One More Fling

Southern California has no rustling leaves or crisp breezes to signal the last rites of summer. The signs here are more subtle. Like the stockpiling in local stores of the latest in Trapper Keepers and Day-Glo pencil cases and the sales of this year’s must-have khakis and cords at every jeans outlet in town. Or that you can count on both hands how many homework-free days are left.

How to stave off the inevitable? We asked kids all over the Southland for help. And though we can’t change that earlier bedtime or the sun from setting earlier, we can offer you some respite from your trans-seasonal despair. Here are kids’ suggestions (and a few of ours too) on how to make the most of the last days of summer. Jump on in.

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“My favorite thing I did all summer was going to karate class at the YMCA. We got to learn all about things, and they put stripes on your belts.”

--Anna Urquiza, 9, fourth-grader at

Hawthorne Elementary School, Beverly Hills

“I loved swimming, going to Venice Beach, playing in the waves and the sand and getting a suntan.”

--Valerie Hart, 14, ninth-grader at

Montebello High School, Monterey Park

“The best thing I did was going to stores in Palm Springs. They have a lot of good jewelry, glass beads and clothing stores. It’s a good place for kids to go shopping.”

--Enbal Dayan, 9, fifth-grader at

Hawthorne Elementary School, Beverly Hills

“I liked going to Lake Havasu. I played lots of video games . . . and we went to a cove, and I jumped off the rocks and I dived!”

Jared Al-Jamie, 4, pre-kindergarten,

Carden Heights School of Orange

“I liked selling lemonade with my friends. We got to make money and I bought my own Tamagotchi.”

Dana Kanchana, 9, fifth-grader at

El Camino Elementary School, Irvine

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Reading

We’re happy to report that everybody completed summer reading assignments. OK, maybe not. But there’s still time for a summer adventure between the pages of a book.

“I read a really good book called ‘Into Thin Air’ by Jon Krakauer. It was really well-written and it was the only book I ever finished in one night. It’s a nonfiction adventure.”

Neil Spolin, 15, tenth-grader,

New Roads School, Santa Monica

“My favorite book this summer was ‘The Crystal Cave’ by Mary Stuart. It’s one of the Arthurian novels. But I’d only recommend it for ages 12 and up, ‘cause it’s kind of complicated.”

Corinne Elfassi, 14, ninth-grader,

Beverly Hills High School

The local library is a great place to find that special book. If you live near one of these bookstores, you can check out fun events, too.

Friday at 10 a.m., Mrs. Nelson’s Book Shop in La Verne will throw a “Back-to-School Party with ‘The Teacher From the Black Lagoon,’ ” for bookworms ages 5 to 8. The party will be themed to the book by Mike Thaler, and guests will get a chance to practice school skills like ABCs and counting, listen to stories and eat lunch box refreshments like peanut butter sandwiches.

Saturday at 11:30 a.m., Storyopolis in Beverly Hills hosts a “Rocking Reading Rampage” with stories by author-illustrator team Daniel Kirk (“Lucky’s 24-Hour Garage”) and Julia Gorton (“The Gum Drop Tree”), plus a make-a-story-chair craft.

Every Picture Tells a Story’s “The Best of Everything” exhibit in Los Angeles includes original illustrations from children’s favorites: “Goodnight Moon,” “Curious George,” “Charlotte’s Web,” “The Very Hungry Caterpillar” and “The Phantom Tollbooth.”

In Santa Monica, the Los Angeles Children’s Museum Reader’s Theatre Project finishes out its season Friday and Sept. 5 at 11 a.m. with plays based on children’s stories: “What’s So Special About That?,” “A Very Special House,” “On the Day You Were Born,” “The Emperor’s Penguins’ New Clothes” and “The Empty Pot.” Shows are filled with song, dance and audience participation. For ages 2 through 10.

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Performance

As far as summer productions go, the show’s not over yet.

“I went to the Hollywood Bowl a lot. The San Francisco Ballet did Act 2 of Swan Lake that was amazing. I’m really interested in dance and took a lot of classes in jazz, ballet and hip-hop at the Moro Landis Dance School.”

Kara Hayes, 14, ninth-grader

at Van Nuys Performing Arts School

There are a couple of upcoming Bowl shows of special interest to kids. On Friday and Saturday nights, the Los Angeles Philharmonic will celebrate “Star Wars 20th Anniversary” with John Williams conducting and a little help from Darth Vader, R2-D2, C-3PO and Chewbacca. There will be fireworks, too. With tickets for as little as $1, it can be one of the summer’s best bargains.

On Sept. 19, the Bowl presents “The Big Picture,” with the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra paying tribute to the movies, accompanied by film clips projected on a big screen.

Another summertime-only venue is Will Geer’s Theatricum Botanicum in Topanga Canyon. Peter Alsop’s Kids Koncerts continue every Sunday at 11 a.m. through Sept. 21. This Sunday, little ones will enjoy Melora Marshall’s interactive songs. Karl Anthony brings his messages of “dare to be yourself” and “respect for the Earth and each other” to the stage Sept. 7, and Disney and Muppet recording artist Dave Kinnoin will lead the audience in rhythms and rhymes Sept. 14. Hap Palmer closes out the season Sept. 21 with lively music that teaches basic skills.

The woods surrounding Theatricum’s amphitheater become an enchanted playground for young lovers, fantastic characters and foolish hearts in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” a production ideal for young audiences. (See page 44.) Kids will enjoy a special treat this year when youngperformers (some as young as 6) join the cast. Opens Friday.

There’s still time to catch Bob Baker Marionette Theatre’s summer production, “Alegre.” With more than 100 puppets and marionettes, this musical extravaganza, presented in downtown L.A., is a one-of-a-kind that the whole family will enjoy. Ends in mid-November.

Another production good for families is “Cap’n Jack and the Beanstalk.” Presented at the Santa Monica Playhouse, it’s filled with toe-tapping tunes and plenty of laughs. Ends Sept. 28.

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Museums & Tours

The dozens of museums in the area were a bustle of activity this summer, and there’s still plenty to see.

“Choo-choo.”

Emily Landress, 3, of Los Angeles

Mom interprets: “Her favorite thing was the trains at Travel Town in Griffith Park.”

The Travel Town Museum in L.A.’s Griffith Park is a low-key museum of rails and cars open every day at 10 a.m. Admission is free. On Sundays, kids can get some real-life rail action riding steam and electric engines with the Los Angeles Live Steamers.

Also in Griffith Park, the Los Angeles Zoo plans one more “Wild Weekend.” There will be extended hours until 6 p.m. both Saturday and Sunday, dance by the Abalaye African Dance Ensemble at 3 and 4:30 p.m. and animal puppet shows by Porter Puppets at 1:30, 2:30 and 3:30 p.m.. Also, there will be entertainment by the Laker Girls Saturday, 11:30 a.m. and 1 p.m., and radio station KRLA-AM will spin oldies live from the zoo on Sunday, 11 a.m.-1 p.m.. That’s all in addition to your favorite feathered and furry friends.

Nearby, on Western Heritage Way, the Gene Autry Museum is offering its final summer workshop, “A Pressing Matter,” Sept. 6 at 1:30 p.m. Kids can learn to identify native Southern California plants and make a tool to use on later park visits. This workshop is designed to accompany the museum’s latest exhibit, “Western Wonderlands: Touring America’s National Parks.”

In conjunction with the Los Angeles County Museum of Art’s latest exhibition of Scottish architect and designer Charles Rennie Mackintosh’s work, there will be a family fun day at the museum titled “Designs From Nature,” Sunday, noon to 4 p.m. Participants will explore how Mackintosh found inspiration in nature and will design works of their own. Recommended for children ages 5 to 12 and their families.

The popular “Cats! Wild to Mild” exhibit at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County slinks out of town Monday. Don’t miss your chance to explore the world of cats, from exotic species to house pets, and discover how your pet is not so very different from a Maya jaguar warrior. In Los Angeles’ Exposition Park.

Sci-fi fans can brush up on their “X-Files” trivia before the new season starts at the Hollywood Entertainment Museum’s new exhibit, “From the X-Files,” featuring props, documents and wardrobe created for the first three seasons of the hit television series.

For real-life science action, you only have to look as far as the night sky. Santa Monica College’s newly renovated John Drescher Planetarium has been a hot spot this summer with the “Night Sky Show” (at 7 p.m. Fridays and 3 p.m. Saturdays) providing the latest information on space exploration. On Sept. 5 and 6, 12 and 19, try “Exploring Mars,” a presentation focusing on the success of the Mars Pathfinder and Sojourner rover, the possibility of future human exploration and colonization of Mars.

Finally, explore stars of the marine variety at the Cabrillo Marine Aquarium in San Pedro. You can see sea stars, sea cucumbers, crabs and anemones on a “Weekend Tidepool Walk” from 12:30 to 2 p.m. Sept. 14.

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Theme Parks

What’s a summer without getting soaked, catapulted or inverted at a local theme or water park? Here’s a Labor Day weekend update.

“The best thing I did was going to Raging Waters and going on the Dark Hole. You get in a tube and slide through dark places.”

Ludwig Lopez, 9, fourth-grader,

Wilton Place Elementary School, Los Angeles

“I liked visiting Knott’s Berry Farm with my best friend, Christine. We went for the first time on all these rides with triple loops. It was really scary but it was fun!”

Andrea Castle, 10, fifth-grader,

Arroyo Elementary School, Santa Ana

“We liked going to the Girl Scout day camp at Arroyo . . . because on the last day we had water fun day, and we got to get people wet!”

Kaitlin Moody, 9, and Evelyn

Castle, 8, third-graders, Arroyo

Elementary School, Santa Ana

“I liked hanging out with my friends by the pool because you don’t have to go far away to be with your friends and have fun. Also Corona del Mar State Beach, because the waves are good and there’s not too big a crowd.”

Shannon Rozar, 12, seventh-grader,

Oak Ridge School, Santa Ana

If you haven’t tried Raging Waters’ newest attraction, the 109-foot-tall head-first water toboggan ride, High Extreme, it’s time to suit up before the San Dimas park closes for the winter Oct. 4.

Another of the season’s biggest new thrills is Superman: The Escape at Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia. Open daily through the first week in November.

Ah, the smell of the popcorn, the taste of cotton candy, the soothing sounds of carnival music. . . . There’s no place that captures the essence of summer more than Santa Monica Pier. “Pacific Park’s Summer Fun Days,” which include special discounts, drawings, prizes and contests, continue through Sunday. Don’t miss the final “Fiesta Friday” with a mariachi theme and food discounts.

If you liked “The Lost World,” you might enjoy the back lot tram tour of the movie’s sets at Universal Studios Hollywood. And through Monday, California residents can receive one free admission for kids 15 and under with each paid adult ticket.

The Peanuts gang has taken over for “Joe Cool’s Beach Party” at Knott’s Berry Farm in Buena Park through Labor Day. There’s a summer-themed “Snoopy’s Most Musical Adventure” in the Good Times Theater, a bike and skateboard show in Calico Square, steel drum bands and the new surf-inspired Windjammer roller coaster. A special kids price ($9.95 for ages 3 to 11) includes a free hot dog and Joe Cool sunglasses.

You have already missed your last chance to celebrate Christmas in July. So how about late August? Santa’s Village in Big Bear, which closes for good next spring, is open daily through Labor Day and on weekends through March. Don’t miss the chance to eat candy canes, see real reindeer and sit on Santa’s lap--all under the hot summer sun.

Freelance writer Corinne Flocken contributed to this story.