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 Art Summer Camps near Los Angeles: Where Kids Can Draw, Paint, and Design

Submitted by Roberta B on Mon, 02/28/2022 - 10:38am

Young artists paint, draw, sculpt, design, and more at Robertson Art Zone.

Camp and art go together like, well, crayons and coloring books. But if you're looking for a summer camp where your budding artist can go beyond the Crayolas, you live in the right city. Since Los Angeles is a city bursting with creativity, it makes sense that our art summer camps go beyond popsicle sticks and glitter glue. From West LA to Sherman Oaks to Hollywood, these art-centered summer camps will keep your young Picasso happily creating all summer long.

For more summer camps in Los Angeles, including free and cheap summer camps in Los Angeles and popular LA preschool camps, check our whole Los Angeles Summer Camp Guide. Find a full listing of local summer camps in our Camp Directory, where you can search for summer camps by type, age, and neighborhood.

Favorite Outdoor Summer Camps in Los Angeles

Submitted by Roberta B on Mon, 02/14/2022 - 10:06am

Where else are kids going to learn archery, besides summer camp? Photo courtesy of Tom Sawyer Camp

Los Angeles parents are blessed with the widest range of summer camps choices imaginable (just check our camp guide and directory!). Kids who are driven to spend their summers focusing on musical theater, art, surfing, science, horseback riding, or even making movies have all the day camp options in the world, right in our backyard. But sometimes, summer needs to just be about being a kid and having fun. Kids need to let loose and play, play, play. At these traditional outdoor summer camps from Santa Monica to Altadena, that's exactly what they can do.

For more summer camps in Los Angeles, including picks for preschool summer camps in LA and the best free and cheap day camps in town, be sure to bookmark our Los Angeles Summer Camp Guide and our Camp Directory, where you can search for camps by type, age, and town.

Whale Watching near Los Angeles: Whale Watching Cruises and Viewpoints for Landlubbers

Submitted by Roberta B on Mon, 01/24/2022 - 11:10am

Los Angeles is the perfect place to look for whales from December to April.

Winter is prime whale watching season in Southern California, and there are several ways to spy on the giant mammals as they pass through on their 6,000-mile quest for Mexican romance. Each year, between December and April, roughly 20,000 Pacific gray whales migrate past our beaches, and March brings particularly high traffic because that's when the underwater procession starts to turn around.

With reduced capacity and ocean breezes, whale watch cruises are a safe outdoor activity, making these tours book up fast—so be sure to make a reservation. If your landlubbers have touchy tummies and like to stay on shore, with a little luck and clear skies, simply Sand Sledding on the Los Angeles Sand Berms or a Day Trip to One of Our Favorite SoCal Beach Towns can turn into a whale watching outing.

10 Online Language Classes and Clubs for Kids

Submitted by Roberta B on Tue, 01/11/2022 - 1:50pm

Photo courtesy of Language Workshop for Children

There is no better time than childhood for learning a foreign language, and no better place to do it than at home. The virtual language classes and clubs below help kids tap into their remarkable ability to learn another language, with online instruction in Spanish, French, Italian, and more—for little kids just learning or bigger kids trying to get ahead in school.

When your bilingual kids are ready to try out their new language skills, why not choose a family travel destination for practice? And in the meantime, check out these other great opportunities for online learning.

Free Admission for Kids at 40+ Family Attractions, Museums, & Theme Parks in Los Angeles

Submitted by Roberta B on Mon, 01/10/2022 - 12:21pm

The Great Park Balloon in Irvine is free for everyone! Photo courtesy of cityofirvine.org

Getting in free at Disneyland: it's one of those precious moments of childhood that if you blink, you miss. But unlike the ones you can't put a price on, this one is worth about $100. In other words, it's really worth keeping track of when those free admission deals for kids run out. If you're working your way down our Bucket List for Los Angeles Kids, you should probably coordinate with the cut-off ages below; some of the museums you can catch on their free admission days (and happily, some are free every day!), but the theme parks, museums, and other attractions listed below really drive home the bittersweet point that you're only young once.

How To Recycle Your Christmas Tree in Los Angeles

Submitted by Roberta B on Mon, 01/03/2022 - 9:04am

Time to kick that tree to the curb. But is that allowed in your city?

On the 12th day of Christmas, my city gave to me—a chance to recycle my Christmas tree!

Whether from a lot at the corner or a cut-your-own farm in LA's outer regions, we lug those lovely-smelling, triangular chunks of evergreen wonder home on top of our cars each December amid singing, warm drinks, and family bonding. Thoughts of what will become of them a few weeks later are pushed to the outer regions of our To Do Lists. Well, the 12th day of Christmas is quickly approaching, and our To Do Lists have come home to roost. Luckily, recycling a Christmas tree does not have to be difficult to arrange; all you need is a little information, which we've assembled here!

New Year's Eve with Kids: Things To Do on New Year's Eve in Los Angeles as a Family

Submitted by Roberta B on Fri, 12/24/2021 - 11:32am

Have an only in La-La Land New Year's Eve with the Echo Park Swan Boats. Photo courtesy of Wheel Fun Rentals

It’s almost New Year’s Eve— and out with the old, in with the new sounds pretty good this year! While many events are going virtual again this year, there are still loads of in-person New Year celebrations and things to do on New Year’s Eve with kids in Los Angeles. Ring in 2022 by taking the kids for a paddle in swan boats, ice skating in the heart of the city, seeing fireworks, or even taking the kids to a Noon Year's party. There are also plenty of innovative ways to party at home, family style, or learn some cool New Year celebrations from around the world.

More events and activities can always be found on our event calendar and our guide to the best activities of the week. That’s a wrap on 2021—we did it, LA!

Happy New Year from all of us at Mommy Poppins.

LAX with Kids: Rideshare, Drop off, Pick up, LAXit Shuttles, and Car Seat Options

Submitted by Roberta B on Mon, 11/22/2021 - 10:06am

Rest easy about getting to the airport safely when you book one of these services for holiday travel.

Hooray, we can travel again, this holiday season! That thought quickly becomes: Oh-oh, we can travel again this holiday season. LAX plus kids plus holidays? There's really no cheap and easy way to do it. Calling Uber or Lyft while pulling bags off the belt doesn't work anymore, and even old-school taxis aren't allowed to wait outside every terminal as they do at other airports. With or without a car seat, departures and arrivals at LAX with kids require a plan.

We've made some calls, followed some links, and shaken some people by the lapels to gather the info below, featuring options that provide safe transport to the airport for your most precious cargo. And if all else fails? The Proud Bird by LAX has just been given a complete overhaul as a cool food hall that comes complete with a playground AND a liquor license...