Spring Break + Keep Staycationers Busy = Kids Off The Couch

...And Movie Ticket Offer from Family Finds!

For those of us who haven't jetted away to a beachy climate, making vacation days feel different from a regular school day takes some extreme parenting acumen. Have no fear! There's plenty to do that will make your time off feel like a break in the routine.

Family Finds: We're friends with the folks at a new LA-based website for families, Family Finds, and they've alerted us to a great offer for movie-loving families. If you click here, you can participate in a special offer from Fandango that is good until next Thursday (3/31). For $9, you receive two tickets to one of three family-friendly films that are in theaters now, or opening in the next few weeks: "Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules," "Rio," and "Hop." You will need to sign up for future emails, but the site is geared to bring you deals on family products and services that you will find useful.

Do Something for Japan: It's been barely two weeks since the massive earthquake and tsunami hit Japan, and many parents are facing real challenges when trying to explain to their children what has happened. We think it's key for children to feel that they are reaching out and helping others in their time of need, whether by sending notes or money. Josh Duhamel's has mobilized another fundraising effort, Youth Run for Japan, modeled after his successful Run for Haiti last year. Join Josh on Sunday, March 27, 2011 for a 2-mile run on the beach in Santa Monica to raise funds for the American Red Cross's Japan Earthquake and Pacific Tsunami fund. If you can't run, you can still click through and contribute to this worthy effort. We are also fans of theKamibashi string doll company, which has made a special doll to support relief efforts.

The Last Movie Star: Fans mourn the passing of Elizabeth Taylor this past week. The newspapers are full of lovely tributes to a career that spanned decades, and it's noteworthy that she is remembered as much for her AIDS work as for her spectacular acting career. (And those diamonds!) At KOTC, we have a special place in our hearts for her because of the movie National Velvet. Click here for our Popcorn Adventure about the film that established her as a star. We paired the movie with a visit to the polo fields at Will Rogers State Park. The practice matchesbegin on April 16, and take place on Sunday mornings; they're free, and open to the public (though, you will need to pay to park at Will Rogers). Other notable Taylor films include A Place in the Sun, Who's Afraid of Virginia Wolff and, of course, Cleopatra. For a more realistic telling of that tale, read Stacy Shiff's excellent (and recent) biography, Cleopatra: A Life.

Explore Downtown: We've always supported the REDCAT International Children's Film Festival which kicks off this weekend downstairs at the Walt Disney Concert Hall. Check out this year's schedule, pick a day to stop by (this Sunday is Nick Family Fun Day), and then peel off to explore some of downtown's unique tastes - Wurstkuchefor excellent sausage and Bottega Louie for remarkable desserts.

ELEMENTARY SCHOOL: The movie we've been waiting for since the start of the year finally arrives in IMAX theaters on April 8. Born To Be Wild 3D tells the story of orphaned orangutans and elephants and people who rescue them. The Boxtales Theater Company returns to The Geffen Playhouse on April 9 with Prince Rama and the Monkey King, part of its Saturday Scene programming. There will be a DinoFair at The Growing Place in Santa Monica on April 9th. We love visiting the Natural History Museum's Pavilion of Wings, which opens this year on April 11th.

MIDDLE SCHOOL: March Madness continues and if you can't get enough of the action, check out Last Shot: A Final Four Mystery by sports reporter John Feinstein, about two intrepid teen reporters who solve a mystery at the Final Four basketball tournament. Or, if extreme sports are more your kids' style, get to The Annenberg Space for Photography to catch Extreme Exposure before it closes on April 17th. And don't forget that Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater is in town for ten performances between April 8th and 17th.

PARENTS: Set your Tivo to record HBO's new miniseries, Mildred Pierce, starring Kate Winslet, which premieres on Sunday (3/27) and is set right here in Glendale. The reviews have been tremendous; we went to school with the indie director Todd Haynes (Far From Heaven) who helmed this masterpiece. Extra credit if you also read James Cain's novel on which the film was based.

Archived Adventures: It's always nice to play tourist in your own city - take the tram to the Getty and let the kids wander the gardens, or get yourself out to Pasadena and explore The Huntington or the Descanso before having lunch on Colorado, or hike around Griffith Park and check out the Observatory. For local coastal action, head to Malibu for a hike and then drop in for lunch at the new Lumber Yard shopping center. If you're searching for great things to do this month, don't forget to page through the KOTC Archives.

Food Finds: We love Sweet Butter, a new cafe on Ventura Boulevard in Studio City. And, if you're in Pasadena, check out Beyond the Olive, where you and the kids can conduct taste tests of various olive oils and vinegars. Excellent for a mail order gift!

We'll be back in two weeks for a complete listing of April picks, including Houdini: Art and Magic opening at the Skirball Center at the end of the month. Now, go get some sand between your toes!

Kids Off The Couch

If you like what we do, please tell a friend to sign up! info@kidsoffthecouch.com

www.kidsoffthecouch.com

Madeline + French Art and Culture = Kids Off The Couch

In August, the French famously take a month for vacation and this week's Popcorn Adventure reminds us to do as the French do -- relax and enjoy life! Starting with a screening of Madeline, a delightful adaptation of Ludwig Bemelmans' classic books that was shot in Paris, and continuing with a dose of culture delivered by spectacular French artworks, we urge you to celebrate the simple pleasures as summer draws to a close. Any child familiar with the comforting rhymes and gorgeous illustrations of the Madeline stories will take delight in this 1998 adaptation replete with Madeline on a moped zipping around Paris, mixing it up with Miss Clavel and Pepito. We spent a day at our local museum looking at Impressionist paintings and found ourselves talking with the kids about how French culture has influenced the American ideal of beauty. Last stop of our petit staycation was a quick visit to our favorite cheese shop where the cheese monger offered the children a few tastes of France. Thankfully, we'll always have Paris!

Click here for an in-depth look at other French films and books for children, and tips for conducting a cheese tasting with your family.

Kids Off The Couch's 10 Tips for a Successful Staycation

Instead of muttering about the E-word (it's the economy, silly), we are striking the pose that staycations are in vogue. A few unscheduled days at home can be as restorative as a week on the road, as long as you change up the routine and the scenery.

KNOW YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD
1. Be a Tourist in Your Own Town
What's the most obvious tourist attraction in your town? Have your kids explored it? Spending a day experiencing your town's biggest draw is a campy, but fun, diversion. Our Washington DC editor notes that it's worth joining the hordes around the tidal basin to appreciate the Cherry Blossoms. Our Houston editor says that the local water park Schlitterbahn Galveston Island is back in business and perfect as a beach substitute. If you're in SFO, have you checked out the new California Academy of Sciences?

2. Conduct a Taste Test
We are going to spend an afternoon touring our city's best burger joints and let the kids compare: which tastes the best? which is the most affordable? which has the best fries alongside? Having done this in the past with hot chocolate, pizza and cupcakes, we know each kid doesn't need to order a burger at every joint! A few bites is enough for a tasting, and should ward off a stomach ache. Log onto a food blog (like Chowhound) to find out what's cooking in your town.

HUNKER DOWN
3. Plant an Edible Garden
Michelle Obama has made healthy eating a national priority by planting a garden on the South Lawn of the White House. Is it time for all of us to cultivate a kitchen garden at home? Our kids relish a trip to the nursery to choose the seedlings or plants and everybody loves digging holes and filling them with something green. Click here to see what's in the Obamas' garden, and hear the story of the folks who helped make this happen. April is National Garden Month, so click here for ideas about planting with grandparents, starting a vegetable garden and keeping your garden green.

4. Do It Yourself
Home projects like gardening and knitting always gain popularity in tough economic times. Teach the kids to cook a favorite recipe, drop in on a clay shop or sew a skirt. Here is our chapter about learning to play jacks and knit. Hours magically disappear into this type of project, building skills kids will use their whole lives.

LEARN SOMETHING NEW
5. Tease your Brain
Love Crossword puzzles or Sudoku? Well, take out your pencils and prepare to scratch your head a few times as your logic and math skills get a workout. Click here to watch Will Shortz on YouTube explaining the game and then click here to play KENKEN.

6. Three Cups of Tea
The President has said that the problems in Afghanistan are as complicated as the problems with the economy. Families can introduce these issues gently by reading Listen to the Wind, a children's book that tells the remarkable story of Greg Mortenson's work building schools in Pakistan and Afghanistan. Parents, if you haven't yet read Three Cups of Tea, we highly recommend this for you, too. Click here for more on Mortenson and both books.

7. She Can Dunk
If you want to counterprogram March Madness, check out Brittney Griner, a 6'8" high school senior who can dunk - and who is headed to Baylor next year. Tune into the woman's NCAA championships, which take place during the same time period as the men's games - Sweet Sixteen rounds start this Thursday, March 26. Click here for the schedules.

SCREEN TIME
8. Is 3D The Future?
Studios are betting big dollars on 3D movies, hoping that new projection technology (as well as better specs) will get audiences to pay a premium at the multiplex. The first test of the spiffy new technology, an old-fashioned monster movie starring the voices of Reese Witherspoon, Seth Rogan and Hugh Lurie, opens on March 27. Check out Monsters and Aliens, and decide for yourselves. Our other movie pics? Tween girls have been flocking to Coraline, and parents have great choices for date night with Slumdog Millionaire, Duplicity or Sunshine Cleaning.

9. Brush up on the Classics
There's nothing like snuggling up on the couch with a big bowl of popcorn and introducing kids to a classic film. Spring is the perfect time to watch Singing in the Rain, or for young romantics to watch Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn parry in Roman Holiday. Twitchy action lovers should check out the early Sean Connery Bond films, which aren't that violent at all, or brave Hitchcock for the first time -- The Man Who Knew Too Much always delights. Finally, why not remember Natasha Richardson at her most lovely and maternal in The Parent Trap.

10. And, don't forget to check out the KOTC Archives for all our Popcorn Adventures.

Happy Relaxing!
Diane and Sarah