Kids Fun Zone and Outdoor Play Area at Janss Marketplace

Janss Marketplace announces the themes for the 2024 FREE Kids Fun Zone, held from 12 – 2 p.m. on the last Saturday of each month from April through October. Each month children, ages 12 and younger, who are accompanied by an adult, are invited to enjoy free shows, crafts, music and dance at the Kids Fun Zone at Janss Marketplace, located at 275 North Moorpark Road East in Thousand Oaks, just off the 101 Freeway at Moorpark Road and Hillcrest Drive. Register NOW for one, or all Kids Fun Zone events at eventbrite.com.  

Kids Fun Zone upcoming dates and themes:

  • April 27th: Bunnies in Spring

  • May 25th: Totally Turtles & Tortoises

  • June 29th: Musical Puppet Show & Balloons

  • July 27th: Bubbles, Puppets & Balloons

  • August 31st: Summer Music Jam

  • September 28th: Friendly Frogs & Cheerful Bugs

  • October 26th: Character Dress-up Fun

Visit janssmarketplace.com for more information about the monthly Kids Fun Zone and other free community events.

The playground area at Janss Marketplace.

The playground area at Janss Marketplace.

Art is Our Passion in Thousand Oaks

art is our passion.png

Art is Our Passion provides art instruction for all ages and interests. Instructors are practicing artists or are involved in formalized training towards a degree. Classes are ongoing, meaning you can start at any time with a particular program that can be tailored to each student's experience and individual interest in art.  Progress in each program is charted by completion of a defined list of projects that each student has access to. Programs includes fine arts (basic, specialized and advanced), digital arts illustration and summer camps.  Ages 5 through adult.

Art is Our Passion is located at 1321 East Thousand Oaks Blvd, Suite 126, Thousand Oaks.  For more information, visit www.artisourpassion.com or call 818.991.5514. Schedule a free 90 minute introductory class.

Skating Plus - Ventura

SkatingPlus.jpg

Skating Plus is an indoor skating rink that has been around since 1984, offering public roller skating, food, lessons, clinics, birthday parties, etc. 

Since the Roller Dome in Thousand Oaks closed in October 2010, this has been the only indoor roller skating rink in Ventura County.

Open skate time frames vary and are posted at www.skatingplus.com/?page_id=16.

Skating Plus is off of the 101 Freeway near Victoria at 1720 Mesa Verde Avenue, Ventura, in close proximity to Golf N' Stuff and Buena Lanes (sits to the left of Buena Lanes).

Visit www.skatingplus.com or call 805.644.5515 for more information.

MOXI, The Wolf Museum of Exploration + Innovation in Santa Barbara

MOXI, The Wolf Museum of Exploration + Innovation, is a one-of-a-kind museum for all ages designed to ignite learning through interactive experiences in science and creativity.  

The museum opened its doors to the public on February 25, 2017 at 125 State Street, Santa Barbara, adjacent to the Amtrak Station.

The museum's three floors are filled with 17,000 sq ft of hands-on exhibits that encourage open-ended discovery, analytical assessment, experimentation, play and just plain fun.

The interactive exhibits are organized around seven themes that all relate to science, technology, engineering, arts and math.

  • Tech Track: Includes an Innovation Workshop, a makerspace area where you can imagine, design and test your own creations using a wide variety of technologies and tools

  • Sound Track: In this largest exhibit area on the first floor is a Giant Guitar to learn about how your favorite guitar riffs begin, a Sound Machine, the Reactable (part DJ table, part musical instrument), Foley Studios sound studios and more.

  • Fantastic Forces Courtyard: This space is dedicated to gravity, magnetism, propulsion, centripetal force and more. Conduct test flights in our Wind Column Workshop, launch an Air Rocket and discover the power of magnetic fields on our Magnetic Islands.

  • Speed Track: Build your own race car and send it down the race track, play the game of Mindball, prototype designs for a marble roller coaster and more.

  • Light Track: Explore lights, colors, shadows and more. Take the ultimate selfie at Mosaic Faces. Create a bold display of colored lights at Light Patterns. Control the Color Mixing Machine that hangs above the entryway and learn more about color and light waves.

  • Interactive Media Track: Explore a wide range of digital interactive experiences designed in partnership with area artists, educators and scientists.

  • Sky Garden: The exhibit-filled rooftop includes Whitewater, a fully interactive water feature including a giant Archimedes screw. Create a wind-, sun- and human-powered symphony with the Weather Orchestra. Step inside the Lookout Tower to see the city through the lenses of five different observation scopes. And walk across the glass Sky Deck for a unique view of the courtyard below.

MOXI is open daily, except Christmas and Thanksgiving, from 10am to 5pm. Admission is $18 for ages 13+, $14 for ages 3 to 12 and free for 2 and under. The museum encourages the purchase of timed-entry tickets in advance at www.moxi.org or you can purchase tickets when you arrive.

Kids World Indoor Playground in Oak Park

Kids World Indoor Playground is an indoor playground that has a large "Ballocity" play structure, featuring a series of climbing tubes, slides, foam ball launchers, a separate toddler structure for ages 0 to 3, indoor basketball room, arcade and more, along with a restaurant serving salads, pasta, sandwiches/wraps, pizzas and burgers.

General admission (as of January 2024) is $16.99 for ages 2 to 15, $12.99 for military/first responders. Adults and infants are free. Discount passes for multiple visits and membership packages for unlimited play are available.  Socks must be worn by kids and adults. Check kidsworldla.com for hours.

Socks required for kids and adults. No outside food and drink.

Kids World is located at 618 Lindero Canyon Road, Oak Park (southeast corner of Lindero and Kanan). Call 818.338.8888 or visit kidsworldla.com for more information.  Also visit their Facebook page at www.facebook.com/kidsworldla for updates.

Kids World also offers two hour field trips with a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) component. The STEM program focuses on properties of gas, Newtonian physics and simple machines.

KidsWorld_PlayStructure.jpg
KidsWorld_arcade.jpg
KidsWorld_Toddlers.jpg

Kids World used to be called Bright Child, which closed its doors on 1/20/14

Rockin' Kids Play Center in Simi Valley

RockinKidsPCSimi.JPG

Rockin' Kids Play Center is located at the Simi Valley Town Center at 1555 Simi Town Center Way, Suite 545. This indoor playground offers open play and birthday parties seven days a week. The center is a large facility geared towards toddlers to age 7. Socks are required in all play areas.  There is a nice assortment of climbing areas, slides, ball pit, swings, riding toys and other safe, padded options. Plenty of photos available of the facility on their website at rockinkidspc.com or call them at 805.526.7400.

Cost as of January 2024 is $24 for the first child, $37 for 2, $52 for 3 and $62 for 4. Free admission to parent/caregiver.

Jumpify Indoor Playground at The Oaks Mall in Thousand Oaks

Jumpify is an indoor children’s playground that opened in late summer 2022 on the 2nd floor of The Oaks mall in Thousand Oaks, a few doors east of the Apple Store.. Looks like a fun indoor play place for the little ones, with inflatable obstacle courses, bounce houses, foam block pit, a huge ball pit and much more.

Ages 1 to 12 are welcome with admission. Admission (as of January 2024) is $20 for a 30 minute pass, $25 for a one hour pass and $30 for an unlimited play pass, with monthly memberships available. Adults accompanying their little ones do not pay admission. Open 10am to 8pm Monday to Saturday and 11am to 6:30pm on Sunday. Birthday room is available.

More information at www.jumpifyoaks.com.

Jump 'n Jammin Children's Entertainment Center at The Collection at RiverPark in Oxnard

Jump 'n Jammin Children’s Entertainment Center recently opened at The Collection at RiverPark in Oxnard. Play areas for toddlers up to ages I'd say to maybe 12. Similar to Kids' World in Oak Park, but somewhat smaller.

Fun looking place! Climbing, crawling, slides, foam ball shooters, etc. $19 for all day admission ages 2-12 (includes one free adult). (as of January 2024.) Toddlers $9. Additional adults $5.

More information at www.jumpnjammin.com or call 805.278.0032.

jumpnjam2.jpg

We Rock the Spectrum Kid's Gym in Agoura Hills

RockTheSpectrum.jpg

We Rock the Spectrum Kid's Gym at 30315 Canwood Street, Agoura Hills opened to the public in November 2013. Open from 9am to 5pm Monday through Friday for open play. Saturdays and Sundays - call in advance for open times.

The gym provides children from infant to age 13 with a fun and motivational environment to help them with strength, movement, vestibular development, sensory processing, communication and social interactions.

Activities at the gym include: zip line, full sized trampoline, rope wall, slide, monkey bars, swings, tunnels, sensory-based toys, motor play toys and equipment, arts and crafts area and more.

Open play is $23 for one child, $20 for additional siblings (as of January 2024).

Learn more at werockthespectrumagourahills.com or call 818.991.KIDS (5437). Also on Facebook at www.facebook.com/WRTSAgouraHills.