Parks and Playgrounds, Sports Activities, Outdoor Activities, Rainy Day Activities, Events and Outings, Summer Camps, Spring Break Camps, Arts and Crafts, 4th of July, Beaches, Hiking, Picnics, Summer Activities, Zoos and Wildlife Centers, Enrichment, Parent-and-Child Classes, Gardening, Drop-in Activities, Snow Sports, Bicycling

Every year, there seems to be an even greater variety of day camps offered in Marin for kids of all ages. Here are a few popular and interesting camps that you just aren't going to find anywhere else:

Angel Island Camp is a 30-year-old tradition on historic Angel Island State Park in San Francisco Bay. Run by the Belvedere-Tiburon Recreation Department, sessions include Survivor Challenge, Science Sleuths and Capers, Time Travelers, Raiders of the Lost Island, and more. An introduction to kayaking is provided on the last day of each session. One-week sessions are from 9:15 am to 4:15 pm, and begin June 15 and run through July 17, 2009. Cost is $325 per week (week three is $260 due to the July 4 holiday). For more info, go to www.btrecreation.com/ and download their Summer Camp brochure.

As you all probably know, the city of Novato has been hit hard by the recent economic downturn, and substantial cuts are expected for all city services. Perhaps the city department most affected is Parks and Recreation, which is expected to eliminate up to 20% of their recreational programs. One of the services being considered for reduction and possible closure is the Novato Gymnastics Center.

Those of you who live in and around Novato are probably familiar with the Novato Gymnastics Center. It’s an amazing public facility that’s one of the best of its kind in the Bay Area, and it’s almost certain that you and your children have enjoyed and benefited from one of their many public tumbling and gymnastics programs. Both my children have taken numerous classes there. It’s the ideal physical activity program for the rainy months, too, since it’s an indoor facility.

Right now the city is strongly considering the entire elimination of the competitive gymnastics team program, as well as a severe reduction in recreational classes. The eventual closure of the Novato Gymnastics Center itself is also a possibility!

Pine Point Cooking School offers a summer cooking camp for kids ages 9–15 in Mediterranean Cuisine—Italian, French and Greek—with an emphasis on local organic produce, seafood and poultry. “Your dish will never be better than its worst quality ingredient,” and “Never eat anything your grandmother wouldn’t recognize as food” are two of the favorite maxims of Adrianna, the Italian-Greek instructor. She mixes cooking sessions with blind tastings (“Guess which is the farmer’s market peach?”), field trips (to the Marin Farmer’s Market, to local farms, and artisanal food producers) with instruction in kitchen safety, equipment, table setting, meal planning and organizational tips.

King Tut is returning to San Francisco! The treasures of the famous Boy King return to the de Young Museum this summer. Tut last made an appearance at the de Young in 1979, and many of you out there probably saw the exhibition as children. The new exhibition, Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs, will be at the de Young from June 27, 2009 through March 28, 2010, and includes over 130 works from the tomb of King Tut and other auspicious ancient Egyptians.

While general admission tickets won't be on sale until April 6, school groups can reserve their tickets for the coming school year now. Schools can purchase tickets at the special discounted rate of $15 per student, and tickets for chaperones (one per ten students) are complimentary.

Teachers in California K–12 public schools can also enter a lottery to receive free or reduced price tickets for their group. Fill out the form on the King Tut website to enter the lottery. Ticket price will range from free to $10 per student, depending on corporate underwriting, and lottery results will be announced in September.

Play It By Ear, a new musical sound exhibition opens at the Bay Area Discovery Museum this Saturday, January 31 and runs through May 31. Families will be able to tinker and play with original works of contemporary sound art, including a keyboard that activates dancing Slinkys, a giant music box that lets children create the melody, and a soundscape where children hear their movement. Visitors can even feel that sound is a vibration through the seat of their pants while sitting on a gigantic drum.

Adult admission $10, children 1-17 $8, seniors $8, children under 1 and members are free. The Bay Area Discovery Museum is located at 557 McReynolds Road, Fort Baker in Sausalito. For more info, go to www.baykidsmuseum.org.

Marin Mommies is rolling out its new event calendar, featuring the best family events in Marin and the Bay Area. You can find highlights of the day’s events at the top of the right sidebar on most pages on the site.

If your group, organization, or business is holding a local family event, feel free to add it to the calendar. You don't need to be a registered Marin Mommies user to add events, but registered users can edit their events, post images with them, and more. It's free to join, so why not register today?

If you have any questions or feedback about the event calendar (we're still tweaking things a bit here and there), feel free to contact us. We welcome your feedback!

Looking to take President-elect Barack Obama's call to a national day of service seriously? The Marin IJ has a rundown on volunteer opportunities happening in Marin today. Activities include cleanup days at the Golden Gate National Parks and sites in Novato and San Rafael. Read the IJ article here.

You can also search for service opportunities at Obama's USAService.org website. You can find an event, post one that you're hosting, and even find inauguration parties and gatherings to take in tomorrow's historic moment.

Join Thomas the Tank Engine, Percy, Sir Topham Hat, and the other denizens of the Island of Sodor at the Marin Center for Thomas & Friends Live! On Stage: A Circus Comes to Town. This 90-minute musical stage show extravaganza comes to San Rafael on Monday, March 9 at 7 pm and Tuesday, March 10 at 4 and 7 pm.

Tickets are on sale now. Ticket prices range from $12.50 to $55. For more information and to order tickets go to the Marin Center's website or call (415) 499-6800. Marin Center Box Office hours are Monday through Friday, 11 am to 5 pm. You can also order tickets online via Ticketmaster.

Meet Olivia, everyone's favorite piglet and the precocious porcine star of Ian Falconer's Olivia series of children's books. Olivia will appear in person this Saturday, January 10, at the babyGap store at the Village in Corte Madera. She'll be on hand from noon to 3 pm.

The store is offering a special gift with purchases of $50 or more (in case you thought you'd get away without buying anything). For more information, call the store at (415) 924-4079.

Browse the Olivia books on Amazon.com here