Jacqueline Stansbury

A native Angeleno, Jackie enjoys revisiting her childhood as a mom and writer for Mommy Poppins. She did a lot of cool stuff as a kid and has newfound respect for her own mom who made that happen without the internet! Today in Los Angeles, some things are gone, some have changed and some, like the grunion, remain exactly the same. In her former life, Jackie was a development executive on the Fox Studios lot where she rounded up writer/director lists and covered screenplays. Mommy Poppins is much more fun. Jackie's kids, Benjamin and Juliet, agree.

Latest posts by Jacqueline

This Week’s Picks: Halloween Beckons! Pumpkin Patches, Spooky Movies, Terror Train, October 12-16

Submitted by Jacqueline Stansbury on Sun, 10/11/2015 - 8:00pm

Halloween is one of my family’s very favorite holidays. My daughter has had her costume for weeks. I’ve been holding out but will likely break down and fill up the candy corn bowl before the week is over. While trick-or-treating and candy eating on the 31st are what it’s all about, in truth the joy of Halloween is in the anticipation. By mid-October celebrations are well underway; you may not want to carve pumpkins yet in this heat wave, but it’s a great time to visit the patch. Underwood Farms is especially fun, and a mid-week visit is a low-cost way to avoid the weekend crush.

Something I missed last year (won’t make that mistake twice!) is the Halloween Ghost Train operated by LA Live Steamers in Griffith Park. Oh, and it’s the second week of the month, so there are free days at The Autry and Japanese American National Museum if you and yours are looking for some non-holiday related fun. Read on for our favorite five things going on this week.

Valley Performing Arts Center: Theater's New Play Date Series for LA Families

Submitted by Jacqueline Stansbury on Sun, 10/11/2015 - 12:29am

As a native Angeleno, I pride myself on having been to most of our local venues at least once in my life, but recently I discovered one that is brand new to me: The Valley Performing Arts Center at Cal State Northridge. VPAC, as those in the know call it, is in fact a fairly recent addition to our cultural scene, having begun its inaugural season in 2011. VPAC is a light, bright, large theater with comfortable seating and easy and affordable parking (including a free shuttle for those who need it). While Valley residents must surely appreciate this addition to their neighborhood, those of us living on the Westside, Hollywood, or beyond can also enjoy it for years to come. Though Northridge sounds far away, it really took us less than half an hour to get there from the Westside and was well worth the trip—particularly for the debut a marvelous new family series, the VPAC Play Date, featuring a range of performances geared towards children and their families.

Weekday Picks: First of the Month Free Stuff, Preschool Primer, and Halloween, October 5-9

Submitted by Jacqueline Stansbury on Sun, 10/04/2015 - 9:00pm

There are all sorts of things you can do with this first week in October, and surprisingly it's not all about Halloween. If you're on your first kid, the subject of preschool likely looms large. Westsiders will want to attend Monday’s Preschool Admissions Panel where representatives of six local preschools will discuss their individual programs and philosophies. If you attended the Preschool 101 workshop, this is a great follow up. If you didn’t make it, more are scheduled later in the month.

As always, the first week of a month means lots of free admissions and two days (Tuesday and Wednesday) of LEGO giveaways. The Natural History Museum, Kidspace in Pasadena, the Santa Monica Pier Aquarium, and Orange County Museum of Art all offer free admission days this week. Of course my new favorite museum, The Broad , is always free; but it might be best to wait for the crowds to die down before attempting that hot spot with kids.

We often praise the El Capitan Theatre which never disappoints. This week they begin a trilogy of Halloween themed movies starting with Hocus Pocus.

And yes, it is October, and Halloween will be here before you know it. Be sure to check out our Halloween Fun Guide and Daily Events Calendar.

He Named Me Malala, Parent Movie Review: Is It OK for Kids?

Submitted by Jacqueline Stansbury on Thu, 10/01/2015 - 1:00pm

He Named Me Malala opens this week, and some of our older kids are going to want to see it. Malala Yousafzai is kind of like this generation’s Anne Frank: an articulate, wise-beyond-her-years teenage girl who remains optimistic about our world’s prospects for peace despite her own encounter with unspeakable evil. Malala is a child, but her story is not necessarily for children. I wanted to check it out before taking my own kids.

Weekday Picks: STEM3 Academy Open House, Korean Festival, Equestrian Exhibition, September 28 - October 2

Submitted by Jacqueline Stansbury on Mon, 09/28/2015 - 5:19am

In a simpler time, sending our kids to school was easy; people mostly sent their children to the local public school. But as test scores drop and class sizes increase, parents are increasingly interested in looking at alternatives. Here in Los Angeles, there seems to be a new private or charter school opening every day, including science magnets, language immersion and arts focused schools. Joining the options this week is the STEM3 Academy, a high school specializing in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math for children with social or learning differences; the school's open house on Tuesday includes a special screening of Most Likely to Succeed, a lauded documentary about the state of education in America. Get educated about education and then discuss your findings over a free coffee and donut at Krispy Kreme's National Coffee Day.

The Broad Museum: Downtown LA's Free Museum for Contemporary Art

Submitted by Jacqueline Stansbury on Mon, 09/21/2015 - 1:29pm

Los Angeles has received a stupendous gift: The Broad Museum is the newest addition to our cultural landscape, and admission is always free. As long as the museum is new and exciting, plan on booking those free tickets in advance, though. More details on that below.

Art can be tricky for kids; they know that, like vegetables, it’s supposed to be good for them, so they sometimes resist. If you don’t catch them in the right mood, a day at the museum can be torturous for everybody involved. There’s nothing worse than plunking down admission fees and realizing ten minutes later that you already have to leave, or choosing to stay and realizing two hours later that nobody saw, engaged with, or enjoyed any of the art. Thanks to founders Eli and Edythe Broad, our new museum is free and always will be. It is a gift to the public of epic proportion.

Weekday Picks: Week at the Museum, Contemporary Art, Mummies, Hot Wheels, & George, September 21-25

Submitted by Jacqueline Stansbury on Mon, 09/21/2015 - 5:20am

This week is all about museums. Scientific discovery begins with curiosity, and no one has more of that than a springy monkey called George. The Discovery Cube LA opens a new exhibit dedicated to this rapscallion and his long suffering friend in the yellow hat.

The mummies have arrived at the Natural History Museum. Mummies are indeed fascinating but can sometimes be a bit scary for little ones, so tread cautiously. In Santa Ana, The Discovery Cube debuts Hot Wheels: Race to Win, an investigation of the science behind speed. Two museums that don’t need special scheduling are The California Science Center in Exposition Park and our new contemporary art museum, The Broad, both of which are always free.

Weekday Event Picks for LA Kids: Happy New Year, Pop-up Pool, and Pharaohs, September 14-18

Submitted by Jacqueline Stansbury on Mon, 09/14/2015 - 7:19am

School is mostly closed on Monday, in observance of the Jewish New Year. While we wish a happy day to those who will be in temple, many of us now have the luxury of a three day weekend, or the pleasant problem of figuring out what to do with this day off (which, though not unexpected, takes many of us by surprise every time). Although winding down for the season, the Annenberg Beach House has a pop-up pool day on Monday. This is not a discounted dollar day, but I think $10 per adult and $4 per kid is a worthwhile expense during this heat wave. And of course there are always water parks.