Toby B

Toby is our uber-busy events editor for Mommy Poppins LA. Feel free to email Toby about events for our LA area calendar.

Latest posts by Toby

School Calendars 2024-2025: Start & End Dates for Los Angeles County Schools

Submitted by Toby B on Fri, 04/19/2024 - 11:15am

Here's when school is in session in Los Angeles for the 2024-25 school year.

It's not too soon to start thinking about next year! School calendars for the largest school districts in Los Angeles County for the 2024-2025 school year are below, and you'll want to bookmark the page now for reference—especially when planning family vacations and booking summer camps. Follow the links for each district below for details on school holidays and semester breaks and to stay up-to-date on any last-minute changes from your local district.

There are no major changes from previous years. LAUSD is once again sticking with its 3-week winter break despite a false start at shortening it last year.

Easter Bunny Pictures Near Los Angeles

Submitted by Toby B on Fri, 03/08/2024 - 7:50am

Hop aboard the Easter Eggstravaganza! Photo courtesy of Irvine Park Railroad

The Easter Bunny sure does hop around from place to place in Los Angeles this time of year! Need an Easter Bunny meet-and-greet for the sensory sensitive? We've got that. Want your bunny time served up with a side of flapjacks? We've got that, too. Find our favorite furry friend at trains, farms, parks, spring festivals, and more.

To fill your Easter bunny baskets ten times over, check out Easter egg hunts in Los Angeles. Kids may also enjoy easy Easter crafts to do at home. If Easter events have you in a spring mood, browse our Spring Fun Guide: Best Things To Do with LA & OC Kids. Be sure to check our calendar of events for more Easter happenings, as we're adding more every day.

Valentine's Day, Lunar New Year, and More Things to Do in Los Angeles February 2024

Submitted by Toby B on Sun, 01/28/2024 - 9:20am

Spread the love with Big Sunday. Photo courtesy of Big Sunday

There are so many fun and free things to do in Los Angeles with kids this February with Mardi Gras, Valentine's Day, Lunar New Year, Black History Month, President's Day, and Leap Day!

For the shortest month of the year, there are endless free things to do in February in Los Angeles with kids, and an abundance of holidays to celebrate. Don your beads at the Mardi Gras celebration at the Original Farmers Market. Chinatown will be bustling with Lunar New Year festivities, and the Golden Dragon Lunar New Year Parade is not to be missed. Pasadena will host its annual Black History Parade and Festival, which will pay tribute to one of Pasadena's most notable residents, Jackie Robinson. Plus, don't forget to Celebrate Leap Day!

These are just a few of our favorite free things to do in Los Angeles this February—we're adding more events to the Los Angeles Events Calendar every day.

School Calendars 2023-2024: Start & End Dates for Los Angeles County Schools

Submitted by Toby B on Thu, 05/25/2023 - 5:15am

Here's when school is in session in Los Angeles for the 2023-24 school year.

LAUSD just released school calendars for the 2023-2024 school year, and already there's a change! A parent could get whiplash following along with when school will start, stop, and take breaks for the holidays. After a huge change that would shorten the winter vacation to two weeks, the three-week winter break will return for the next two school years. Changes in other school districts include Hermosa Beach moving its start date from a September 6 to August 24, and Norwalk opting to start August 17, a week later than in previous years.

Whew. Stay tuned, as we will update this if (when?) further changes occur!

School calendars for the largest school districts in Los Angeles County for the 2023-2024 school year are below, and you'll want to bookmark the page now for reference—especially when planning family vacations and booking summer camps. Follow the links for each district below for details on school holidays and semester breaks, and to stay up-to-date on any last-minute changes from your local district.

January's Best: Rose Parade, Honoring MLK, and More Top Things To Do in Los Angeles with Kids

Submitted by Toby B on Fri, 12/30/2022 - 9:47am

Traditional mochi pounding is part of the 2023 Oshogatsu Family Festival. Photo courtesy of Japanese City, Facebook

January brings plenty of things to do in Los Angeles which kicks off with New Year's Day and moves on to kids going back to school and then Martin Luther King, Jr. Weekend! Don’t miss our favorite kid-friendly events and activities in Los Angeles this month.

2023 starts with that Southern California classic, the Rose Parade, and things only get better from there. Bluey comes to town in January, to the delight of toddlers across LA. It's also the month that we celebrate Epiphany on Olvera Street and one of my personal favorite fests of the year: the Snow Leopard Festival at the Santa Barbara Zoo. It's time to hop into Year of the Rabbit at Lunar New Year celebrations from Santa Ana to Monterey Park. And the whole town comes out to honor the man who was a King at the massive Kingdom Day Parade in Leimert Park.

January also means it's winter. While we didn't get walloped this Christmas like most of the country, you can take advantage of the recent rain and go sledding and snow tubing near Los Angeles or take one of these amazing winter day trips where you can see snow in SoCal.

27 Fun Hanukkah Celebrations and Menorah Lightings for Kids in Los Angeles

Submitted by Toby B on Thu, 12/08/2022 - 9:22am

Celebrate Hanukkah with music, crafts, and building a giant Lego menorah. Photo courtesy of the Original Farmers Market

However you spell it—Hanukkah, Hanukka, Hannukah, Chanukah, or Channuka—Los Angeles is a great place to celebrate the Festival of Lights. Home to a Jewish population larger than that of Jerusalem, Los Angeles has loads of lighting celebrations all over town, with giant menorahs lighting up open spaces from Silverlake to Santa Monica

There are more than enough celebrations to fill the eight crazy nights, including the popular event at the Skirball Center, as well as numerous local events and candle lightings that burn the sunset oil all week long. For 8 Ways to Celebrate Hanukkah with Kids and more ways to celebrate this holiday season with your family at home, check out our Guide to Holiday Fun for Kids.

Holiday Lighting Celebrations in Los Angeles: Christmas Tree Lightings, Menorah Lightings, and Fireworks!

Submitted by Toby B on Sun, 11/06/2022 - 10:45am

Is this really America's tallest fresh-cut Christmas tree? Check it out live and see! Photo courtesy of Citadel Center

Get ready to deck the Southland halls, walls, trees, skies, and more with Christmas tree lightings, menorah lightings, and fireworks! As the holidays get rolling, there are plenty of opportunities to snap photos with Santa, take in a boat parade, and marvel at some spectacular neighborhood holiday lights and Candy Cane Lanes, but the best way to kick it all off is with a good old-fashioned tree lighting (or menorah lighting) ceremony. Communities all over Los Angeles and Orange County have their own traditions—including caroling, cocoa, fireworks, and much more. Pick whichever of the locations below is nearest to you, and go rock around a Christmas tree!

We'll keep adding more below as communities make their plans. Check our events calendar and sign up for our weekly newsletter to keep up with the latest info. For more holiday events and activities, check our Guide to Holiday and Christmas Events for Los Angeles Families.

School Calendars 2022-2023: Start & End Dates for Los Angeles County Schools

Submitted by Toby B on Tue, 08/02/2022 - 10:18am

Check out the academic calendars for the Los Angeles 2022-23 school year.

It's still hard to predict what the 2022-23 school year is going to look like right now, but all our fingers and toes are crossed for a full year of being face-to-face in the classrooms, with things as normal as possible! And one thing that normal means is that summer vacation comes to an end far too fast, as the majority of SoCal school districts currently opt for an August start date.

School calendars for the largest school districts in Los Angeles County for the 2022-2023 school year are below, and you'll want to bookmark the page now for reference—and to help with planning family vacations and booking summer camps. Follow the links for each district below for details on school holidays and semester breaks, and to stay up to date on any last-minute changes from your local district.

Toby B

Latest posts by Toby

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