We love outdoor green space wherever we can get it, even if it’s smack dab in the middle of a metropolitan hub.  This Thursday, help celebrate the groundbreaking of a new 12-acre park in Downtown Los Angeles at a press conference with free family activities and refreshments on Thursday, July 15 at 9 a.m. The park will connect the Los Angeles County Music Center and Los Angeles City Hall, and will be a hub of activities. The event will offer refreshments by Starbucks and cooking demonstrations, yoga on the lawn, music, art, storytelling and education on drought-tolerant plants to highlight the many ways that the Civic Park wil be used by the public when it is complete in 2012. Head out to the Kenneth Hahn Hall of Administration to show your support for this great addition to our city!

Downtown L.A. Civic Park Groundbreaking Ceremony and Activities

Kenneth Hahn Hall of Administration
500 West Temple Street, Los Angeles, 90012 (Access via Hall of Administration or Hill Street entrance)
Thursday, July 15, 2010
8:30 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.
Ages: All
Cost: FREE

PROGRAM SCHEDULE:
8:30 a.m. Arrival, activities in the park, refreshments by Starbucks
9:00 a.m. Program
9:30 a.m. Leaders turn off the fountain with a giant valve
Park activities continue until 10:30 a.m.

Griffith Park Observatory
2800 East Observatory Road, Los Angeles
Saturday, June 19, 2010
2 p.m. – 9:45 p.m.
Ages: All
Cost: FREE
Website

Free public star parties are held monthly with the assistance of the Los Angeles Astronomical Society and the Los Angeles Sidewalk Astronomers at the Griffith Observatory from 2:00 p.m. to 9:45 p.m. They are a chance for the whole family to look at the sun, moon, visible planets, and other objects, to try out a variety of telescopes, and to talk to knowledgeable amateur astronomers about the sky and their equipment.

Please be aware that the astronomers and telescope demonstrators must cut off the line for each telescope to enable all viewing to be completed by 9:45 p.m. Hours for telescope operation are not the same as for the building (which closes at 10:00 p.m.)

While other parts of Griffith Park are crowded with parties and picnickers, we love the wide open grassy areas at the Griffith Park Old Zoo Area. If there isn’t an event going on there you and your kids will have the run of the spacious lawn, perfect for chasing toddlers, playing tag with tweeners or strolling with your teens! You can also explore the cool-looking stone caves where the animals once lived. (though to be safe, we’d recommend shoes for traipsing in these cement parts).

Old Los Angeles Zoo

Griffith Park Dr., Los Angeles, 90027
Check out map at link below:

View Larger Map

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, June 13, July 11, August 8, 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.

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, June 26, July 24, August 28, 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.

Bring your camera for some unique and out-of-this-world photo-ops at the spectacular sandstone rock formations that have been prominently featured in movies such as Star Trek and The Flinstones, but while you’re at Vasquez Rocks Natural Area, take a hike and follow a trail that will take you right to the Pacific Crest Trail that spans from Canada through California, Oregon and Washington all the way to Mexico! Sure the park is on the northern edges of Los Angeles County but if you’re up for a day trip you won’t be disappointed. And if you go on 2nd,3rd,4th Sunday of each month (except in July, August, September) you can participate in free Ranger-led hikes in the park from 11 a.m. – Noon.

Vasquez Rocks Natural Area

10700 Escondido Canyon Road Santa Clarita, 91390; (661) 268-0840
Hours: Park open daily 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Ages: All
Cost: FREE
Website

You may have to arrive early or stay late to see the mostly nocturnal animals that come out to live and play at Devils Punchbowl, but the spectacular geological features of this deep canyon cut by the runoff of large quantities of water from the higher San Gabriel Mountains are a sight to see in and of themselves. The highest mountain peaks above the park rise to 8,000 and the Devil’s Punchbowl Nature Center itself is located at 4,740 feet above sea level. Three geological fault lines contributed to the uplifting of the landscape here: The Punchbowl Fault is to the south of the rock formation while the Pinyon and San Andreas Faults are to the north. Visit the Nature Center for a Ranger guided tour and lesson about the earthquake faults that define California’s natural landscape.

Gray foxes may sometimes be seen in the early mornings or at dusk and you may occasionally see a deer crossing the road. Chipmunks and California ground squirrels are active during most of the day. A few of the common birds are on display. Many additional species migrate through the area at various times of the year. The reptile and amphibian fauna of the park represents a unique blend of the types found in the deserts and in the mountains. Examples of some of the more commonly seen reptiles and amphibians are on display. Rattlesnakes are a common inhabitant but are leery of people and are rarely encountered. Insects and spiders are seasonally abundant. They may be seen on flowers and shrubs throughout the park, especially during the spring and summer.  A representative collection of the various orders of insects is on display.

Devils Punchbowl Natural Area

28000 Devils Punchbowl Rd., Pearblossom, 93553 ; (661) 944-2743
Hours: Park Daily Sunrise to Sunset
Nature Center: Tuesdays-Sundays 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.; Closed Mondays
Ages: All
Cost: FREE
Website

Having been a former UCLA UniCamp Counselor back during our Bruin days, we can say first hand that this official student charity of UCLA will offer an outdoor experience that will remain magical for kids (and counselors) their entire lives. A week in the heart of the local San Bernardino National Forest will seem light years away from the city home. Classic UniCamp is offered free for kids between 10-14 who qualify for low income status, but in recent years the UniCamp experience has been opened up to all kids and parents.

Anyone can join Family Camps, which are short getaways (usually weekends) where a group can come up to camp and experience a little bit of “Woodsey Magic.” Instead of the traditional cabin groups with counselors, each family that comes up to camp shares a cabin and throughout the day there will be activities hosted by program specialists.

Mark your calendar for the Family Camp opportunities on these dates:

UniCamp 75th Anniversary Weekend (part 1)
Independence Day Weekend
Friday, July 3rd – Monday, July 6th

Woodsey Family Camp Weekend #2
Friday, July 10th – Sunday, July 12th

Woodsey Family Camp Weekend #3
Friday August 21st – Sunday August 23rd

Woodsey Family Camp Weekend #4
Friday, August 28th – Sunday, August 30th

UniCamp 75th Anniversary Weekend (part 2)
Labor Day Holiday Weekend
Friday, September 4th – Tuesday, September 8th

For more information about UniCamp, click HERE

To register and find out more about Family Camp, click HERE

TPL announced today that it’s deadline to raise an additional $1.5 million to save Cahuenga Peak from development has been extended 15 days to April 30, 2010.  (SEE RELATED L.A. KID STUFF STORY HERE)

Aileen Getty and The Tiffany & Co. Foundation said they will join to make a $500,000 matching grant to challenge the California community to close the gap. Ms. Getty and the Tiffany Foundation, both of whom had each previously donated $1 million to the campaign, will make their gifts if TPL raises an additional $1 million.

You still have time to donate online at www.savehollywoodland.org  Or you can donate via text message by texting the word LAND to the number 50555 to give $5.  (Standard messaging and data rates may apply.)

Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden
1500 N College Ave., Claremont, 91711; (909) 625-8767
Saturday, April 3-Monday,April 5, 2010
10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Ages: All
Cost: $8 adults, $6 seniors and students, $4 children 3-12; Free with membership
Website

Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden invites you to visit the Annual Wildflower Show Saturday April 3 and Sunday April 4, 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. Wildflower Show events are included with membership or paid admission to the Garden. On Monday, April 5, 10 a.m. until 4 p.m., the Garden offers complimentary admission to our guests over the age of 65 for Wildflower Show Senior Day. RSABG’s Grow Native Nursery is featuring California native irises and coral bells during the new “Season of Sales” event throughout the show.