• Location: 1606 Bonita Ave. Berkeley, CA 94709

• Phone: 510-548-9165

• Website: www.newchoolberkeley.org

• Pricing: Free to get in, $ activities & food

• Hours: Once a year in October, have to check posters for details

Description: Costumes, jumpy tents, face painting, baked goodies, art, and a big yard sale! What's not to love about the situation? The Newschool of Berkeley is the preschool that I grew up in. I went there as a child, taught there as an adult, and now my daughter goes every summer for swim camp. It is the true meaning of a Berkeley hippie preschool- and in the best way possible! Your children will be entertained as they bounce their hearts out in the jumpy tent or enjoy one of the many child geared activities like self face painting! All of the families of the center bring different baked goods to share and sell so there is a mouth watering plethora of homemade delectables to choose from. While your kids are occupied there is a rummage sale going on to entertain adults. Like at any garage or rummage sale you have to search through the piles to find your hidden gem, but there is always a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow somewhere. You can find some really unique items- one person's trash is another person's treasure. The whole event is to raise money for the school's scholarship fund- so it's all for a good cause!

Highlights: The jumpy tent is supposed to be timed, but really no one cares- so your child can sort of jump until they can't jump no more! The baked goods always offer a wide variety, so everyone (even your little food critic) can find something to munch on.

Tips: If you are a rummager- get there early to look through everything before it is all picked over!