy (hence my husband loves it too).

Ages/Players: ages 7+, 2 players
Cost: $20-32
Portable: yes
Can play on an airplane? maybe, but the box might take up too much room in your bag
Junior version? Yes


Settlers of Catan
This is my family's favorite game. Warning: it can be addictive, and learning it takes awhile. It's a strategy game and those who love it are cult-like in devotion. Games take about an hour each. It's for older kids. Mine (ages 9 and 11) are on the younger side but they've grown up watching us play and we are dedicated teachers. There are lots of spin-off games as well, none of which we found are as good as Settlers of Catan. Huzzah!

Ages/Players: 3-4 players (5-6 with expansion set), ages 10-14 +
Cost: $33-42
Portable: yes (we put everything in a gallon size Ziploc)
Can play on an airplane? No
Junior version? Yes


Set
A great card game where you spot patterns, yelling SET when you find a group of 3. This is a good game for kids and adults, once you understand what constitutes a set (the rules show examples). We play a lot in my family. It's kind of like a more complicated version of Blink.

Ages/Players: 2+ players
Cost: $11-25
Portable: yes
Can play on an airplane? yes, but not really easily because you need to lay 9 cards out at a time.
Junior version? No


Pentago
My sister just got us this game, and already I can't play it with my husband (because he always wins). It's like Connect Four, but with rotating sections. The goal is to get five discs in a row, but you are allowed to turn one of the nine boards 45 degrees after placing your disc. Your opponents can do the same. Therefore you need good spatial abilities to see where you (and your opponents) are going to connect when the boards are turned. I haven't tried it yet with four people, but that would be a very different game than with 2. You can also buy a 2 person game that looks a little different.

Ages/Players: ages 6-15; 2-4 players
Cost: $27-30
Portable: the smaller version is portable
Can you play on an airplane? yes, with the two-person or travel version, but I wouldn't want to lose the discs
Junior Version?



Tuesday, November 27, 2012

Passports with Purpose - Win a Garmin Nuvi 1490LMT from Buydig.com

For the third year, Frisco Kids is participating in Passports with Purpose, a fundraiser run by travel bloggers to give back to other communities. Each year the organization chooses on project and raises funds for it. In the past, the group built a school in Cambodia, built a village in India, and libraries in Zambia. It's very much of a grass roots fundraising effort, and minimum contributions are $10.

This year, the recipient organization is Water.org, which will build wells in two Haiti communities with the funds. The goal is to raise $100,000 this year, which is easily doable even in $10 increments! Clean water is so important and it's something we take for granted here in the U.S. In fact, I just wrote about the importance of clean water for A Garden Life, profiling another fabulous clean water charitable organization, Water for People. 

To encourage you to donate, bloggers solicit amazing prizes like hotel stays in Sonoma, Maui, Vancouver, Mexico, Helsinki, Nicaragua, Mumbai, a trip to Rome, a week in a Provence, an Amazon river cruise, white water rafting in the Colorado river, travel gear, digital cameras, Kindle keyboards, and gift certificates for all kinds of things. You can see the full list of prizes here along with the blog hosting the prize, and list of participating travel bloggers here (we're one). You can also donate without entering to win a prize.

The fundraising ends on December 11th at midnight, with prize winners announced on December 18th. How to enter? You get one entry for every $10 donation. In the "# of entries" spot on the right, put in how many entries you want for each prize you're interested in, and then give them your email address at the bottom. Easy!


Frisco Kids is hosting this prize:

a Garmin Nuvi 1490LMT 5-inch bluetooth portable GPS with lifetime map and traffic updates. List price is $350. This Nuvi has an ultra-thin design and offers Bluetooth wireless technology for hands-free calling. No need to pay for map and traffic upgrades - they're free for life. The device even has an ecoRoute feature which will calculate the most fuel-efficient route. You can see all the specifications here. Shipping for U.S. winners only.

Why am I excited about this prize? I have a Garmin Nuvi and use it ALL THE TIME. Mine is not this fancy, and I would love one with traffic updates and the Bluetooth calling technology. Plus, mine doesn't have the ecoRoute feature, which I'd also love to have. So I'll be bidding to win this, along with the other great prizes offered.

Thank you to buydig.com for sponsoring this prize. Please visit their site and check out the great deals they offer on technology.

Holiday Events at the Bay Area Discovery Museum


Here are holiday family events coming up at the Bay Area Discovery Museum:

What:  A Kindie Christmas with The Hipwaders - "Hip enough for both adults and children, the Hipwaders will be perform songs from their award-winning album.
When: Saturday, December 1 at 11 a.m.
Age: 1+
Cost: members $5; general $14 (includes Museum admission)

WhatDream Circle Holiday Concert with Tim Cain, Judy Nee (Miss Kitty), Cindy Cohen and Christopher Smith: "seasonal celebration featuring songs for a wide range of winter holidays, including Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, and Chinese New Year. Dream Circle is indeed a dream lineup of Marin's best loved children¹s entertainers"
WhenSaturday, December 15 at 11:30 a.m. & 1 p.m.
Ages: 1+
Cost: members $7; general $16 (includes Museum admission)

WhatAnnual Kwanzaa Celebration: "Join us for this joyous African-American celebration of
family and community. Experience the rich traditions of Kwanzaa, featuring a celebration of African-American culture through hands-on art activities, and performances. There will be a traditional Kwanzaa altar on display in the Museum¹s Entry Pavilion."
WhenWednesday, December 26 at 9 a.m. &­ 5 p.m.; Kwanzaa concerts at 11 and 1. Free tickets available at front desk.
CostFree admission, performances and activities throughout the day

WhatNoon Year's Eve: "Annual Noon Year¹s Eve celebration! Celebrate as we count down to noon! Dance along with your family and DJ Mancub as he plays music in Festival Plaza. Stop by
Studio 10 and make a festive party hat! No party is complete without a party kit‹reserve yours online today before they sell out. Party kits are also available for purchase during the event while supplies last."
When:  Monday, December 31 at 9 a.m. to  2 p.m.

Wednesday, November 21, 2012

Family-Friendly Subscription Box Services

If you haven't noticed, subscription boxes are the latest gift trend. These boxes, which arrive once a month, contain whatever theme the company is built on. Subscriptions are usually around $20/month, with discounts for longer term commitments. Many companies offer deals on these through the daily deal companies.

The kid boxes are a great gift for grandparents or aunts/uncles to give grandkids - because kids love to get packages and inside is something new to do. Here are some of the many subscription services out there. With two or more kids in the house, often the companies will let you add on supplies for less than the cost of an extra box.

Some of the food boxes would make great gifts for the hard-to-shop-for adults. Many plans have additional point systems where you can earn points for reviewing products, and you can spend them on additional items.



CRAFTS
Wonder Box by Education.com - 3 projects per box, including all supplies
Theme: varies (nature, science, storytime)
Cost: $19.99/month (free shipping)
Age: 3-6

Kiwi Crate - based in the Bay Area, the company offers more than just subscription boxes. You can also buy one-off holiday crates, goody bag crates, and simple costumes as well.
Theme: varies (gardening, dinosaurs, colors).
Cost: $19.95/month (free shipping)
Age: 3-7

Kelly Kit Art - art kits and additional purchases like sensory gift packs and birthday party packs
Theme: various arts (painting, sculpting, drawing, printmaking or collage).
Cost: $9.95/month
Age: 2+

Green Kids Crafts - 3 projects per kit. Earth-friendly craft kits, plus special additional craft kits and party packages
Theme: various (nature, science)
Cost: $19.50/month (free shipping)
Age: 3-8


TRAVEL
Little Passports - kids follow adventures of Sam or Sofia as they travel the world or the USA. Each month kids get a map, stickers, online game access, souvenirs, letters, photos and activity sheets based on the destination.
Theme: travel - USA or world
Cost: $13.95/month for 3 month subscription ($10.95/month for 1 year subscription)
Age: 5-10 for world edition, 7-12 for USA edition


SCIENCE
Magic School Bus Science Club - science experiments your child can do at home (you can help)
Theme: science (kits might include lessons on chromatography paper, owl pellets, minerals, magnets, mirrors, thermometers, pH balance, brine shrimp)
Cost: $19.99/month, shipping included
Ages: 5-12


BOOKS
Sproutkin - Founded by a Bay Area mom, this subscription service offers 10 books and discussion cards every month. The only catch (if you can call it that) is that you return the books you're done with - or buy them at 10% off retail price. Kind of like a library.
Theme: books
Cost: $25/month (free shipping both ways)
Ages: 3-6


BABIES/TOTS
Citrus Lane - 4-5 various products tied to your child's age and development stage. They'll include toys, books, snacks, household items like sunscreen or lunchbags.
Theme: various (fun in the sun, art and music, bed and bath)
Cost: $25/month (free shipping)
Age: 0-3

Bluum.com - 4-5 monthyly items of baby stuff tailored to the baby's age and developmental stage.
Theme: includes items like creams, baby foods, wipes, toys and books, plus a mom treat every month
Cost: starting at $11/month (free shipping)
Age: baby


FOOD
NatureBox - receive 4-6 full size packages of all natural snacks.
Theme: healthful, all-natural snacks like pistachio power clusters, granola, roasted nuts, pineapple
Cost: $19.95/month (free shipping)
Age: any

GFreely - gluten-free
Theme: gluten-free snacks and recipes
Cost: $19/month plus $6/shipping
Age: any

Love With Food - Bay Area based company that donates a meal for every box purchased. 8+ gourmet samples per box. A very affordable gift option.
Theme: gourmet foods like artisan marshmallows, granola, tea, organic kettle corn, shortbread, flavored olive oil.
Cost: $10/month ($0-$2/shipping depending on subscription)
Age: any

Conscious Box - for those wanting to help the environment using vegan and sustainable products.
Theme: sustainable products, including beauty, food and soap
Cost: $12/month (plus $7/shipping); vegan box is $19.95/month including shipping
Age: any

FOR WOMEN
PV Body - for women who like to exercise in style, this company sends a designer top and bottom each month.
Theme: fashionable exercise clothes for women (one top, one bottom per month)
Cost: $40/month (free shipping) until December 1 ($49/month after that). To take advantage of the lower price use this link (Frisco Kids readers using this link until December 1 get it for $32/month).
Age: adult sizes


PETS
Bark Box - 4-6 goodies for your dog, based on dog size
Theme: dog items (bones, shampoos, treats, gadgets and more)
Cost: starting at $17/month (free shipping)
Age: any

Tuesday, November 20, 2012

Coming Up: Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat

Go go go Joseph you know what they say...

Okay, the song is stuck in my head. This Andrew Lloyd Webber/Tim Rice musical is family friendly, with great music. They even have a kids' chorus in it. This makes a great holiday present for the family!


When: November 30-December 23, 2012 (8:00 Thurs-Sat, 2:00 on Sundays)
Where: Hillbarn Theater, Foster City
Tickets:$23-38. For kids pricing, call 650-349-6411

Coming Up: Wizard of Oz Singalong

Coming up! We're off to see the wizard...


What: Wizard of Oz singalong movie
Where: Retrodome in San Jose
When: November 23-24
Cost$7-9

Monday, November 19, 2012

Thanksgiving - What do you like about it?

I thought this was a fun infographic for Thanksgiving. How are you celebrating it?


Coming Up: Ho-Ho-Homes for the Holidays

The Mandarin Oriental is hosting Ho-Ho-Homes for the Holidays. It includes


  • Two full hours of gingerbread house decorating fun in the child’s own chef’s hat and apron with the culinary team and Christmas elves
  • Learn how to decorate gingerbread houses and holiday themed sugar cookies using an array of sweets including icing of all colors, sprinkles, candy canes, gum drops, licorice, and more
  • Hot chocolate and mulled cider 
  • Bubbly, festive cocktails and snacks for parents to enjoy at the bar
  • Boxes to take finished houses and cookies home

When: Saturday, December 2 from 2-4
Where: Mandarin Oriental, SF (345 California Center)
Cost: $60/child
Tickets: email mosfo-events@mohg.com or call (415) 986-2020

Thursday, November 15, 2012

Starbuck's BOGO today through Sunday holiday drinks

Starbuck's is offering a buy one get one free (BOGO) from November 15-18 from 2-5 each day. Buy a holiday drink (you know, those peppermint/gingerbread/eggnog types) and get one free.

Thanks for the head-sup, Suddenly Frugal!

Wednesday, November 14, 2012

Frisco Kids and Facebook

Facebook continues to change how it works, so I wanted to make sure those of you following Frisco Kids on Facebook knew what was going on. Facebook added a notifications feature, which helps you see posts from your favorite pages. If you're not receiving notifications and stating that you want the Frisco Kids posts to appear on your Facebook news feed, then you're not getting the full benefit of following us!

I post many of the Frisco Kids links on Facebook, plus ones that don't appear on the blog itself. I post a few times a week, nothing that will clog up your wall.

To make sure you're seeing our posts on Facebook:
1. "Like" Frisco Kids on Facebook if you're not already (just click the "like" button at the top right under the big photo)

2. Put the cursor over the "like" button and you'll see a menu pop up. Click on "show in news feed" so our posts will appear on your news feed (otherwise they won't - and you'll miss all the good stuff).

3. Click on "get notifications" so you'll be notified of any new posts.

4. If you're not subscribed to Frisco Kids free email service, you should do so! You'll get at most, one email a day with any Frisco Kids blog posts from the past 24 hours. The sign-up box is on the right column under the BMW ad - look for "subscribe to Frisco Kids by email."


Tuesday, November 13, 2012

Holiday Road Trips - Where are You Going?

Are you taking any holiday road trips this winter? Here are some ideas (from past Frisco Kids posts):

Yosemite Valley in winter with kids - Yosemite offers a lot of winter fun (especially if there's snow). That includes tubing, downhill skiing, cross country skiing, ice skating and winter hiking. You can stay in the Ahwahnee Lodge or cheaper options.

Tahoe - this world-class ski site is great from toddlers through teens. I have a long list of things you can do in Tahoe, from the usual skiing and tubing, to museums, sleigh riding, and shopping.

Disneyland - my stand-by favorite. And now Cars Land is open at California Adventure.

What are your favorite holiday road trip destinations???

Disclosure: this post was sponsored by Kia Motors #kiaholidays 
2013 Soul: Official Kia Soul Hamster Commercial

Content and/or other value provided by our partner, Kia Motors

Holidays at the Malls

The malls are doing lots of fun things to attract you and your kids. Here's a round-up of these free events:

SAN FRANCISCO
What: 3D Holiday Light Spectacular Illuminique Under the Dome; special dance demonstration by SF Ballet members who will hand out commemorative tutus for the first 100 kids under 8 who show up. They'll be on hand throughout the season.  
Where: Westfield San Francisco Centre
When: November 15-December 31, every half hour from 5 p.m. until 30 minutes prior to the shopping center closing. November 15 launch event starts at 4:30 on level 4, with the light show starting at 5.



SAN MATEO
What: Tree lighting with live performance from the Lion King.
Where: Hillsdale Shopping Center
When: Friday, November 16 at 5:30


PALO ALTO
What: Tree lighting with singing/dancing by Holly Berry, the Holiday Fairy and treats.
Where: Stanford Shopping Center
When: Saturday, November 24 from 5-7 outside Neiman Marcus. Photos with Santa start November 8 - dates here. Santa photos for kids with special needs and sensory issues is Sunday, December 2 from 9-11, when the mall is otherwise closed.
Breakfast with Santa is Saturday, December 8.


SANTA CLARA
What: Magical Moments, including Ballet San Jose performing part of the Nutcracker, giant walk-through ornaments, Santa photos, and Nutcracker characters (including Santa) coming in a red convertabile Mini Cooper. The event is on Nov 15, but the holiday scenes and photos continue during the season.
Where: Westfield Valley Fair
When: Thursday, November 15 from 5-7 p.m.

OAKLAND
What: Tree lighting, with musical performances from Amber Lily (Radio Disney), tap-dancing Christmas trees, live reindeer, snow flurries and Miss California (and much more)
When: Friday, November 30 from 5-7
Where: Jack London Square

Monday, November 12, 2012

Coming Up: Holiday Family Activities

Here's a list of upcoming holiday activities. The list will be updated, so keep checking back!

SAN FRANCISCO
What: Garden railway exhibit (Barbary Coast, celebrating SF's gold rush boomtown days and its infamous Barbary Coast neighborhood. You'll see model trains, dwarf plants, water features and replicas of important landmarks of the day)
Where: Conservatory of Flowers
When: November 16, 2012-April 14, 2013; Tues-Sun 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Cost: varies

What: Holiday tree lighting, carnival rides, entertainment Santa, activities
Where: McLaren Lodge, Golden Gate Park (Stanyan and Fell)
When: December 6, from 5-7
Cost: free

What: Blizzard at the SF Zoo - Santa brings 10 tons of snow to the zoo. Reindeer on display until January 1
Where: SF Zoo
When: Thursday, November 15; meet the reindeer at 9:45, snow with the polar bears at 10:15
Cost: Free with zoo admission

What: Tis the Season for Science - wintry festivities including live reindeer, indoor snow flurries twice hourly, snowman theater, live shows
Where: Academy of Sciences
When: November 16-January 6
Cost: free with admission


SAN JOSE
What: DIY Art - Festive Family Fun. Make your own greeting cards or gift tags.
Where: San Jose Museum of Art
When: Saturday November 24 from 1-3; Saturday December 8 from 1-4.
Cost: $5 suggested donation in addition to museum admission.

What: Elf movie
Where: Retrodome
When: November 30-December 2
Cost: $7-9

Coming Up: Progressive International Motorcycle Show


If your kids (or you) are infatuated with motorcycles and other moving vehicles, take them this weekend to the Progressive International Motorcycle Show. With hundreds of two and three-wheeled dirt bikes, scooters, dual sport bikes, etc.

It's not just look-and-see. The show features interactive family activities and shows as well (2-3 a day). Plus you can sit on hundreds of the bikes.

When: November 16-18
Where: San Mateo County Event Center (2495 S. Delaware St., San Mateo)
Tickets: available online at or onsite. 
Cost: Adults: $15, Kids 6-11, $6. Under 6 are free

Friday, November 9, 2012

Coming Up: Wizard of Oz

This weekend and next, the Pied Piper Players present the Wizard of Oz. This youth theater group is excellent - we've seen many of their performances. Here's info on shows and tickets:

When: November 9-11 and November 16-18
Tickets: $16/adult, $11/seniors and kids 17 and under - get them here or at the door.
Where: Bayside Performing Arts Center (2025 Kehoe Avenue, San Mateo)

Coming Up: SF Opera Open House - Family Friendly

Celebrate the San Francisco Opera's 90th season during their free community open house this Saturday. They'll have on-stage technical and musical demonstrations, plus prop-making family activities, screenings of Carmen for Families, a photo booth where you can dress up in costume, and more. See the schedule here.


When: Saturday, November 10 from 10:30-2:30
Where: War Memorial Opera House
Cost: Free
RSVP: no need to RSVP but if you register in advance, you might win 4 tickets.

Thursday, November 8, 2012

Coming Up: Free National Park Admission this weekend

The U.S. National Park System's last free admissions for 2012 are this weekend, for Veteran's Day.

Get in free to National Parks November 10-12. There are 398 to choose from!

Coming Up: Marine Science Sundays - free


The Marine Mammal Center has several monthly Marine Science Sundays coming up this fall, so set your schedule! These involve family-friendly tours, classroom activities and more, centered around a different theme each month. Docent-led tours will take you around the hospital showcasing some of the patients they care for, and you'll learn how the vets help the animals. Classroom presentations showcase the animals the Marine Mammal Center has cared for, focusing on interactive activities and multimedia that show easy, daily behaviors that you can do to help prevent ocean trash which harms the animals. 

Themes/Dates:

November 11: Wonderful Whales
December 9: Seal and Sea Lion Superstars of 2012


WhereMarine Mammal Center (2000 Bunker Road, Fort Cronkhite, Sausalito)
When: 10-5 (dates above)
Cost: free
More information: here

Coming Up: Kids' SCRAP Workshops

This Monday, SCRAP is hosting a kids' workshop, Elements in Motion, presented by Green Art Workshop. Kids will create imaginative hanging sculpture based on the natural elements (earth, fire, water and air) using found materials from SCRAP.

When: Monday, November 12 from 1-3:30
Age: 9-13
Cost: $40
Sign up: here

Wednesday, November 7, 2012

Get 'Yer Tickets: The Lion King

It's tough to get these tickets on Broadway (still) but you can get them in San Francisco! The Lion King opened at SF's Orpheum Theater last weekend for 11 weeks.



When: now through January 13, 2013
Where: Orpheum Theater
Tickets: starting at $32.50, Buy them here or call 888-746-1799

Tuesday, November 6, 2012

Help Victims of Hurricane Sandy


If you're looking for ways to help victims of Hurricane/SuperStorm Sandy, here's a list:
DONATE MONEY
Tunnel to Towers is collecting money to help Staten Island hurricane victims.
The United Jewish Federation set up a relief fund. You can also text RELIEF to 51818 on a mobile device to pledge money.
The American Red Cross is accepting donations here. You can also text REDCROSS to 90999 to donate $10 to the American Red Cross Disaster Relief fund.
United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism’s Disaster Relief Fund will help victims of the hurricane and affected Jewish communities
**Rock Center has a great list of other ways to donate money, including the Salvation Army, food banks, Habitat for Humanity, and other relief funds.
New Jersey Hurricane Relief Fund - set up by Governor Chris Christie and his wife Mary.
Marriott Rewards members can donate airline points to the American Red Cross.

Animal Haven in NYC, serving tristate area, accepting Sandy donations.


DONATE ITEMS
The Lavallette public school in New Jersey is now displaced for the next 8 months or so, and have none of their supplies. Help restock them with information here.

Amazon wish list for Monmouth Beach School.There’s a Hurricane Sandy registry on Amazon set up to receive items at a relief outpost in Brooklyn.

Thursday, November 1, 2012

Coming Up: San Francisco Chamber Orchestra - free concert


This weekend, November 3-4, the San Francisco Chamber Orchestra is offering free family-friendly concerts for its "Very First Concerts" series, in San Francisco, San Mateo and Oakland. They're designed to introduce the kids to the instruments that make up the orchestra.

WhenSaturday, November 3 (2 and 3:30)
Where: 199 Museum Way, San Francisco (the Randall Museum)

When: Sunday, November 4 (noon)
Where: 388 9th Street, Oakland (Oakland Asian Cultural Center


When: Sunday, November 4 (3:30)
Where: (College of San Mateo Theater) directions here


For details, check the San Francisco Chamber Orchestra website.