The Family Savvy - Using Our New Site!

As a subscriber to Kids Off the Couch, you'll also be subscribed to The Family Savvy, so please be sure your email provider recognizes our address:info@thefamilysavvy.com.

We encourage you to use the site as a family resource -- it's a great place to find new ideas, timely exhibits and show reviews, or discover a new place to explore. We will communicate with you once or twice a week, updating you on recent postings and articles online at The Family Savvy.

Here are some of the many features that you're going to enjoy at The Family Savvy:

This Month is our carefully curated list of the events that we think are key to each age-group this month, and is segmented into Elementary, Middle-School, Teens and Adults. We have some great ideas to help you celebrate The Year of the Dragon, and information about a free screening tomorrow of a film called City Lax about inner-city kids in Denver learning the sport of lacrosse.

Destinations is a list of what's going on for families at all the major cultural institutions around town, right now. You'll want to check out The Annenberg's fabulous new show, Digital Darkroom.

By Age is where you will find featured exhibits and events archived by ages. Here you'll find our review of one of last year's best films, Hugo. (And, we finally saw The Artist and think it is must-see, as well).

Extras are features that we hope you'll find interesting. We'll post ticket offers, introduce you to members of our community in the Subscriber Profile (parents like you who are dealing with life in LA and have professional or personal expertise that you'll find helpful), share articles we think are important from other major periodicals (look for Clip and Share), and cover general issues of interest to our community.

Finally, we have created a Blog which will both reflect on our point-of-view and share the views of other savvy parents and institutions around town.

Do stay in touch!

• Bookmark The Family Savvy
• Sign Up for the free newsletter
• Like The Family Savvy on Facebook
• Follow The Family Savvy on Twitter

Questions? Write to me at:familysavvy@gmail.com

Los Angeles Kids Off The Couch: Happy Holidays to All!

Fill your Days from Now until 2012

Ticket Giveaway: Family 4-Pack for OVO on February 15

We've got plenty of "have-fun-with-your-family, counter-program the mall" ideas to get you through to New Year's. And just remember, if the gifting is making you crazy, there is always this time-tested solution to all gifting problems -- at least for the youngest on your list.

Ticket Giveaway: OVO from Cirque du Soleil opens under the big top at the Santa Monica Pier on January 20, 2012. This family show is set in the teeming, buzzing world of insects. We have one Family 4-Pack to OVO for Wednesday, February 15, 2012 at 8:00 PM. If you are able to attend that show you can enter to win by writing to us atfamilysavvy@gmail.com. Can't go that day? Click here to purchase your own Family 4-pack.

Chilly Fun: Take a break from shopping to strap on some ice skates and twirl the year away. Outdoor rinks in Santa Monica and Pershing Square are open through mid-January. The 4th Annual Snow Days will be celebrated at Pasadena's Kidspace Children's Museum during the week after Christmas. Teach your kids how to make a snowman!

What to do with Out-of-Towners? Besides catching up on your Pacific Standard Time options, here are a few shows that are worth catching: Digital Darkroom, just opened at The Annenberg Space for Photography, and if you are any type of shutterbug, you'll be inspired to take your casual snapping to a new level. Sponsored by Adobe Photoshop, Digital Darkroom showcases the finest artists working in this "new medium", displayed in the most advanced digital facility in the world. The whole family will enjoy seeing the variety of the manipulated images - from dogs dressed as people, to incredible athletic portraits, to dream-like flights of the imagination by new artists, young and old. Best of all, it's pretty easy to dash over from the Century City Mall and take a gander. Click here for our detailed review of the show. If it turns out you love Jerry Uelsmann (whose work is featured at Digital Darkroom), you're in luck because he has a show up at Peter Fetterman Gallery in Bergamont Station. We also really enjoyed Modern Antiquity at the Getty Villa (it's free, but call for a parking reservation), that juxtaposes classical busts and sculptural remnants with spectacular modern paintings by Picasso, Leger and others. Open only through January 16, 2012 - so drop by on your way to or from Malibu, where browsing and people-watching at the Lumber Yardwill make anyone from out-of-state green with CA envy.

New Year's Plans: Still looking for a cool way to ring in the New Year? You can help build the Natural History Museum's first-ever Rose Bowl float (some shifts still open!). There's New Year's Eve with Pink Martini at Disney Hall, or The Golden Stag New Year's Eve Party at LACMA, with big band swing and Roaring 20s style. Or, for the kids - celebrate at noon at Kidspace in Pasadena, or at 6:00 PM and 9:30 PM try theSanta Monica Playhouse's Musical Review.

Year-End Giving: A few years ago we decided to start a family tradition of setting aside some money that everyone in the family gives away together to those who most need our help. Here are links to some of our favorite charities, as well as some first-hand knowledge of a program we participated in for the first time. Our son's soccer team adopted a family through the Children's Hospital Holidays from the Heart program, and our teens were touched to meet the patients and their siblings and hand deliver the gifts on their wish lists. If you like to get involved locally, consider helping a soup kitchen (they're all particularly needy this year), picking up a few extra gift cards at Target and sending them to foster kids through a charity we work with(United Friends of the Children), or sending money to support writing and tutoring in under-served neighborhoods through 826LA. If your family decides they want to donate to an environmental cause, look into building wells in Africa withCharity:Water. We are big fans of Heifer International (help a family sustain itself by giving animals - an idea that's easy for kids to grasp) and Operation Gratitude (care-packages for US soldiers overseas, started by our a mom in Encino).

Looking ahead to 2012: For all you super-duper advance planners -- you know who you are -- think about a family show from They Might Be Giants at UCLA Live on January 28, 2012 at 2:00 PM or one of two free World City concerts on January 14, 2012.

Kids Off The Couch

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Los Angeles Kids Off The Couch: What's On Our December Radar!

'Tis the season to lift our voices in song... or at least to hum along as professional singers ring out the music of the season. We love that in our diverse city we can enjoy the holiday classics in multiple ways - we can sing along with the Messiah, or listen to the LA Master Chorale do it perfectly. We can watch the Joffrey Ballet dance the Nutcracker, and can also see local kids offer up their rendition at theWestside Ballet Company. We never miss the chance to revisit classics like A Christmas Carol but also like to learn seasonal traditions from other cultures.

Ticket Giveaway: Kids Off the Couch subscribers may enter to win one pair of tickets to the LA Phil's 11:30 AM Holiday Sing-A-Long event on Saturday, December 17th. Tickets are still available for both shows on Saturday, December 17 (11:30 AM & 2:30 PM at Walt Disney Concert Hall), so bring the whole family to celebrate a cherished holiday tradition. Lyric sheets provided to all. Enter to win by writing to us atfamilysavvy@gmail.com. Tickets are available to all the 2011 Deck the Hall concerts so check out the many ways you can get your fill of music this month.

Movie Update: Apparently families spent more of their Thanksgiving together time shopping than film-going -- a trend which could explain why two of our local theaters are shutting down this month (the Crest and the Avco, both in Westwood). The truth is that there is a surfeit of entertaining family movies in the theaters between now and the end of the year. The Muppets are thriving, Puss in Boots 3D is still lapping up box office receipts, and Hugo, which arrived with critical acclaim, gets our Must-See award for the holiday season... at least until Spielberg's two holiday gifts arrive in late December: The Adventures of TinTin andWar Horse. (Hugo, based on the wonderful book, "The Invention of Hugo Cabret" is directed by Martin Scorsese and we thought it was truly magical).

Elementary: Another wonderful World City event takes place on December 3 at the Music Center. Kitka & Czechoslovak-American Marionette Theatre features an all-female singing group accompanying a marionette show performing stories and skits handed down from the puppeteer's Czech grandfather. Performances take place on Saturday, December 3, 2011 at 11:00 AM and 12:30 PM. FREE tickets are distributed on Grand Avenue at 2nd Street. Tickets for the 11:00 AM performance are distributed beginning at 10:00 AM. Tickets for the 12:30 PM show are distributed beginning at 11:00 AM. FREE Art Workshops are available during each World City engagement.

Middle School: A nice thing to do while in-laws are in town is to head on up the coast to the Getty Villa and take in Modern Antiquity: Picasso, de Chirico, Leger and Picabia in the Presence of the Antique - which examines how the artists looked to ancient sculpture to inspire their work. The show will be in town only until mid-January when it travels to the Picasso museum in Antibes, France. And, while you're at the Villa, grandma will adore Tea by the Sea. Get ready for the holidays by purchasing a boxed set of Harry Potter DVDs -- the studio is pulling all of the movies off the shelf at the end of 2011 and will then plan limited releases of the titles (as Disney does with its classic titles).

Teen: Reading a little Shakespeare at school? Let actors help with your homework by heading out to A Noise Within's Twelfth Night, or What You Will from now until mid-December at the company's exciting new stage in Pasadena. And find some cool gifts for your teens by shopping (RED), Bono's line of products that helps fight the spread of AIDS (today is World AIDS Day).

Adults: Possibly the coolest film title sequences of all time were created by Saul Bass -- you know him from the opening credits of countless Hitchcock movies. Come learn more at a lecture titled Saul Bass: A Life in Film & Design at the Hammer on Tuesday, December 13, and meet the author of a beautiful new book about his life's work (this book is at the top of our holiday gift list!). Annette Bening and friends will do two readings of It's A Wonderful Life! at the Geffen Theater on December 10.

Ready-Set-Shop: Unique LA will be held December 3-4 downtown at the California Market Center, where you can get hand-made, original gifts for everyone on your list. Kids under 12 get in FREE. The Craft and Folk Art Museum holds a boutique this Saturday, as well, from 10-4. If you haven't gotten your holiday card yet, check out our new fave design shop, Pinhole Press. Also, the gals at Cool Mom Picks put out their 2011 Holiday Gift Guide today and it rocks. Did you know Lego had an Architectural series??

Looking Ahead: Pick up tickets to a family show by They Might Be Giants at UCLA Live on January 28 at Royce Hall. Teens might be into a traveling show from the Discovery series, Mythbusters, coming to town on January 15.

Kids Off The Couch

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Los Angeles October Parenting Radar Screen PLUS Ticket Giveaway!

Return to Routine

Date Night Ticket Giveaway for Poor Behavior

Now that you've survived Back to School and the abrupt shift to homework-filled evenings, we think you should book a babysitter and take an evening off! We've got a ticket giveaway to a new play, an update on the marvelous, ongoing Pacific Standard Time exhibits (which are great for kids, too), and are excited about the fall movie line-up. Restored, you'll be ready to plunge into the many wonderful family events that take place in October including The Big Draw, a chance to track Juno's mission to Jupiter, and college football games around town. We'll be back in a few weeks with a Halloween round up, but don't wait too long to think about finding perfect costumes for the big day, which falls on a Monday night this year. 

Ticket Giveaway: This month's ticket giveaway is for adults: the World Premiere of the new play Poor Behavior. A weekend in the country turns into a high stakes game of marital mixed doubles and asks "Is it adultery if they already think you've done it?" Written by Theresa Rebeck (Mauritius), and directed by Doug Hughes (Doubt), Poor Behavior runs through October 16th at Center Theatre Group. Enter to win 4 tickets for Friday, October 7th at 8:00 PM by writing to us at familysavvy@gmail.com -- please remember to include a cell number. Contest entry deadline is 10am on Tuesday, October 4th.  Special offer for Kids Off the Couch subscribers: Discount tickets available for $35 (Reg. $45 - $55)! Call 213.628.2772 and mention the code WEEKEND or purchase online. 

This Weekend: The new LEED-certified West Hollywood Library opens this weekend. Come investigate during the12th Annual West Hollywood Book Fair on Sunday, October 2. Pacific Standard Time is in full effect, and the PST website is a fabulous resource that can help you figure out how to take advantage of a region-wide exhibition that explores the birth of the California art scene from 1945-1980. As part of the opening of its PST-related show, NOW DIG THIS!, the Hammer will be free to the public on Sunday, October 2; LACMA will be open for free on October 2, as well, so all your design-istas should check out their cool new show, California Design 1930-1965: "Living in a Modern Way".

Elementary: All through October, arts institutions will celebrate Big Draw LA, with pop-up programming with artists at various institutions, including the Getty, the Fowler and the Huntington. Participate this weekend on the lawn of The Huntington this Saturday, October 1, and at the Fowler on two Sundays, October 2 and 16. It's already that creepy crawly time of year at the Natural History Museum's wonderfulSpider Pavilion. Click here for our Popcorn Adventure that combines this magical spot with Charlotte's Web. And, did you know that it's Hispanic Heritage Month? Tromp to Pasadena now that the days are cooler for a delightful afternoon filled with music and dance at The Norton Simon Museum for The Art of Dance! Baile Folklorico of Mexico,Sunday, October 9, 1:30 PM - 3:00 PM. 

Middle School: Keep track of the latest JPL mission to Mars by taking part in a Day of Discovery with the Pasadena Museum of California Art and Jet Propulsion Laboratoryon Sunday, October 16, 12:00 - 5:00 PM -- a full day of programs featuring speakers from Jet Propulsion Laboratory and art activities for families inspired by the exhibition Beneath the Surface: NASA's Juno Mission to Jupiter. There's nothing better than a football game with one of our excellent local teams - the USC Trojans -- playing at the Coliseum on October 1 and 29, and the UCLA Bruins -- playing at the Rose Bowl on October 8 and 29. And playing each other on November 26. Catch a glimpse of the future Annenberg Cultural Center in Beverly Hills at Il Teatro Alla Moda Theater in Fashion, a special four-week engagement starting next week.

Teens: Movie buffs can take a week-long crash course in the films of a master by showing up at Mad as Hell: Sidney Lumet's Cinema of Fighting Back at the Aero Theater between October 5-12. Fans of Duff Goldman's Ace of Cakes and Sugar Highwill be thrilled to know that the Food Network star is soon to open an LA bakery,Charm City Cakes West. While this is a very pricey ticket, if you have a rabid sports fan in the house, consider this rare opportunity to visit the LA Sports Museum with museum founder, Gary Cypres.The Sports Museum of Los Angeles, open by invitation only, is the largest and broadest known collection of iconic sports memorabilia and collectibles in the world. And, there are still tickets for the live orchestra screening ofLord of the Rings on October 15 in Anaheim's Honda Center.

Adults: Moneyball, starring Brad Pitt, is in theaters now and next week brings Ryan Gosling and George Clooney in Ides of March. For those of you who will find it hard to resist the remake of Footloose, that opens on October 14. Now is the perfect time to grab a great meal at a great price: Dine LA returns for two weeks this month: October 2-7 and October 9-14.

Planning Ahead: Your #1 job right now is to scramble to find an age-appropriate (as in not too sexy) costume for each kid -- before they're sold out! Then, take a second to think about planning your winter holidays: book flights, figure out where grandparents are going to sleep, and get tickets for The Joffrey Ballet's acclaimed production of "The Nutcracker," December 1-4 for six performances only at the Music Center's Dorothy Chandler Pavilion.

One More Thing: Check out this mini-documentary, narrated by Tom Hanks, about ferry boat captains, Coast Guardsmen and civilian boaters who rescued citizens from lower Manhattan on 9/11. 

Kids Off The Couch

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Kids Off The Couch: Memorial Day Weekend 2011!

Summer is Upon Us

Good news: it's going to be sunny by Monday, so get your BBQ prep done early (while the kids are studying for exams or finishing up their spring sports). We've had a chance to look at most of the new art shows around town, so you can have the summer's cultural outings planned before June even begins.

MOVIES in THEATERS: There's plenty of raunch in the theaters for adults, from Bridesmaids to Hangover Part II so if that's not your thing, drop in on a worthy kid option (Kung Fu Panda 2) or check out the films that were well received in Cannes last week: Midnight in Paris from Woody Allen (starring Owen Wilson and Rachel McAdams) or Terrance Malick's much awaited The Tree of Life.

ART AROUND TOWN: We got a sneak peek at what will surely be this summer's must-see show, LACMA's Tim Burton, which is lots of fun. We will write up a comprehensive report next week, but mark your calendar to take advantage of a fabulous line-up of Burton films, screening at the museum throughout June. Show is expected to be a blockbuster, so get your advance entry tickets now. The Getty Center's Paris: Life and Luxury employs an engaging organizing theory, with objects from a Parisian household presented by the "Four Times of Day." We were particularly impressed with a spectacular golden bed where the women of the household performed their "toilette" while receiving (what a concept!). The Skirball Cultural Center's Houdini: Art and Magic is great for magic-loving tweens, and we also loved The Annenberg Space for Photography's Beauty Culture. Be sure to head downtown for MOCA's Art in the Streets, showcasing large-scale, colorful graffiti art that is a hit with everyone from 8-80. If your kids are into street culture, check out a related show at the Pasadena Museum of California Art featuring the work of the Clayton Brothers. And, while you're sipping lemonade by the pool, don't forget to peruse this season's Hollywood Bowl schedule which includes a Grease Sing-A-Long, Hall and Oats for the July 4th Fireworks Spectacular and Hairspray with the original Broadway cast of Harvey Fierstein and Marissa Jaret Winokur.

Subscriber Tip: A loyal KOTC-er gave us the heads up about a new show at the Santa Monica Museum of Art -- a video installation by filmmaker Marco Brambilla, called The Dark Lining, that uses film clips in pastiche to create a new narrative. Our subscriber's kids, who are 11 and 13, thought it was the "coolest art show ever".

MEMORIAL DAY ACTIVITIES: In lieu of parades, LA has wonderful regional celebrations starting today, such as Topanga Days, the Valley Greek Festival and a Jazz Reggae Festival at UCLA.

Ideas: Stumped by what to get a graduate in your life? Check out Flavorpill's grad gift guide. While you're thinking about college and careers, consider that PayPal's Peter Thiel is plucking kids out of college and supporting their entrepreneurial ideas with $100,000. Not a bad idea considering this sobering report on the highest (and lowest) paying careers.

And, Finally: We were moved by this YouTube video about the dangers of melanoma. Titled "Dear 16 year-old Me," it's a powerful reminder to young people that their "skin never forgets". Good-bye tanning beds, hello sunscreen.

We'll be back next week with the June Radar Screen.

Kids Off The Couch

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www.kidsoffthecouch.com