Being Savvy: Your guide to activities and fun things to do with your preschoolers and kids in Long Beach, CA

October  2008

Fear and Pretend Play

October 30, 2008

Halloween is all about exploring fear in a safe way. Witches and ghosts become a little less scary in the camp and theater of Halloween celebrations. In the same way, children act out their everyday fears in pretend play. In August, my four-year-old daughter Bella and I were in Louisiana visiting family when we had to evacuate abruptly ahead of Hurricane Gustav. Getting out of town Read more...

The Halloween Scene in Long Beach

October 28, 2008

Our family is moving across town on November 2 nd , so this Halloween will be goodbye to a neighborhood we have grown to love. Our Bluff Heights neighbors go all-out decorating their houses with gauzy spider webs and creepy skeletons, and without venturing more than a few blocks in either direction, my daughter can fill her bag to the brim with Tootsie Rolls and gummy bears. I know not all Read more...

Three Picture Books About Witches

October 27, 2008

Looking for Halloween reads that won't scare the pants off your preschooler? Check out these books about witches: Introduce Halloween to little ones with We're Off to Find the Witch's House . Kids will enjoy chanting along with the rhyming story.(Warning to parents: I couldn't get it out of my head for days!) On their way to the witch's house, four trick-or-treaters Read more...

Long Beach Halloween Happenings

October 23, 2008

Maybe it's just me, but I find it hard to get in the proper Halloween spirit when it's 90 degrees outside. I have yet to put together a costume or stock up on Reese's cups. Bella, on the other hand, has been talking up Pa's Pumpkin Patch since July. Besides the customary pumpkin photo ops, she loves the miniature train and pony rides. Bring cash. Lots of cash. For a slightly more authentic Read more...

Budding Art Critic

October 22, 2008

I've taken my daughter to LACMA and the Geffen in L.A. , but one of our favorite Southern California museums is the Museum of Latin American Art , right here in Long Beach . I like that it's small in scale, the perfect size for a preschooler with a short attention span. Kids are drawn to the rounded, childlike figures in the Botero paintings, as well as the vibrant colors in the Read more...

The Voice of Being Savvy Long Beach:
Rachel Orfila

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