FREE FAMILY FUN!

So keeping in the spirit of getting back to our roots, I've compiled a list of FREE family fun. If you're anything like me, funds can be tight raising a lil' one. But don't let that get you down, it just means you have to be a little more creative. Just remember the wee ones are quite easily amused & everything is new to them.

1. youtube JaMaROOkids page:
All kinds of INTERACTIVE stories, songs, dances & yoga for children ages 0-5 or so
I'm officially a JaMaROO teacher now too (& loving it yay!) Believe me I know what your thinking, you work for them, you would recommend them. BUT...I do what I LOVE and believe in & my daughter LOVES the youtubes. Also check out the website JaMaROOkids.com We can come & teach a class at your school or daycare (we're in over 50 child care facilities in the Bay Area)

2. I say this one a lot: go to your LOCAL LIBRARY. Not only are there usually tons of free classes for babies & children, it's a great way to get in touch w/ other parents & children and your community. Plus it encourages literacy at an early age. At our library they have these cute lil backpacks (Fun Packs) filled w/ books & a cd. My daughter LOVES wearing the backpack & gets so excited about the new music & books. Speaking of music don't forget you can check out not only books for free but music & dvds too! WE HEART LIBRARIES

3. Need something close by, free & something your lil one is sure to love? Take a safari to the PET STORE. It's really like a mini zoo trip for them, without the planning & expense, woo hoo! Plus if you have any pets just plan a trip when you're low on supplies & you've killed 2 birds with one stone.

4. If you have an IKEA nearby, not only will your fam have fun walking around but don't forget about the kids department where tons of toys are on display just for your child to explore & play with. My daughter & I spent a long afternoon in the kids department goofing around. It's even fun for them to explore the display kids rooms. They stock the rooms with books (in Swedish, fresh!) so we looked at them & my daughter wanted to try every bed!

5. Speaking of stores, need a lil break after doing some shopping at the MALL? Don't forget the home furnishings sections at the department store, couches galore for resting & since it's new to your child they're sure to be entertained. While you're at the mall, some more fav's of my daughter: the escalator, the elevator, & look for kid friendly stores that might interest them. Some malls have FREE kiddie events too.  
Kids Club Bayfair. Bayfair Mall offers monthly performances and events for kids in its Center Court. There’s also an indoor play area nearby. One Sat. per month. 11am. 15555 East 14th St., San Leandro. 510-357-6000. Bayfair.mallfinder.com. 
 Simon Kidgits Club. Free monthly events from shows to arts and crafts. Hilltop Mall, 2200 Hilltop Mall Road, Richmond, 510-223-1933; Stoneridge Mall, One Stoneridge Mall, Pleasanton. 925-463-2778.
Simon.com/kidgits.

6. Go to a PARK or FARM! Picnic & play! Classic & your kids will thank you. Get outdoors! Here's some FREE fun ones in the EAST Bay: 
Loma Vista Farm www.lomavistafarm.org "Fertile ground for growing minds. An outdoor classroom for kids that provides hands-on educational activities involving plants and animals." They have cows, pigs, goats, horses, sheep, alpaca, cats, rabbits, birds, turtles, gardens, a greenhouse & more! I've lived in Vallejo 6 years & just recently found out about them!! Open 9a-2:30 pm M-F & select weekends, closed VCUSD holidays (chk website) (707) 556-8765 150 Ranier Ave. Vallejo, CA  
Old Borges Ranch. Learn what it was like to live and work on a family ranch in the late 19th century on a ranger-guided tour. Fourth Sat. of each month at 2pm. 1035 Castle Rock Road, Walnut Creek. 925-942-0225. Walnut-creek.org.  
Adventure Playground. Build your own playground structures or ride the zip line. Sat. and Sun., 11-4. (Varies seasonally.) Berkeley Marina, Berkeley. 510-981- 6700. Ci.berkeley.ca.us.  
Cal Sailing Club. From May through Nov., the Cal Sailing Club offers free sailing on the bay at several Sunday Open Houses. Children must be at least 5 years old and with an adult.124 University Ave., Berkeley. Cal-sailing.org.  
Little Farm. Visiting and feeding the animals at Tilden Park’s Little Farm is always free. Lettuce and celery only, please. Daily, 8:30am-4pm. North end of Central Park Drive, Berkeley. 510-544-2233. Ebparks.org.  
Hayward Shoreline Interpretive Center. Offers lots of free guided hikes, leopard shark feeding and more. Open Sat. and Sun., 10am-5pm. 4901 Breakwater Ave. 510-670-7270. Haywardrec.org.
In SF they do: Sunday Streets. 6 times a year, the streets of Golden Gate Park are closed to traffic for tons of FREE fun from bike rentals to skating lessons to yoga classes. Lincoln Way at the Great Hwy sundaystreetssf.com 
In Marin theres: Wild Care Family Adventures. This urban wildlife rehabilitation center offers monthly FREE guided hikes for families in English & Spanish. 451-453-1000 wildcarebayarea.org  
Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District Preserves. Offers numerous free activities, including guided hikes and bike rides. Some activities require reservations. Various preserves from San Carlos to Los Gatos. Openspace.org. 

7. Take a trip to the BEACH or if you're like us in Vallejo, you can go down to the waterfront & ride bikes/scooters/wagons/strollers etc or fly a kite or play with a ball on the grass or just lay down & look at the clouds.

8. FOUNTAINS! We have some in nearby downtown Fairfield that come straight up from the ground & kids from all over come to play in them, & you don't have to be a big kid to enjoy them, I took my daughter when she was under a year & she enjoyed  it. Find some in you area...

9. Take your sweetie to a NURSERY or even the garden section of your local superstore. Refreshing, fragrant & tactile. Stop & smell the flowers!!  The San Francisco Botanical garden has FREE family storytime & guided walk. Ages 4-8. 1st & 3rd sundays every month. 9th Ave at Lincoln Way 415-661-1316 sfbotanicalgarden.org

10. Find a free kids center in your area, we have Happy Frog (a indoor jumpy house place, free for children 2 & under). UPDATE: Happy Frog is now Vallejo Fun Center, haven't been yet so, let me know if you have, on their FB it says the price is $0-10. Looks like an upgraded version of Happy Frog from their pix.
Lawrence Hall of Science Inventor's Lab is also a great new addition to our little town of Vallejo, it's FREE every thurs 3p-7p & on special events. Any other day $4, ages 3 & under free. Family Membership — $40: Provides families unlimited access to all drop-in programs through September 2012. Look into a free science center in your area. Hands on learning & experimenting fun! Kids as young as 1 can even participate!! See pix of our adventures there on the facebook.com/RootsMamas


11. Your local Farmer's Market is also a fun place to explore from a child's point of view. They'll be happy people watching, taking in all the sights & sounds & sometimes there's animals to look at or other children's events going on. Not to mention you can go up & down sampling everything & stocking up on local fruits, veggies & other wares.

12. Speaking of FREE SAMPLES, if you have a Whole Foods in your area, go in for some free samples. They have large sample portions (we had a huge cup of tomato, basil, mozzerella salad, all kinds of fruits & cheese too)! Delicious & nutritious!!

13. PLAY, PLAY, PLAY! Playing is your child's "work", it's how they grow smarter, stronger, healthier & happier! Here's some things at home to play with: spoons, plastic or metal bowls, empty pie tins, paper or plastic cups, paper towel tubes, empty boxes, empty baskets, measuring cups/spoons, pots & pans, oatmeal box, pillows, sock balls, dress up clothes, & bubbles. So turn on some music, make a band, dance & PLAY!
((Get out some art or make a homemade instrument. Check back soon for my post on how to make homemade instruments & art fun!))  

The SFMOMA has Famliy Studio. Explore art through hands on projects, gallery tours & more at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. 1st & 3rd sun of every month 11a-3p ages 4-12. Program & museum admission both FREE. 151 3rd St 415-357-4000 sfmoma.com 
Free Kids Play Group:  City of Alameda Free Play Group for children 2 1/2 to 5 years old, starting this fall. Field trips, fun hands-on activities (arts, science, math exploration, tiny chefs kitchen, literacy). Snacks provided. Tuesday class taught in English; Thursday class bilingual Spanish. 9/7/10 through 11/18/10.
Los Tamborcitos Spanish Music Class. You and your child under 5 can join in a weekly Spanish singalong. Every Mon. at 10am. Parque Niños Unidos, 23rd and Folsom streets. Sfnpc.org/parkkiosk/ parque_ninos_unidos. 
Dancing on the Square. Kick your heels up with free weekly dance lessons on Tuesdays at 6pm. June-Aug. Courthouse Square, 2200 Broadway St., Redwood City.  
Berkeley Rep. Become part of the action at the berkeley Repertory School of Theater Sunday Sampler, with several free classes for families. 1pm on Jan. 10 and April 4. 2071 Addison St., Berkeley. 510-647-2972. Berkeleyrep.org

14. Speaking of the arts, most MUSEUMS have a FREE day once a month but here's some that are always FREE. 
SF has Randall Museum. Includes a caboose, wild native California animals and a Toddler Treehouse Exploration Zone. 99 Museum Way. 415-554-9600. Randallmuseum.org.  
Palo Alto Junior Museum and Zoo. Has more than 50 species of animals in its outdoor zoo and 2,500 feet of hands-on exhibits indoors. 1451 Middlefi eld Road, Palo Alto. 650-329-2111. Cityofpaloalto.org. 
Hayward Downtown Museum. Children can learn the history of the area with costumes, books and more in the Curiosity Clubhouse. 22701 Main St., Hayward. 510- 581-0223. Haywardareahistory.org.  
Chabot Space and Science Center. Free viewing from Chabot’s telescopes, among the largest in the country regularly open to the public. Fri. and Sat., 7:30-10:30 pm, weather permitting. 1000 Skyline Blvd., Oakland. 510-336-7300. Chabotspace.org.

15.  Look for your local ACTIVITY GUIDE, if there's a free activity going on in your community, it's usually in there. They post things such as FREE MUSIC IN THE PARK & OUTDOOR MOVIE NIGHTS.

16. And lastly remember to set some time aside for yourself. Here's an idea: Free Cooking Class at Williams-Sonoma! The store offers FREE cooking classes. Sign up early because classes fill up. Call your nearest Bay Area location for details and schedule.


SUMMER UPDATE 2012:  Here's some promotions going on just for the summer. 


Free bowling for kids here: www.kidsbowlfree.com to see if there's one in your area. And if you want a  Buy 1 Get 1 FREE coupon for bowling click here.  All you have to do is pay for a bowling game & you’ll get a coupon for a FREE game.  Just sign up for AMF Bowling’s e-club & you’ll be sent periodic coupons & discounts throughout the year.


REI’s Passport to Adventure Program  An incentive program for kids ages 5-12 to encourage them to get out with their families on bike rides, hikes, nature walks & more.  They can earn a free prize by documenting their activities for the summer. You can also find out some great information about local hikes, walks, bike trails & more on their website.  Find out more HERE.

Free Kids Book from Barnes & Noble: elementary age kids get a Free Book (from their book list) when they read 8 (no purchase needed). Just fill out the form listing the books and take it to the store.
EVEN BETTER: your local library probably has a summer reading program that's even better (at ours they have a program for infants/toddlers and teens can earn up to 3 books or $30 towards book purchases!!) AND they have great FREE special events going all all summer long! Solano kids 12 & under programs: Dream Big Read Solano teens program: Own the Night


Try a U-Pick Farm! It's not free (but it's cheaper), such a fun activity for kids to be involved in picking raspberries, blueberries, strawberries, peaches & more ; Pickyourown.org is a great resource to find U-pick farms; prices should be lower when you pick them yourselves, too. (some farms are year round too!)


Don't forget about the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk go here to their coupons & discounts page for their goodies. They also have a bunch of FREE events HERE such as FREE Friday Bands on the beach.
Here's my fav: Weeknight After 5pm Specials: June 18-August 30, 2012
1907 Nights Enjoy old time prices on Mondays and Tuesdays after 5pm. Rides, Pepsi, hot dogs, and cotton candy are just $1.00 each!  
PEPSI Nights Get a great deal on Wednesdays and Thursdays after 5pm. Unlimited ride wristbands are just $10.95 + tax when you bring along a Pepsi can!  Free Movies on the Beach: Every Wednesday, July 11-August 15, 2012
Free Movies on the Beach: Every Wednesday, July 11-August 15, 2012


ALMOST FREE:

Summer Movie Express from Regal "Moviegoers of all ages can climb aboard the Summer Movie Express to enjoy a great selection of films. During this 9-week festival, participating Regal Cinemas, United Artists and Edwards Theatres will offer selected G or PG rated movies for only a dollar on Tuesday and Wednesday mornings at 10:00."

Cinemark theaters will be offering Summer Movie Clubhouse. 10 kid-friendly movies (rated G or PG), priced at $1/ ticket. However, if you buy tickets for all 10 movies at once, you only have to pay $5 total – which means 50 cents/movie ticket! 


AMC is not offering a summer program this year (that I found) BUT has this great BRING YOUR BABY program: "Bring the Kids on Your Parental Play Date:
It’s a play date for parents just like you! Catch the blockbusters you want to see on the first Tuesday of every month, shown in a baby-friendly environment. 
Brighter lights 
Lower volume 
Breastfeeding, stroller parking and crying babies are permitted!"
SO AWESOME!!


Thanks Thrifty NW Mom & Michael Finney!

ONGOING FREE EVENTS FOR OLDER CHILDREN

Free Crafts Workshops at Michaels: The crafts store offers Free crafts workshops for kids, with a different make it/take it theme each month.
Free Build & Grow Kids Workshops for kids: Lowe’s Free Build & Grow Workshops for kids are offered on some Saturdays. (Check your local store).
Free Kids Workshops at Home Depot – Free kids workshop first Saturday of every month from 9am-noon. 
Free Fishing Clinics: Learn to fish for free in 45 -minute beginner clinics offered by the Department of Fish & Game. Available free at Bay Area lakes in Campbell, Fremont, Novato, San Rafael, Vallejo & Milpitas. (May be a parking fee.) Covers basics of fishing including knots, casting, rigging, safety, & ethics. Equipment and tackle provided. Each adult may bring up to 2 children and a driver’s license for rod loan.
Free Movies Online: Hulu.com.



Oh AND don't forget to check out this fabulous site: Bay Area on the Cheap!  TONS of FREEBIES , a complete listing of all FREE museum/attraction days, cheap dates, cheap gas finder, 1/2 price on tickets & MORE MORE MORE!! Can't say enough about how great this site is!! Thanks bayareaonthecheap.com!


PLEASE let me know what your family does for free fun!