Your guide to activities and fun things to do with your preschoolers, toddlers and kids in Pasadena, CA

Toy picks that encourage science exploration:

• Giant Horseshoe Magnetic Kit: a big, PINK magnet to test on everything except mama's laptop. It comes with small beads and other swallowable parts, so DO NOT give to small children under the ages of 3/those still putting things into their mouths. But it's a great gift for an older child who'll want to experiment with it right away.
• Butterfly Pavilion: a collapsible net that enables your youngster to keep a branch with a chrysalis hanging from it to watch the progress from larva to butterfly (10 live caterpillars are included), or to house any beautiful grown flutterbugs you may be lucky enough to catch.
• Quadrilla Marble Railway Set: gravity, centripetal, and centrifugal force were never so fun as this nice-looking wooden railway for marbles. Part of the fun is setting it up, then letting the marbles rip! NOT APPROPRIATE for children under 3 years of age/those likely to mouth small items.
• Moon Sand: mysterious, moldable, re-shapeable "moon" sand--fascinating and open-ended in a build-a-world way to intrigue kids and adults. If you're a neatnik, this might drive you nuts unless you monitor play carefully on a plastic tarp or neatsheet, or steer play to the outdoors. Parents with children who need to develop their fine motor skills especially report that this toy helps.
• Rainforest Combination Puzzle & Playset: interlocking pieces that are also rainforest animal shapes can be combined in different variations. Your child can make a flat puzzle or a three dimensional diorama-like puzzle. A fun and non-toxic, fair-trade toy that teaches about a distant part of the world.