It's time for a new website for Santa Cruz Parent and we are talking with local web developers to find a mutual good fit (if you are a web builder, drop us a line). 

We like a lot about our site: the resource pages, the family and date night events calendar, the newsletter that shares parenting ideas and events, the family oriented businesses, schools and nonprofits that reach out to you with their messages and you, our readers.

We welcome your suggestions for the new site! info @ santacruzparent.com

We also welcome any photos you care to share for the new website: families at local activities and locations, every day activities in parks, beaches, schools, the backyard, at classes, dinner, seasonal etc. from anywhere in our county, north to south, beaches to redwoods.

Enjoy the weekend with the family! Parmalee

Open Streets Photo

2018 Fair Schedule at a Glance

2601 East Lake Avenue  Watsonville, CA 95076

Hours:

Wednesday - Friday Noon to 11:00 PM
Saturday 10:00 AM to 11:00 PM
Sunday 10:00 AM to 10:00 PM

Getting Around

• Download & print a fairgrounds map by clicking here

2018 Santa Cruz County Fair Metro Service -  Sep 12 - Sep 16

Ride METRO to the Santa Cruz County Fair at the Watsonville Fairgrounds

Round trips of a special "County Fair" Route 79 depart on the hour from Watsonville Transit Center (WTC) during Fair Hours: Wednesday-Friday: 12pm-11pm, Saturday: 10am-11pm, Sunday: 10am-10pm.  All trips depart WTC on the hour :00, depart the Fairgrounds at :25 and arrive back at WTC at :45.

Daily Admission

Daily Event Schedules - Click to View

Wednesday - September 12
Thursday - September 13
Friday - September 14
Saturday - September 15
Sunday - September 16

2018 Entertainment (All Shows, except as noted below, are at 7:30 PM on the Amphitheater Stage)

My son, Jake, 3-years-old, loves to help out with projects like these.  We have done a behavior chart before (it turned into a piece of art on our fridge instead of a teaching tool!).  However, the Routine Chart and Wheel of Choice have been very successful in our home.  Even though he always knew his routine before bed, having a chart has made it fun for him, PLUS he gets to look at himself in the pictures he took!  We walked through his routine together before snapping photos of him doing it all!  He is proud of the chart, shares it with anyone who comes into his room!  He has been using it for about 3 weeks and he doesn't forget a step!

      

The Wheel of Choice was fun to put together too.  I asked him what he'd like to do when he's feeling frustrated or sad or hurt... And he proceeded to tell me he'd rather laugh than cry; he likes to "take a break and drink water"; dance; etc.  He got into the actual searching for pictures that described the words and the outcome is our Wheel Of Choice.  

We used it today, in fact, when he and his sister (Marin, 17 months old) were sitting on the sofa sharing a book.  Marin, took the book and Jake immediately flipped his lid.  Yelled at her, grabbed the book, made her cry, she grabbed it back and I slowly walked in.  I asked Jake if he'd like to use his Wheel Of Choice to help - and he actually said YES!  He chose to "share his toys," he got Marin her own book that was more appropriate for her and she gladly gave him his book back.  They sat there for a while and then traded!!

   

All my very best,
 Laura Beth

Thanks to Positive Discipline Community Resource

Modern tracking technologies reveal deep mysteries about one of Earth's most ancient and successful predators

Salvador J. Jorgensen, Ph.D.
Senior Research Scientist, Monterey Bay Aquarium

As one of the most ancient vertebrates, sharks have roamed the ocean for some 500 million years and persisted through multiple global mass extinction events. One of the largest predatory shark species, great white sharks are vast travelers and can be found worldwide.

Yet California is home to a unique and genetically isolated population of these feared and often misunderstood predators. Today, these ancient creatures concentrate around key areas at the doorstep of California's most populated metropolitan areas. What they do below the surface of the opaque waters has been seldom observed, and has largely remained a mystery. This void of knowledge is often colored by our primal fears and the enduring narrative of Jaws.

Join us as Salvador Jorgensen shares discoveries and dispels myths resulting from a decade and half of great white shark research and exploration.