The Parent Center page serves as a clearinghouse for information about local education and teaching/tutoring services, childcare and daycare, local blogs, parent groups, and some potential answers to the question, “What are we going to do this weekend?”
Click here to visit the LAUSD Parent Page.
Micheltorena’s Parent Center is located right inside the front entrance of the school, and serves as a gathering site for parents when on campus, as well as a site for parent-centered enrichment classes. Classes offered in the Parent Canter over the 2010 – 2011 school year included CPR, disaster preparedness, family health, crochet, and Zumba dance classes. The Parent Center also serves as the site for school committee meetings and monthly Coffees with the Principal.
Catalina Reyes shows off her crochet skills (purse made with soda can tabs!)
Get outside! Turn of the TV and take a hike! In sunny southern California, it’s always time to go for a hike. Micheltorena is located in the shadow of Griffith Park, home to hundreds of beautiful trails, picnic sites and playgrounds. Check out the California Sierra Club’s youth site, which has lots of info about hiking and getting outside. Don’t want to walk? Go for a horseback ride at Griffith Park! The Audobon Center at Debs Park is located off the 110 freeway and offers gentle hikes and nature programs for the whole family, in English and in Spanish. The Community Hiking Club is a community-based program located in Santa Clarita that provides information about upcoming hikes for children in the Los Angeles area; information also provided in Spanish! For an encyclopedic list of local hikes in the Los Angeles area, check out localhikes.com. CBS.com has an opinion about the best hikes in Los Angeles, their list is here.
Don’t be a victim of nature-deficit disorder! What is that? (Hint: keep hiking and you’ll be OK!) Read more about connecting kids with the great outdoors here.
Geek out while you’re outside and try geocaching! Geocaching is “the growing activity where people use their GPS (Global Positioning System) receivers to find hidden goodies just about anywhere. Much like finding buried pirate treasure except that geocaches are never buried.” Learn more about this fun kid-parent activity here.
Get out and about in Los Angeles! Check out some of these local treasures.
California Science Center Museum of Natural History (Did you know you can have a sleepover at the Museum of Natural History?!)
Los Angeles Zoo Museum of Contemporary Art Los Angeles County Museum of Art
Getty Museum Check out the Getty family fun page here.
Jet Propulsion Lab in Pasadena. Check out their kids page here.
Huntington Botanical Gardens Kidspace Museum
Go for a swim! Check out these neighborhood pools.
Echo Deep AKA Echo Park Pool 1419 Colton Street, Los Angeles, CA 90026
Griffith Park Pool 3401 Riverside Drive Los Angeles, CA 90027 Phone: (323) 906-7953 Open from June 25 to September 5, 2010.
City of Los Angeles, Directory of Aquatic Centers
Hollywood YMCA 553 Schrader Boulevard Los Angeles, CA 90028 Phone: (323) 467-4161
Go camping with the family! There are many options for camping in the county of Los Angeles. Reserve America offers reservations for sites all over the United States. Local camping favorites include camping Malibu at beautiful Point Mugu and Leo Carillo state beaches, and Angeles National Forest!
Go camping with LA Parks and Rec! The department hosts a number of campgrounds in Angeles National Forest and San Bernardino Mountains. Check it out here.
Go run a 5-k! Check out this great web calendar of area run/walk events here.
Need information about summer camps? Check out a list of selected camps here.