Blog Posts by Red Tricycle

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Friday the 13th might just be lucky this month with all this fun! Some early Earth Day activities arrive this weekend (like CicLAvia and a celebration at the Autry), there is free music at the Getty, fast cars in Long Beach, monsters downtown and cultural celebrations from Malibu to Thousand Oaks.

Monster Mash Family Day
Enjoy a day of monster related fun and crafts (make monster feet, monster puppets, monster origami and even monster snacks) for the whole family at the Japanese American National Museum. Sat., 11:00 am. Little Tokyo. Free. All ages. Event details.

CicLAvia
CicLAvia turns the L.A. streets into a giant park for 5 hours - it's the one time of the year you can tell the kids it's OK to go play (and ride their bikes) in the street! Sun., 10:00 am - 3:00 pm. Downtown. Free. All ages.Event details.

Earth Day at the Autry
There are loads of fun family activities all day long, like panning for gold, a western family jam, story time,

Turn off the televisions and ipads, because armed with this list of 101 must-try family adventures in the Bay Area you'll be the talk of the playground as the coolest parent with all of the insider info. Some of our favorite Bay Area activities on our Must-Try list are oldies but goodies (think the Academy of Sciences and Angel Island), but many of our picks are hidden gems, which we've decided to share with you at the expense of incurring the wrath of parents who want to keep these spots well, secret (you can thank us later). And, when someone asks you where you got this sweet list, we won't blame you if you take full credit. Sharing is caring, right?

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1. Feed your family's appetite for the avant garde at the Bay Area's most amazing outdoor art displays for kids.

2. Check out an old school wooden playground with a stunning backdrop just 20 minutes from San Francisco.

3. Your kids will be delighted to visit a farm right in the heart of San Francisco.

4. If your

The gloom and thick coats of the winter months can weigh down on our hearts and leave us feeling a little less than the family love at home. Bring back the joy and laughter that's so important for you and the ones that matter the most, with a quick change of scenery at any of these awesome and inexpensive spring time destinations.

Palm Springs

Palm Springs

While this locale may at first conjure images of retirement communities and early bird specials, modern Palm Springs is brimming with family fun and vacation possibilities. Hotels in the area boast playgrounds, cabanas, hot spas, golf and literally hundreds of pools. If that isn't enough delightful exhaustion for you and yours, take a trip toJoshua Tree National Park, Splashtopia Water Park at Rancho Las Palmas Resort, the Walk of the Stars, the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway and the World's Biggest Dinosaur Museum.

Loreto, Mexico

LoretoA quick flight from LA will put you on this beach in about an hour for sun, sand, tapas,

Looking for something other than peeps and jelly beans to fill your little ones Easter baskets this year? Give one (or more) of these cute and creative goodies a try. Besides, after their sugar high crashes, the kids will be looking for something more exciting to do than unwrapping candies. Imagine the fun of coloring with special crayons or painting wooden Easter eggs. Come on, you can do better than picking up a prepacked Easter basket at your local grocery store the night before.

1. Crayons. We love these stylish Kitty Egg Crayonsfrom Portland Etsy designers. $14 for a set of 4. These robots and dinosaurs work too.

Kitty Egg Crayons

2. Kite. We love the idea of getting out of the house and flying a kite, which is truly a great way to kick off Springtime.

Kite

3. Legos. Little boys and girls alike will adore this Easter Lego set. Plus, they can add it to any existing collections. $4.99

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4. Rubber Stamps. Easter rubber stamps are fun

Alexandra Hedin Easter Egg Designs

Very Obvious Eggs

You'll need:

12 plastic eggs

Assorted colors of glitter

Thick white glue (such as Martha Stewart Glittering Glue)

Small paint brush

Bowl

Spoon

Step 1: Separate one egg and coat with glue using the paint brush.

Step 2: Pour 1/4 cup of glitter into a bowl and dip egg into glitter. Use spoon to ensure an even coat of glitter

Step 3: Let dry with pieces apart

Camouflage Eggs

You'll need:

12 plastic

frog-and-afikomen

This year Passover begins at sundown Friday, April 6. The holiday celebrates Moses and the exodus of the Jews from slavery in Egypt, and is told during a traditional seder dinner complete with symbols of the holiday.The Jewish holiday of Passover (or Pesach) can be one of the most kid-friendly Jewish holidays of the year. There are many ways to get the young ones involved in the seder and still have a meaningful celebration for adults.

Here are five tips to make your Passover kid-friendly while keeping the religion intact.

1. Put kids in charge of the Passover plagues. The ten plagues are an integral part of the Passover story (blood, frogs, darkness, beasts, etc.). Before Passover begins, put a "goodie bag" together with items that represent each of the different plagues. Dollar stores are a great way to find inexpensive items for each plague. During this portion of the seder, have the kids take over by explaining each plague and demonstrating it with the toys from

So you're throwin' a party and want earth friendly birthday ideas because you're concerned about how much gets thrown away. For that big bash with a small enviro footprint, check out the ACME Party Box Company.

Lisa Fulker and Cathy Keyani have made it their mission to furnish party supplies that are high quality, easy to set up, and most importantly, earth-friendly. The idea is to have a fun time where the guests leave feeling good instead of leaving heaps of trash that came from non-recyclable party supplies. The company motto is "Party, Rinse, Repeat", and that means washable, 100% cotton linens, invitations printed on recycled stock using soy ink and compostable tableware.theme-woodland1

Available online, ACME Party Box Company has imaginative party starter boxes featuring Circus, Woodland, and Kingdom themes. Starter boxes provide everything you need for a gorgeous table including napkins, bunting, reversible runners and even an heirloom wooden centerpiece made from sustainable

When the weather isn't cooperating, we can't help but think about reinventing our house as an indoor play space, complete with a playground to keep our little monkeys from swinging off our clothes rack and shower bar.

These indoor swings inspire us to think outside the (sand)box.

1. While this leather-upholstered swing might be a little over the top, it's fun to fantasize about living in a loft and being able to plunk down $800 to install this ultra-hip, modern Svvving in our living room.

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2. The trouble with indoor swings is they usually accommodate just one little bum. That's a challenge when you have more than one. Haba's Ship's See-Saw Swing($269) can handle 2-3 little people, maxing out at 175-pound capacity. There's no limit to the imaginative play.

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3. Though it's been discontinued, Ikea's Svava swing offers inspiration for DYIers. A hula hoop and some kite fabric will get you started. And let's face it, will be easier to replace if the dog mistakes it for a