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  • L.A. KID STUFF ARCHIVES

    Rediscover L.A.- Hollywood & Celebs
    Free Summer Concerts in L.A.
    Dollar Days: Entertainment for $1
    Twitter and Cool Parents
    Train Rides & Train Activities
    Make a Splash at Free Splash Pads
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    Cherry Picking Adventures

    Tykes on Trails Night Hike with Childrens Nature Institute

    Tykes on Trails Night Hike

    Temescal Canyon in Pacific Palisades
    Check directions for location
    Friday, March 19, 2010
    6 p.m. – 8 p.m.

    Ages: 4-7 (everyone welcome)
    Cost: $20 per child ($17 per child for members)
    Website

    Now that the sun sets later in the day, head out at dusk to explore the Temescal Canyon with the Children’s Nature Center Tykes on Trails Night Hike!  Search for constellations, listen to the croaking of frogs in the creek, and discover the all the night life in Temescal Canyon.  This walk is geared toward 4-7 year olds, but all are welcome! Bt be prepared for chily weather and make sure to bring a snack, warm layers and a flashlight.  The trails are smooth and all strollers are allowed.

    DIRECTIONS:

    From Westside and Valley: San Diego (405) Fwy to Sunset Blvd west. Continue (approx 6 miles) to Temescal Canyon Road. Turn right (north) on Temescal Canyon Road, then immediate left into first parking lot. From PCH: Exit Temescal Canyon Road (there¹s a stoplight) heading north. Cross Sunset Blvd into the park. Turn left and meet in the first parking lot closest to Sunset Blvd. DO NOT park at any of the parking lots near the camp store.

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    Complete Whalewatch

    Complete Whalewatch

    Cabrillo Marine Aquarium (starting point)
    3720 Stephen M. White Drive, San Pedro, 90731; (310) 548-7562
    Spirit Cruises in San Pedro (for whale watching)
    Sunday, March 14, 2010
    8:30 a.m. – 1 p.m.

    Ages:  All (Toddlers and very small children not recommended)
    Cost: Member Price: $18, Non-Member Price: $20 (to reserve a spot, call (310) 548-7562)
    Website

    WL267Start your adventure at the Cabrillo Marine Aquarium with a fun and informational slide show about the fascinating life of the Pacific gray whale. After the show, the journey will continue at Spirit Cruises in San Pedro where we will head out on a two-hour voyage in search of whales, dolphins, sea lions and sea birds.

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    Butterfly events and activities in and around Los Angeles

    Flutter into spring with butterflies

    blue butterflyThe release of 80 endangered adult Palos Verdes Blue Butterflies into their native habitat at Deane Dana Friendship Park in San Pedro this past weekend was a success in the continuing environmental efforts to revive the Blue Butterfly population. Listening to Dr. Jana Johnson speak about the Blue Butterfly captive breeding program at Moorpark College and the immense care required by the process and provided by her students reminded us of the fragility of these beautiful creatures and reignited our own love affair with butterflies. Luckily for us, spring is right around the corner, and everywhere we look, opportunities exist to learn about, see and experience the wonder of these winged beauties.

    If you have a chance, head out to Dean Dane Friendship Park. You just might spot the thumbnail-sized blue butterfly making a home for itself. Federally-designated endangered in 1980, the Butterfly Project at Moorpark College has helped the Blue Butterfly population grow from only 200 to 10,000 in just three years. Now eight acres at Deane Dana Friendship Park will help provide a lush, natural habitat for these butterflies that exist uniquely in the Palos Verdes peninsula. But if you spot these blue beauties on your outing remember: look but don’t touch, because the goal is for these butterflies to breed and survive on their own. (MORE)

    Mark your calendars for these other BUTTERFLY EXPERIENCES in and around Los Angeles

    Pavilion of Wings

    butterfly pavilionAn annual favorite in Los Angeles from April to September, the Pavilion of Wings provides you the rare opportunity to be surrounded by hundreds of butterflies, some that may just land right on you. The enclosed tent on the grounds of the Natural History Museum will be home to more than 40 species of butterflies and moths in various stages of metamorphosis. A knowledgeable entomologist is usually on hand to answer everything you want to know about what you are seeing. Timed entrances ensure that it doesn’t get too crowded in the pavilion and that everyone gets ample QT with the butterflies! At $3 per entry (and free if you are a Natural History Museum member) this is a spring staple not to miss. (MORE)

    Caterpillar Adoption and Butterfly Release

    caterpillarAnother hands on experience, Kidspace Children’s Museum in Pasadena is once again offering its Caterpillar Adoption Program. For $5 your child can adopt a caterpillar at the Busy Bee Learning Store. Your child will bring home the caterpillar in its own container with food and care instructions. In one short month, the caterpillar will turn into a butterfly and your child can release it into the Kidspace Garden during the Butterfly Release ceremony on Saturday, April 17, 2010. Caterpillar adoptions begin on Wednesday, March 17, 2010. (MORE)

    Butterfly Brigade

    butterfliesWhat better place to see butterflies than in a lush botanic garden. Butterfly Brigade at the Los Angeles County Arboretum and Botanic Garden on Saturday, March 20, 2010 will include a leisurely stroll through the garden searching for these colorful insects in their favorite habitats. The kids will learn about the butterfly life process along the way. In the end, your child will take home her own caterpillar to witness a metamorphosis with her own eyes. (MORE)

    How do Butterflies Get their Wings?

    butterfly wingsThe Little Scientist’s Lab at the California Science Center offers a Field Trip program for kids ages 4-6 years old. At the How do Butterflies Get their Wings? field trip program, kids will learn about life cycles and explore the amazing transformation that these creatures undergo. The field trip is for groups of 20 kids or more, so if you don’t have 20 friends and siblings to bring on this large playdate, let your preschooler’s teacher know that this field trip exists. Pre-registration is required and the cost is only $7 per student (adult chaperones – no maximum number – are free!). (MORE)

    Native Butterfly Garden Maintenance Day at Griffith Park

    butterfly habitatGet your hands dirty and feel good about it while helping to maintain the Native Butterfly Garden Installation along Griffith Park’s Fern Canyon Trail with the Children’s Nature Institute on Saturday, March 27, 2010. This project is a part of The Children’s Nature Institute’s continuing efforts to create thriving environmental-science resources for the children of Los Angeles county. Bring your hat, sunscreen and water to mulch, gather rocks and mark plants – the flittering native butterflies will thank you for it. (MORE)

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    Native Butterfly Garden Maintenance Day at Griffith Park with Childrens Nature Institute

    Native Butterfly Garden Maintenance Day at Griffith Park

    butterfly habitatGet your hands dirty and feel good about it while helping to maintain the Native Butterfly Garden Installation along Griffith Park’s Fern Canyon Trail with the Children’s Nature Institute on Saturday, March 27, 2010. This project is a part of The Children’s Nature Institute’s continuing efforts to create thriving environmental-science resources for the children of Los Angeles county. Bring your hat, sunscreen and water to mulch, gather rocks and mark plants – the flittering native butterflies will thank you for it.

    You will need closed toe shoes, long pants, hat, sunscreen and water.  This event is great for students, families and people who want to get their hands dirty in the garden!

    Native Butterfly Garden Maintenance Day at Griffith Park

    Fern Canyon Trail
    SEE Directions for exact location
    Saturday, March 27, 2010
    9:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.

    Ages: All
    Cost: FREE (to register email shermin@cni-kids.org)
    Website

    DIRECTIONS:  From L.A.: Take Los Feliz Blvd east to Riverside. Turn left into Griffith Park. Riverside turns into Griffith Park Dr/Crystal Springs. Continue past railroad to the 2nd stop sign at Park Headquarters. Turn left, follow sign to merry-go-round. Park in first merry-go-round parking lot. From the 5 fwy: Take the exit marked “Griffith Park”. Turn right on Crystal Springs Dr. Turn left at stop sign at Park Headquarters, follow sign to merry-go-round. Park in first merry-go-round parking lot.

    Photo by Biiilyboy

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    Caterpillar Adoption and Butterfly Release at Kidspace Children’s Museum

    Caterpillar Adoption and Butterfly Release at Kidspace Children’s Museum

    caterpillarA hands on experience for the kids, the Caterpillar Adoption Program is once again happening at Kidspace Children’s Museum in Pasadena.   Butterfly adoptions begin on March 17, 2010.  For $5 your child can adopt a caterpillar at the Busy Bee Learning Store.  You’ll receive the caterpillar in a container with food and instructions on how to care for it.  In one short month, the caterpillar will turn into a beautiful butterfly and your child can release it into the Kidspace Garden during the Butterfly Release ceremony on April 17.  The day will include performances in the Kidspace amphitheatre and other special programming.  

    Caterpillar Adoption and Butterfly Release

    Kidspace Children’s Museum
    480 N. Arroyo Blvd., Pasadena, 91103
    Adoptions begin Wednesday, March 17, 2010
    Butterfly Release on Saturday, April 17, 2010
    Hours: September through May: Tuesday through Friday, 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; June, July and August: Open 7 days a week! Monday – Friday, 9:30 a.m. – 5 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.
    Ages: All
    Cost: No Admission necessary to purchase caterpillar. Admission for Butterfly Release is $10 per person; Children ages 12 months and under FREE.
    Website

    http://www.flickr.com/photos/benimoto/ / CC BY 2.0
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    Pavilion of Wings at Natural History Museum an annual favorite and must see

    Pavilion of Wings at Natural History Museum an annual favorite and must see

    butterfly pavilionAn annual favorite in Los Angeles from April to September, the Pavilion of Wings provides you the rare opportunity to be surrounded by hundreds of butterflies, some that may just land right on you. The enclosed tent on the grounds of the Natural History Museum will be home to more than 40 species of butterflies and moths in various stages of metamorphosis. A knowledgeable entomologist is usually on hand to answer everything you want to know about what you are seeing. Timed entrances ensure that it doesn’t get too crowded in the pavilion and that everyone gets ample QT with the butterflies! At $3 per entry (and free if you are a Natural History Museum member) this is a spring staple not to miss.

    Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County

    Pavilion of Wings
    900 Exposition Blvd., Los Angeles, 90007; (213) 763-DINO
    April – September (call museum for exact dates and times)
    Ages: All
    Cost: $3
    Website

    http://www.flickr.com/photos/mikebaird/ / CC BY 2.0
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    Deane Dane Friendship Park in San Pedro new home to endangered Palos Verdes Blue Butterfly

    Deane Dane Friendship Park in San Pedro new home to endangered Palos Verdes Blue Butterfly

    blue butterflyThe release of 80 endangered adult Palos Verdes Blue Butterflies into their native habitat at Deane Dana Friendship Park in San Pedro this past weekend was a success in the continuing environmental efforts to revive the Blue Butterfly population. Listening to Dr. Jana Johnson speak about the Blue Butterfly captive breeding program at Moorpark College and the immense care required by the process and provided by her students reminded us of the fragility of these beautiful creatures and reignited our own love affair with butterflies. Lucky for us, spring is right around the corner, and everywhere we look, opportunities exist to learn about, see and experience the wonder of these winged beauties.

    If you have a chance, head out to Dean Dane Friendship Park. You just might spot the thumbnail sized blue butterfly making a home for itself. Federally designated endangered in 1980, the Butterfly Project has helped the Blue Butterfly population grow from only 200 to 10,000 in just three years. Now eight acres at Deane Dana Park will help provide a lush, natural habitat for these butterflies that exist uniquely in the Palos Verdes peninsula. But if you spot these blue beauties remember: look but don’t touch, because the goal is for these butterflies to breed and survive on their own.

    While you are at Deane Dana Friendship Park, wander the grounds and enjoy panoramic views of the L.A. and Long Beach harbors all the way to Catalina Island. Take the trails along the coastal sage scrub habitat, your best bet where to spot a Blue Butterfly. Check out the 4,000 square foot nature center with its natural history museum and some live animal displays. Check their schedule for regular family programming. The grounds offer picnic areas and a playground.

    Deane Dana Friendship Park

    1805 W. 9th Street, San Pedro, 90732; (310) 519-6115
    Hours: Park hours 7 a.m. – 6 p.m. every day; Nature Center hours 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. Tuesdays – Sundays
    Ages: All
    Cost: FREE

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    Cherry Trees in Bloom at Schabarum Park

    Cherry Trees in Bloom at Schabarum Park

    cherry treeThe cherry trees at Schabarum Park in Rowland Heights are still relatively young, but their blossoms are no less stunning.  The first blooms have already started to appear along both sides of the mile-long walkway in the pristine park.  Pack your kids, your family and a picnic and hurry 2010 CHERRY TREES 5to the park to take a storybook stroll alongside the iconic beauties.  The cherry trees bloom for just a teeny bit of time, maybe two weeks, each year, and once they are at their peak, only mother nature and her winds and rain will determine how long they will stay.  If luck and nice weather are on your side, you may have until April to enjoy the views.

     

    Schabarum Regional Park

    17250 Colima Road Rowland Heights, CA 91748;(626) 810-4229
    Hours: October through March 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.
    April through September 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
    Parking: FREE on weekdays; $6 on weekends

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    Habitat Restoration Volunteer Days

    Habitat Restoration Volunteer Days

    Ballona Wetlands
    7740 West Manchester Avenue, Playa Del Rey
    303 Culver Blvd., Playa del Rey, 90293 (This is the meeting place)
    Every Fourth Sunday of each month (call to confirm)
    Sundays, February 27, March 27, April 24, 2010
    9:30 a.m. – Noon

    Ages: All (Kids under age 15 must be accompanied by adult but are welcome)
    Cost: FREE
    Website

    Enter from parking lot behind Gordon’s Market at 303 Culver Blvd in Playa del Rey.
    Try a different sort of family outing by helping nature and the local community. Volunteer together and help the Friends of Ballona Wetlands restore the last coastal wetland habitat in Los Angeles County. Volunteers get hands-on experience while learning about wetland ecology. The Friends provide gloves and tools. Children under 15 must be accompanied by an adult.

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    Salt Marsh and Sand Dunes Tours

    Salt Marsh and Sand Dunes Tours

    Ballona Wetlands
    211 Culver Blvd., Ste. K, Playa Del Rey
    303 Culver Blvd., Playa del Rey, 90293 (This is the meeting place)
    Every Second Sunday of each month (call to confirm) (310) 306-5994
    Sundays, February 14, March14, April 11, 2010

    1 p.m. – 3 p.m.
    Ages: All
    Cost: FREE
    Website

    Meet in the parking lot behind Gordon’s Market at 303 Culver Blvd, Playa del Rey.
    Join the Friends of Ballona Wetlands for an informative nature tour of the salt marsh and dunes. Learn about our coastal ecosystem and explore the wonders of nature right in the middle of urban Los Angeles.

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