Roberta Brown

Editor-in-Chief

Years spent at Nickelodeon prepared Roberta to launch Mommy Poppins' Los Angeles branch in 2011, eventually becoming Mommy Poppins Editor-in-Chief in 2013. Previously she served as LA Editor for GoCityKids, National Editor for ParentsConnect, and Editor for NickMom—all of which works out well for her son, who has grown up serving as Chief Guinea Pig for all things fun in LA and beyond.

Latest posts by Roberta

Great Summer Art Camps for Los Angeles Kids

Submitted by Roberta B on Sat, 01/12/2019 - 4:59pm

reDiscover's One Day Tinkering Camp at Tinkering School LA

Camp and art go together like, well, crayons and coloring books. But sometimes our LA kids are hankering after a little more than just a coloring sheet or a pile of popsicle sticks and glitter glue. If your family's goals for summer involve more artistic education than LAUSD is able to muster up these days, then one of the LA art camps below is probably for you.

If, on the other hand, you had your heart set on sending the kids outside for a summer full of fresh air, be sure to check our suggestions for classic outdoor LA summer camps and horse riding camps, too—or check our whole Los Angeles Summer Guide! Find a full listing of local summer camps in our Directory of Camps, too. Search by your kids' ages, interests, or location.

Enchanted: Forest of Light Is Descanso Gardens' Christmas Walk in the Woods

Submitted by Roberta B on Thu, 11/22/2018 - 5:22am

If you are one of the many Angelenos whose paths rarely lead them through La Cañada-Flintridge, then perhaps you've never visited Descanso Gardens. It would be understandable; most of us need to drive a befuddling combination of highway numbers to get there. Well, 'tis the season to download Waze and get there, because Descanso's holiday light display, Enchanted: Forest of Light, is worth the drive and then some. Home holiday lights are lovely and cheery. Boat parades are delightful and so SoCal. But Descanso's holiday woodland light show is an experience unto itself and one to bundle up the kids and make time for.

18 Hanukkah Celebrations for Kids in LA and Orange County

Submitted by Roberta B on Mon, 11/19/2018 - 3:33pm

Menorah lighting at the Third Street Promenade. Photo courtesy of Downtown Santa Monica

However you spell it—Hanukkah, Hanukka, Hannukah, Chanukah, or Channuka—SoCal is a great place to be for the Festival of Lights. Home to a Jewish population larger than that of Jerusalem, Los Angeles is all about "lighting candles, wearing sandals, by the sea" (at least, that's why Tom Leher spent Hanukkah in Santa Monica). Giant menorahs light up open spaces from The OC to the Valley.

Some of this year's events may be affected by our recent fires (most notably the festival at the Shalom Institute, typically one of the LA's biggest). But be assured that there are plenty of celebrations to fill the 8 crazy nights, including the popular event at the Skirball Center, as well as numerous local events and candle lightings to burn the sunset oil all week long.

This post is still getting its 2019 update.

Lice: What To Do When That Lousy Note Comes Home from School

Submitted by Roberta B on Thu, 11/15/2018 - 8:58pm

Brace yourself; whether or not you have lice, your head is about to start itching.

Maybe you've heard a rumor that lice are running amok at your school or - worse still - you've just received word that your kid is the one who's got them; either way, you need to know how to prevent or get rid of lice. Larger class sizes, fewer school nurses, and increasingly resistant strains of louse are making these itch-inducing parasites a much bigger part of our lives now than when we were kids. And boy can lice louse up your day.

The Nutcracker: 28 Holiday Performances of the Classic Ballet Fit for Kids

Submitted by Roberta B on Fri, 11/09/2018 - 12:08pm

The Los Angeles Ballet's Nutcracker. Photo by Reed Hutchinson

Most of the year, most of us parents don't attempt to take our children to full-length ballet productions, but Christmas just doesn't feel like Christmas without one good Nutcracker. And if one good Nutcracker begins to make it feel a lot like Christmas, then LA, Orange, and Ventura counties are evidently hitting Uber-Christmas in the coming weeks with more than two dozen professional Nutcracker productions.

Incidentally, we've got answers to the two questions posed most often by LA parents in search of a Nutcracker Ballet for their families: Yes, there is a condensed version staged specifically for kids, offered by the Festival Ballet Theatre down in Costa Mesa or Classical Ballet Theatre in Palos Verdes; and yes, there are local productions performed with full orchestra—at the Long Beach Terrace Theater, the Broad Stage, the Dolby Theatre, Segerstrom Center for the Arts, and the Grove of Anaheim. There is even the odd Nutcracker Tea or two—in case you were wondering.

And when you've had your fill of Sugarplum Fairies, we can direct you to some nifty Christmas train rides.

Zimmer Children's Museum Gets a New Name and a New Home in the New Year

Submitted by Roberta B on Wed, 11/07/2018 - 2:00pm

Photo by Elaine Lee courtesy of Zimmer Children's Museum

The Zimmer Children's Museum, the hugely popular Miracle Mile hub for the preschool set, is making a break for the beach, picking up more space and a new name along the way. Soon to be known as the Cayton Children's Museum, it will create a whole new reason to go to Santa Monica Place, that mall with the ocean view at the end of the Third Street Promenade—giving families one more reason to spend a day in the seaside suburb.

What Happened to Columbus Day? What's Indigenous Peoples Day? And Is There School?

Submitted by Roberta B on Wed, 10/03/2018 - 2:45pm

If, like many Angelenos, you were once a resident of another state—or even if you can remember to way back before 2009—you may be experiencing your annual attack of Columbus Day confusion. Is there school on Monday? Is it a holiday? Should you be picking something to do from the Mommy Poppins events calendar? And what about Indigenous Peoples Day—is that a thing? Go ahead and check your school district’s calendar if it makes you feel better, but we can end the mystery for you right here: yes, your public school kids have school on Monday.

America's Teaching Zoo at Moorpark College: Up-Close Animal Encounters for LA Kids

Submitted by Roberta B on Tue, 09/25/2018 - 1:35pm

This may come as a surprise, but LA has more than one zoo. You probably know the one in Griffith Park. And if you haven’t been to the one in San Diego, it's doubtless on your SoCal wish list. You may even have made the trip up to the see the one in Santa Barbara. All great zoos. But have you ever wondered where the people who work at these zoos learn their trade? And, if so, have you considered that the college offering a degree in zoo skills might be right in our backyard – with a teaching zoo open to the public and much cheaper admission than any other SoCal zoo?