It's almost as fun for kids to make their own snacks as it is for them to eat them! This pretzel recipe—adapted from one that my daughter brought home from school—is easy and perfect for small children to help with, and the results are pretty tasty, too. It's a great activity for rainy days and playgroups, too. Why not bake up a batch to eat during the big game this weekend?

They won't look like the dark brown store-bought pretzels, though; that color is achieved by dipping the unbaked pretzels in a lye solution, which is way too dangerous for kids—and adults, for that matter. Here we brush the tops with an egg wash, but if that's a problem you could use milk or even a little olive oil.

To make the pretzels you'll need:

Kids get a hands-on experience with a variety of animals with the Marin Humane Society's 2013 Animal Care Summer Camps. These popular camps teach children important skills in animal handling, care, and welfare.

Children from grades 1 through 6 can attend Junior Animal Camp, Animal Care Camp, and Senior Animal Care Camp, where activities include animal-centered arts and crafts, games and activities, an introduction to careers involving animals, and the MHS's Animal Ambassadors. Older children in grades 7 through 12 can attend Advanced Animal Care Camp where teens will experience the daily work at an animal shelter. They will learn about animal related careers, animal care and behavior, and animal welfare. Daily hands-on experience with shelter and volunteer animals.

Junior Animal Camp (entering grades 1 or 2 in fall 2013) has two one-week sessions starting June 24 and July 22. Camp hours are 9 am to 1 pm and registration is $200.  Animal Care Camp (entering grades 3 or 4 in fall 2013) has four sessions starting June 17, July 8, July 29 and August 12 and runs from 9 am to 3 pm; registration fee is $285. Senior Animal Care Camp (entering grades 5 or 6 in fall 2013) has two sessions starting July 15 and August 5, and runs 9 am to 3 pm; registration is $285.

If you're trying to make a decision on the perfect summer camp for your kids, don't miss this Saturday's Marin Camp Fair, which takes place March 9 from 11 am-2 pm at Conlan Center Gymnasium at the Dominican University of California in San Rafael. There will be pizza, snacks, and a bounce house for the kids while parents visit representatives from over 100 local summer camps.

If you want to explore a variety of camps in one location, this is your best bet. I attended last year and it was fantastic. I brought my kids and they got a chance to discover some new camps and talk with camp representatives.

Nearly every local day camp for preschool, elementary, middle, and high school students will be represented, as well as several of the most popular sleep-away camps throughout California. The Marin Camp Fair is a community event managed by the Dominican University athletic department and Camp Doodles.

The fair is a free event and takes place from 11 am to 2 pm. Conlan Center Gymnasium is located at 1475 Grand Avenue. For more information, visit www.MarinCampFair.com.

Don’t miss the 2013 Novato Mothers Club Rummage Sale! It takes place this Saturday, March 9, from 9 am to 3 pm. You can literally get everything you need for your family: cribs, strollers, children’s clothing, maternity wear, toys, shoes, nursing items, and more.

Rummage sale items are half off starting at 2 pm (doors are closed from 1:30–2 pm), and there will also be a bake sale for goodies to munch while you shop. Admission and parking are free.

The NMC Rummage Sale will take place at the Novato Teen Center at 950 Seventh Street off of Grant Avenue in downtown Novato (attached to the Novato Gymnastics Center). This event is free and open to the public. Cash only.

In previous years, I volunteered for this event and always came home with a bunch of great toys and clothes for the kids. It’s really a great sale that offers bargain prices on a lot of things (many of them barely used). To get the best picks, try to get there when they first open on Saturday, because the good stuff goes quickly. For more info, visit their website.

Marin Mommies presents this week's guest recipe from Nicole Cibellis, Marin mom and author of the blog A Family that Eats Together, where she shares meal plans and recipes that will please foodies and children alike. Nicole is also the creator of the new Little Froglet line of children's activewear. Here's Nicole's meal plan for this week.

This recipe is adapted from a clay-pot chicken recipe. I love clay-pot chicken but I don’t have a clay pot to cook the chicken in so this is my translation of the recipe using a Dutch oven. The first time I had clay-pot chicken was at the Slanted Door in San Francisco. It is so warming and delicious. Charles Phan the owner and executive chef makes his clay-pot chicken with a Vietnamese slant. My recipe it is more Chinese-inspired.

Servings: 4
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 30 minutes

If you haven't been to the PlayLand indoor bounce house experience in the MLK Gym in Sausalito, it's definitely worth a visit, especially if it's rainy or cold and you can't play outside. PlayLand is a full-sized gymnasium full of inflatable bounce houses, including a 40-by-20-foot sports arena, a 15-foot slide, a bounce house with basketball hoop, and a toddler bounce zone.

My kids always have a blast playing here—sliding, jumping, bouncing, and playing games in a warm, safe, indoor environment. PlayLand was started by Marin dad Jeremy Williams, who also runs Mt. Tam Adventure Camps. He's often on site with several coaches who make sure that everyone has fun. During our last visit, a coach was making balloon animals for the kids, and there was even a remote controlled flying giant clownfish roaming the room. It's a fun and cool place to play in Marin.

Marin Mommies presents a guest article by Marin parent coach, infant/toddler sleep researcher, and family therapist Angelique Millette.

With the time change approaching, I have received many e-mails and phone calls from parents asking how they can help their babies and toddlers transition to the new time without upsetting their child’s sleep.

Starting Sunday, March 10, at 2 am, clocks will be set forward one hour—“spring forward.”

You can help your baby/toddler by starting to adjust ahead of the time change. Starting Tuesday night (March 5) begin to put baby down 10 minutes earlier for bed. You can do this by comforting, singing or reading, and starting the bedtime ritual/routine 10 minutes earlier. Do this for the rest of the week, so when the time change does happen, your baby or toddler will have slowly adjusted to the new time.

If your baby or toddler’s bedtime is 7 pm, it will look like this:

• Tuesday: 6:50 pm bedtime
• Wednesday: 6:40 pm bedtime
• Thursday: 6:30 pm bedtime
• Friday: 6:20 pm bedtime
• Saturday: 6:10 pm bedtime
• Sunday: 7 pm bedtime (new time—old time will be 6 pm)

Today, March 2, 2013, is the 109th birthday of celebrated children's author Theodore Geisel, better known to everyone as Dr. Seuss. The good doctor is no longer with us, of course (he passed away in 1991), but he's left us with a nearly unprecedented body of work that includes some of the most playful and imaginative books for children ever written.

As a parent, I suppose the most obvious difference between Dr. Seuss books and a lot of other children's books—especially books for early readers and small children—is that the Seuss books are usually as fun for adults to read as they are for kids to listen to. There are some books on the kids' bookshelf that we simply dread to read (I'm not going to name names, but Dora the Explorer figures highly in a few), but the Dr. Seuss books are not among them. Furthermore, Dr. Seuss' "Beginner Books " are some of the first books for beginning readers that are really fun and exciting to read, teaching important concepts and skills while entertaining and delighting. Fun with Dick and Jane? Bah! Bring on The Cat in the Hat!

Here are our picks for great events and activities for children and families this weekend. Find more events for the whole week in Marin and beyond in our Family Events Calendar.

Friday, March 1

• Breakfast with Enzo
  Sports Basement, San Francisco
  Friday, 2 shows: 10 am & 11 am
  Enzo Garcia plays guitar, banjo, accordion, musical saw, Jew's harp, enzotar, appalachian dulcimer, slide flute, percussion and more. Enzo has been performing his family music show, "Breakfast with Enzo," weekly in San Francisco for the past 8 years, Recommended for children 7 and under. Drop in any time. Cost: $5 per person; siblings under 7 months free. For more info, call (415) 652-2474 or visit his website.
  
• Free Performance: ODC/Dance
  San Francisco City Hall
  Friday, noon
  San Francisco City Hall has a free dance performance each month. presents ODC/Dance in Transit, choreographed by ODC Co-Artistic Director KT Nelson. This full-company work celebrates the chaotic pulse of our urban centers—where high and low technology exist side-by-side—walking, biking, and high-speed transit. For more info, visit their website.
• Anything Goes
  142 Throckmorton Theatre , Mill Valley
  Friday, 7:30 pm
  142 Throckmorton Theatre's youth program presents a family production of Anything Goes. This age-old tale of boy-meets-girl, set aboard an ocean liner bound from New York to London. This classic show features the luscious music and lyrics of Cole Porter, and includes such classics as "Anything Goes", "You're the Top", and "I Get a Kick Out of You." Tickets: $18 general admission, $14 students, $30 reserved seating. For more info, call (415) 383-9600 or visit their website.
• The Secret Garden
  Zellerbach Hall, UC Berkeley
  Friday & Saturday, 7:30 pm, Sunday 3 pm
  Frances Hodgson Burnett's beloved children's classic comes to life as a fully staged opera in this collaboration between Cal Performances and the San Francisco Opera. Tickets start at $30; tickets for children ages 16 and under are half-price for all performances. Tickets for the Sunday, March 3 performance are 15% off for adults, too. Zellerbach Hall is located on the UC Berkeley Campus, off Bancroft Avenue between Telegraph Avenue and Dana Street. For more information, visit their website.

Saturday, March 2

• Museums on Us
  Saturday & Sunday
  Bank of America or Merrill Lynch credit or debit card holders get free general admission on the first full weekend of every month. Present your card and a photo ID for admission (one free general admission per cardholder). Get full details here. Participating museums include the de Young Museum, the Legion of Honor, the Contemporary Jewish Museum, the Children's Creativity Museum, and the Chabot Space & Science Center.
• Winter Bird Walk
  Richardson Bay Audubon Center
  Saturday, 8:30–10:30 am
  Join us for a bird walk led by Kerry Wilcox, our Sanctuary Manager and experienced birder. We will view and learn about the waterfowl, shorebirds, and songbirds that visit the Richardson Bay Audubon Center & Sanctuary during the winter and spring. Beginner and advanced birders, and families welcome. Cost: $7 per participant. RSVP to (415) 388-2524. Location: 376 Greenwood Beach Road, Tiburon. For more info, visit their website.
• Marin Teen Girl Conference
  Embassy Suites Hotel, San Rafael
  Saturday, 9 am-2:30 pm
  The Marin Teen Girl Conference is an annual conference that is designed to support our local Marin teenage girls in the 8th–12th grade to promote healthy body image, positive relationships, gaining confidence and making good choices throughout their difficult teenage years. There is a $15 admission fee and you must register beforehand in order to attend. The Embassy Suites Hotel is located at 3501 Civic Center Drive in San Rafael. For more info, visit their website.
• The Great Baby Romp
  UCSF Mission Bay Conference Center, San Francisco
  Saturday, 8:30 am–4:30 pm
  The Great Baby Romp is for babies, toddlers, and their parents to come together and experience some of San Francisco’s best enrichment programs, all in one place. Cost: $30 for adults ($20 additional adult) and $7 children. Location: 1675 Owens Street, San Francisco. For more info, visit their website.
• Marin Country Mart Farmers Market
  Marin Country Mart, Larkspur Landing
  Saturday, 9 am–2 pm
  Enjoy pony rides, a petting zoo, arts & crafts and face painting from 10 am–2 pm. Enjoy storytelling from 9:30-10:30 am and live music from 11 am–2 pm. For more info, visit their website.
• Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss!
  San Francisco Zoo
  Saturday, 11 am–2 pm
  Come meet the Cat in the Hat in person and have your picture taken with the famous feline, listen to celebrity guests like the Golden State Warrior Girls and others read beloved Dr. Seuss classics, learn fun facts about our animals from Seuss-themed Keeper Talks, and stop in to the San Francisco Library's BookMobile for a quick read,it will be parked in front of the Children's Zoo. Location: Wildlife Theater near the Children's Zoo. For more info, visit their website.