Kids Off The Couch - What's On Our July Radar Screen!

Stock your Summer with Culturally Rich Activities

The US government just issued new dietary guidelines confirming that more plants, less salt and more exercise are key to improving the health of all Americans. We leave it to you to gobble up the stone fruit and heirloom tomatoes at our local farmers' markets, but can help by stocking your family's cultural pantry this month.

Pictures of the Year: Kids and photography are a natural pairing, and we love quizzing ourselves on the world events from the past year at the 67th Annual Pictures of the Year International which runs until October 10 at the Annenberg Space for Photography. This traveling show represents the best of photojournalism from the past year and is a virtual global travelogue.

Native Son: We got an early view of the impressive retrospective of one of LA's most vibrant local artists at LACMA's summer blockbuster, John Baldessari: Pure Beauty (through September 12). We'll go so far as to proclaim it a must-see for every Angeleno this summer. Baldessari's So Cal roots are evident in his photographic art, which employs discarded film stills and other found images to comment on the prevalence of media in our lives. Most will recognize his large-scale works with blue, green or red dots over the faces of people, and seeing them in context (as well as reading the show notes) made us fans. Great for teens, or a grown-up date -- especially if you can get reservations at the new Red-O on Melrose, featuring a Rick Bayless-inspired Mexican menu.

Ticket Giveaway to Grease Sing-A-Long! Paramount is re-releasing one of their classic hits, Grease, as a sing-along event. Come join the fun as John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John belt out beloved tunes such as "You're the One that I Want". Click here to write to us for tickets to the only advance screening for this film, on July 6 at the AMC Century City. Be careful to think about the ages of kids that watch this film - it's sexuality meter runs higher than you might remember.

Plans for the Fourth? Maximize your festivity by celebrating at the Hollywood Bowl, complete with fireworks and country star Vince Gill who joins the LA Phil and USC Marching Band for a program that also includes the U.S. Air Force Band of the Golden West. Tickets are still available for the shows on Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights, July 2-4.

Outdoor Music for Families: The Skirball Cultural Center hosts fabulous outdoor concerts each Saturday and Sunday at 12:00 and 2:00, starting July 10 and ru nning through September 5. Get in the habit of dropping by with the younger ones for a whirlwind world tour of dance and song at the wonderful Family Amphitheater Performances.

A 3-D Summer: We weren't naturally 3-D believers, although Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland, which is now on DVD, piqued our interest. But watching Toy Story 3 (in IMAX, no less) has us believing. Maybe it's just Pixar's spectacular storytelling, or maybe it's that our kids grew up with Toy Story's Buzz and Woody, and watching Andy pack them into the attic as he heads off for college choked us up. Either way, we're all into the funky glasses and big screen extravaganza that make going to the movies a special excursion again. Toy Story 3 is easily the best film of the summer so bring one and all -- though kids under 8 might want to wait for the July 9 opening of Despicable Me; it's zany and considerably less scary for younger kids than watching Buzz and Woody get whisked away by a trash truck to a burning landfill - don't worry, they get rescued in the nick of time!

Gladiator and Gerome: Ever since NPR did a story about gladiators being dug up in England, we've been itching to re-watch Russell Crowe in Gladiator (Rated R, 2003). It could inspire a trip up the hill to see the Getty's new show, The Spectacular Art of Jean-Louis Gerome, a French artist from the 19th Century who was more successful financially than critically. Come judge his artistic merit for yourself - we promise the kids won't be bored with paintings of gladiators, lions and duels. (Or the nudes - beware!).

Free Art for Everyone: Target Arts & Wonder Free Family Event runs from July 16-18 at participating museums around town, including LACMA, the Museum of Latin American Art, the Japanese American National Museum and The California African American Museum. When visiting a museum with a robust permanent collection, we let the kids explore the gift store's postcard rack for an image that appeals to them - then head into the museum to find the matching piece of art.

Where's my Mummy? If mummies are your thing, LA is the place to be this summer. The stars of the Bowers Museum's Silk Road exhibit are two Chinese mummies, never before seen outside of ther native land, and apparently "celebrities in the world of archeology" (according to the Los Angeles Times). Secrets of the Silk Road closes on July 25, so hurry down to Santa Ana. And Mummies of the World premieres at the California Science Center this week, boasting the largest traveling collection of intentionally and accidentally preserved mummies. Mummies 3D: Secrets of the Pharaohs plays in the museum's IMAX theater during the run of the show. Advance tickets necessary, so plan ahead!

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Dance the Night Away Under the Summer Sky: Levitt Pavilion at MacArthur Park + Donna Summer at the Hollywood Bowl = Kids Off The Couch

MacArthur Park has had a storied history in Los Angeles, and continues to rank as one of our city's landmarks. The Park, first built in the 1880s and named for General Douglas MacArthur, received worldwide fame when Donna Summer, in her 1978 hit, bemoaned in an ode to love that "someone left the cake out in the rain." For "bad girls" from the disco generation, Donna is making a two-night appearance at the Hollywood Bowl on August 22 and 23 Click here for a link to purchase tickets.

MacArthur Park, however, is not just the stuff of music legend. It is clean, green and ready for prime time with its amazing FREE Levitt Pavilion's Target Children's Music Nights, every Sunday evening at 6:30 pm. When we took in a concert, parking was a breeze and the setting was intimate enough for everyone to spread their picnic blankets with a full view of the stage. The rest of the summer boasts a cool variety of global music -- from Chinese acrobats to kick off Olympic weekend (8/10), to rap, reggae and calypso version of Father Goose (8/17), there's plenty to keep the kids tapping their toes through September. Click here for the August and September schedule.

Whether your beat is more "Bad Girls" or "Father Goose," dance the night away with outdoor music before the summer is over. And cover that cake, just in case of rain!

Rent National Treasure + Go On A Scavenger Hunt = Kids Off The Couch

Treasure The Good Times

If you were too busy grilling hot dogs to talk with your family about why we celebrate the Fourth of July, why not let Nicholas Cage do the explaining? Our kids adore National Treasure, and we were happy to discover that the film offers a pop-culture tour of the icons of our nation's birth -- from the Liberty Bell to Independence Hall. Cage, whose name is Benjamin Franklin Gates in the film, plays a descendant of Freemasons who hid a fabled treasure in America during this country's formation; in order to find it, Gates must unravel clues about early American history, including a key map to the treasure trove which is located on the Declaration of Independence itself. We'd tell you whether or not he decodes that well-guarded map and finds the treasure, but that information is classified! Our kids are always ready for riddles, and love going on a Scavenger Hunt. When they were little we did simple hunts, and increased the games' complexity as they grew older: Treasure Hunts around the neighborhood when they were in Elementary School, and Amazing Race competitions in malls and parks for pre-teens and teens. If you can master the creative planning, you'll never again be puzzled about a birthday party or day of downtime!

Click here to visit the Kids Off The Couch Website for more on visiting a full sized replica of Independence Hall at Knott's Berry Farm, for a professional scavenger hunt outfit which is fun for adults and to learn more about the sequel, National Treasure: Book of Secrets, which is just out on DVD

Stories from the Sea: The Secret of Roan Inish + Mami Wata at the Fowler Museum

Want to make a splash with your kids? The Fowler Museum at UCLA is creating a special day for Kids Off The Couch families on Wednesday July 16th : a film screening and private tour of a their current mermaid exhibition. Join us at 12 pm to screen one of our favorite family movies -- The Secret of Roan Inish -- an exquisite film that gives life to the Irish legend that seals can shed their skins and become human. Then, at 1:45, just after the film, The Fowler has invited us for lemonade and cookies in the courtyard, followed by privately guided tour of Mami Wata: Arts for Water Spirits in Africa and Its Diasporas, a multi-media exhibit showcasing an ancient deity who appears as a mermaid and snake charmer. From the opening super-sized video projection of the ocean (which our kids used as a backdrop to mime their surf moves), to incredible headdresses (that wowed even our most dedicated sparkle wearers), Mami Wata charmed a new generation. Visit the Kids Off The Couch Website here for the full adventure, conversations starters, tips for going as a group and advice on how to extend the adventure like a visit to the Marine Mammal Care Center

To RSVP for the Kids Off The Couch screening and tour, click here. If you can't make the screening, you can still join us for the exhibition tour!

Fantasia & Fantasia 2000 + Levitt Pavilion MacArthur Park - Target Children's Night

How do you solve the problem of antsy kids in a heat wave? The coolest thing we can think of is to spend an evening under the stars, listening to live music with your family. Kids Off the Couch is proud to be the media sponsor of Levitt Pavilion MacArthur Park - Target Children's Night, a free series of outdoor concerts running from Sunday, July 7 to Sunday, September 7 at MacArthur Park.

With programming that is as culturally diverse as our city, these concerts will open your family's ears to musical traditions from around the globe -- come see how One Night in Africa turns the pavilion into an African village, enjoy mimes and tumblers from the Beijing Opera, experience a dinosaur puppet show, attend a Youth Talent night and hear music folk tales from Latin America. Significant sponsors are supporting the second year of this exciting series at MacArthur Park, including Target, Sony Pictures and Bank of America. To get your kids ready for an evening under the stars, screen Fantasia or Fantasia 2000 and you'll be amazed at how naturally they respond to Walt Disney's inspired blending of animation and classical music.

Click here to go to our website to read the full adventure, pick up some tips on "why it's worth it", music from fantasia, parking, and more. Also, please visit the Blog afterwards and share some buttery kernels of wisdom that you may have discovered.

Los Angeles - Great Family Theater at The Geffen Playhouse

Shipwrecked: An Entertainment. The Amazing Adventures of Louis de Rougemont, As Told By Himself

Our families loved Shipwrecked! An Entertainment, and we know that yours will, too. Written by Pulitzer Prize winner Donald Margulies, the play features three extraordinary actors (Melody Butiu, Michael Daniel Cassady and Gregory Itzin) in a ninety minute show about a man who is lost at sea, marooned on a desert island and lives through one incredible adventure after another. The talented cast morphs into a variety of amazing characters -- from a giant octopus, to a truly inspired performance of a dog -- all while performing their own sound effects on stage. As we left the theatre, our kids debated whether the man invented his life story. Turns out, everyone loves a tall tale.

Shipwrecked! An Entertainment appeals to adventure lovers of all ages. Don't miss this opportunity for your family to experience storytelling at its best! This charming new play runs exclusively at the Geffen Playhouse through July 27. Special kids prices available for children from ages 8 - 16. Orchestra seats available for $25, and mezzanine seats for $15. Call the Geffen Playhouse box office at (310) 208-5454 or click here for more details.

If you only see one play this summer, chart a course to this one!

Get Caught Reading This Summer; The Spiderwick Chronicles PLUS Our Great Summer Kid Lit Picks!

This year's news focus on greening the planet got us thinking about how to get kids involved with the environment this summer. Our Kids Off The Couch guru of kid-lit, Lucy Rafael, had a great suggestion: visit your local library! With shelves stocked full children's selections, it's easy to save trees by checking out books that are shared among many readers. Back by popular demand, this edition also features Lucy's List of Great Summer Reads (scroll down a little bit on the page) including selections from painterly picture books to middle school page turners. Want more? Scroll down to Lucy's tips, honed from years of experience as both a librarian and mother, on how to encourage even the most reluctant of kids to read. To give our kids a bit of literary inspiration, we screened The Spiderwick Chronicles, a story about a boy who discovers a dusty old book filled with secrets that unlock a fantastical world of fairies and ogres. Although this movie is not for the very young, Lucy's list boasts books for everyone in the family!

Visit the official Kids Off The Couch Website for more information and some super valuable tips; Why It's Worth It, Red Flags, Further Viewing, Conversation Starters, What Worked, Before You Go and more!!!

If You Build It, He Will Come: Field of Dreams + Major League Baseball

A family screening of Field of Dreams will turn everyone into baseball believers, as even those who eschew the mythic power of the game will be won over by Kevin Costner's magical performance. The film, which hearkens back to a simpler time without being corny, portrays one dreamer's persistence -- a message that translates to every generation. When farmer Ray Kinsella (Costner) hears a gentle voice whispering "If you build it, he will come," he defies logic by tearing up his cornfield, his only source of income, to build a baseball field. It's a gorgeous vision, but decidedly loopy; yet, our kids went along with Costner's dream and cheered when Shoeless Joe Jackson (and the rest of his blacklisted Chicago Black Sox team) showed up to play a few glorious games in the Iowa night. There's nothing like a dream come true, and this film's hopefulness hit us all right in the hearts.

Click Here to visit the Kids Off The Couch Website for some super valuable tips; Why It's Worth It, Red Flags, Further Viewing, Conversation Starters, What Worked, Before You Go and more!!!