Enjoy the glorious sights and sounds this Labor Day weekend (September 4, 5, & 6th) as hundreds of sidewalk chalk artists and dozens of live music acts come together for yet another fun-filled, family-friendly Chalk It Up! festival.  Chalk-It-Up! is a nonprofit organization created to benefit children’s arts education and art activities.  The festival features over 200 sidewalk paintings created at the festival by local artists who donate their time, energy, and talent. These concrete masterpieces are left on the sidewalk for the public to enjoy throughout the month of September. The pieces are done with soft chalk pastel mixed with water.

During the festival local bands, musicians, and other performers entertain the artists and the public.  Since the aim of Chalk-It-Up! is to encourage children’s art programs, all children’s activities at the festival are FREE.  These include chalk drawing and a variety of other art activities.

We went last year and had such a fun time!  The kids were really impressed with the artwork and thought it was so neat to watch some of the artists in the process of creating their square.  They loved drawing with chalk themselves, painting, playing on the playground and listening to the bands.  This is a fun way to spend some time together over the long weekend!

Labor Day Weekend, September 4-6, 2010
10am - 6pm each day
Fremont Park, 16th & Q Streets
Click here for the Chalk It Up! website.

Target is sponsoring Free-Admission Days at the Sacramento Zoo!  If your kids have not gone back to school, then head over there for the whole day.  If they’ve already started back, then surprise them for an after-school outing!  Please consider bringing a new, unwrapped item to donate for their Back-to-School Supply Drive to help kids in our community.

When: Monday, August 23 & Monday, August 30; 9 am to 4 pm

Where: Sacramento Zoo, 3930 West Land Park Drive

More info: Call (916) 508-5888 or www.saczoo.com

Yesterday morning, Sacramento Sidetracks was lucky enough to be featured on the KCRA Morning News!  I was interviewed by Deirdre Fitzpatrick about my Top 3 Picks for FREE things to do before the Summer comes to an end.  It was such a fun experience!  You can watch the interview by clicking here.

Here are the Top 3 Picks that I mentioned:

1.  Spraygrounds - local parks with great water features.

2.  Hagan Petting Barn - cute barn animals in a “real” barn.

3.  TrailMix.Net - Old Sac Scavenger Hunt and free art project.

This is the place for hands-on science discovery!  The Explorit Science Center in Davis features interactive exhibits, a Discovery Room, and a Wet Lab.  Their mission is to “engage people in science experiments that touch all our lives.”

Whether your kids are already interested in science or you want to get them interested, there is no better place to explore.  My kids are still young and haven’t had any experience with science yet.  We walked in the door and they were instantly in engaged.  They wanted to check out every single fossil in the Discovery Room and know exactly what they were.

We moved on to the interactive exhibits and I was amazed at how Explorit has come up with such fun ways to teach important principles of science.  We learned things like:

What happens to the energy of a moving object.
Which objects fly best.
What happens to your body when you exercise.
How gears work.

To get the most out of it, be prepared to be hands-on right along with your kids.  Each experiment has step-by-step instructions that are easy to follow.  Kids that are over eight may be able to figure them out on their own, but younger kids need help understanding the how and why.  There was a friendly, knowledgeable staff on hand that helped us out when we were a little unsure of how to do something.

Upstairs, we conducted little experiments in the Wet Lab.  My four-year-old loved sending scents through a large tube with a fan and weighing the liquids.  Even as I am writing this post, he is looking at the picture and recalling that he learned “which one was heavier”!  My seven-year-old was in love with the craft room that was filled with recycled materials that she could be creative with.  My two-year-old’s favorite spot was the booth he could sit at and play with plastic molecules.  There was definitely something for everyone!

Check this place out and be prepared for a wonderful combination of fun and learning!

Hours:
Saturdays & Sundays: 11 am - 5 pm (both floors)
Tuesdays: 10 am - 5 pm (first floor only 10-2:00; both floors 2-5:00)

Admission:
General Admission $4.00, Kids 3 and under FREE
*FREE Admission Day is the 3rd Tuesday of each month!
*Admission is FREE on the first weekend of each month to individuals with Bank of America credit or debit cards through the bank’s “Museums on Us” program.

Explorit Science Center
2801 2nd Street
Davis, CA 95618
(530) 756-0191

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I discovered that The Fountains at Roseville have some fun…and FREE ways to entertain your toddlers!  Right in the middle of this beautiful shopping center are a few amenties just for kids.  They can take a train ride, watching the dancing water fountain, get wet in the interactive fountain, and play on the playground.

The Train runs from 11am to 6pm daily, with a break from 2 to 3pm.  Tickets are $2.00 normally but on the last Wednesday of each month, Train Rides are FREE!

Here’s a place that you AND your kids can have fun!

The California State Fair at Cal Expo is here!  Kids Day is every Tuesday; all kids 12 and under receive FREE admission all day. Butler Amusements is offering $1 carnival rides for everyone until 11 PM.

Besides the cotton candy and rides, here are two new exhibits that I am excited about:

“Days of the Dinosaur” Adventure
Families are invited to embark on a prehistoric adventure at the world-renowned “Days of the Dinosaur” Exhibit, in its first US appearance. The all-ages indoor attraction will feature more than a dozen life-sized dinosaur robots, skeleton replicas, interactive areas and photo opportunities. The exhibit is FREE with Fair admission and includes hands-on activities like an paleontological dig site where children will have the opportunity to find their own fossils using authentic paleontology tools!

Jungle & Reptile Experience
This new interactive animal exhibit will be housed in a whimsical garden environment full of lush tropical plants. The jungle adventure will feature a variety of birds, amphibians and reptiles, including colonies of alligators and large tortoises. Fairgoers will be able to see and touch these wonderous creatures up close and personal in a family-friendly and educational environment. Located in the Floriculture tent.

Click here to see all the details and plan your day at the Fair!

Sat, July 10th - Sun, July 11th

1. Learn about the Maidu Indians at MAIDU MUSEUM’S FAMILY FUN DAY.
2. Admire wildfowl artworks at the WILDFOWL ART FESTIVAL.
3. Enjoy MONKEY KING: BOLLYWOOD SUPERSTAR at Fairytale Town.
4. Construct a paper TRICERATOPS PILLOW at the Discovery Museum.
5. See PIRATES OF PENZANCE at Civic Theatre West.
6. Make a NATIVE AMERICAN CRAFT and learn about the Nisenan Maidu at TrailMix.Net.
7. Giggle at the FROGGY’S BIG SPLASH puppet show in the Rancho Cordova Library.
8. Watch A MIDSUMMER NIGHTS DREAM at The Shakespeare Festival.
9. SING ALONG with wild & wacky Mr. Candee in the Courtland Library.
10.Enjoy songs and stories of CYRUS THE UNSINKABLE SEA SERPENT with Francie Dillon.

Ready to have a blast with the family on INDEPENDENCE DAY?  Looking for a Parade, a Picnic, Fireworks?  Here’s a list of celebrations happening all over Sacramento.  With all of these choices, it just might be hard to decide!   Happy 4th of July!

Sacramento Independence Day Celebration

Before the fireworks, the celebration begins with Mick Martin and the Blues Rockers performing at 6:30 p.m.  Poppy, the State Fair Mascot, will also be on hand to entertain and delight both young and old. The elaborate Sacramento Independence Day Celebration will include musical entertainment and fireworks.
When: Sunday, July 4, 2010; Starts at 6:30 p.m.; Fireworks 9:30 p.m.
Where: Cal Expo; guests should use the East Gate, located at the intersection of Exposition Blvd. and Challenge Way, as the main entrance to the event. Enter through the D Lot parking area.
Cost: General admission to the July 4th celebration is free, but parking is $10 per vehicle.
What to know: Arrive early and bring lawn chairs and blankets.   Fireworks, cans, glass bottles and alcoholic beverages are prohibited. Bags and ice chests will be searched at the gate. The grass infield will be open on the north side with a section for persons with disabilities set up on the apron by the Winner’s Circle.
More info: Click here or call (916) 263-3000

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Treat Dad to a fun outing on Father’s Day.  The California Automobile Museum is offering FREE admission for all Dads!  This is a fun museum for all ages with a great collection of cars inside.  You’ll see everything from a replica of Henry Ford’s first car to the newest Tesla roadster.  The docents clearly love their cars and know the history and interesting facts about every vehicle in the place.  Mom and kids can have just as much fun learning something new and checking out the cool cars!

California Automobile Museum
2200 Front Street
Sacramento, CA  95818
(916) 442-6802
Open 10am - 6pm
Admission $8.00  Adults, $4.00 Students, 5 and under FREE

Regal Cinemas is offering FREE  movies during their Family Film Festival!  It starts this week and runs through August.  All movies will be G or PG.  There is a wide range of movies…so you’ll be sure to find ones that are perfect for your kids.  We can’t wait to go see Monsters vs. Aliens and Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs on the big screen.  Films are shown at 10:00 am every Tuesday and Wednesday during the festival.

Everyone loves free stuff.  So if you’re planning to take the kids to a free or cheap showing, be sure to get there early. Many summer movie programs are run on a first-come, first-serve basis.  You can also be prepared for regular prices for popcorn, soda and candy at the concession stand.

Click here to see the movie schedule.  Locations include El Dorado Stadium 14, Olympus Pointe 12 in Roseville, Natomas Marketplace Stadium 16, Market Square 6 on Arden, and Laguna Village 12 in Elk Grove.

If a Century Theatre happens to be more convenient for you…they are offering $1.00 movies this summer.  Click here to see the movie schedule and locations.

Going to the movies will be a great way for kids to spend a weekday morning in the summer!