take the kids Archives - Page 3 of 24

Explore your local library

August 11, 2023August 11, 2023Silvia

Libraries offer much more than books to borrow. The Woodland public library teamed up with the Obama Foundation to show off their amazing programs: getting a pass for a national park, getting a backpack with nature activities, attending book clubs in English and Spanish, and being able to work in a maker space, Square One.

Woodlands public library is one of the few Carnegie built libraries that are still being used as a library. I already made you aware of the excellent rose garden, and the kids reading program on Saturdays during the farmers market. But did you know they also have Henrietta, the library cat?

Square One, the maker space in the basement, offers laser cutting, screen printing, 3d printing, woodworking, and much more. You must have a valid Woodland library card. And, you have to participate in a workshop in order to use some of the equipment.

Woodland’s library is doing a great job engaging the community. However, I’m sure if you explore your local library you will most definitely find more than books to keep you busy.

What programs does your local library have?

Check out the instagram post the library did with President Obama.

And their amazingly creative tik tok account (especially for updates on Henrietta):

https://www.tiktok.com/@woodlandpubliclibrary

Gift some Zinnia Flowers, Woodland, CA

July 7, 2023July 7, 2023Silvia

I remember when I volunteered at the Mountain View food bank (CSA) every time we had flowers to give out, these were the most precious items that day. Gifting flowers is something the Mezger family in Woodland understands very well. They provide the zinnia patch on the outskirts of Woodland. This is a give-it-forward patch. You can pick a bouquet of zinnias and you are asked to pick one for someone else, who is not able to come and pick their own. Check out their facebook page to follow the announcement when the zinnias are ready to pick, usually at the end of June until September. I love this concept so much! Thank you, Mezger family!

Some tips for zinnia picking. First, please note that the field has moved. It’s now located at 11990 County Rd. 96, Woodland, CA 95695. We brought our own scissors, but saw that there were scissors on a table. A very important fact I learned was that zinnias don’t like to lay down. They do much better in a vase during transport (and obviously when at home). It doesn’t have to be fancy, just bring a high jar with a wide mouth (or more if you have many to share). There is a water station to fill up the jars. Just make sure they can sit upright in your car and don’t tip over! If you have a lot of vases, this might be the spot to donate them. And I’m sure the scissors will need to be replenished, too.

Zinnias attract a lot of pollinators, and it was pure joy to see the butterflies dance around. What a fantastic place and a generous family.

How to get there

To find the zinnias patch follow the signs attached to the blue boxes. Located at 11990 County Rd. 96 in Woodland. I did not see any opening hours, but there is a private driveway next to the patch, so please be respectful and don’t park there.

Have you picked zinnias at the Mezger’s before?

Bypass the Winchester Mystery House, San Jose

June 30, 2023Silvia

The Winchester Mystery House is still on my to-do list, especially when it’s celebrating its centennial, but I’m no fan of horror or ghosts. For those who don’t know San Jose’s biggest attraction and oddity, the Winchester House was the residence of Sarah Winchester, heir of the firearms magnate William Wirt Winchester. To appease the spirits she kept building additions to her mansion and ended up with 160 rooms, 2,000 doors, 10,000 windows, 9 kitchens, 13 bathrooms, 47 stairways and fireplaces.

Obviously this is the core idea of a haunted house, with staircases going nowhere and doors open to the outside! Tickets are about $42 for adults. Like I said, all these are reasons I did not bother to visit, yet.

If you are looking for a stripped down adventure which bypasses the inside experience, go and visit the free Product Museum and gift shop. The Product Museum is one room inside the gift shop that shows off the Winchester products and history. Did you know that they were known for roller skates? I also liked the model of the Winchester house, it gives you an idea of the quirkiness of it. The gift shop, besides the kitsch, has these old penny machines – test your love, anyone?

Another way to enjoy the Winchester Mystery House on a budget is to walk the garden; see some old Winchester equipment, like a Winchester lawn mower. Also, the paid entertainment fits the eccentric location: axe throwing and a shooting gallery. Axe throwing for one hour for up to 5 people is $24.99 per person per lane. The shooting gallery with one game for $3 might be the most frugal experience.

The Winchester Mystery House is located at 525 S. Winchester Blvd, San Jose, CA near Santana Row. Parking is complimentary. Opening hours are daily from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm on weekdays and 10:00 am to 7:00 pm on weekends. You can book various tours online.

Have you been to the Winchester Mystery House?

A Farmers Market with the Gift of Community, Woodland, CA

June 23, 2023June 23, 2023Silvia

Farmers markets are my preferred food shopping sources and I visited many of them in Northern California. It is always a pleasure to browse the fresh produce that grows a short distance away, buy bread with a crust, and get lunch while listening to some music.

Next to the library on First St, the Woodland farmers market presents a small offering of fresh produce. If you are looking for a larger variety of produce you should consider driving to nearby Davis for its more expansive farmers market. Nevertheless all fruits and vegetables offered at the Woodland location are brought to you within an hour away. And, Woodland’s farmers market stands out for bringing together the community while shopping.

The library offers outdoor children’s reading circles, from 10 am to 10:30 am, and the Friends of the library open up their book store in the basement of the Carnegie Library, from 10 am to 1 pm. Furthermore you might be able to have an interesting photo opp; I saw stormtroopers peacefully engaging with the public on my last visit!

If you have gardening questions, two master gardeners from the UC Davis are on hand to answer them. Last but not least every other week the farmers market offers the kids farmers market a free event where kids get to shop for their own fruits and vegetables. This teaches future market shopping skills and gives them an appetite for fresh produce.

The Woodland farmers market is open from May to October, 9 am – 12 pm, located on 1st St. in front of the Woodland public library. There is a second market every Tuesday from June to August 10 am to 1 pm at the Woodland Memorial Hospital on 1325 Cottonwood Street.

Where is your favorite farmers market?

Trudge the Cache Creek Nature Preserve

June 9, 2023Silvia

Besides the 1.5 miles of hiking trails the Cache Creek Nature Preserve has also a Tending and Gathering Garden (TGG) and the Jan T. Lowrey Memorial Grove. The Tending and Gathering Garden provides educational space to teach cultural practices of the Wintun people. You can learn about controlled fires known as Good fire or Leok Po, in a workshop, or check out some weaving baskets that were left behind.

We started our hike at the wetland overlook. A calming place to take in the beauty of the area. On clear days you will be able to see the Anderson mountains located to the West. Next stop was the heron boardwalk, a pier that is in the middle of the wetland, with info signs on local birds. We only took the short loop through grassy land. Afterwards, we checked out the old barn with the impressive Hold Harvester tractor. And finally we saw the natural lawn mowers – a herd of sheep with a lot of lambs – decimating the landscape.

You can do yoga under the oaks Sundays at 8 am for $15. Further, there are guided nature walks; June 11th and July 9th starting at 9 am. These walks are free!

If you have little kids and live near Woodland you might want to check out the library’s Creek Explorers program. Every Monday from 10-11am, in June and July, the Putah Creek Council will teach children about the biodiversity of the Putah Creek.

The Cache Creek Nature Preserve is located at 34199 County Road 20 in Woodland. Hours are Sunday through Friday, 8:00 am to 4:00 pm. The visitor center is currently closed.

A sign pointing to the garden walk with an info box on top

Walk the Line, Woodland, CA

May 19, 2023June 9, 2023Silvia

I’ve written about labyrinths before. There are a few in Palo Alto, and I highly recommend the one on top of Eaton Park in San Carlos. Mostly these are classical patterns of walking from the outside in, winding to the center, and then back out again. A great tool to contemplate life’s questions.

The American Lutheran Church in Woodland, CA invites you to walk their beautiful garden walk. The path is made of dirt and lined with bricks in a zig-zag pattern. It ends at a bench, inviting you to sit and reflect. While on your walk you can either focus inward or appreciate the mural of a sunset over a mountain range with sunflower fields.

The garden walk is open from dawn to dusk, so you can enjoy it any time of day. The church is located at 1114 College St, Woodland, CA. If you’re looking for a peaceful place to relax and connect with nature, be sure to check out the American Lutheran Church’s garden walk.

A more traditional labyrinth can be found at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church on 515 2nd St, Woodland, CA.

Do you have a labyrinth you like to walk?

The piano at the entrance of the Mary L. Stevens Davis Branch Library, Davis

Hit the Right Keys, Davis

May 12, 2023Silvia

There are three places in Davis that invite you to play a piano in public year round: Davis Food Co-Op (620 G Street), Mary L. Stevens Davis Branch Library (315 E. 14th Street), and Wyatt deck (at the arboretum). Wyatt deck is the most recent addition to the ‘In the Key of Davis’ program. This public art program puts out colorful pianos for the public to play. Because these three locations are covered over it allows the pianos to be out year round. The city will roll out additional pianos to the Manetti Shrem museum and other downtown locations in mid June.

In 2015, two sisters, Isabelle and Hailey Shapiro, then teenagers, launched the program with help from their family and the city of Davis. Thanks to them the pianos get tuned regularly and half of them are hauled to and from their summer location. You can even donate a piano for this creative and interactive public art installation. Check the city’s website for more information.

I envy people that can just whizz in and play a melody on the piano. Since 2015, the City of Davis Arts & Cultural Affairs Program recognizes the social and health benefits that come from playing music together. There are plenty of YouTube videos from pianists delighting their audiences. You can follow along virtually by checking the ‘In the Key of Davis Facebook page or following on Instagram @key_of_davis.

I love the quote on the website:

“The pianos offer a space for improvisational gatherings, spontaneous connections, and celebrations of music.”

When was the last time you spontaneously gathered and made a connection through music?

Render Eggheads as Positive, UC Davis

April 28, 2023Silvia

At UC Davis you might be called an egghead and be proud of it. However. Wikipedia describes eggheads as: “U.S. English slang, egghead is an epithet used to refer to intellectuals or people considered out-of-touch with ordinary people and lacking in realism, common sense, sexual interests, etc. on account of their intellectual interests.”

Large ceramic sculptures collectively known as eggheads can be found across the campus. These seven eggheads were among Robert Arneson’s last works in 1991. Arneson, a former art professor at UC Davis, is considered the father of the ceramic Funk movement.

Tour the eggheads

Like the name, the egghead pieces are many folded, funny, with a wink into sarcasm. There are five stops on the egghead tour around campus. We started at the Welcome Center (550 Alumni Ln) to pick up a campus map. If you follow the road north on Mrak Hall Drive you’ll meet the first two eggheads: See No Evil/Hear No Evil. Notice that both sculptures are missing ears!

If you are touring on a day the administration building Mrak Hall is open you can cut through it to find the next stop: Eye on Mrak (Fatal Laff) The eye that ‘looks’ at Mrak reminds me of the Eye of Providence (also known as the all-seeing-eye). The other side is upside down and laughing.

Next, we turned east towards Lake Spafford and then north through the orange arches of Celeste Turner Wright Hall where you can see Yin & Yang. These two might look familiar. A replicate of them sits on the Embarcadero in San Francisco.

In front of the Shields library you’ll find my personal favorite: Bookhead. The head collapsed over a book, the nose right in the crease of it. I think this egghead needs sleep.

Lastly, Stargazer can be found by going north, then turning right onto Shields Ave. At the next opportunity, turn left on East Quad. Take a right after South Hall. Once you are in the courtyard turn left. Stargazer is near the original entrance of UC Davis, a brick wall from 1908.

Do you think eggheads are funny or have a deeper meaning?

Delight Yourself at a Fairy Garden in Woodland

April 21, 2023Silvia

Remember the fairy garden in Fairy Glen, San Jose? Someone told me about one in Woodland. In this garden the fairies and gnomes live together. They enjoy gardening (of course!), but they also have a zip line that you can help them use. If you have a wish you can take one of the trinkets, turn around, close your eyes and throw it over your shoulder into the pond. Adults will find a penny jar to use for their wishes.

The garden itself is a gem on its own. I believe the grown up inhabitant is a landscape architect. There are various elements of Japanese garden design, like bonsai trees, and buddha statues. Another interactive feature is the gong and children are encouraged to ring it.

You can find the fairy garden on the corner lot of Rancho Way and Westway Drive in Woodland. Please supervise your children when they interact with the fairies and gnomes.

I hope your wishes will come true.

Do you know of other fairy garden in the Bay Area?

Hanna & Herbert Bauer Community Garden in Woodland

Plant a Community, Hanna & Herbert Bauer Community Garden

March 10, 2023Silvia

After all these extreme weather events it is finally time to plant your garden. If you don’t have a garden of your own you can ask for a community garden plot. The Hanna & Herbert Bauer Community Garden in Woodland is managed by the Health and Human Services department. The 32 plots are tended by residents, but they also offer classes that are open to the public. The garden was established in 2013 with the goal to increase access to fresh produce for the community.

It was great to see the different plots, some still with the winter vegetables, like chard and cabbage. The many benches promise an interaction on warmer days. Next to the garden area is a small orchard with about 10 different trees. Also the solar farm adjacent to it is harvesting hopes.

To apply for a 10 x 10 plot you can contact the Garden Coordinator: David Linebarger at david.linebarger@yolocounty.org. There is no fee for plot rental, just a commitment for giving 12 hours/year of maintenance service to the garden. With this amazing offer it is no surprise that the plots are usually taken. But turnover does happen.

The Hanna & Herbert Bauer Community Garden is located in the back of the Yolo County Health and Human Services Agency (HHSA) Bauer building in Woodland, 137 N Cottonwood St. If you are interested in classes check their facebook page for upcoming events: https://www.facebook.com/YoloCountyHHSA

Are you a member of a community garden?