Bay Area Hiker
This site lists a wide range of nature-focused hikes from Sonoma County's
redwoods to southern SantaClara County's foothills. Quoting from the
San Jose Mercury Newspaper, August 27, 2002:
"The free site is the
work of one intrepid hiker, who has tromped up and down numerous Bay Area
trails. Users can search for hikes geographically, picking an area such
as the San Mateo County coast or Mount Diablo and looking for recommended
hikes. There are also separate listing pages for parks and nature
preserves, local wildflowers, hikes with dogs or kids, and an all-access
page for those with wheelchairs or strollers. All hikes include
information such as directions on getting there, how much distance the
hike covers and a description and photos of the route. Most of the
site's treks cover about four to six miles, though there are some as short
as two miles and some more than fifeteen miles."
Agriculture Marketing Service (AMS) Among other things, you can find local farmers markets in your state. Great for wandering around with the kids. Farmers markets are a great source of fresh fruits and vegetables direct from the farmer to you.
The College of San Mateo has a year-round Farmer's Market on Wednesdays and Saturdays from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm. For more information, call 1-(800) 949-3276. Besides fresh fruits and vegetables, also available are: smoked salmon, popcorn, cut flowers, live potted plants, honey, pastries, cookies, pie, nuts, and dried fruit.
Directions: From Foster City, take Highway 92 West away from the Bay. Exit Hillsdale. Make a right at the exit ramp bottom. Pass your first traffic light as you go up the hill. Pass the "College of San Mateo" sign on your right. (You should also see signs directing you at this point.) At the first stop sign, make a left on CSM Drive. The Farmer's Market is in the lower parking lot. (Note: on Saturdays make a right instead on CSM Drive; it moves location closer to the college.)
The American Camping Association. The American Camping Association does accredit camps. However, only about 1/4 or 1/3 of camps in this country are accredited. See also the Camp Safety Guide. Done by Jodi and Robert Scheinfeld of New Rochelle, New York, whose 10-year-old son Jeremy drowned during an ill-conceived camp activity, this site outlines safety guidelines for parents when shopping for a camp.
The Foster City Mothers' Club Located in Foster City, California, the Foster City Mothers' Club (FCMC) offers friendship, support, playgroups, information, community and outings to mothers of babies and young children. Links to Bay Area mother's clubs can be found at San Francisco Bay Area Mothers Clubs Directory.
Internet Safety Tips for Parents, www.GetNetWise.com Done by some of the biggest names in the online world, this Web site is aimed at helping parents guard their kids from the wild side of the Internet.
It offers (among other things): safety tips, a guide to products and services for blocking and filtering objectionable online material, info about reporting trouble to law enforcement, and some ground rules for how children should use the Internet.
Millbrook Area Playgroup Information about playgroups such as starting a playgroup, playgroup tips, etc. Also included is "Stay-At-Home Mom Survival Tips."
Moviefone.com Finds what movies are playing and when near your home, today, tomorrow or a week in advance. You enter a movie title. The site lists local theaters where the movie is playing with times. You can even specify a time so movies are shown only at that time.
The Mother Goose Society. Created by a former kindergarten teacher, Gloria Delamar, to celebrate Mother Goose rhymes, this site also includes various how-to information: recipes, finger puppets, counting games and other activites.
For pregnant women confined to bed rest. Common reasons for bed rest during pregnancy include: pre-term labor, multiple gestation (twins or triplets), pregnancy-induced hypertension, early dilation of the cervix, first-trimester bleeding and edema. Here's Sidelines for support during bed rest or to volunteer to help woman confined to bed rest or Pregnancy Bed Rest for information about pregnancy complications and to read about the experiences of other women on bed rest.
Suitable web sites for kids. Created by Jean Armour Polly who originally coined the term "surfing the Internet" and the author of "The Internet Kids & Family Yellow Pages", lists Internet sites that are appropriate for children.
The US Public Interest Research Group (PIRG) released it's "e; Trouble in Toyland: The 2000 PIRG Survey of Dangerous Toys."e; Some toy manufacturers make toys that may pose choking hazards despite safety regulations adopted by the 1994 Child Safety Protection Act. A consumer can double check if a toy is on this list, especially if ordering the toy without being able to inspect it.