Ready for Your Close-Up? 3 Oscar Activities for Kids

If you don’t work in the biz, your neighbor does, they use your school as a location, or you run into Cameron Diaz in the elevator, Ben Affleck at the Country Mart and Brooke Shields at the pizza place (yep, all happened to Red Tricycle staff, and recently) – you can’t escape movies in LA. Not that we’d want to! But living in the dream factory is never more apparent than on Oscar weekend, when Hollywood Boulevard is closed, parties take over our favorite restaurants, and viewing parties take over Sunday afternoon. While we don’t have an invitation to the Vanity Fair party for you, we do have something better – three free ways to go behind the scenes of the Oscars that parents and kids will enjoy. Now go smile for the paparazzi.

See the Red Carpet: Yes, that red carpet.
The name may have changed (from Kodak to Dolby) but the theater is the same, and it’s where all your favorite stars will walk the red carpet on Sunday. But Rome wasn’t built in a day, and neither are the Oscars – it takes a lot of workers bees buzzing for weeks leading up to the ceremony to get everything in place. And the night before the show it all has to come together. So if you take the kids to Hollywood and Highland on Oscar Eve (Saturday, Feb 23^rd), you can watch the last minute flurry. Watch them roll out and tack down the red carpet. Watch the lights get hung, the flowers and palm trees get rolled into place, and camera crews doing sound checks. The golden man himself, guarding the doorway, is in place and all is in readiness for movie stars tomorrow. Head up to the 3^rd floor, where you get a birds eye view behind the scenes. Then on Sunday kids get a kick out of watching the arrivals and knowing they were right there.

Need a snack? Hard Rock Café is perfect family fun and lets you get a little rock and roll as well as movie star glamor this weekend, or for a sweet treat, there’s nothing sweeter than Sweet!

On the Saturday of Oscar weekend the Hollywood & Highland Center is open and accessible to the public from 10:00 am – 10:00 pm.

Dolby Theater
Hollywood & Highland
Hollywood, Ca
323-467-6412
Online: hollywoodandhighland.com

Visit the Costume Department: The FIDM Exhibit
The Art of Motion Picture Costume Design exhibit is the perfect way for Mom and Daughter fashionistas to celebrate Oscar Weekend. Actually, it’s a fun exhibit for the whole family, since the costumes feature movies kids will recognize, too. This year you can check out the larger than life Avengers suits, the crazy fairy tale costumes from Snow White and the Huntsman and Mirror, Mirror, the silliness from ParaNorman, and even give the kids a history lesson by seeing how a president dressed with the costumes from Lincoln. Older kids will love to see Katniss’ clothes from the Hunger Games, and parents will love the gowns from Anna Karenina and seeing how a spy dressed with the James Bond attire from Skyfall.

While they dream super hero or movie star dreams, you can marvel over the tiny waists and beautiful gowns and do a little dreaming yourself. (Like dreaming that this is your closet… )

When they get tired of looking-not-touching, right in front of the museum is a big grassy lawn where kids can run and play (and ride the brass dogs that dot the lawn). Also sharing the square is an urban playground, complete with bouncy bugs, slides and shaded climbers. Then a tiny walk up the street and everyone can be relaxing with wood-fired pizzas and perfectly sweet macaroons at Bottega Louie, a family favorite spot downtown.

The FIDM Museum is open Tuesday- Saturday from 10:00 am – 5:00 pm.

FIDM Museum and Gallery
919 S. Grand Ave.
Downtown Los Angeles, Ca
213-623-5821
Online: fidmmuseum.org/exhibitions/current

Go On Location: Hike at Paramount Ranch
Get out and celebrate what the Oscars are really about – making movies! Take the family on an easy-paced film history walk to discover behind-the-scenes secrets that turn a dusty set into a realistic town.

Well over 100 films were shot at Paramount Ranch – it has been colonial Massachusetts in The Maid of Salem (1937), ancient China in The Adventures of Marco Polo (1938), a South Seas island in Ebb Tide (1937) and loads of Western locations. Then it became a TV set, with many classic Western TV shows being shot here (right through to Dr. Quinn in the 90’s). Today, kids can still play wild west with the amazing “ghost town” left behind from those movie frontier days. Bring a picnic and costumes and after the hike you can set up your own craft services and have a photoshoot that will make your kids feel like they’re in the movies. You can hear the showdown music and see the sagebrush rolling as you stroll down the street.

The hike is at 10:00 am on Saturday, February 23^rd. The hour long is easy and appropriate for all but the littlest walkers, who might need to hitch a ride in a carrier or on your shoulders.