It all started as an idea – providing kids and parents with fun ideas, activities and resources – that blossomed into the biannual publication families love. Take a stroll down memory lane with writer Steve Lowery as he reminisces over Kidsguide’s evolution.

For a lot of kids, science is cosigned to the trash heap of boring subjects they have little or no interest in learning. It doesn’t have to be that way, not when science—exciting, interesting, constantly evolving science—is responsible for all the cool things kids love most: video games, cell phones, that stuff that turns their mouths blue.

Here’s the thing: new can be very good for a kid; new is necessary. They need to have new experiences, new learning opportunities, they benefit from meeting new friends and being made aware of new possibilities. And summer is a great time to present these ideas.

Featured Sponsor: America’s Family Pet Expo

Splash Dogs, Comedy Pet Theater and extreme doggy make-overs – there’s plenty to see, do and marvel over at the world’s largest consumer pet show! The three-day event returns to the OC Fairgrounds on April 16-18 for a weekend bursting with entertainment, pony rides, pet adoptions, animal showcases and over 1,000 animals.

Learn, munch and come home with a wealth of delicious ideas from the 5th Annual Kids in the Kitchen Healthy Eating & Exercise Fair. This free Long Beach public event engages families and children in fitness challenges, hands-on cooking stations, Veggie Bowling and more.

Whether you’ve refined your family traditions or are in search of new ones, Kidsguide shares some of its staff’s favorite things.

Not only are winter camps lifesavers for the busy parent, they are also a productive way for kids to spend their two-week school vacation. Most camps often fashion their activities – sometimes even menus! – around fun themes to maximize the experience for participants.

Christmas is coming, and it’s time to get “crafty” when it comes to finding low-cost ways of getting your kids into the holiday spirit. Read on to learn about easy do-it-yourself projects, from making your own tree ornaments and dreidel cards to setting a colorful Kwanzaa table.

We’ll help you find your inner Santa – jolly, efficient and prepared to tackle the nice and naughty things about the holiday season. First on our list: time. Where do the hours go?

…to Discovery Science Center’s “The Science of Gingerbread” exhibit and its annual Gingerbread Competition! Learn delicious tidbits about ginger and gingerbread, and the roles they have played through the ages as medicinal remedy and coveted spice, and as tokens of royal favor.

What do you call a nameless dog that would cross 70 miles of desert war zone in the thick of bitter winter to be with the human who showed him kindness? Marine Corps Major Brian Dennis christened the wild dog “Nubs,” after the little stubs of what used to be ears before someone had cut them off to make the animal “a dog of war.”

For a snack that’s been around for thousands of years, popcorn never really got old – we munch on it at the movies, string fluffy kernels together to to decorate our Christmas trees, and continue to invent recipes to satisfy our cravings for something familiar yet new. Celebrate the granddaddy of snacks and the ghoulish season with this poppin’ recipe.

Why don?t we get started right away with some big ideas about some small things: fun things, helpful things, important things, conversational things, pretend things and tetanus shots. All that and Rhode Island.

Kids will be depending on stuff to do this summer and you’re going to have to have to come up with something. What are you going to do? Lots.

Take an adventure with Milton Messy as he searches for his field trip form, discovers the secrets of the mysterious yellow sticky notes and learns a little bit about organizing along the way.