Reuniting Siblings at Dino Romp & Stomp

For the second year, a collaborative of non-profit organizations joined forces for “Birthday Palooza,” a celebratory day-long event at Kidspace that reunites hundreds of siblings separated by foster care. For one special day, the museum transformed into a giant Dino-sized party space to celebrate everyone’s birthday, complete with food, singing, cupcakes, and gifts. Read more from our partner Foster Love.

Foster Care Friendly Workplace

Creating opportunities for children in the foster care community is an important priority for our museum. As an extension of our work to support foster families, Kidspace has pledged to become a Foster Care Friendly Workplace. Eligible employees who serve as foster parents will be provided equivalent benefits to new parents, including Paid Family Leave benefits. Learn more from our partner FosterMore.

Kidspace x Fox-11’s Wednesday’s Child

Kidspace partners the Department of Children and Family Services to provide a space for the long-running Fox-11 segment Wednesday’s Child, which highlights kids in foster care seeking adoptive families. By hosting these segments, we hope provide a great day of play for the featured kids, to raise awareness and help connect them with potential families. Watch Wednesday’s Child segments.

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Big Little Mornings is Early Childhood Education at Kidspace

Becoming a parent is full of joyful moments, but the transition to parenthood can also be overwhelming and isolating. New parents need support and community as they move into this life phase.

To support healthy and happy families, Kidspace launched Big Little Mornings, a monthly program for new families with children ages 0-3 that celebrates and enhances the bond between caregivers and children through open-ended play, parent workshops, art and music, and access to community resources.

“Parenting a young child can be joyful, exhausting, and exhilarating,” said Lisa Clements, Kidspace CEO. “We created a program especially for new parents that offers a fun and friendly way to build community with other parents, learn new parenting skills, and connect with resources to help their children thrive.”

Kidspace is a hub site for the Pasadena Early Learning program through the City of Pasadena’s Office of the Young Child. The program brings together early childhood educators, child development service providers, and city employees to support families of young children. Admission to Big Little Mornings is free and offers priority registration to city services and nonprofit organizations that serve vulnerable families.

Parents are encouraged to connect with each other to share in the joys, and challenges, of navigating new parenthood with guided conversations from organizations such as the Pasadena Public Health Maternal, Child & Adolescent Health program to share experiences, explore ways to strengthen families, and connect with local resources in our community.

One parent reflected on the program, “I loved the comfort of knowing every child was a little one, so my kiddo was safe, and the programming was developmentally appropriate. I felt like I was IN that ‘village’ we’re supposed to have! Thank you for the day of community and support my postpartum heart needed!”

During Big Little Mornings, play spaces are adapted for the “littles,” which means younger-skewing activities like a toddler take-over the Trike Track or Baby Olympics obstacle cha

llenge. Kidspace always prioritizes play as the driver for early learning and connection, and Big Little Mornings is an opportunity to help new parents connect with the power of play.

“Play is a joyful way children build healthy brains and bodies,” said Clements. “Learning to tap into playful parenting is one of the ways parents and caregivers can form secure attachments and communicate with their children.”

The newly renovated Early Childhood Learning Center hosts child development specialists and trained Kidspace staff for infant and baby play and parent connection.

Big Little Mornings will explore new themes each month offering diverse workshops and featuring various community partners. For more information on the program and how to reserve free tickets, visit the Big Little Mornings page.

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Kidspace in the Community

“In every neighborhood, all across our country, there are good people insisting on a good start for the young and doing something about it.” – Fred Rogers

For Kidspace, providing a ‘good start’ for the children and families of our community means meeting families where they are socio-economically, culturally, and geographically. It’s one thing to provide abundant access to campus, but when we go off campus into the neighborhoods where our families live, work, and attend school, we achieve a deeper level of connection.

This year we have been building our community outreach program and heading out and about in Pasadena bringing playful hands-on activities for children and families to join our families in the places and moments that hold meaning for us all.

City of Pasadena’s Black History Month Parade and Festival 

Kidspace was a proud sponsor of the City of Pasadena’s 42^nd Black History Month Parade and Festival on February 17, the longest-running festival of its kind in Southern California. The parade is a community celebration featuring youth bands, dance teams, car clubs, and community groups cruising down Fair Oaks Avenue showcasing their talents as neighbors, family, and friends line up on the sidewalks to cheer them on.

Kidspace Operation Manager, LaQuan Hayes, has been attending the parade and festival since he was a child. “Although I was never one of the kids marching down Fair Oaks, I was one of the family members cheering on my cousin and little sister and their drill team, The Pasadena Cowgirls,” said Hayes. “After the Parade, we ran around the festival collecting free swag and playing all the games. I remember all the joy, music, and dancing.”

This year’s parade and festival theme was “Celebrating the Life and Legacy of Jackie Robinson,” a hometown hero for his accomplishments in sports and civil rights activism. The museum hosted a family art program at the festival designed to illustrate Robinson’s legacy of activism and action for civil rights. We invited families to pay tribute to his legacy with an interactive art project celebrating the power of community to create a better world.

“I am extremely proud of the museum for participating in this year’s Parade and festival,” said Hayes. “It is important that we continue to participate because this is our neighborhood, and we want to be of service to our community.”

In collaboration with Transformative Arts, Kidspace hosted L.A.-based artist April Banks to create a large-scale community artwork representing our commitment to continue Robinson’s activism for freedom and civil rights and inspired by the work of acclaimed artist Glenn Ligon. In his piece, Hands (1997), Ligon references 1995’s Million Man March at which hundreds of thousands of Black men came together as a visual, vocal representation of the Black family. Ligon’s work says more than “we are here,” it calls for action and accountability.

Honoring Robinson’s legacy and Ligon’s work, the community art piece invited participants to place their handprints on canvas to symbolize their commitment to freedom and civil rights.

Ronald McDonald House Walk for Kids

Supporting children with medical challenges and their families is a key priority for Kidspace. For years, the museum has partnered with Ronald McDonald House Charities, which provides a home away from home for families who travel far for the medical care their child needs.

In addition to hosting special events for Ronald McDonald House families at the museum, Kidspace is proud to support the annual Walk for Kids hosted by Ronald McDonald House Pasadena in Brookside Park. This year’s celebration featured the ebullient Kidspace Bubble Pop-Up, a family space to rest, reboot, and create millions of iridescent bubbles together.

“The Walk for Kids brings together members of the community to raise critical funds to provide a home-away-from-home here in Pasadena for families seeking life-changing medical treatment for their child,” Mara Leong-Maguinez, Executive Director, Ronald McDonald House Pasadena.

The museum’s commitment to children with medical challenges is a natural extension of its whole-child philosophy, which leverages joyful experiences to integrate mind, body, and heart.  Play provides critical benefits to children under medical care, including stress relief, emotional healing, and social connection. Through partnerships with Ronald McDonald House and Child Life specialists at children’s hospitals, Kidspace contributes to the wellbeing of families and children when they need it most.

“We have been thrilled to have Kidspace participate as a community partner for several years,” said Leong-Maguinez. “Their wonderful team created a fun and engaging space for all the children and families in attendance, fostering an environment of hope, enthusiasm, courage, and joy.”

City of Pasadena’s Family Fun Day 

The bubbles were also a POP-ular attraction at the City of Pasadena’s Family Fun Day at La Pintoresca Park on May 25. The City’s 28^th Annual Family Fun Day is a great way to kick off summer with a free family-friendly event for our Northwest Pasadena neighbors. Kids loved making gigantic bubbles and resting in the shade at this neighborhood favorite.

“Family Fun Day is important to our community because it connects neighbors with families and friends during Memorial Day weekend,” said Elizabeth Luna, Recreation Services Specialist for the City of Pasadena. “It’s an afternoon in the park where people of all ages, background, and nationalities come together year after year to play games, compete for prizes, enjoy live performances, music, food, skating expo, arts & crafts, and the opening of the splash pad for the summer season.”

The event also allows for direct access to important resources by agencies and nonprofits in the community. Luna said that the event would not be possible if weren’t for support from community partners.

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If you were given just one wish, what would it be? Would it be for yourself or for others? Would you choose something that made the world a little bit better, happier, and sillier?  For five-year-old Florence, her wish did just that.

When Florence faced a challenging battle with brain cancer at the age of 3, she was comforted by revisiting her favorite places and people, if only in her imagination. Once she beat the cancer, she was granted a wish through the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Greater Los Angeles. Instead of choosing something for herself alone, she imagined a wish that could bring one of her favorite places to the friends who were most important to her – her classmates at Crescenta Cañada Cooperative Nursery School (CCNS). Florence wanted to transform her school’s playground into a silly farm stand, a version of the Muddy Boot Farm at Kidspace Children’s Museum, which she adored.

The Make-A-Wish Foundation collaborated with Kidspace to bring Flo’s vision to life. After meeting with the school to learn more about the possibilities in their space, the Kidspace team crafted sketches of what would become Flo’s Farm—a miniature farmstand filled with the playful interactive features Flo loves about Muddy Boot Farm.

Flo’s dad, Rich, who runs Roam Design + Builders, was of course eager to help. His construction company turned the drawings into plans and began the building process.

The project received an incredible outpouring of community support. Rich’s team, nursery school parents, and Kidspace staff volunteered on weekends and evenings to make Flo’s Farm a reality. The team renovated an outdated playhouse into a miniature barn, built a delightful farm stand, designed a playful egg chute, and created gardening beds to harvest a bumper crop of pretend vegetables.

The grand opening of Flo’s Farm at CCNS in April was a big day on the farm. The entire school community cheered as Flo cut the ribbon, and then, just as she had imagined, they all began to play.

In a small but lovely way, Florence’s choice affirms something essential about the nature of joy. Joy isn’t diminished by sharing it with others; that’s how it grows into something even more beautiful. When Florence made her very special wish, she planted the seeds for a happy space for children to learn and play for many years to come.

In the end, Flo’s Farm is more than a new play space; it is a powerful demonstration of how one small act of selflessness can blossom into something that touches the lives of many.

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Creating Safe Enriching Play for Children with Medical Needs

Melody is a bright-eyed and curious 6-year-old who loves to play outside. Before her cancer diagnosis, she loved to come to Kidspace to ride the trikes and explore the Physics Forest. After she was diagnosed with cancer and her treatments compromised her immune system, playing outside with other kids and visiting her favorite places became too risky for her safety and well-being.

Joanne Ordono, a Certified Child Life Specialist for Cedars Sinai Pediatrics who coordinates Melody’s care reached out to Kidspace for help.

“It’s a tough situation to balance and we try our best to provide opportunities to normalize our patient’s experience while being very mindful of their safety,” Ordono said. “Part of their healing and recovery is acknowledging that they need developmentally appropriate activities to help them cope.”

Melody’s care team asked if we could make accommodations to create a safe space for her and her family to visit. Without the worry of exposure to crowds, Melody could be free to play, explore, spin, ride, and share special family time together. The museum would need to be deep cleaned and open just for the family and medical care team without other guests and members.

In conversations to plan the visit, Melody’s parents shared that the cancer treatments had taken a toll on her spirit. She felt isolated from the people and things that she loved, and she missed doing fun things. Instead, her days were filled with a seemingly endless list of “not fun things” related to her treatment.

As soon as Melody’s oncologist approved her visit, Kidspace got to work planning a day in her honor. By official proclamation posted at the entrance of the museum, Kidspace was temporarily renamed Melodyspace, with special activities designed just for her. Together with her sibling and cousins, Melody twirled on Los Trompos, sang around the campfire, made crafts in the Imagination Workshop, and cruised across the Golden Gate Bridge on trikes.

When the special Melodyspace visit came to an end, Melody and her family enjoyed dino s’mores treats and left with a Muddy Boot Farm bag filled with gifts to remind them of their joy-filled morning.

“This experience made such a remarkable impact on Melody and her family and added such a positive light to this chapter of her life,” Ordono said.

After their visit, Melody’s mom Michelle reported, “She had such a wonderful time. She was smiling, skipping, and dancing. She said she was happy she went to Kidspace. Hearing those words has brought us so much joy. Needless to say, she’s been on a tough journey this year. Her time at Kidspace will be a highlight during this time and a memory she can hold on to.”

Kidspace is building more opportunities for enriched play and family time for children with medical needs through our partnership with Cedars Sinai Pediatrics, Ronald McDonald House Charities, and others. The museum is finding creative ways to help children leave behind the stresses of diagnosis, appointments, and treatment, even if just for a little while, to reenter the silly, healing, and life-affirming space of play.

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In many ways, the opening of the Superheroes! art exhibition at Kidspace mirrored art show openings at museums across Los Angeles. The pieces were professionally curated and hung next to didactics that introduced the artists and explained their processes. There were snacks and drinks, official remarks and selfies.

But this was no run-of-the-mill exhibition opening. The Superheroes! show was, as the invitation promised, “A Celebration of Art, Ability, and Possibility.”

“It may seem strange to host an adult art exhibition at a children’s museum, but this show grew organically out of two long-term partnerships; our community art-making initiatives with Transformative Arts, and an inclusive employment program with Tierra del Sol. It’s a beautiful expression of our shared values and commitments,” said Kidspace CEO Lisa Clements.

For more than a decade, Kidspace has worked with Tierra del Sol Foundation to advance its mission to champion inclusion and value for people with disabilities through creative pathways to employment, education, and the arts. The museum currently employs three Tierra associates: Becky O’Donnell, Kurt Freidenberger, and Karen Hoge. “Having Tierra associates on our team sets an example to all the children that come here,” explained Senior Manager of Floor Operations Vince Dominguez, who oversees the program. “Representation matters. It says, ‘yes, you can have a disability and still have a career and make a difference in the community.’”

Every superhero has an origin story, and this one was fueled by serendipity. “One day jill moniz, the founder of Transformative Arts, invited me to a Tierra art show downtown, and I asked, ‘Tierra del Sol? Our Tierra?’ I was unaware that in addition to workplace access they also offer a robust and beautiful studio art program,” said Clements. “When we put the pieces together, we knew we could create something special. We were fortunate that the Pasadena Arts and Culture Commission realized the value of this show and stepped in to underwrite it.”

The installation by artists Marlena Arthur, Catherine Benita, Kevin Bermudez, Julia Hagen-Brenner, Jorrel De La Rosa, Jose Hernandez, Herb Herod, Evan Hynes, Daniel Padilla, and Anthony Perez from the Tierra Del Sol Studio Art Program is a reminder that regardless of disability or ability, all people can live lives of meaning and creativity to contribute to the greater good.

The artists worked in a variety of mediums, from ceramics and textiles to painting, drawing, and digital art. Their pieces explored themes of strength and courage, joy and beauty, individuality and friendship.

The opening panel of the show read:

For over thirty years, the Tierra del Sol Foundation has launched the careers of talented artists whose works have been featured in art fairs, galleries, and museums across the country. Beyond the arts, Tierra offers career exploration, skills development, and supported or independent work opportunities in industries throughout Southern California. Kidspace and Transformative Arts are proud partners and beneficiaries of this mission. Through our collaboration with Tierra graduates, we have strengthened our belief that everyone who contributes effort, stories, language, and commitment to doing their best for families, friends, and communities is a superhero!

Kidspace, Transformative Arts, and Tierra del Sol are already planning their next show in 2024.

The Superheroes! show was made possible in part by the Pasadena Arts & Culture Commission and the City of Pasadena Cultural Affairs Division

Photos from the Superheroes! art exhibition opening

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We collaborate with partners like Families Forward Learning Center, an organization dedicated to providing free education and social services to low-income families with young children. Through partnerships like this, we identify families who could benefit from our summer camp experience and strive to provide full-tuition scholarships to 10% of campers. 

“All our families are living below the poverty level, meaning that rent and food are the priorities,” said Liz Kwong, Director of Development for Families Forward. “Getting a chance to attend the Kidspace Summer Camp is an amazing experience for the children we serve. Without the generous scholarships, they would not be able to attend.” 

Outdoor summer camps play a vital role in the holistic development of children. Camp promotes physical and mental well-being, enhances social skills, fosters independence and resilience, and expands knowledge and curiosity. For the children from Families Forward attending Kidspace Summer Camp, these experiences are particularly valuable as they are all preparing to start kindergarten. 

Kwong shared, “The children loved learning about nature and experiencing something new every day. It was a hands-on learning experience that complemented their school education. They also made new friends and cherished their camp t-shirts!” 

Summer camp experiences, such as Kidspace Summer Camp, play a vital role in a child’s development. Generous donors make scholarships possible, ensuring that families, regardless of their financial situation, can provide their children with this transformative experience. By supporting these scholarships, donors contribute to the growth and success of vulnerable children, helping them thrive as they enter school and beyond. 

“Without the scholarships, our children would never have been able to attend the Kidspace Summer Camp,” said Kwong. “It is a special part of our program to help our families experience different enrichment opportunities. Places they would otherwise never be able to attend. We are lucky to have such wonderful partners as Kidspace, and others in the community offer these scholarships to our families.” 

Kidspace Summer Camp provides children with unique and valuable experiences that foster exploration, learning, and growth. Through partnerships and scholarships, we strive to make these opportunities accessible to all families, including those facing financial constraints. By investing in summer camp experiences, donors contribute to the holistic development of children and empower them to succeed in school and life.   

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Kidspace Supports Children with Medical Needs

Ronald McDonald House (RMH) provides a home-away-from-home for families with critically ill children, allowing them to focus on their child’s health. Kidspace Museum supports RMH by providing opportunities for enriched play and family time. This fall we invited families from RMH Pasadena to a private Halloween party, offering a chance to step away from medical appointments and simply enjoy being kids. 

Families with critically ill children face unique obstacles. Ronald McDonald House helps overcome these obstacles for families by keeping them close to one another, their doctors and needed medical care. RMH Pasadena offers a warm and inviting home next to Huntington Hospital to allow a family to focus on the health of their child—not where they can afford to stay, where they will get their next meal, or where they will lay their head at night to rest. 

Kidspace is committed to supporting the mission of RMH to improve the health and well-being of children and their families. We do this by providing opportunities for enriched play and family time for those facing these incredible challenges. 

“We believe that the power of play in a child’s life fuels the growth of healthy brains and bodies,” said Lisa Clements, Kidspace CEO. “This is especially important for children facing medical challenges. We want to provide a space for these kids to step away from their diagnoses, treatments, and appointments and just focus on being kids. We are so grateful for the incredible work of Ronald McDonald House Pasadena, and we want to come alongside and support their families, in every way that we can.” 

We invited the families from the RMH Pasadena to enjoy a private Halloween party at Kidspace. Volunteers from the Kidspace Circle of Friends transformed the Celebration Center into an unbelievably elaborate Halloween party complete with spooky decorations, Halloween-themed snacks, and goodie bags stuffed full of Halloween treats and toys.   

“The families of Ronald McDonald House Pasadena were so excited to spend an afternoon away from hospitals and doctor’s appointments,” said Mara Leong-Maguinez, Executive Director, RMH Pasadena. “Kidspace and the Circle of Friends made them feel incredibly special with a fully decorated Halloween party just for them.” 

The staff and families from the RMH also explored Kidspace and enjoyed the Happy Halloween happenings. They met a snake up close, cruised the Trike Track, some in wheelchairs or on our accessible trikes, enjoyed the silly farm-to-table experience at Muddy Boot Farm, and decorated pumpkins to take back to the house. 

“Families with sick children often miss out on the fun of holidays and special occasions, and don’t often get the chance to explore all that Pasadena has to offer,” said Leong-Maguinez. “They loved getting to visit a wonderful new place, the tiny pumpkins to decorate, the very cute Halloween-themed snacks, and the chance to spend an afternoon just being kids.” 

Families with children who have medical needs and hospitalizations face numerous challenges including simply enjoying family outings during Halloween and the holidays. Kidspace is committed to supporting these families by creating opportunities for respite and play to make meaningful memories together despite the obstacles they face. 

Volnuteers from Kidspace Circle of Friends decorating for the RMH Halloween Party

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Kidspace Honors Down Syndrome Awareness Month

October is National Down Syndrome Awareness Month. Kidspace is participating by celebrating the unique abilities of kids with Down syndrome and advocating for the families and organizations who love and support them.

We were honored to sponsor the September gathering for the Inland Valley Down Syndrome Association (IVDSA) at Kidspace. Their mission is to connect and inspire individuals with Down syndrome, their families, and the communities in which they live, through support, education, social experiences, and advocacy. They offer age-based support groups for the whole family.

We welcomed families in the IVDSA network from the Little Steps (age 0-3) and Next Steps (age 4-7) groups to enjoy a day at the museum. These monthly outings give families a chance to connect, play, build friendships, share experiences, and make lasting memories with other families who have children with Down syndrome. Kidspace was delighted to create a space for meaningful connections, learning, and fun.

“We are so grateful to have Kidspace as our meeting sponsor for September,” said Stephanie Burton coordinator of the IVDSA Little Steps group. “The team was incredibly welcoming, generous, and supportive! Our families had nothing but the best experiences to share. The Muddy Boot Farm, the Arroyo Adventure, and Los Trompos were a few of our top favorite features this trip.”

Being a new parent is already a challenging and transformative experience, and when your child has Down syndrome, it can introduce additional complexities as well as emotional and physical challenges. Understanding and navigating the medical aspects of Down syndrome, such as potential health issues and therapies, can be overwhelming. Additionally, finding appropriate resources, support groups, and specialized education programs can be time-consuming and demanding.

“There are times on this journey where fear of the unknown is front and center. It could be fear of words or looks from people, fear of being judged, fear of being exhausted from the extra effort it may take to go out into the world,” said Burton. “Volunteering as the Little Steps leader for IVDSA, my goal has been to build our community and present our families with opportunities to explore fun places together.”

The IVDSA families celebrated Teddy Bear Day at the museum. They all brought special cuddly Teddy Bears and read the book Going on a Bear Hunt. More than 60 people from the IVDSA network enjoyed a day of play at Kidspace exploring, learning, and making memories together.

Families of children with disabilities deserve to feel welcome to explore, learn, laugh, and make memories. Kidspace is committed be being an inclusive organization and strives to grow to continue to provide opportunities for all children to thrive.

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