Collection of our Moms favorite things to do over the summer

Favorite beaches:
- Seabright beach (Near Santa Cruz)
- Capitola City Beach (Near Santa Cruz)
- Stinson beach (North of San Francisco)
- Twin Lakes State Beach (near Santa Cruz)

- Seaside Beach (near Monterey)

Best hikes:
Great source for best hike with kids: http://www.bahiker.com/kids.html
- Rancho San Antonio Open Space Preserve ( in Los Altos )

- Shoreline Park and Lake ( Tip: Great place to fly a kite ! in Mountain View ) 

- Hidden Villa Ranch ( in Los Altos ) 

- Big Basin Redwoods State Park ( in Santa Cruz )
- Sanborn County Park ( in Saratoga )

Favorite Parks and Farms:
- Vasona Lake County Park ( Tip: Has a carousel and mini train ! in Los Gatos )
- John D. Morgan ( with water feature in Campbell )
- Emma Prusch Farm ( in San Jose )
- Ortega park ( with water feature in Sunnyvale )
- Las Palmas park ( in Sunnyvale )
- Jake play lot ( fenced with water feature, part of Parma Park in Almaden, San Jose )
- Almaden lake park ( in Almaden, San Jose )

Others favorites:

- Train town ( in Sonoma )

- Fairyland ( in Oakland )
- Roaring camp railroad ( in Felton, Santa Cruz )
- Children discovery museum ( in San Jose )
- Happy Hollow Park and Zoo ( in San Jose )
- Monterey Bay aquarium ( in Monterey )
- California Academy of science ( in San Francisco )
- Palo Alto Junior zoo ( free ) ( in Palo Alto )
- Gilroy garden ( in Gilroy )
- Mommy and me at Santana Row ( second tuesday of each month ) ( in San Jose )

Arts and Crafts
- Playdough

• 3 cups flour
• 1 ½ cups salt
• 3 cups water
• 6 tsp cream of tartar (Can buy large bottle at Smart and Final)
• 1 ½ Tbsp oil
• Food coloring or unsweetened jello
• Mix all ingredients. 
• Stir over medium heat until thickened.

- Father's day craft http://familyfun.go.com/crafts/a-pad-for-dad-675458/
- Volcanos (vinegar/baking soda/red food coloring)
- Baby jar water globes

Favorite Smoothies: 

- Smoothie recipes

• 8 ounces juice
• 3 scoops frozen fruit
• 1 scoop frozen sorbet/frozen yogurt/ice cream (optional)
• 1 scoop ice.
• Can add more liquid or regular yogurt depending on what consistency you like

- Strawberry Banana Smoothie

• 8 oz strawberry yogurt
• ½ cup orange juice
• ½ cup frozen strawberries
• 1 ripe banana
• Blend until smooth

- Other ingredients to add are tofu, avocado and flax seeds

Useful tips : 

- You can freeze leftover smoothies
- Freeze watermelon 

Enjoy your summer !