Publication Date: Friday Feb 6, 1998

Klutz to the rescue

You have to hand it to the folks at Klutz Press. In its 20-year history, the Palo Alto-based publisher has produced a string of wildly popular children's activity books covering everything from paper airplane folding to the fine art of hair-braiding. The books frequently are featured on the New York Times Best Seller Lists, and several have received Parent's Choice Awards, as well.

The firm's formula for success is simple: Find an imaginative way to teach old-fashioned backyard games and skills to kids of the '90s. And if your youngsters don't feel like playing in their own backyard ... well, Klutz can help with that, too.

It's not advertised much, but just about every Saturday afternoon for the past two years, the College Terrace Klutz Store (the shop with the rocket shooting out of its roof) has opened its own big backyard for such kid-pleasing activities as yo-yo classes and fingernail painting workshops.

While many of the scheduled events are based on Klutz books, others-- such as puppet shows and animal demonstrations--are purely for entertainment. All the activities are "absolutely, 100 percent free," the Klutz folks promise, and parents are not pestered to buy anything (at least, not by the sales staff!)

"The basic idea behind this is that it's a lot of fun," insists store manager Bill Olson, who plans the quarterly calendar of events. "We have a funky retail location with an enormous backyard in the middle of a neighborhood, so it makes sense to us to give a party once in a while."

My 11-year-old son and I first visited the Klutz Store last October to see a demonstration by the 1992 world yo-yo champion, Dale Oliver. Preteen boys are absolutely gaga over yo-yos these days, and sure enough, about half of Mark's sixth-grade class showed up at the store, hoping to learn at the feet of the master.

Oliver did not disappoint. Clad in his official champion shirt and hat, the yo-meister started with some basic safety tips and then dazzled his audience with everything from "Rock the Baby" to "Split the Atom" (the latter not to be performed next to Mom's china cabinet). The afternoon ended with a yo-yo contest, prizes and a lot of happy kids, including my son, who went home clutching a third-place gift certificate.

"Oliver's teaching style is good because no matter how skilled some people in the group are, he'll always start at the very beginning and take you through," notes Olson, the store manager. "The last time he was here, we had between 50 and 60 people. The audience keeps getting bigger each time."

All Klutz Store events take place on Saturdays at 1 p.m. and are open to kids of all ages. Among the scheduled events for February and March:

Feb. 7: Happy Birds Performing Parrots. They sing. They dance. They ride bicycles. Come early for a good seat and a chance to meet the birds before the show.

Feb. 14: Pipe Cleaner Fun. Michael Sheran, co-author's of Klutz's book, Pipe Cleaners Gone Crazy, will show kids how to turn a simple fuzzy stick into "something totally amazing." Materials will be provided.

Feb. 21: Yo-yo Demonstration and Lesson. Dale Oliver, the 1992 world yo-yo champion, will cover everything from "the basic yo" to more advanced tricks. Bring your own yo-yo or borrow one from the shop.

Feb. 28: Snapdragon Puppet Theater. Snapdragon and his puppet pals will perform his Little Big Circus for the backyard audience. The show, by award-winning San Mateo puppeteer Roger Mara, also will feature an elephant emcee and a tightrope-walking flamingo. Arrive early to get a good seat.

March 7: Lizard Lady. Ever seen a blue-tongued skink? Ever stroked a snake? Local lizard lady Teresa Killeen will bring her entourage of endangered lizards and snakes to the Klutz backyard for some slithery fun.

March 14: Yo-yo Demonstration and Class. The second class led by world champion Dale Oliver. Stop by even if you couldn't make it to the first. The Klutz folks promise that "all levels of inexperience" are welcome.

March 21 and 28: Contact Juggling. Taught by Josh Neugass, this is juggling like you've never seen it before. "For starters, you only need one ball. And then there's the fact that the ball never really leaves your body. It rolls up your arm, across your back, down your leg, back up your leg, all without stopping." Again, previous inexperience will not be held against you. If you can't make it to the first class, that's OK. Just come to the second.

Terry Johnston's Kid's Day Out column appears the first Friday of every month.

Information: The Klutz Store is located at 572 College Ave. in Palo Alto (just west of El Camino, between Stanford and California avenues). Regular store hours are 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, and 10:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Saturdays. Special events are free and held at 1 p.m. Saturdays unless otherwise noted. For more information call 493-2481.



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