On Tuesday, June 14, Backcounty Pictures will be filming on Marin County's own Angel Island for part of a PBS documentary about the California State Parks. They're in need of people to include in the film, especially families with children hiking, biking, and enjoying the park. Children in strollers are welcome, too. Approximately six hikers and walkers and four bicyclists are needed for these Angel Island scenes.

Volunteers will should plan on taking the 11 am ferry from Tiburon to Angel Island and returning via the 1:20 pm ferry. Participants will be reimbursed for their round-trip ferry fares.

If you're interested in being part of this exciting project, please contact Amanda Frost by email at frostbiteprod@gmail.com or by phone at (418) 832-9934; make sure you include your name, phone number and email address.

As a typical second-grader, my son is obsessed with all things LEGO. The little plastic bricks hold an undeniable appeal to kids of all ages, and a lot of grownups, too. For his recent birthday party we turned to Marin's Play-Well TEKnologies, who operate an awesome LEGO shop and drop-in LEGO activity center in San Anselmo. In our case, Play-Well came to our house for a very successful, fun, and memorable birthday bash.

Drew the LEGO guy, a friendly college student, showed up at our house before the party with a hand truck and several crates of LEGOs. We figured that he must have brought a couple thousand dollars worth of the plastic bricks and pieces, all of which were sorted by category or color. One bin held only the little LEGO people, one held basic building bricks, one held little weapons and decorations, and so on.

Marin Mommies guest article by Marin marriage and family therapist Kate Brennan.

Summer is just around the corner. Vacations from school can be pleasant times for the entire family, not just the children. The daily pressures of homework or early morning rushing will cease to exist for a few months during the long days of summer. The daily routines will change during vacations but it is reasonable to expect children to follow routines regarding meals, chores, and recreation. If boredom is expressed, a little bit of encouragement from you can motivate her to find interesting things to do on her own. Below are some ideas for both staying at home and for trips.

Staying at Home

• Plant a vegetable garden. Make a summer salad from vegetables grown in the garden.
• The daily watering and cultivating of the garden will help your children with responsibility while teaching them about the wonders of nature.
• Summertime is a wonderful time for pleasure reading. Explore the library's non-fiction section together to find books about hobbies or a summer project that interests your child.

Novato family favorite Finnegan's Marin celebrates its fifth anninversary this month! With its old world atmosphere, Irish-inspired fare, and extensive and inexpensive (everything's $3.99!) children's menu, Finnegan's is a family friendly pub located in the heart of Novato's Old Town. They're also famous among local parents for their kids-eat-free Sunday nights, where children 12 and under can dine for free with the purchase of each adult meal from 5 to 10 pm.

In celebration of their fifth anniversary, Finnegan's is extending their kids-eat-free deal to the entire month of June, 2011. That's right—come on in at any time during the month (Father's Day, June 19, and the Novato Art, Wine and Music Festival weekend, June 11 and 12, excepted) and kids can eat lunch, dinner, or weekend breakfast for free.

Finnegan's Marin was opened by Novato resident Henry Hautau in 2006 and quickly became a gathering spot for families in the community. Finnegan's has the warm inviting atmosphere of a traditional pub, with lots of dark wood, cozy booths, and a large bar dominating the front room. Further back you'll find a more open dining room with tables for larger parties, and a outdoor patio for use on nice days. The walls sport mirrors, and sports memorabilia, as well as plenty of flat-screen TVs for use on game day. You'll also find photos of community sports teams, groups, and schools decorating the rooms—we even found our son in a group photo from his preschool a few years back!

Join 142 Throckmorton Theatre for a production of the classic musical Singin' in the Rain by their youth program, Marin Youth Performers. 1920s Hollywood is the setting for this stage adaptation of one of the most beloved movie musicals of all-time, a zany, light-hearted, romantic comedy about the early days of sound film, when many a movie studio found itself scrambling to salvage the career of its chipmunk-voiced silent movie star.

Singin’ in the Rain brings to life a memorable score that includes Make ‘Em Laugh, Good Morning, Broadway Ballet (Gotta Dance) and of course the signature title song.

This production of Singin’ in the Rain is performed by an all-youth cast, in 4th through 12th grade, from 20 different schools in Marin County and San Francisco, accompanied by an orchestra of young musicians, all aged 14 to 20 years old, from all over Southern Marin and San Francisco. Marin Youth Performers, 142 Throckmorton Theatre's youth division, provides affordable, engaging, and educational theatrical experiences for young people of all backgrounds, ages, and abilities and produces high quality theatrical productions with performers of exceptional potential and talent.

We just got back from our first camping trip of the season, and ran into a notorious and ubiquitous outdoor pest—the tick. We managed to get up-close-and-personal with one of the nasty little critters when we found one hanging out on my son's shoulder when we were getting him ready for bed. Fortunately, it hadn't bitten him yet, and we caught and disposed of the tick quickly and easily. It did reinforce for us the need to be vigilant in looking for ticks after most outdoor activities.

Often as small as a sesame seed, these nasty little parasites can be found all over California—you've no doubt seen the tick warning signs at many trailheads throughout Marin and the Bay Area. While in times past they were regarded as more of a nuisance than anything else, in the last 20 years or so they’ve become vectors for serious health problems, including the infamous Lyme disease. Of course, this article should not be a substitute for genuine medical advice, so if you suspect a real health problem, talk to your pediatrician.

How should your child's language development be progressing? Marin Speech Pathologist Cydney Doerres, MS, CCC, fills us in on children's important developmental milestones and potential causes for concern in this guest article.

Do you recall how excited you were when your child said his first word? Talking and walking are two of the most important developmental milestones in a child’s and a parent’s life. We, as parents, often gage our children’s overall development based on the language that he understands and is producing. Catching a speech or language delay early is important as the ability to communicate helps your child to develop learning, play and social skills in preschool and earlier.

As a Speech and Language Pathologist/Therapist the most frequent question I hear from professionals, family, friends and parents is “Is my child talking at the right level for his/her age?” If I feel that I have observed the child well enough, then I can provide a confident answer, however, I have often only just met the child!

In case you haven't noticed, it's strawberry season, and the delicious red berries and popping up in farmers' fields and markets all over. We've been getting especially sweet and tasty strawberries from vendors at the Marin Civic Center farmer's market, as well as at local stores. Recently, we found ourselves with a surplus of strawberries, and wondered momentarily what to do with them. Fortunately, an answer was immediately at hand—strawberry pie.

Unlike our equally delicious strawberry rhubarb pie, this refrigerated pie requires little baking or cooking, and is something that the kids can help with in the kitchen safely and easily. Here's what you'll need:

One of Marin County's most beloved and unique events is the famous Mountain Play—an outdoor theater experience on the slopes of Mt. Tamalpais that's been going strong for 98 years. 2011's Mountain Play production is the Tony Award-winning Hairspray, the story of self-proclaimed "pleasantly plump" teenager Tracy Turnblad as she simultaneously pursues stardom as a dancer on a local TV show and rallies against racial segregation in 1962 Baltimore. Winner of 8 Tony Awards including Best Musical, Hairspray features a heart pounding score of such favorites as Welcome to the '60s, Good Morning, Baltimore, Mama, I’m a Big Girl Now and You Can’t Stop the Beat. Hairspray is based on the 1988 movie of the same name written and directed by cult filmmaker John Waters.

The Mountain Play's production of Hairspray features a professional cast (including local singer/songwriter and children's performer Susan Zelinsky, AKA Susan Z, as Velma Von Tussle), and is directed by Marin drama legend and Mountain Play veteran James Dunn.

Back in 2009 we wrote about the proposal to help alleviate California's budget problems by closing 200 of our priceless state parks. Fast forward to 2011 and legislators again propose to shut down 70 of our state parks—25% of California's state parks system—to help trim the state budget gap. This time the closures are permanent, marking the first time in the century-long history of the California State Park system that park closures would be implemented.

You can see a list and map of the proposed closures here.

This is an incredibly short-sighted, harmful, and embarrassing plan that ultimately will only serve to hurt the state of California, its citizens, visitors, and businesses. Closing parks will have a severe financial impact on nearby businesses that serve park visitors, and the tax revenue they provide. Closure of state parks will also leave them open to potential environmental damage and vandalism.