Hey Kids! is a weekly feature looking at what’s coming up for families and kids of all ages.
This is the weekend for informal kindergarten orientation play dates/picnics. Check the missionparents, bernalparents, potreroparents lists and search for your school name, or just ask, if you haven’t gotten an e-mail or invitation. At least three of the gatherings are bilingual. Such an exciting and scary time for parents and kids — a whole new world, the beginning of a new phase. What will they do at school, so far away from us? Create their own lives, make new friends, suffer the slings and arrows… and learn.
Conventional wisdom (and Google!) say that a sense of calm, low noise levels and a safe environment are requirements for learning. Also no hunger, and clear, repeatable and understandable rules and directions. Here are some ideas for supporting our kids in the ongoing learning adventure of life, as well as other fun things to do in the Mission this week.
No More Hunger
Amusingly, it’s both World Breastfeeding Week and National Farmer’s Market Week … the Alemany is certainly going to be interesting this weekend. If the free samples and great smells and colors of the produce aren’t enough to hold the little ones’ attention, there’s always a kids’ activity at the Mission Market, and music for dancing to at Alemany.
Mission Community Market. Thursdays, 4-8 p.m. All ages. Free. Bartlett Street at 22nd.
Alemany Farmer’s Market. Saturdays, 8 a.m.-3 p.m. All ages. Free. 100 Alemany Boulevard at Bayshore.
The Summer Lunch for Kids program wraps up Friday, but if you still need help getting enough food into the little bellies, dial 211 for the food pantry nearest you. Or drop by the Free Farmstand for some fresh fruits and vegetables, grown all over the city.
Free Farmstand. Sundays 1-3 p.m. All ages. Free. At Parque Ninos Unidos, 23rd Street at Treat.
Bilingualism and Beyond
I think at this point we’ve all heard the news: Bilingual kids tend to score higher on I.Q. tests. The skill seems to specifically enhance brain plasticity, a requirement for those oh-so-crucial critical thinking skills. But apparently breastfeeding increases I.Q. too, and so does baby sign language.
Breastfeeding class. Saturday, August 21, 1-3 p.m. Expectant parents and parents of newborns. $89. Register online or call 415-550-2611. Natural Resources, 1367 Valencia Street at 25th.
The View from the ‘Burbs
Mostly I grew up in a bilingual urban environment, so for me this movie is a bit exotic, but for some of you it will be nostalgic. No matter what, a movie at Dolores Park is always great fun.
Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. Saturday, August 7, 8 p.m. All ages. Free. Dolores Park, 18th Street at Dolores.
Feeling Safe and Secure, Literally
Part of feeling safe and secure enough to learn is about safety nets and adults you can trust. But some of it can be literal, knowing that you can trust yourself physically and mentally. Martial arts are a great way to help kids develop these skills.
Children’s Kung Fu. Tuesdays and Thursdays, 5:15-6 p.m. Ages 8 -12. $30 for the first two weeks of classes. 415-642-0264 or info@eightstepmantis.com to register or schedule a drop-in. Eight Step Mantis Kung Fu. 2940 20th Street at Bryant.
Feeling Safe and Secure, Parents’ Edition
Wanting and needing to feel safe and secure isn’t limited to kids. As parents, being able to go to work and do our jobs and earn the rent or mortgage requires feeling safe about how our kids are being cared for. The Children’s Council offers a great free workshop on how to find quality care.
Choosing Child Care Workshop. Tuesday, August 10, 6-8 p.m. Adults only. Free. Call 415-343-3300 to register. Children’s Council of San Francisco. 445 Church Street at 16th.
Critical Thinking and Community Building
Art, often a child’s first or best exposure to the idea that not all rules are just or universal, is another route into those critical thinking skills implicit to university and white-collar success. MAPP puts art together with community for a fun afternoon for the whole family — and the whole neighborhood. Yet another way to help our kids feel safe, grounded and secure.
MAPP. Saturday, August 7, 1-4 p.m. with kids; till midnight for adults. Headquarters at Red Poppy Art House, 2698 Folsom Street at 23rd.
FYI, for those not addicted to the SF K Files, today’s rumor has it that the proposed new school attendance area map will be released August 18, so stay tuned.
