Tired of purchasing gifts that end up never being played with? These Bay Area gift experiences offer family-filled fun, and sometimes, a little learning on the side
There is no doubt that your kid’s holiday lists are a long list of toys, games, and just more stuff to add to their collection because let’s face it, material gifts are super fun to unwrap. That being said, we all know that kids remember experiences for far longer than a toy, and can even become a core-memory maker. Experience gifts also have the ability to foster new skills, help with decluttering, and create connections within a family. A LEGO set is fun to put together, but giving an experience gift is also a great way to enhance your child’s interests and foster a love of learning. If your little one is all about animal encounters, the chance to spend a day on the farm where they can feed the chickens and pet the goats may be the best day ever. The options are really endless.
In the Bay Area, there is no shortage of opportunities for experiences that make wonderful gifts—how lucky for us! From cooking sessions to fostering a love of animals, we’ve rounded up our favorite experiences that isn’t just another toy for the playroom.
Animal Rescuers will Love the Adopt-a-Seal at the Marine Mammal Center: For marine-minded kids who love fostering and caring for animals, their Adopt-a-Seal program is a surefire gift that gives back. Choose the pup you'd like to help and you'll receive an adoption package that includes adoption certificate, your seal's photo and history, and all the ways your gift will help ensure the pup's rehabilitation and safe return to the wild. Optional upgrade will deliver a plush harbor-seal for that extra "aw" factor.
For Kids Who Love Steam Trains: Train tickets, tucked under the tree or the menorah, to ride the rails? Yes, please! This gift experience will have you headed south to board the trains at Roaring Camp. In addition to their popular holiday trains, you can buy annual passes that offer unlimited Redwood Forest Steam and Santa Cruz Beach trains for one full year.
Good to Know: There are often other activities happening at the camp like gold panning and scavenger hunts that are great for families and kids of all ages.
For Kids Who Want to Sleep in a Train Car: For the ultimate train lover's destination, book at night at Railroad Park Resort where you can spend the night in a vintage caboose and your little engineer can dream about riding the rails all night long.
Good to Know:Siskiyou County is full of train history and outdoor experiences (picture waterfalls, fishing, and spelunking to name a few) that everyone in the family will enjoy.
The Best Gifts for Adventure Junkies
For Kids Who Love Swinging and Climbing: Got a kid who loves an adrenaline rush and climbing great heights? Head to Rocklin and spend the day at Quarry Park Adventures. There, they can soar across the ravine on the zipline, balance on the ropes course, and test their strength on the rock wall.
For Kids Who Want to Go Skydiving (without the Plane): Does your kid love jumping off the tops of playground structures and won't stop talking about skydiving one day? Gift them the next best thing with time at iFLY Indoor Skydiving where kids ages three and up can experience the feeling of skydiving.
For Your Mini Martha Stewart or Gordon Ramsey:Cucina Bambini is a great way to get your budding chef to sharpen their kitchen skills. Classes like the macaron workshop or gingerbread house decorating class are not only fun (and festive) but parents will hopefully get to taste some of the sweet treats that come home.
The Best Gifts for The Whole Family
A Holiday-Themed Trip to San Francisco: Always a fun gift, and a great way for the family to spend quality time together, whether you're coming in from out of town or making it a staycation. Our recommend? Book a holiday tea and stay in the Santa Suite at the Fairmont Hotel in San Francisco.
An African Safari without Leaving SFO: Safari West is just a short drive away and an experience that the whole family is sure to love. Here you'll see giraffes, zebras, and rhinos that roam freely on the property. Want to continue the fun? Spend the night in a luxury tent.
The bestselling Magic Tree House series is beloved by children all over. Jack and Annie have brought many through countless adventures through time and space. Now Random House Children’s Books is pairing with author Mary Pope Osborne to bring you Magic Tree House Home Adventures.
This all-new virtual program is designed to educate and entertain kids at home with videos, activities, crafts, and games tied to weekly themes. Launching Monday, Apr. 27 and extending to May 22, young adventurers and explorers can begin their journey by visiting the website, and families can share with the hashtag #MTHAdventures for a chance to be highlighted on the Random House Kids Instagram page.
With Magic Tree House Home Adventures children can follow along for weekly thematic programs, beginning with animals and followed by warriors, nature, and sports, and interact with content that pairs with some of their favorite books in the series. Every Monday, for the extent of the program, a full week’s worth of activities and games will be released, including online reading challenges, crafts, recipes, a weekly MTH Family Trivia Night game and more.
Osbourne will also host video events every Mon. and Fri. where she will answer reader-submitted questions and read from her books. Magic Tree House Home Adventures is my way of connecting with readers, parents and educators during this challenging time,” says Osborne. “Random House and I have worked together to create fun, new ways to learn and play with Jack and Annie. I’ll speak to readers in weekly videos, answer questions, and read from Magic Tree Books. I’ve always loved hearing from my readers and can’t wait to interact with them in this brand new way.”
Staying at home is not a guarantee for boredom. In fact, there are so many ways your family can make the time at home feel like you’re on an adventure of a lifetime, not unlike Buck in Disney’s adaptation ofThe Call Of The Wild. Adapted from the Jack London’s beloved literary classic, The Call Of The Wild brings to life the story of Buck, a big-hearted dog, and the man (Harrison Ford) he must learn to trust. While exploring the exotic wilds of the Alaskan Yukon, Buck experiences the adventure of a lifetime and finds his true place in the world.
Your family may not be able to journey to the Alaskan wilderness for discovery and adventure, but there are tons of things you can do at home to have fun, strengthen friendship and family bonds, and find inner strength just like Buck did. Here are 10 ways to have an epic adventure at home, without leaving the house.
1. Have a The Call Of The Wild movie night. Get out the blankets, make some hot cocoa and pop some popcorn old-school style on the stove. Then settle in for an adventure with Buck. The movie is now available on digital platforms including Amazon and iTunes.
2. Play hide and seek with your dog. Tell your pup to stay, hide in another room and have them find you. Inside time is a great way to bond with your best friend and they’ll love all the time you give them. No pup? Try staging this with a favorite stuffed animal.
3. Bake bread from scratch. Find a family-friendly recipe and get everyone in the kitchen to mix, knead and bake. Enhance those wilderness survival skills by baking one of the essential foods without leaving the house and purchasing it at the store.
4. Learn how to read a map. Paper maps still exist and GPS is not always reliable when you’re out adventuring in the wild. Teach your kiddos how to navigate using a map so they’ll always know how to find their way.
5. Go star-gazing in your backyard. Learn the names of the planets, constellations, stars and the moon. Find the North Star and learn about its ability to help you survive when you’re lost, and read about the phases of the moon and identify where it is each night.
7. Build a fort. Grab some sheets, chair and pillows and start building an epic indoor fort. Don’t forget flashlights and books for your indoor fort adventures.
8. Explore a National Park via Google Maps. Did you know that 62 National Parks are all available on Google Maps for you to tour on your electronic device? Check out the gigantic trees in Redwood National Forest. Go for a virtual hike in Zion National Park. Or check out the glaciers in Alaska’s Denali National Park.
9. Learn how to sew. You don’t need a sewing machine to create. Using a needle, thread and some material, you can teach your kiddos how to do simple things like sew a button or stitch a simple pillow together.
10. Make a family time capsule. Use your indoor time to teach your kids about a family time capsule and create one for your family. Chances are, you have all the supplies right inside your house. Ask each family member to write or draw a memory and include something in the capsule to save. Then decide when in the future your family will open the capsule.
Staying indoors is a great way to bond and discover new ways to adventure. Don’t forget to go on a journey of a lifetime with Buck as he navigates through the exotic wilds of the Alaskan Yukon. Get it now on digital!
Parents rejoice! Your family can finally watch Netflix offline. Whether you are are traveling or simply lost a Wi-Fi connection, you and the kiddos can still be entertained by Netflix’s streaming service. Here are some of the best kid TV shows and movies available for offline streaming.
TV Shows
All Hail King Julien
Bob the Builder
Bottersnikes and Gumbles
Care Bears: Welcome to Care-a-Lot
Clifford
Dinotrux
Dragon Tales
Gon
Goosebumps
Home: Adventures With Tip and Oh
Kate and Mim-Mim
Lego Friends
Lost and Found Music Studios
Masha and the Bear
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers
Octonauts
Pokémon XY
Project Mc2
Sid the Science Kid
Skylanders Academy
Super Why!
The Hive
The Magic School Bus
The Mr. Peabody and Sherman Show
Word Party
Yo-Kai Watch
Movies
Beethoven’s Christmas Adventure
Chicken Run
Curious George: A Very Monkey Christmas
Daddy Day Care
Goosebumps
Home
Hoodwinked
Hotel Transylvania 2
Jetsons: The Movie
Kung Fu Panda 3
Minions
Monster High: 13 Wishes
Nanny McPhee
Paddington
Penguins of Madagascar: The Movie
Spy Kids
The Angry Birds Movie
The Little Engine That Could
The Little Rascals
The Nut Job
The Reef
The Road to El Dorado
Thomas and Friends: The Christmas Engines
We’re Back: A Dinosaur’s Story
Which one are your kids excited to watch? Let us know in the comments below!
Who needs to jet set to a tropical island when Portland has plenty of excitement, like tram rides with a bird’s-eye view, berry patches and sandy beach trips within a stone’s throw of home? Read on to discover eight close-to-home adventures that’ll make your summer unforgettable.
1. Hike to the Top of the City
Feeling ambitious? The 4T trail is the coolest hike you’ll ever take because it involves a trail, tram, trolley and train. Start at the zoo and follow the signs for a hike. Make sure your kids are feeling up to the gentle inclines you’ll encounter because strollers are not allowed. The trail leads to OHSU where you can take the tram down to the South Waterfront. (Bonus: The tram is free on the way down.) Follow the signs to the trolley, which will take you over the bridge to downtown, where you’ll hop on a train and end up back at the zoo. While in the South Waterfront area, grab lunch at Little Big Burger.
A couple other fun hikes that we love are Powell Butte (16160 SE Powell Blvd) and Tryon Creek in Southwest Portland. Both of these areas boast tons of trails, so you can choose your adventure depending on your tykes’ stamina.