Blog Feed: Kids Off The Couch Blog

Kids Off The Couch Ticket Giveaway: TWIST - An American Musical at the Pasadena Playhouse

Published on 2011-06-28 12:21:00

A new musical based on Charles Dickens' Oliver TwistTicket Giveaway for Wednesday, July 13 at 8:00 PMIt's not often that a new, family-friendly musical comes around, so Angelenos get a treat when TWIST - An American Musical, featuring Ameri > read more

Ticket Giveaway: LA Phil Presents MGM HD West Side Story at the Hollywood Bowl

Published on 2011-06-15 13:37:00

Celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the iconic film with The LA Phil!Certain films become classics by virtue of their perfect execution, and others pass the test of time because they capture an emotional veracity that rings true with generations of aud > read more

Ticket Giveaway: Friday, June 17th - Family 4 Pack for Les Miserables at the Ahmanson!

Published on 2011-06-11 14:27:00

When the kids were young, we had a beloved babysitter who sang "Castle on a Cloud" as a lullaby and the lilting melody is part of our family lore. Naturally, we took the kids to Les Misérables when it last came to town but they were probab > read more

Kids Off The Couch Ticket Giveaway: LA Phil at Hollywood Bowl Fourth Of July Fireworks Spectacular!

Published on 2011-06-08 13:11:00

The Fourth of July means fireworks, plain and simple. When we were little, we danced the hokey pokey at a bandstand on Cape Cod and then stretched out with our siblings on blankets in the middle of a football field to watch&n > read more

Kids Off The Couch: What's On Our June Radar Screen!

Published on 2011-06-04 12:47:00

Welcome, Summer!Ballet Nacional De Cuba Ticket GiveawayIf school isn't out yet for your kids, at least the end is in sight. Get ready to celebrate the End of Homework by enjoying some of the many family festivals and art events around town this month > read more

Kids Off The Couch: Memorial Day Weekend 2011!

Published on 2011-05-29 13:59:00

Summer is Upon Us Good news: it's going to be sunny by Monday, so get your BBQ prep done early (while the kids are studying for exams or finishing up their spring sports). We've had a chance to look at most of the new art shows around town, so you c > read more

Kids (Teens) Off The Couch: Beauty Culture at The Annenberg Space for Photography

Published on 2011-05-20 16:27:00

Thinking About our Beauty ObsessionFor Parents and TeensAt a certain point, young girls pick up fashion magazines and the longing begins. By the time they get to their Senior Prom, they are capable of turning themselves out as the epitome of youth an > read more

Watch "Glory" + Civil War Reenactments = Kids Off The Couch

Published on 2011-05-13 15:46:00

Bringing History to LifeHeritage Days This Weekend at Pierce College May 14-15On the edge of the Boston Common, facing the gold-domed State House, is a bronze frieze that commemorates the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry. Tourists gazing at the > read more

Kids OFF The Couch: Houdini at the Skirball Cultural Center

Published on 2011-05-05 11:24:00

Magic and Mystery from an IconThere are figures in history for whom fascination never fades. Houdini sits high atop that list -- albeit, with shackles around his wrists! The famed magician and escape artist is such an icon of popular culture that whe > read more

Kids Off The Couch: What's On Our Los Angeles May Radar Screen

Published on 2011-04-28 18:27:00

No More Showers, it's Time for FlowersTrain Day Ticket GiveawayMay, how do we love thee? Let us count the ways: Mother's Day, the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books, Cinco de Mayo and a three-day weekend for Memorial Day. As much as we may revel, we > read more

Kids Off The Couch LA: Secretariat + Santa Anita Park

Published on 2011-04-20 14:33:00

A Visit to the Winner's CircleEverything changes so fast in Los Angeles that it can be a real treat to experience something that's been around for ages. Our kids loved hearing stories about their grandmother's trips to Santa Anita Park with her frien > read more

Kids Off The Couch - April Radar Screen!

Published on 2011-04-15 17:36:00

April's not over yet!Earth Day, Ticket Giveaway, and Movies to RememberJust because you're back from vacation doesn't mean the fun has to stop. Earth Day falls on April 22, but seems to get celebrated all month long, as folks search for ways to "gree > read more

Spring Break + Keep Staycationers Busy = Kids Off The Couch

Published on 2011-03-26 13:56:00

...And Movie Ticket Offer from Family Finds!For those of us who haven't jetted away to a beachy climate, making vacation days feel different from a regular school day takes some extreme parenting acumen. Have no fear! There's plenty to do that will m > read more

Alvin Ailey® American Dance Theater + Family 4 Pack Ticket Giveaway = Kids Off The Couch

Published on 2011-03-23 10:52:00

April 8-17 at the Music Center's Dorothy Chandler PavilionFamily 4-Pack Ticket GiveawayYou won't know if your kids love modern dance unless you take them to see a performance, and the very best way to start them off is with the Alvin Ailey® American > read more

Kids Off The Couch: Disney's The Princess and the Frog + Free Jazz at the Fowler Museum

Published on 2011-03-16 16:17:00

Jam Session: America's Jazz Ambassadors Embrace the World Family Programming on Opening Day, Sunday March 20Disney's animated film, The Princess and the Frog, is set in jazzy New Orleans, and the combination of a classic fairy tale with that city's > read more

Marie Curie + Jennifer Steinkamp = LA Kids Off The Couch

Published on 2011-03-10 10:46:00

Jennifer Steinkamp only at ACME until Saturday, March 12If you have walked around the W Hotel in Hollywood, or like to hang out near the Hammer's Cafe, you've probably noticed the arrestingly beautiful imagery of artist Jennifer Steinkamp - large, co > read more

Kids Off The Couch March Radar: From A Dan Zanes Ticket Giveaway to Daylight Savings Time

Published on 2011-03-03 14:38:00

Yesterday's New York Times Science section had a cool article about Academy Award winner, Natalie Portman. Turns out Oscar's black swan was a finalist in a national Intel high school science contest, and then went onto Harvard. The article quotes one > read more

LA Zoo Searching Safari + Born To Be Wild 3D = Kids Off The Couch

Published on 2011-02-25 12:50:00

When the kids were little, we read them Good Night, Gorillanearly as often as Good Night, Moon and loved imagining what happened at the Zoo once everyone went home at night. Watching an early trailer for The Zookeeper reminded us of the beloved child > read more

LA Food Truck Adventure + Iron Chef America = Kids Off The Couch

Published on 2011-02-18 15:01:00

We have to smile secretly when we see our kids getting all excited about Iron Chef America and other cooking shows on TV. First, because we remember our own childhood when we typically wouldn't have been caught dead in the kitchen (and when foods lik > read more

Kids Off The Couch - Please Be Our Valentine ♥

Published on 2011-02-11 12:54:00

Please, pretty please, would you be wiling to show us some love this Valentine's Day by filling out a survey? We can't promise chocolate or rainbows, but do vow to listen to everything you say and use your suggestions to do a better job for you in 20 > read more

Kids Off The Couch Ticket Giveaway - LA Phil Presents Toyota Symphonies for Youth: Jazz and the Orchestra

Published on 2011-02-08 12:04:00

February 19 & 26 at 11:00am at Walt Disney Concert Hall Family Four Pack Ticket GiveawayGetting kids to love music is as easy as switching on your iPod and sharing your favorite play list. Teaching them how music is created could take a lifetime > read more

The Year of the Rabbit: Ideas for Celebrating Chinese New Year Around LA

Published on 2011-02-04 14:27:00

Celebrate ChinaWith the White House putting on a full-blown State Dinner for the Chinese president a few weeks back, it's an exciting time to celebrate all things Chinese - something that is particularly easy to do in Southern California. The main at > read more

Kids Off The Couch: February Radar Screen - From Groundhog Day to President's Day Weekend

Published on 2011-02-02 12:07:00

KOTC Subscriber Discount and Ticket Giveaway to TRACESPunxsutawney Phil predicted, earlier today, that we're in for an early spring! (Click here for a silly video of the official Groundhog Day proceedings). As the worst storm in decades hits the US, > read more

Kids Off The Couch: Get Ready For The Oscars!

Published on 2011-01-25 16:38:00

Films that are Family FriendlyPlan a Party, Get Ready to Vote!The Oscar nominations were announced this morning! It's time to do your homework to get ready for the 83rd Academy Awards, which will air live at 5:00 PM February 27 on ABC from the Kodak > read more

Kids Off The Couch: The January Radar Screen

Published on 2011-01-18 14:57:00

New Year's ResolutionsThe Latest Mommy Wars played out in the Wall Street JournalIt's been hard not to get caught up in the latest parenting debate, sparked by a Wall Street Journal article "Why Chinese Mothers are Superior," author Amy Chau's provoc > read more

Kids Off The Couch: Female Role Models for 2011

Published on 2011-01-13 14:47:00

True Grit & Newbery Award Winner "Moon Over Manifest"We're full of New Year's Resolutions about leading a more intentional life in 2011, and have already been inspired by two new fictional heroines. Mattie Ross is the fourteen year-old heroine of > read more

Kids Off The Couch: Circus INcognitus at the Kirk Douglas Theatre - Ticket Giveaway!

Published on 2010-12-30 09:29:00

Ticket Giveaway for January 15, 2010 Now that the holidays are winding down, it's tim > read more

Kids Off The Couch: Snow Days, Teacher Gifts and a Date Night Idea

Published on 2010-12-16 21:52:00

Ticket Giveaway for Holiday Sing-Along at Disney Hall and Great Expectationsat A Noise WithinIt wasn't so easy to deck the halls while the temperature was in the 80s last week, but with our sweaters and boots back in rotation, we're feeling merry as > read more

Kids Off The Couch - Date Night LA: Randy Newman's Harps and Angels

Published on 2010-12-15 11:33:00

Ticket Giveaway for Wednesday, December 22Take a break from the holiday madness on a date night getaway to the Mark Taper Forum. Two lucky subscribers will see the breezy musical adventure, Randy Newman's Harps and Angels, Wednesday, December 22 at 8 > read more

A Single Shard + Korean Brush Painting at LACMA = Kids Off The Couch

Published on 2010-12-10 14:30:00

Pottery and PerspectiveDriving around Los Angeles can be like taking a trip around the world, with signs in different languages, and even different alphabets. We love traveling around the world -- and back in time as well -- by reading books set in d > read more

Kids Off The Couch - Art and Movies Worth Your Family's Time

Published on 2010-12-08 16:29:00

Three Don't-Miss Art Exhibits and KOTC Movie Picks$50 Gift Certificate from GoldstarHow we spend our time defines who we are. As the year draws to a close, we know your time is especially precious. We've scoured the cultural landscape and foundwonder > read more

Kids Off The Couch December Radar Screen - LA Phil Presents Denève Conducts Debussy Ticket Giveaway

Published on 2010-12-02 15:18:00

DIY Gifts and Timeless ClassicsWe survived Black Friday and Cyber Monday but are pretty sure that a home made gift trumps all. Avoid the mall crush and get off the computer -- just put on some holiday music and muck up the kitchen table with crafts. > read more