Celebrate the Summer Solstice on Muir Beach

Summer solstice at Muir Beach. Photo by Frog Mom

"Celebrate the longest day of the year at the continent's edge, Muir Beach. Join us for storytelling and songs around a bonfire." Every year the rangers of Muir Woods organize two events to celebrate the passage of the shortest and the longest day of the year.

December 21st marks the winter solstice with a luminaria-lit redwood ceremony at Muir Woods National Monument. June 21st marks the summer solstice with a beach bonfire, stories and the sound of crashing waves on Muir Beach. They both have their particular charm but kids definitely prefer an evening at the beach where they can run and splash around before the ceremony starts.

In sharp contrast with the craze of Muir Woods, Muir Beach is a quiet beach with fine sand and trails that climb up the bluffs to lovely overlooks. When we arrived last year around 5pm, parking was easy. We gathered our beach toys and food, crossed the boardwalk on Redwood Creek and crossed the beach to reach the bonfire spot.

The rangers were busy like bees setting up their signs, blankets and boxes of props and music instruments. The bonfire was already on its way though its warmth was not needed yet. We were pretty much in the first dozen of participants and I feared - without reason as you will see - that we would be part of a very small crowd.

We lay our blanket on the sand facing north and broke the picnic dinner as our girls frolicked in the sand. Ironically we thought we were so sophisticated with our home-made sandwiches and fruit when in fact people bring full coolers of food, hot dogs to roast on sticks, wine and fancy stem glasses. All of a sudden we were apprentices in the world of beach bonfires!

Waiting for the evening to come, I walked up part of the trail and enjoyed the beach basking in the last golden rays of a sunny day. I could see myself waiting here a long time but advancing shadows told me I had better come down not to miss the show.

Mia Monroe, superintendant of Muir Woods National Monument, announced the official start of the ceremony. Our girls settled down next to us and converted their playful energy into storytime energy. They were about to learn about the sun and the moon and the longest day and shortest night of the year.

At the very beginning, we all took turns adding stems of wild mustard to the bonfire so they would burn later on. I forget the specs now but I think it's because it's an invasive plant and it was a symbol of native habitat restoration.

The first musical act consisted of the Marin band Orange Sherbet who led the crowd into hippie family songs. As I write this a year later, I wish I could find the song booklet they distributed to tell you which songs. All were familiar tunes and most people joined in the sing-along.

I was surprised to notice some in the audience had brought their own musical instruments - drums, guitar, ukulele. They even joined the Orange Sherbet lady duo on a few tunes. This was a community experience!

The evening unfolded with animal stories, a puppet show, nature songs accompanied on the guitar and poetry.

I talked with a couple behind us and the woman turned out to be a total francophile and a former French teacher in Latin America. Good for me! She was a friend of Ms Monroe and introduced me after the ceremony was over. I was thrilled.

As we were about to leave, a family behind us shared a coveted treasure with our girls which they could not refuse: marshmallows!

They each grabbed a handful, didn't even bother about sticks and gobbled them up like they hadn't eaten in a day. Guess the home-made sandwiches weren't enough after all!

Knowing we still had an hour of driving to head home, we packed our belongings and bade goodbye to the people we had gotten to know around us. For a bonfire with total strangers, I was surprised at how friendly it turned out to be.

In the fading evening, the hills of Marin were still sunny but by the time we reached the city, dark was upon us.

On our girls too. They were sound asleep. Dreaming of celestial coyotes, sneaky raccoons and mighty moons.

Father's Day: Meet My Dad

My dad, Marc Latham. Photo by Frog Mom

Happy Father's Day! Meet my dad, one of my best supporters and a wonderful grand-father for my girls. According to my husband, he does A-OK for a father-in-law too. My dad visits us every year from France and every time he does, he's part of a few Frog Mom adventures working behind the scenes (much like my husband) so things run smoothly. I want to honor him today by telling you about him, one of my inspirations in life. Here's to Marc.

My dad (center) and my brother Jean (standing).
New Caledonia, Mont Dore. 1978?

My dad is an outdoorsy guy. He grew up in a French country town during the second World War and graduated as a soil scientist, a career that led him to roam trail-less mountains and deserts of Africa in the 1960s and the South Pacific in the 1970s.

In 2010 at Saddlebag Lake. Photo by Frog Mom

When I was a kid in New Caledonia, he was always back from an expedition or his way to a new one. See, he was charting islands for their soil content (literally, making maps where there were none) and needed to explore rugged territory to take soil samples and analyze them back in labs. Every time we go hiking, he tells us about soil and rock formations around us. My girls now know that when there's a question about botany, soils, rocks, gems or anything vaguely green or brown, my dad's the ultimate resource and they got that right.

My dad is a tireless hiker, backpacker and camper. He took me on my first backpacking trip with my brothers on the Dogny Plateau in New Caledonia when I was 8. On that tropical meadow before sunset, there was no firewood to be found and we were about to eat our canned dinner but needed a fire to warm it up. He taught us to look for "gas plants," pagoda-like green plants that burned really well in the fire. It was awesome!

My dad at Lake Assal, Ethiopia in 2004

My dad is an adventurer. His grand-father was a well-known French adventurer-writer considered by many of his generation like the last French pirate, Henry de Monfreid. In 2004, my dad traveled to Ethiopia to retrace his grand-father's footsteps and see the country where his mother grew up.

My mom and my dad in New Caledonia, 1972

To me, my dad was more like an Indiana Jones of the South Pacific, staying in huts with tribes of Papua New Guinea or getting ship-stranded on some small atoll of New Caledonia. The time his boat got stranded and they were fishing around the island to find food, my mom learned about the accident when a work colleague called home to say they'd found them. Seriously.

My dad can cook crepes, sausages, couscous and enough staples to host his friends in the south of France but the one thing he taught me in the kitchen and that's his thing (because my mom is such a good cook) is how to make jam. I don't know what he would do without his copper pot.

Cooking sausages at Tuolumne Meadows.
Photo by Frog Mom

He's a prolific jam maker and every year when I make batches of jam, I call him to let him know. Sometimes we even compare tips over the phone. His big fave is quince jelly. Mine is guava jelly. Just sayin'.

My dad is funny. He likes to tell jokes, no  matter how good or bad they are. Sometimes he's too funny if you ask my mom when he cracks a bathroom joke over lunch. She rolls her eyes, says something along the lines of now's-not-the-time and my dad stops - or not. The good news is, he always tries again!

With my husband in 2010. Photo by Frog Mom

My dad is a writer. When he was associate professor at the college of agriculture in Kyoto (Japan) a few years back, he sent us write-ups of his tribulations (he even tried to learn how to speak Japanese at age 60) and they delighted us. In the past five years, I've collaborated with him on a big project, the biography of his great-grand-father who was a French post-impressionist painter and Gauguin's best friend. Some 400 pages later, the biography's written and we're shopping for a publisher. Now I'd like to get him started on his memoirs.

Two laps. Not more. Cambodia, 2010

My dad is fair. I really mean it. He never badmouthes anybody, hates gossip and just tries his best to be fair to people in life. I rarely even hear him judge people based on what others say. He doesn't like judgments, he goes by empirical facts and conclusions. That's something I yet have to improve on.

My dad only swims two laps of every pool. He goes in, swims one lap, comes back and gets out. I never really understood why but that's how he does it.

Thailand, in 2010 with my girls and my dad

My dad snores. That's him snoring here. Kidding! That's not my dad snoring.

My dad does't like cities. He prefers the countryside. He gets bored when he cannot be outside. And he bores us because he's restless so we find a way to get him outside.

My dad doesn't like loud music. That's because he can't hear well. His eardrums were damaged in a car accident in his 30s and he's used to asking us to repeat what we just said. Even without that, I don't think he would like loud music.

Grandfather on duty. Photo by Frog Mom

My dad doesn't like sad stories. When I asked him for advice about a new travel blog I'm starting on California, he said "write about the California that makes people dream." I got that in my tagline "La Californie qui fait rêver."

My dad is an incredible grand-father. Ask my girls. They can't wait to see Bon Papa next week. Fortunately, he doesn't mind being bossed around by them.

Best dad ever. Wouldn't trade for anyone else.

Happy Father's Day Papa!

Wine country weekend: Archer Taylor Preserve, Bouchon Bakery and Coppola Winery

Sonoma winery, Hollywood meets Disneyland. Photo by Frog Mom

This wouldn't be California without a winery with three swimming pools where customers sip chardonnay at the pool café listening to live Vegas tunes before visiting the museum filled with Hollywood memorabilia while kids relax post-swim in a "kid library" tee-pee with a view on Sonoma green rolling hills. This wouldn't be Napa either without a stop at the bakery of a Michelin-starred restaurant that sells awesome chocolate tarts and only-in-Napa foie gras dog biscuits to enjoy at the outdoors patio. The biggest surprise though, was a redwood forest on a hilltop with a trail leading to a milky waterfall in Napa.

I swear, we initially planned to do a weekend of hiking and camping in Napa. Somehow, things took a different turn but the kids didn't complain. They love swimming.

Devils Well Falls. Photo by C.G.

Archer Taylor Natural Preserve
High in the hills above the city of Napa on the western side, Archer Taylor Preserve starts at the end of a dirt road and dives deep into redwood territory. While I knew about the mountainous side of Napa (try Mt St Helena for a good workout!), I had no idea redwoods could thrive this far inland.

On Saturday a dozen adults and kids got ready and hopped in cars to reach the trail head at the end of Redwood Road, trail head where the kids begged us to stay because of a massive trampoline and two goats grazing around picnic tables. One of them was a "unigoat," a goat with only one horn. We promised to spend some time after the hike.

Redwood Creek. Photo by C.G.

The hike itself was short and sweet on moderately steep terrain down to the creek, then mostly level and gradually up to the falls. Since there is no clear trail map at the parking area, we wouldn't have been able to find our way without a friend of ours who knows the trails and led the way.

Our loop to the lower Devils Well Falls was probably a 2-mile loop. For more exploration, other hikers report they can scramble up the lower falls to a second and third level of falls in a canyon. Not sure how that works with little kids so better stick to the easier lower falls.

 At the end of the hike, we stopped at the trampoline and enjoyed some bouncing time before heading out and camping by Redwood Creek in the backyard of this friend.

Note: access to the waterfall is on private property of the Land Trust of Napa County and to come here you need to join a guided tour or obtain permission to hike on the Preserve by contacting caretakers Bill Albrecht and Anne Ledvina at least 24 hours in advance at 707-254-0996 or by e-mailing.

The 10am line at Bouchon Bakery. Photo by Frog Mom

Bouchon Bakery
"If there's a line out the door, it's a good sign" says my dad, who always gauges a restaurant by how busy the waiters are. If that holds up in Napa, Bouchon Bakery in Yountville deserves its 4.5 stars on Yelp and a place in the pantheon of gourmet bakeries.

Tipped off by a friend, we showed up at 10am on a sunny Sunday with 5 kids and 4 adults in dire need of breakfast. The line already extended around the bakery - ominous sign!

Hungry yet? Photo by C.G.

On this quiet posh strip of the Napa Valley, the famous French Laundry is only a few doors down the street and Bouchon Bistro right next door, a total of 4 Michelin stars for celebrated chef Thomas Keller who owns them both. There was no way we were missing out on Bouchon Bakery croissants despite the 40-minute line.

So the kids sat at the outdoors patio tables while we adults mused on what we'd get once inside - the line is not only long, it is slow. "I want to mortgage my house for this croissant!" said my friend Kazz who was daydreaming on the Michelin-starred treats. I suggested a Pinot-infused strawberry compote turnover if there was one but there wasn't one.

Buns, croissants, PB sandwiches. Photo by C.G.

While we all fantasized on extravagant Napa takes on classic bakery items, the line slowly made its way and we were faced with the impossible choice: what's for breakfast?

We picked a chocolate almond croissant and strawberry almond croissant for me, epi bread crown for my 2nd grader, chocolate croissant for my kindergartner, pain aux raisins and almond croissant for my husband. Others also picked a smoked turkey sandwich (that was a ravenous kindergartner), the bread butter pudding and the peanut butter cream filled cookie. Overall, we were happy but the chocolate almond croissant was just too heavy - it needed a lighter texture.

Fit for royal pooches. Photo by C.G.

As for the extravagant Napa take, the one item that  wins the cake  was the foie gras dog biscuit. Now that was over the top, even if I actually regretted not buying one for myself at lunch time. In the pastries department, all were utterly delicious. The chocolate bouchons that give their name to the bakery are totally worth the line, as are the rhubarb-strawberry macarons.

Info: 6528 Washington Street, Yountville. Phone: 707.944.2253

Francis Ford Coppola Winery
Last on the agenda for a real wine country experience, a winery! I heard about the new Francis Ford Coppola Winery last year and wanted to visit it but not for wino reasons: it has three swimming pools, bocce ball courts, live music, pool side eating and a Coppola museum. That's something my kids can live with.

The reason the winery's so popular. Photo by Frog Mom

Located in Geyserville right off 101, the winery is smack at the entrance of the Alexander Valley. We arrived around noon and snatched the last pool passes available. From the Yelp reviews I've read, people line up at the gates on weekends, run to secure a poolside chair and send their friends to buy pool passes. Our experience, on the reverse, was pretty chill. We just walked up to the main desk, bought our passes, got paper wrist bands and were handed plush terry towels for the pool as well as free combination locks for the locker rooms.

Pool café  Photo Coppola Winery.

At $15 per adult and $10 per kid, it's a better deal than flying to the Mandala Bay for the day and lifeguards guarantee there are no drunken idiots messing around the pool. For that price, you get to enjoy a full day of Sonoma summer sun, clean pools and live music on weekends. The pool capacity is topped at 184 people but lots of guests just lay their towel down and go wine tasting. Kids can swim their hearts out!

Since picnicking is not allowed, the grounds are super clean (no bags of Cheetos flying around, thank you) but obviously when you're hungry, you need to buy food there. Aha. Which we did. Our kids asked for seconds of the Pizza Luigino, a simple tomato pizza with mozzarella. Delivered directly to our towel on the lawn, it tasted surprisingly good.

Tucker and Godfather props. Photo by C.G.

A pitcher of rosé on ice for the grown-ups makes a refreshing pool wine that doesn't club you right away. As for the cabines (cabanas), I really don't see their point. You already have access to free lockers and the cabines are not Las Vegas-style sheltered lounging areas by the pool. They're changing rooms with keys. I say, save $75 and splurge on something else. As in .... a replica of The Godfather desk? I'm kidding.

Dracula, a man of good taste. Photo by C.G.

The museum is the last must-see stop at the winery, a collection of costumes, set items and Academy awards (including typed notes for the award hosts) that will delight movie buffs. From the striking window case with the Dracula bride lace gown and Count Vlad stylized armor, to the Apocalypse Now displays with period off-screen shootage, the first floor is meant to make you drool in awe before you climb to the second floor.

The second floor welcomes you with the desk and armchair of The Godfather, two pieces of furniture that stop everybody in their footsteps before their jaw drops. Past the initial shock, you can drift to the wall of Academy awards - real ones - and walk around the promenade to the last room dedicated to Marie-Antoinette.

Big model boats used in Marie-Antoinette. Photo by C.G.

I find it really cool that despite the "Francis Ford" part of the winery, the father displays his daughter Sofia's work on an equal footing with his. She also has a pizza under her name. What more could a daughter ask?

The last room features two incredible scaled model boats that were paraded on a fireworks background in a battle scene on Versailles' grand canal in the movie Marie-Antoinette. Kids were all over them - understandably and we had to pull them away from these marvelous constructions.

The same room happens to have a nice selection of gifts for children, which helped in the diversion.

We did camp! Photo by Frog Mom

Info: 300 Via Archimedes, Geyserville. Phone: 707-857-1471.

You can never tell what will happen when you go camping in Napa without a reservation. You may end up pitching your tent in someone's backyard, change itinerary and live the high Wine country life for a day. Not a bad way to kick off the summer!

10 Reasons You Should Take Your Kids to Henry W. Coe State Park

Fording creeks at Henry W. Coe. Photo by Frog Mom

The second largest California state park, Henry W. Coe State Park is also largely ignored from the general public. At 87,000 acres, it is twice the size of the District of Columbia, could be a national park in other parts of the US, and yet only saw 38,000 visitors in 2010. We camped there with three other families over this Memorial Day weekend and I want to show you what you could do with your kids there, so you can enjoy this gem of wilderness and ranch lands.

Here are 10 reasons why you should bring your kids to this incredible park before school starts again.

Oak hills and grassy meadows. Photo by C.G.

1. Support your parks! Henry W. Coe is a park on life support. Generating only $100,000 in revenue last year with car and camping fees, Henry W Coe. is on the chopping block of the California state 2011 budget. Unless a solution is found, it will close in September 2011 together with 69 other state parks. if you don't think that's a good reason, read items 2 through 10 and think about what would be lost if the park closed. To support the park, you can also sign a petition on the website of the California State Parks Foundation.

Even in wet weather, great site! Photo by Frog Mom

2. Camp at Manzanita Point. Forget camping at the park's headquarters. The views may be nice but you are missing out on a great opportunity to feel like you're backpacking - with a car. We camped at the Manzanita Point group site #9, 2.5 miles from the park's headquarters. The reason it feels so remote is you're only allowed 1 to 2 vehicles per site, and only one trip in and one out. Of course, this requires some planning with your friends but a flatbed pick up truck does the trick for 3 families. Four of us adults hiked in, the rest drove. Once you're there, imagine this: no RV engines humming next to you, no cars driving in circles late at night, no trucks banging metal while collecting dumpsters in the wee hours. Just listen to the sounds of nature - and possibly your neighbors partying but sites are fairly spread out so it shouldn't be a problem.

3. Hike on beautiful trails. With its large size and four entry points on the borders, very little of Henry W. Coe's wilderness is accessible for day hikes, even more so with kids. This park means some serious hills! However if you're already 2.5 miles in at the Manzanita Point campground, you open up access to lesser known spots and awesome views.

On Sunday, we all hiked to China Hole, one of the best swim holes in the Bay Area. The total hike was a 6.6-mile loop from the campground, starting on Cougar Trail continuing on Creekside trail, Poverty Flat Road and ending on Manzanita Point Road. Total elevation gain: 1,300 feet. All kids from age 4 to 7 walked it. Not too shabby, according to my friend Jason who recorded the itinerary on his Garmin Forerunner 305.

Frog Mom swimming at China Hole. Photo by C.G.

4. Swim and splash at China Hole. Fed by an underground spring, China Hole is the most popular swim spot in the park. No wonder. This lovely lush spot on Coyote Creek offers a string of wading and swimming opportunities for all cold-water endeavors.

Playing in Coyote Creek. Photo by C.G.

Located just a few hundred feet downstream from the confluence of the Middle and East forks of Coyote Creek and the gateway to the Narrows, China Hole is where we laid down our backpacks, changed into swim suits and let the kids play on the sandy beach or jump in 3-feet deep pools, while two adults went swimming in deeper parts of the creek.

A balancing act. Photo by Frog Mom

While all the kids dipped their feet in the creek, only half of them decided to play with the water. Others started making "rock paint" by crushing two pebbles against each other, adding water and painting arms and faces. A couple played in the warm sand and even made sand angels. Good thing there was water nearby to rinse it all off!

5. Ford a creek on rocks. Finding the exact spot where your shoes won't get wet while crossing a creek is intensely satisfying for hikers. For kids, crossing creeks is an even bigger deal as it involves combining good balance with sizing up skipping stones as potential bridges to the other side. We forded Coyote Creek on two occasions and both times the kids did great.

How many kids can fit? Photo by C.G.

6. Swing in a hammock at the campground. Ever since we received a travel hammock as a Christmas gift 6 years ago, it's been part of our camping set. Wherever you camp in wooded areas, you can always find two trees roughly 8 to 10 feet apart to hang this hammock. The kids will love you for it.

REI and Amazon.com carry a nice selection of ultralight travel hammocks made of parachute material, such as this Eagles Nest Outfitters Double Nest Hammock that weighs only a pound and can carry up to 400 pounds. It's so light I might even take it on a day hike!

Rope + tree = swing. Photo by Frog Mom

7. Improvise a swing. If you don't carry a hammock or a swing in your car (I know, I know, they are such essentials), make sure you always carry 50 feet of solid climbing rope with you. Rope is a lifesaver on camping trips, working equally well as clothes line, jump rope or knot rope. You can also find a sturdy tree branch, loop the rope around (tie a rock at the end if you can't get the rope past the branch) and hang a big stick on a noose at the bottom. Tie a few knots. Swing problem solved! Now kids, get in line and behave. The adults are busy relaxing!

A fort for the fairies. Photo by C.G.

8. Build a fort for the fairies. This has got to be one of my favorite activities for kids because it makes them figure out the basics of 3D construction with natural materials. My 2nd grader started building a fort with sticks and was joined by two friends.

Three forts and a little parental help later, they had a solid structure that could withstand a light breeze and kids running dangerously close around it.

Fairy. Photo by C.G.

The younger kids got interested and thanks to a fairy-making and a tea light/ping pong ball activity, turned the fort into a place where  the fairies could come and  play at night.

Playing with glow sticks later that evening on a backdrop of ping pong balls illuminated by the flickering light of battery-operated tea light candles, it was a magical sight.

Campfire. Photo by C.G.

9. Enjoy a campfire. The first night we camped, rain fell pretty steadily on us and almost none of us was prepared for the wet weather. Lighting up a fire proved the best antidote to keep spirits up and warming up the kids who were running around like mad gnomes.

The second night was glorious and the kids were hell bent on marshmallow roasting until the marshmallow supplies dried out. This they achieved, as well as some smeared white goo all over their hands, faces and clothes. Because you know, what better way to wipe off melted marshmallow than using your own sweater?

Checkerspot caterpillar. Photo by C.G.

10. See some wildlife. I've come to the conclusion that a trip to Henry W. Coe has to include wildlife sightings. There's just wild animals everywhere if you keep your eyes peeled.

On the way to Manzanita Point, we saw two wild turkeys wandering around the campground. They were the first of 4 wild turkey sightings over 2 days. At the campsite, we saw three big black hairy caterpillars with orange dots that turned out to be future checkerspot butterflies. Hair-rising cool because we didn't know if they were venomous.

Scorpion. Photo by C.G.

After I lifted a log in the fort building process, one of the kids identified a big animal that lived inside the log and was attempting an exit: a scorpion! I put the log down (you bet) and we all got close, trying to see it from a safe distance.

This blurry photo was taken by my husband who was trying to wrangle the scorpion out of the log with a stick (without harming the beast) while pushing on the camera's button and focusing.

Over the weekend we also had a deer visit us on our campsite, saw a couple more on the hills, my 2nd grader held a darkling beetle for fun and we heard a great horned owl call at night.

Now, will you believe me if say that you need to take your family to Henry W. Coe state park?

Family Guide: The Steins Collect at the SFMOMA and Seeing Gertrude Stein at the Contemporary Jewish Museum

Henri Matisse, Woman with a Hat, 1905; oil on canvas.
SFMOMA, Bequest of Elise S. Haas; © Succession H. Matisse, Paris
Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York; photo: Ben Blackwell

Who said kids and museums don't belong in the same sentence? Make a child imagine what Paris was like when he could chat with Henri Matisse over tea and cookies. Tell him about sisters and brothers refusing to share. Explain a rose is a rose is a rose evenings with music and snacks. Then you'll get his undivided attention even if the topic is the birth of modern art at the turn of the 20th century. Art with a story to tell takes on a life of its own and is a lot more palatable to kids than dry paintings. If you are in San Francisco this summer, take the kiddos to the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art where a good family epic, a strong storyline, and world-class paintings achieve pictorial fireworks. Welcome to The Steins Collect exhibition.

Jean-Paul Cluzel, director of the RMN, speaks after SFMOMA
 director Neal Benezra (standing, right). Photo by Frog Mom

Opened just last week, this exhibition spotlights the avant-garde art collection of young Bay Area transplants in Paris. These kids grew up in San Francisco and Oakland, their dad was in the cable car business, and yet they became prestigious art collectors in Paris - then the center of the art world. This rise to art stardom is nothing short of amazing and thanks to associated family programs and a lively narrative, children too can enjoy the exhibition.

Pablo Picasso, Boy Leading a Horse, 1905–6. The Museum of Modern Art,
New York, the William S. Paley Collection, 1964; © Estate of Pablo Picasso
Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York;
Photo: The Museum of Modern Art/Licensed by SCALA / Art Resource, NY

I was lucky to attend the media preview of this collaboration by the Réunion des Musées Nationaux (RMN) in Paris, the San Francisco Museum Of Modern Art in San Francisco and the Metropolitan Museum of Modern Art in New York. As San Francisco is the only city on the West Coast where the exhibition will be shown, the SFMOMA expects The Steins Collect to be so busy visitors will need to buy timed tickets to see it.

With a child, here is how I recommend to get the most out of the exhibition with minimal parental stress.

1. If your child is the runner type, you'll be able to see all 13 rooms without any problem. For a strictly visual take on The Steins Collect, stop at the SFMOMA's Haas Atrium and borrow an iPod with The Country Dog Gentlemen Travel to Extraordinary Worlds, an interactive tour of the museum for kids. While the app is not Steins Collect-specific, it can be used in various contexts and guides kids through rooms with playful prompts and activities.

2. If your child is the lingering type, stop in only half the rooms and walk by through the other rooms. My personal favorites, for color and subject, were:

Pablo Picasso, Soupe, 1902. 

• Leo's Arrival in Paris - terrific impressionnist nudes and bathers, 
• Discovering Matisse and Picasso -that's where you find Matisse's Woman with a hat and a serene Boy leading horses by Picasso - don't forget to check the giant pic of the Steins' apartment, a Real Simple wall clutter dream, 
• Sarah and Michael - kids will appreciate Picasso's sweet family scene Soup and little girls will marvel at Manguin's La Coiffure while little boys will enjoy Matisse's Boy with a Butterfly Net,
• Picasso and the birth of cubism - though I'm not a huge fan of that period, it's so different from the rest that kids should like the radical change of style, in particular Picasso's Head of a sleeping woman,
• Picasso and friends - amongst the Spanish painter's friends, Marie Laurencin stands out with sweetly mischievous group portraits,



Pablo Picasso, Head of a Sleeping Woman (Study for Nude with Drapery), 

1907 Collection The Museum of Modern Art, New York, Estate of John Hay

 Whitney, 1983;  © 2011 Estate of Pablo Picasso/Artists Rights Society (ARS), 

New York; Photo: The Museum of Modern Art/Licensed by SCALA/Art Resource

• Gertrude after Leo - got a kid interested in music? Try to find the music instrument in Picasso's Woman with a guitar, it is a fun guessing game,
• Gertrude and Alice - the extravagant and rebellious Francis Picabia appears in his late years as a friend of Gertrude Stein.    

3. If by extraordinary coincidence your child is the contemplative type, a young and  thoughtful mind, do take an audio-guide and see your child hop from painting to photo, listening to music and sound recordings, as well as background info on the art. Developed by ear print productions, the audio-guide includes stories like this one (Rousseau Banquet) with accordions and a Parisian cafe scene.

Those are just a few ideas to spice up the visit with a child, but feel free to improvise according to your children's tastes. You can also participate in a few family events centered on the exhibition this summer.

SFMOMA Family events and discounts around The Steins Collect 

• Starting in July, Family Sunday will be every  Sunday, not just 1st and 3rd Sundays. This means that every Sunday there will be additional activities for children ages 4-11, including at least one hands on art making activities, as well as family tours, children’s book readings, and more. Each week will feature a different book reading by children's authors including Amy Novesky (Me, Frida), Jeanne Walker Harvey (My Hands Sing The Blues, available September 2011), and Lynn Hazen (The Amazing Trail of Seymour Snail). 
•  If your child is a mods member and he/she brings in an adult, you do not pay the general admission to see The Steins Collect but only the surcharge, so it would be just $7 instead of $25.
• On June 5th, Gotta COLLECT. Kids get in free! 11 a.m. - 3 p.m. Explore a Stein-inspired salon for families in the Schwab room in addition to regular Family Sunday programming. The Schwab room will be converted into a living room with a continuous reading of The World is Round by Gertrude Stein as well as a reading of Gertrude is Gertrude is Gertrude is Gertrude by Jonah Winter. There will also be drawing activities in the living room as well Museums in a Box activities at the Koret Studio and sculpture, photo and drawing gallery art making activities. The gallery activities will be on the 2nd and 5th floors. 

Seeing Gertrude Stein at the Contemporary Jewish Museum

George Platt Lynes, Gertrude Stein, Bilignin, 1931, toned gelatin silver print.  Courtesy of the Baltimore Museum of Art, 

The Cone Collection, Gift of Adelyn D. Breeskin BMA 1985.3, © Estate of George Platt Lynes, 

Seeing Gertrude Stein: Five Stories, Contemporary Jewish Museum (May 12, 2011 – September 6, 2011).

It's one thing to see the art, it's quite another to understand the multi-layered formidable woman behind the collection. Seeing Gertrude Stein includes five stories on who Gertrude Stein was, or who she wanted to be remembered as.

After the SFMOMA (or another day), cross the street corner at Mission and 3rd to head to the Contemporary Jewish Museum and go to the second floor for a complete discovery of this mighty woman. 

Even if you've read The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas (the only book by Gertrude Stein I've read), you can't completely grasp the character until you visit this exhibition. She tried her creative juices at everything: poetry, essays, music, ballet, operas, fashion (shockingly) - what did she miss?

Kids will appreciate the video projections, the iPad listening station (hear Gertrude Stein speak) and - my favorite - the reproduction of a blue wall paper with white doves that decorated the walls of a photograph taken by Sir Cecil Beaton. 

Now enjoy. It's going to be a Steins summer.