Picnic Day 2016 has come and gone, but we’ve got more fun in store this spring — for you and your children, and for our hard-working staff.

TODS: Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day — Think of it as a mini-Picnic Day, with many of the same activities, but without so many people! Just the children and other young guests of staff, faculty and students.

UC Davis TODS is held in conjunction with the national event, which has a theme this year of “Sparking Aha! Moments.” Youngsters are sue to see plenty of those at UC Davis, along with being exposed to the opportunities of higher education. Among the dozens of activities that are planned:

• Agriculture — Plant vegetable plants and bring them home.
• Microscopes — Check out the tiny world of plants and animals.
• Chinese culture — Explore crafts and food at the Confucius Institute. 
• Chemistry Show — Yep, the Picnic Day favorite!
• Band-uh! — Listen and dance to the marching band, and explore the “Instrument Zoo.”
• Fire and police — Spray a fire hose and turn on a police siren.

There’s also a tour of the Segundo Dining Commons, to see how staff members prepare so much food every day. And all participating children are invited to eat like college students at any of the campus’s three Dining Commons for only $2. Here’s the full schedule of events.

This year, everyone is being asked to register, even if the activities you want to attend do not require advance sign-ups — and most do not. The registration page is open now. (When you sign up, you’ll receive a link for lunch coupons.)

Eight events have limited space, and therefore you must register in advance, on the same site as above, from 10 a.m. Friday through 5 p.m. Friday (April 22-25). The events that require sign-ups:

• Aggie Stadium — See what it's like to be an Aggie football player and experience the stadium from inside-out.
• Anthropology — Make pottery and grind acorns.
• Research rats — See how they live and how we help them as they help us.
• Dairy Barn — Become familiar with the adorably fuzzy faces of our cows.
• Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital — Go behind the scenes, for ages 10 and up.
• Robert Mondavi Institute for Wine and Food Science — Taste some honey and see how wine.
• Unitrans — Toodle around in one of our famous double-decker busses and see how we keep them running.
• Museum of Wildlife and Fish Biology — Get a peek at animal skins, nests, eggs and skeletons.

People who are successful in signing up for these events will be advised to print their enrollment confirmations and bring them for check-in. “To avoid disappointment, please do not show up to an enrolled event without being enrolled,” organizers said.

TODS is generally for ages 6 to 12. But there are some activities that are suitable for younger boys and girls: Chemistry Show, Haagen-Dazs Honey Bee Haven and Bohart Museum of Entomology — and lunch in the DC.

Release time is appropriate with approval; employees should coordinate with their supervisors to ensure coverage for operational needs. 

TGFS: Thank Goodness for Staff — Do NOT guess about whether to go to the TGFS picnic, free for all staff, 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 18, on Russell Field. This event is fun, the food is great and you deserve it! TGFS, organized by Staff Assembly, is in its 36th year.

DO guess about the picture above, for the annual Guess the Weight contest! Here’s what to include in your weight estimate: the Leda bronze sculpture in the Margrit Mondavi Arts Garden, and 34 people (and their hard hats!) — but NOT the concrete walls. rden and the forthcoming Jan and Maria Manetti Shrem Museum of Art. Turn in your guess at the Guess the Weight booth at TGFS. The person whose guess comes closest will win a Southern California.

You’re also invited to cast a vote for your favorite logo design to be used for all things TGFS in 2017. Have a logo idea? Entries are due by 5 p.m. April 28. More information is available here.

TGFS also includes tennis, golf and volleyball tournaments in advance, and impromptu games at the picnic itself. Also planned: popcorn machines, roving magicians, caricaturists, photo booths, vendors showcase and more.

And don’t forget to wear your Staff Pin, because, if you’re pinned, and a “Spot the Pin” volunteer sees it, you’ll get a raffle ticket. Don’t have a pin? No problem. Buy one at the bookstore or through campus mail for $10. Pin sales support the Staff and Staff Dependant Scholarship Program, plus, with your pin, you can can benefit from a whole raft of on- and off-campus discounts. More information is available here.

TGFS ticket information: In general, each department or unit assigns one person the task of cathering a count of employees who want to attend, and submits a single order (the deadline is May this year). Departmens and units cover the cost. Tickets are for meals only; you’re welcome to attend even if you’re not having a TGFS lunch. See the menu and all the ticket information here.

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