Toby B

Toby is our uber-busy events editor for Mommy Poppins LA. Feel free to email Toby about events for our LA area calendar.

Latest posts by Toby

Weekend Fun for LA Kids: JPL, Fun-a-Palooza, Great Big Day of Play, and Pirate Day

Submitted by Toby B on Thu, 06/07/2018 - 2:10am

Photo courtesy of Ventura Harbor Village

Don't be sad. Yes, the school year is coming to an end. Yes, most kids are either on or about to be on summer break. But that doesn't have to be a bad thing. In fact, it could be quite fun!

There are tons of fun or downright awesome ways you can spend your time this summer. And for proof, you need look no farther than this very weekend in front of us. YOU CAN GO TO SPACE. (Disclaimer: you cannot actually go into space, at least not this weekend. But you can go to JPL and meet the scientists and engineers and possibly robots who design, engineer and carry out our actual missions to space.)

There's a Fun-a-Palooza, hello? There's a Great Big Day of Play. The people who named these events did not risk being subtle: you're going to have a blast.

There are block parties and street fairs and open houses. Anyone missing school can fake the feeling with lots of reading and there are some kick-offs to get you started. You can dance like nobody's watching, make art happen, or maybe even win a Tony. (Disclaimer: you are probably not winning a Tony, at least not this weekend. But you can watch the Tony Awards with a bunch of other theater fans. Maybe you should rehearse your acceptance speech just in case.)

Keep reading for our suggestions for a totally awesome time this weekend. (Disclaimer: No need for a disclaimer. It's going to be fun!)

Free (or Almost Free) Outdoor Summer Movies for Families All Over LA

Submitted by Toby B on Sat, 05/26/2018 - 3:55pm

And... action! As summer kicks off, a familiar annual scene is playing out at locations throughout the Southland: the season of free, nearly free, and gloriously cheap outdoor summer movie series has started rolling. At museums, parks, beaches, and malls, indoors and outdoors, in the early morning and by the light of the moon, families can catch both recent blockbusters and timeless classics for free or close to it. (While free is awesome, we think a dollar is still pretty good!)

Below you can find our comprehensive guide to free (and darn close to it) summer movie screenings and festivals. Click on the event names for more details, including movie titles. And keep checking back, because we'll continue to post more listings as they are announced, throughout the 2017 summer movie season.

Is that the London Eye in Long Beach? Giant Observation Wheel Visits Queen Mary

Submitted by Toby B on Thu, 05/17/2018 - 3:53pm

Well take a look at that! An Observation Wheel—which is another way of saying a really huge Ferris wheel with a great view—is setting up shop in Long Beach next to the Queen Mary, for one month only. No mere amusement park ride (though we like those very much!), the Observation Wheel offers birds-eye views of the picturesque Long Beach sky line, the majestic Queen Mary, and beyond. This thing is so tall you may be able to spot the buffalo grazing on Catalina Island.

Beauty and the Beast - A Christmas Rose: Panto in Pasadena Review

Submitted by Toby B on Fri, 12/22/2017 - 12:24am

Photo courtesy of Lythgoe Family Productions

It’s not exactly the Beauty and the Beast you know, but the latest show from Lythgoe Family Productions is a captivating tale love and acceptance for audiences young and old. If you're wondering whether this holiday show is the right one for your family, read on!

Zoo Lights Holiday Display: Animals Light up the Night at the LA Zoo

Submitted by Toby B on Tue, 11/28/2017 - 1:07pm

We Angelenos love our holiday lights, and we are blessed with an abundance of viewing opportunities. But sometimes logistics can be an obstacle, particularly for families with small children. Where do we park? How far do we have to walk or drive? Can we find all the displays…? One simple and family-friendly solution is the Zoo Lights display at the Los Angeles Zoo. This large scale sparkle, which replaces the old Griffith Park Lights drive-through event, puts everything you want to see within the grounds of the LA Zoo, and parking is free (merry Christmas to me!).

Free Admission for Active Duty Military Families with Blue Star Museums

Submitted by Toby B on Tue, 06/27/2017 - 1:43pm

Free museum admission is not just for kids in the summer months. More than 2000 museums across the country have joined the Blue Star initiative, offering free admission to active military personnel and their families* all summer long, from Memorial Day (Monday May 29 through Labor Day (Monday September 4). Spread the word; if you don't have active military in your own family, let your friends know that from the Automobile Driving Museum to the Santa Monica Aquarium and a whole slew in between, the men and women who protect all of our families can treat their families this summer.

Wild for the Planet: The LA Zoo Celebrates the Earth and Her Creatures

Submitted by Toby B on Sun, 04/30/2017 - 3:57am

Something tells me it's all happening at the zoo, particularly when it comes to teaching kids about conservation. While most Earth Day celebrations are limited to a single day, the LA Zoo extends its Wild For the Planet through four weekends.

LA Zoo's Non-Scary Halloween Fun for Kids

Submitted by Toby B on Mon, 10/03/2016 - 12:08am

LA really loves its Halloween. You can spook yourself silly just about anywhere: the aquarium, every last theme park, at pumpkin patches, farms, and railroads. So it makes sense that the Los Angeles Zoo and all of its party animals would want to get in on the action.

Unlike many other Halloween fests, Boo at the LA Zoo is not designed to scare the bejeebies out of you. Its haunts are played for fun, or to provoke amazement at animal oddities. The Zoo never loses sight of its greater mission: to inform kids about animals. So amidst the decorations and silliness, Halloween is presented through a lens of education and animal facts.