Without a doubt, one of the best perks of living in the Bay Area is the year-round temperate weather (also why left coast = best coast). This affords our families the opportunity to be outside no matter what the season and that means our playgrounds are top-notch! In this guide, you’ll find a playground for every kid out there who takes the saying, “Play is a child’s work” seriously. We’ve gathered our favorite playgrounds from Marin to the South Bay with brand-new all-ability playgrounds and more. Time to get to work!
Favorite San Francisco Playgrounds
Bruna Saito via Pexels
From the hilltops of Bernal to Eureka Valley to the Civic Center, there is no shortage of gorgeous playgrounds (some with spectacular views!) and we rounded up some of the best!
Not every child plays the same way but every child needs to play! These all-abilities playgrounds take into account all children—from slides created to prevent snagging of cochlear implants to swings for wheelchairs.
The transcendent of all playgrounds in the summer by far are ones with splash pads! The minis can run wild on the playground then cool off in the splash pad which makes for a quiet ride home and early bedtime. WIN.
There are ordinary dolls—then there are keepsake dolls. Piccolina, a brand dedicated to empowering today’s young children to become tomorrow’s leaders, has launched a new collection, Trailblazer Dolls. They celebrate heroic women in history, including Amelia Earhart, Marie Curie and Rosa Parks and they’re an heirloom quality edition to any playroom.
Each doll is 16″ tall and comes with removable clothing and accessories, as well as a matching drawstring bag. Jennifer Long, an artisan doll maker, designed and handmade each creation, and each designs is based off of the illustrations from various artists for the Trailblazer collection. And there won’t be any shortage of imaginative play, since each doll has an incredible, true backstory!
Piccolina is making the collection available in limited runs, so you may want to act fast to grab your child’s favorite historical character. The launch riffs off the company’s popular Trailblazer t-shirts, which feature colorful illustrations of real-life, inspirational women. There’s even matching mommy and me attire so you can get in on the fun!
At $98, the dolls are the perfect special gift for a birthday, Christmas or big milestone. The only issue might be choosing which one to buy!
When it comes to inspiring women, there is no shortage of leading ladies who have made the world a better place. This month, the Barbie Inspiring Women series is getting a new doll, and she’s the perfect addition as the school year draws to a close.
The first deafblind person to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree, Helen Keller will serve as the newest collectible in the Barbie lineup. Keller’s achievements include being an educator, speaker, author and advocate during the early 1900’s.
photo: Courtesy of Mattel
The Inspiring Women series doll’s outfit is inspired by Keller herself, with a striped skirt and ruffled lace blouse. She comes with a braille book, complete with molded dots on the cover.
To ensure the new doll was authentic, Barbie paired up with the National Federation of the Blind (NFB), a membership and advocacy organization for blind Americans. The duo worked to make sure the doll mirrored Keller and that the packaging, which contains braille on the front, was accessible for the blind and low vision community.
The Helen Keller Inspiring Women doll is available now at Barbie.com and retailers nationwide for $29.99.
There’s no shortage of celeb baby news in 2021. Along with Meghan Markle’s announcement and a recent rash of births including Ashley Tisdale, Hilary Duff and Bindi Irwin, you can now add another celebrity to the new parent list—Jason Derulo.
The singer and his girlfriend, Jena Frumes, are expecting their first child together! Derulo revealed the pregnancy in a recent Instagram post, writing, “Couldn’t be more excited for this new chapter in our life.”
In their IG video clip, the happy soon-to-be parents walk sweetly hand-in-hand on the beach. Derulo stops to gently rub and kiss Frumes’ growing baby bump as the couple strolls through the super-scenic setting. As the singer’s IG video comes to a close, the camera moves from the couple to the beach, with the words, “Coming soon” drawn in the sand.
Derulo and Frumes met just before the pandemic began. He later opened up to Page Six about his relationship with Frumes, spending time with his four-year-old niece Skylar, and whether he has “baby fever” saying, “You know, I think I’m getting to that age, you know what I’m saying? So, I don’t know.”
When the snow starts falling, adults see shovels and plows, but kids see snowballs and sledding. Take a timeout this winter and join the kids in one of these snow activities. Whether you let your inner child out to play or just watch the kids do their thing, these are the seven best snow activities to do this winter (and the best locations to do them!)
Sledding
Emily Williams
Who doesn’t love gliding over the snow on a sled or saucer? Lying flat on their stomachs, using rope to steer and hands to stop, every kid gets a thrill from sledding. And DC has no shortage of hills to rush down. One of the city's best hills is off-the-beaten path Battery Kemble Park. This hidden gem is in a residential area which keeps it tucked away from tourists and often sparsely populated – perfect for this year!
Where: Battery Kemble Park 3035 Chain Bridge Rd NW Washington, DC 20016 202-895-6070 Online: nps.gov
Snowtubing
If regular sledding feels a bit tame to you and your bunch, snowtubing might be just what you want. The higher speed combined with the lack of control offers an adventure that will get the adrenaline pumping. You can ride alone or in tandem, this activity is usually best for kids 5 & up. You don’t have to go far to have fun, either; Liberty Mountain Resort is a perfect day trip from DC. Due to social distancing, be sure you make reservations and are prepared for a cashless pay experience.
Where: Liberty Mountain Resort 78 Country Club Trail, Carroll Valley, PA 717-642-8211 Online: libertymountainresort.com
Snowfort Building
popofatticus via Flickr
Building a snowfort is a fun way to spend a snowy day and, bonus!, you can use it as protection during an epic snow ball battles. Pick up this $10 brick maker (it also works at the beach!) to help littles build a solid foundation. Want to get super fancy? See if you can add ramparts, turrets, and cubbyholes for extra fun. The best place to build with snow? Your own backyard! Let the kids do their thing while you keep hot cocoa warm on the stove and watch the merry snow-making adventures from your own patio (or through the windows!).
The end of summer doesn’t mean the end of hiking if you enjoy snowshoeing. Snowshoeing gives hiking a whole different feel as you enjoy the shushed quiet of winter… well, as shushed as things get with kids. Snowshoeing is a great whole-family winter activity because if you can walk, you can snowshoe! The best place for snowshoeing is Canaan Valley with 35 kilometers of marked and ungroomed natural snow trails. And if you finish all those trails, you can head to the nearby White Grass Ski Touring Center for another 60 kilometers.
Where: Canaan Valley 230 Main Lodge Rd. Davis, West Virginia 26260 304-866-4121 Online: canaanresort.com
Get creative by building a snowman or snowwoman. Let everyone build their own and decorate them complete with carrot noses, coal eyes, and scarves or bowties around their wintry necks. Use what you have around the house, or get a snowman kit here. Have a fam-friendly contest to decide who built the best snowperson (with prizes for everyone, of course!). Or make it a neighborhood-wide competition and let everyone on your block in on the fun. Want to up the stakes? Award the winner this snowman trophy ($24.99)!
Skiing makes a great family activity and comes with built-in social distancing and masks! Whether you’re first-timers or experts, skiing offers a trail for everyone, ensuring that no one feels left out of the fun. And there’s no shortage of ski resorts nearby. Head to Winterplace Ski Resort for some of the best trails near DC. As an added bonus, if your littles get bored with skiing, they can also go snowtubing – including Kiddie Park for the younger kids!
Where: Winterplace Ski Resort 100 Old Flat Top Mt. Rd. Ghent, WV 25843 1-800-607-SNOW Online: winterplace.com
Create a Snowy Sensory Box
Sensory boxes are a great way to let your kids explore things with their hands, and a snowy sensory box lets you bring the outdoors inside. For a kiddo who isn’t a big fan of being cold or for entertaining older kids while littler ones nap, a sensory box lets them have the fun of snow days while staying toasty inside. Add a variety of little toys (think polar bears and penguins), decorative crystals, and other things that can change or contrast with the texture and temperature of the snow. It can get a little messy, so be sure to have some bath mats or towels on hand.
The pandemic has brought about some unique shopping trends this year, and while sales of toilet paper may have calmed down slightly, Instacart has shared some other trends that continue to thrive.
In a new report, the grocery delivery company has found that Americans are prepping for the winter months by stocking up on pantry, freezer, home supply staples, vitamins, supplements and of course, disinfectants. All in all, the trends are not surprising given the impending flu season and America’s battle with the coronavirus.
Instacart Insights have demonstrated that people are looking for immune boosting products, with searches for products like “Vitamin D” and “Emergen-C” skyrocketing from 2019. Ironically, searches for over-the-counter medicine has dropped by 35 percent from last year. Instacart credits the likely surge of pandemic stockpiling as the culprit, with many American’s having a well-stocked medicine cabinet and no need for more products.
In a new twist, Pine-Sol sales have increased by 98%, likely due to the EPA approving the product as a COVID-19 disinfectant. So what’s the deal with toilet paper? Instacart reports that TP is once again seeing surge in searches, meaning folks are concerned of a shortage and craving a stockpile again.
And finally, searches for products like chicken broth, frozen veggies, oatmeal, juice, and crackers are trending upwards as we head into colder months. Are these indicators of a fear as we settle into the pandemic even further, or just preparation for chilly nights and flu season? We’ll have to wait and see!
Katy Perry has given birth to a baby girl named Daisy Dove Bloom. The singer and partner Orlando Bloom confirmed the birth on Instagram on Thursday. Both shared a post by charity Unicef, of which the couple are ambassadors, confirming the arrival of their daughter along with a black and white photograph of the cuple holding their child’s hand. Perry’s nail has a sweet Daisy painted on it in honor of her new daughter.
The post was captioned, “Welcome to the world, Daisy Dove Bloom! We are honoured to introduce Goodwill Ambassadors @KatyPerry and @OrlandoBloom’s new bundle of joy,”
“‘We are floating with love and wonder from the safe and healthy arrival of our daughter,’ Katy and Orlando told us.”
The post continued with a message from the couple, “But we know we’re the lucky ones and not everyone can have a birthing experience as peaceful as ours was. Communities around the world are still experiencing a shortage of healthcare workers and every eleven seconds a pregnant woman or newborn dies, mostly from preventable causes. Since COVID-19 many more newborn lives are at risk because of the increased lack of access to water, soap, vaccines and medicines that prevent diseases. As parents to a newborn, this breaks our hearts, as we empathize with struggling parents now more than ever. As UNICEF Goodwill Ambassadors, we know UNICEF is there, on the ground, doing whatever it takes to make sure every expecting mother has access to a trained health worker and access to quality healthcare. In celebration of the heart we know our daughter already has, we have set up a donation page to celebrate DDB’s arrival. By supporting them, you are supporting a safe start to life and reimagining a healthier world for every child. We hope your ♥️ can bloom with generosity.”⠀
Families are spending more time together playing board games and working on elaborate puzzles. Some outlets are even reporting a jigsaw puzzle shortage. StickTogether is meeting the demand with a range of over 30 sticker mosaic puzzle posters.
“We are grateful to see the many ways StickTogether is helping families cope with the current reality,” according to company founder, Sylvia Stein. “So many parents are working from home while supervising their kids and their education. Our kits offer a stress-free, device-free break that results in a beautiful poster and provides a sense of accomplishment.”
Since the closures began last month, Stein states that families are looking to add to their puzzle collections and are buying more StickTogether kits. Some have even begun displaying the images in their windows and front yards.
The puzzles are assembled in a method similar to paint-by-numbers and have a unique twist as the image is not revealed until the puzzle is completed. A standard StickTogether poster measures 40 inches by 36 inches and costs between between $30 to $36. Each kit includes a coded poster, color key and 3,996 stickers, enough to complete the image with extras.
Most families work collaboratively to put together the puzzles. The blank canvas turns into a work of art as everyone comes together to create a masterpiece. StickTogether offers dozens of options including Van Gogh’s Starry Night, animals, seasonal and whimsical themes.
While families continue to stay at home the company is offering a $4 discount on each kit through the end of June using CODE: FAMILY.
No one should have to suffer due to the high cost of life-saving medication. The state of Illinois just became the first to require that insurance companies cover the full cost of epinephrine injectors for kids.
Illinois Governor JB Pritzker just signed a law requiring companies that provide health insurance within the state to pay for medically-necessary epinephrine injectors for cases of severe allergic reactions in children 18 and under. In the event of an anaphylactic reaction, an epinephrine injection can be a life-saving tool to open airways and minimize inflammation.
I was proud to sign two new laws expanding insurance coverage for children whose allergies require live-saving EpiPens and Illinoisans suffering from Lyme disease.
This legislation takes a big step forward in protecting our children and families. pic.twitter.com/ZQVTies3j3
Governor Pritzker tweeted that the new law is “a big step forward in protecting our children and families.”
Parents are required to provide epinephrine injectors at schools and camps, but they expire within a short period and have to be replaced. That, added to an epinephrine shortage in the past, has added to rising costs for the medication across the country.
“With steady increases in food allergies and other serious allergic conditions, families are relying on EpiPens more than ever before,” Illinois State Senator Julie Morrison said in a statement. “We should be doing everything we can to expand access to affordable lifesaving drugs and medicines. No child with a serious allergy should be without an epinephrine injector because they cannot afford one.”
Disney’s new streaming service platform Disney+ is getting ready to launch this fall, but if you’re still on the fence about signing up for yet another subscription, you can try it out for free.
Disney+ is launching Nov. 12 and subscribers can currently sign up for the new service for $6.99 per month or $69.99 for a year. While many have already signed on for the platform that will be the ad-free home of thousands of Disney shows and movies, it’s easy to understand why you might be on the fence considering how many other subscription services are currently available.
photo: Disney
If you’re unsure about adding yet another bill (and even more excuses for screen time), you can try the Disney+ platform out for a free one week trial when it launches. New subscribers can try the platform out with full access––no strings attached for seven days. After this, you can sign up at the same rate of $6.99 per month or $69.99 for a year.
Once the Disney+ platform launches you can also score a great deal on a bundled package which includes a subscription to Disney+, ESPN+ and Hulu for $12.99 a month. Signing up for all three individually would normally cost $18.
Despite being a new platform, there will be no shortage of content to stream on Disney+. The new service will include the entire Disney library, plus plenty of new films and TV shows made exclusively for the platform, like the new live-action Lady and the Tramp and the Star Wars series The Mandalorian. You can check out everything Disney+ is set to offer here.
