What’s new for kids in San Francisco
October 17, 2007
After the jack-o-lanterns have been put to rest in the compost pile and the costumes retired to the closet, children everywhere will be feeling the post Halloween-doldrums… along with their candy-hangovers. Help your kids get their motors — and imaginations — running by exploring one of these great kid-centric autumn adventures.
Koret Children’s Quarter reopens
Golden Gate Park
Free; $0.50-$1.50 for carousel rides
parks.sfgov.org
Established in 1887, the "Children’s Quarters," as it was once known, was the first children’s playground built in a U.S. public park. Closed since February 2006 for a complete transformation, the playground has reopened as the Koret Children’s Quarter.
The newly renovated site includes wave-shaped walls to climb on, sea caves to explore, seaside animal sculptures, a treehouse village, and newly remodeled bathrooms. Old favorites still remain, including the famous hillside slide and the whimsical carousel. Additionally, several changes have been made to the playground to bring it into compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, so the Koret Children’s Quarter is now fully accessible to all.
The Koret Children’s Quarter is adjacent to the Sharon Art Studio, which is San Francisco’s largest public community art center. The studio offers affordable art classes for youth, teens, and adults alike, and has a free after-school art program for high school students. Classes include ceramics, jewelry making, glass working, and drawing. sharonartstudio.org
Mountain Lake Park and Anza Trail: New Destinations for KIDS on Trails
The Presidio
Free
presidio.gov/kids/trails
KIDS on Trails is a series of self-guided tour booklets that acquaint children ages 5-10 with the Presidio’s great outdoors. The guides offer kid-friendly activities, tips for adults, and a map so young hikers can enjoy the Presidio’s numerous trails with an accompanying adult.
A second installment of the KIDS on Trails series has been released, which guides adventurers on a hike to Mountain Lake on a portion of the Anza Trail. Walkers are guided on the trail by the story of Maria Ysidora Tapia, an actual five-year-old who joined Capt. Juan Bautista de Anza’s expedition from Mexico to San Francisco in 1775. Author Lisa Hillstrom consulted with descendents of Anza’s party and engaged Ohlone artist Linda Yamane to do some of the drawings. The walk is approximately one-half mile (one way) and all activities — which include diary entries, drawings, and nature observations — can be completed within an hour.
The first installment of KIDS on Trails explores the Presidio’s Ecology Trail, which encourages kids to fully investigate the diversity of the Presidio flora and fauna.
Both free guides are available in English, Spanish, and Chinese, and can be downloaded from the website or picked up at various Presidio visitor centers.
The Exploratorium opens new interactive Mind exhibit on Nov. 9
Palace of Fine Arts
$9-$14
exploratorium.edu
The Exploratorium is an experimental, hands-on museum designed to spark curiosity, regardless of your age or familiarity with science. There are hundreds of exhibits to touch, pick up, and tinker with. Opening on November 9 is Mind, where YOU are the exhibit. Experience your own thoughts, feelings, and actions in provocative and unexpected ways in this major new 5,000-square-foot exhibition featuring more than 40 brand-new interactive exhibits, four years in the making.
At "A Sip of Conflict," for example, drink from a water fountain fashioned from a very real but unused toilet and feel the tension between reason and emotion run high. At "Limelight," stand before a simulated lively audience and examine your own emotional and cognitive reactions to being the center of attention. At "The Eyes Have It," infer the emotional states of others from their eyes alone and experience just how expert you are at reading emotions in faces. "Poker Face" invites you try to catch a friend in a lie — or to get away with one yourself. "Fast Faces" exposes why your ability to recognize a famous person is more fragile than you might think. At "Daisy," a conversation with a computer raises questions as to whether its responses are evidence of consciousness.
Combining exhibits, activities, demonstrations, public programs, and specially commissioned artist installations probing the mysteries of thought and emotion, this exhibition invites you to experience, as never before, the workings of your own mind.