Your guide to activities and fun things to do with your preschoolers, toddlers and kids in san diego, CA

Soil Toil - a List of Community Gardening Projects for City Dwellers

by Terese Farmen

March 31, 2009

At preschool, my daughter is learning how to grow a plant in a Dixie cup. She has finally begun to understand that flowers die when they are no longer planted in soil and has some concept that the vegetables on her plate came from a seed like the one she planted in school. Being in the heart of the city, understanding the concept of the planet's contribution to our survival in the form of food seems completely abstract, if not bizarre to her.

In an effort to instill some of the more country roots (sorry for the pun), we researched various community garden projects to find out who was doing what in San Diego County to allow city dwellers a chance to get dirt under their fingernails. We added ourselves to multiple waiting lists where we get to rent a section of dirt to grow our own food. We even found various organizations that use this community gardening project to feed the less fortunate members of our community fresh, organic produce grown and harvested on this community land.

Introducing the water conservation garden...for those unfamiliar

by Jenny Ciampa

November 19, 2008

A girlfriend of mine, who is a preschool teacher, asked me if I have taken my girl to The Water Conservation Garden at Cuyamaca College . The what? "Take her," she declared. Her class of preschoolers went there on a field trip, the kids LOVED it. Housed on 5 acres at Cuyamaca College in El Cajon, this non-profit and eco-friendly garden is fascinating...and free. The purpose of the  Read more...

Day Trip, Anyone?

by Jenny Ciampa

October 13, 2008

I was introduced to Bate's Nut Farm three years ago by a girlfriend who lives in Escondido. She raved about visiting this farm in October with its pumpkins and cornstalks. Honestly, I was thinking this place was your typical pumpkin patch-you know, the one with pumpkins all bunched together with cut cornstalks near haystacks...on an empty lot. Just imagine the exact opposite of that.  Read more...

Day Trip: U-Pick Apples in Julian

by Jenny Ciampa

September 12, 2008

Apples in September, they bring thoughts of back to school and Julian . Right? Right. The apple orchards in Julian are open for the pickin'. Plan a day trip and head on out to the town that boasts tasty apple pies and history of gold. Best time to visit Julian and pick apples is mid-week. It's quieter and not so jam-packed with visitors. But, you need to be sure to check out the list  Read more...

La Jolla's Very Own Dr. Seuss

by Jenny Ciampa

June 27, 2008

[photo credit: wikimedia] Oh Dr. Seuss , an artist and writer who created a quirky world that young readers fall deeply in to with whimsical rhymes and one of a kind characters. Take pride in knowing he wrote about them in La Jolla while sitting in an abandoned observation tower he made a home. On a shoulder of Mt. Soledad, Theodor Geisel took in the views that stirred his artistic  Read more...

How to Cultivate the Tiniest Green Thumb in San Diego

by Jenny Ciampa

May 14, 2008

[picture credit:wikimedia] If my daughter's thumb is anything like mine, a lot of plants are in jeopardy. Visiting the Botanical Building in Balboa Park allows her to revel in the wonder that not all plants are brown like Mama's, and it allows me to revel in the wonder of how the heck they keep everything so green. Man, it is lush. If you want your child to be excited about this  Read more...