Chills of the Fall, or the Great Jacket Debate

Hey Kids! is a weekly feature looking at what’s coming up for families and kids of all ages.

In our loft, early autumnal chills spark diatribes on employing adequate coverings against the elements.

A typical exchange:
Me to my six-year-old: “I am soooo cold…please put on your jacket.”
My six-year-old: “Only if I can use it as a safety rope to climb the play structure.”
Me: “But you will be cold if you don’t put it on.”
Six-year-old: “No, mamma, you will!”

He has me, doesn’t he, because really, what can this sleep-deprived, transitioning-back-to-work, aging mother answer to such flawless logic?

At best, I can use my maternal survival instinct to make the roster of activities in this week’s column strictly indoors, as I already know what the score of the great jacket debate will be this weekend: Ernesto 1, Mamma 0.

Keep warm and enjoy….

The Musical Family
The 2nd Annual Tricycle Music Fest West kicks off this Saturday at 3 p.m. at Bernal Heights Library with the Timeouts, who will rock children and adults to delight. The festival, which spotlights local bands of the growing kindie rock trend, will continue through the month of October in libraries around the city, including a mini-concert by Charity Khan on Sunday at 3 p.m. at the Ingleside branch.

The Melees have long been the resident parent band for SF Community School, where my child is a first-grader. But this best-kept secret couldn’t last forever…word of their talent spilled and they are now performing in spots all over town. Catch them this Friday, from 9 to 11 p.m., at the family-friendly Rite Spot on 17th and Folsom.

The Written Word
Paxton Gate presents a free reading of the stories of Hans Christian Andersen this Saturday at 6 p.m. The reading is part of TeenCrawl and Kidquake, the pieces of LitQuake meant to speak and read to young minds and hearts.

The Food Movement
This Sunday afternoon’s Great Homemade Meal Swap at 18 Reasons on Guerrero and 18th may be sold out by now, but if you can get in, you will all love this foreseeing and engaging center, and for $5 per person you will have a week of delicious, healthy food for the whole family.

In a Close-ish Zip Code…
In preparation for Halloween, older kids can have some after-school fun with ghost hunting for teens and tweens at the newly renovated Portola Library next Tuesday and Wednesday starting at 3:30 p.m.

And In a Faraway One
If you can find it in you to brave the Blue Angels crowds, head to Fort Mason for the closing weekend of “Pinocchio” by the Young Performers Theatre. Collodi’s story of the puppet who wants to be a boy is scored with original music and will engage children of all ages.

And Worth Crossing the Bridge For
The astounding acrobatics and cheeky shows of the Australian Circus Oz are back at Berkeley’s Zellerbach Hall, starting tonight and through this Sunday only. Note that performances marked FF (Family Fare) offer tickets at 50% off for children up to 16.