TUESDAY
27
OCTOBER
The Ember ListSF Bay Area
Nature & animals for kids in the Bay Area this week
We reviewed 550+ Bay Area event sources and found 67 kids' nature & animal events in the Bay Area between October 27 and November 2. Last updated October 27, 2026.
All kids' nature & animal events in the Bay Area — October 27 – November 2
Stories, songs, and library chickens entertain kids during storytime, then free garden play follows at Elmhurst Branch, Oakland, snacks provided, for ages 12 and under.
Guests enjoy not‑so‑spooky animal encounters, crafts, games, a Mad Scientist, face painting, and food from Rosie’s Mexican Food Truck, Kona Shaved Ice, Market on Larkey at Lindsay Wildlife.
Children read aloud to therapy dogs from Valley Humane Society in the San Ramon Library’s Upstairs Program Room, supporting confidence and reading skills; pre‑registration required, ages 6–12.
Volunteer work among coastal terrace views at Año Nuevo State Park includes weeding invasive plants, sheet mulching, native seed collection, and planting to aid wildlife for all ages.
WEDNESDAY
28
OCTOBER
After School Amazing Animals (Palo Alto Enjoy! recreation) — Weekly science activity and a new animal showcase at Palo Alto Junior Museum & Zoo.
Discover zoology at the Palo Alto Junior Museum & Zoo with weekly science activities and a new animal each session.
After School Amazing Animals at Palo Alto Junior Museum & Zoo features animal exhibits for after‑school visitors.
Amazing Animals at the Palo Alto Junior Museum & Zoo.
Expert staff feed aquarium fish at Doug Siden Visitor Center, illustrating Bay Area ecosystems.
This list, in your inbox every Wednesday.
A free weekly email with the best kids & family events across the Bay Area. Unsubscribe any time.
THURSDAY
29
OCTOBER
Science exploration at the Junior Museum & Zoo offers weekly topics on chirping, fizzing, and zooming phenomena.
Halloween Zoo Night at Palo Alto Junior Museum & Zoo offers free food, face painting, animal encounters, and costume fun for members only.
Discover zoology at the Palo Alto Junior Museum & Zoo with weekly science activities and a new animal each session.
Preschool Discovery Science at the Palo Alto Junior Museum & Zoo — for ages 3–6.
Halloween Zoo Night (Palo Alto Junior Museum & Zoo) — Evening of themed zoo activities and animal encounters.
Amazing Animals at the Palo Alto Junior Museum & Zoo.
UC Botanical Garden hosts Director Corky Quirk presenting live native California bats, discussing their ecology, myths, and environmental importance.
Guided naturalist walk at Marsh Creek Regional Trail Cypress Staging Area showcases local bird biodiversity for novice and seasoned birders, free drop‑in, adult participation required, all ages.
Director Corky Quirk presents live native bats for viewing and discussion at UC Botanical Garden, highlighting ecological role; Adult $20, youth $10, ages 3 and up.
FRIDAY
30
OCTOBER
Autumn Farm Festival at the O'Donohue Family Stanford Educational Farm offers music, farm art, games, light bites and costume fun for all ages.
Science exploration at the Junior Museum & Zoo offers weekly topics on chirping, fizzing, and zooming phenomena.
Close the Little Farm at night at Tilden Nature Area, meet residents, learn their diets, and deliver their evening meal at the pig pen, for all ages.
Preschool Discovery Science at the Palo Alto Junior Museum & Zoo — for ages 3–6.
Explore spooky critters with hands‑on spider, snake and owl activities, interactive touchscreens, Baylands Marshcam, and a Duck Pond display with bird experts at the EcoCenter.
Ranger leads night walk in Samuel P. Taylor State Park’s Azalea Day Use area, using loaned UV lights to reveal glowing wildlife; bring footwear, headlamp, camera, warm clothing.
Lunchtime walk and picnic at Charles Street Gardens, 433 Charles St., with neighbor gardens, a children's garden, compost system, roses, and a docent for ages 3–13.
World Lemur Day at San Francisco Zoo showcases lemurs and offers conservation information.
SATURDAY
31
OCTOBER
Costume parade and spooktacular contest with toddler, family/group, animal, and judge’s favorite categories at San Francisco Zoo, for ages 1–4.
Green Halloween at Happy Hollow Park & Zoo offers creepy crawly critter shows, costume parades, crafts, ghoulish games, trick‑or‑treating, and special animal encounters, $3 off admission.
Free Halloween night at Emma Prusch Farm Regional Park features candy, games, food trucks, animals, haywagon rides, and more.
Candy, games, food trucks, farm animals and hay wagon rides fill Emma Prusch Farm Regional Park for a free Halloween celebration, all ages.
Spooky Sunol Open house (Sunol Visitor Center) — bat‑pollinated foods, games, scavenger hunt, animal ambassadors, nocturnal story time, Halloween costumes encouraged, all ages.
Explore creepy crawly critters at Del Valle Visitor Center with crafts, activities, and sweet treats, all ages, $5 parking fee.
Spooky Science Saturday at Pacific Grove Museum of Natural History explores nocturnal bats, owls, creepy crawlies and scavengers with hands‑on activities; free, all ages.
Eco-friendly Halloween activities at Happy Hollow Park & Zoo include a Creepy Crawly Critter Show, costume parade, crafts, games, animal encounters, and enrichment, free with General Admission.
Pumpkin patch at Ardenwood Historic Farm offers many pumpkins, arts, crafts, games, and activities; admission $5 adult, $2 child 3–11, free under 2, for ages 1‑under, 3‑11, 18+.
Close the Little Farm at night at Tilden Nature Area, meet residents, learn their diets, and deliver their evening meal at the pig pen, for all ages.
Featured animal ambassador presents reptiles, rabbits, cockroaches, and cows at the Environmental Education Center front desk, drop‑in with no registration required.
Rabbits greet visitors at Ardenwood, showing hopping skills and ear‑sensing behavior; drop‑in, no registration, disabled accessible, admission fee applies.
Insect Discovery Lab in the Chapel Courtyard at Children’s Fairyland.
Halloween Farm Games at Ardenwood offers festive farm games and pumpkin playtime in the farmyard, drop‑in, disabled accessible, with Ardenwood admission fee.
Crafts, coloring, creature displays and games await inside the Environmental Education Center, with a mystery natural exploration theme; drop‑in, no registration required.
Explore spooky critters with hands‑on spider, snake and owl activities, interactive touchscreens and a Baylands Marshcam at the EcoCenter, free.
Curator discusses rescue animal ambassadors, sharing stories and showing tarantulas, snakes, and birds of prey at the Randall Museum’s Wild in California exhibit, all ages.
Birdwatching at Crown Memorial State Beach’s Elsie Roemer Bird Sanctuary offers shorebird spotting and identification tips on a viewing platform, binoculars available, all ages.
Volunteers work on weeding, planting, irrigation, composting, mulching and flower deadheading at O'Donohue Educational Farm, ages 10+, with guardians required for 10‑14‑year‑olds.
Expert staff feed aquarium fish at Doug Siden Visitor Center, illustrating Bay Area ecosystems.
Volunteer in the Heritage Rose Garden (425 Seymour St, San Jose) — Hands‑on garden work in the historic rose garden.
SUNDAY
1
NOVEMBER
Ride a narrow‑gauge train, tour the restored Patterson House Museum, and watch staff in historic costume lead programs, ending with a 3 pm animal feeding at Ardenwood, all ages.
American White Pelicans gather at Del Valle Marina, viewable through spotting scopes; parking $5, all ages welcome.
Story circle shares classic barnyard tales with The Little Red Hen, Billy Goats Gruff, and other farm friends at Ardenwood, all ages.
Lantern-lit walk to Jewel Lake honoring loved ones and endangered park species, with an altar for photos, at Tilden Environmental Education Center, all ages.
Fish feeding at Crown Memorial State Beach’s Doug Siden Visitor Center aquariums shows crabs, fish and other critters eating, all ages.
Scout the gopher snake offers an up‑close talk on snakes’ ecosystem role at the Del Valle Visitor Center, $5 parking fee, for all ages.
Naturalist leads a walk at McClellan Ranch Preserve exploring Steelhead life cycle, riparian habitat, historical context, and aquatic insect water‑quality identification.
Close the Little Farm for the night at Tilden’s pig pen, meet farm residents, learn their diets, and deliver their evening meal provided by staff, all ages.
Nature Exploration Station (Parkside, San Francisco Public Library) — Hands‑on nature study with magnifying glasses, drawing tools and more, for ages 5–10.
Pocket Pet Academy at Sulphur Creek Nature Center teaches reptile care and lets participants hold a reptile, ages 6–11.
Volunteer‑led tour explores Asian and California native sections of Sonoma Botanical Garden (Quarryhill), free for members and included with admission for non‑members.
Scout the gopher snake offers an up‑close talk on snakes’ ecosystem role at Del Valle Visitor Center, $10 parking fee, for adults.
Birdwatchers observe diverse shorebirds probing sand, mud, and reeds at Crown Beach’s Doug Siden Visitor Center, with binoculars provided for borrowing, free, for ages 6 and up.
Bird‑watching walks of 1–3 miles across varied terrain at Tilden’s Environmental Education Center, drop‑in for all ages.
Guided 5.2‑mile loop across uneven, unpaved terrain with 1300 ft elevation gain and steep sections at Black Diamond Mines, exploring natural and cultural history, ages 12+, $5 parking fee.
Bioblitz at Hellyer County Park (Cottonwood Lake) — rapid species inventory.
A 4.5‑mile moderate hike at Brushy Peak’s Laughlin Ranch staging area celebrates Native American Heritage Month, highlighting historic stewards and local flora and fauna, ages 7+.
Explore seasonal wetland changes on a 0.5‑2‑mile walk at Big Break Visitor Center; bring water, wear shoes, free, adult participation required, ages 5 and up.
MONDAY
2
NOVEMBER
Nature activities for toddlers at the Big Break Visitor Center, offering fall fun or winter warmth in a drop‑in program, free, for ages 5 and under.
Hands‑on wildlife caregiver class at Lindsay Wildlife Experience, exploring zoology, enclosure design, enrichment; $45 member/$55 non‑member per class, for ages 9–12.