Your guide to activities and fun things to do with your preschoolers, toddlers and kids in portland, OR

School's out---for summer! (Cue Alice Cooper guitar riff here) I don't know about your kids, but my just-finished-with-kindergartener is ready for long summer days with friends, afternoons at the park, and the Summer Reading Program through Multnomah County Library. The Portland Metro area has a ton going on this weekend, enjoy!

Saturday, June 13th

$5 Booster Seats 10:00am until 1:00pm

Booster Seats are available to families in the Portland Safer Routes to School Program for $5.00 (Retail cost $13.99 for no back boosters and $29.99 for high back boosters). Please print this page to take advantage of this offer. Children must be present and should weigh over 40 pounds.
Families must bring their car and have lap and shoulder belts in the back seat. Supply is limited so first come, first served. Limit one booster seat per child.

Burlington Coat Factory Janzen Beach, 1718 Jantzen Beach Center    ACTS Oregon Child Safety Seat Resource Center, 503-643-5620.

Dig In! at the Oregon Food Bank's Learning Garden  9:00am-noon

Help feed Portland! Volunteers of all ages and garden experience levels are needed to help maintain the gardens. Tasks often include digging, planting, weeding, thinning, harvesting, composting. No prior experience is necessary; training will be provided. The garden is open rain or shine, so please be sure to dress for the weather. All ages are welcome to participate in this project, but children under the age of 16 must be accompanied by an adult. Volunteers under age 18 will need to bring a waiver signed by a Parent/Guardian.

Visit www.handsonportland.org to sign up and receive location information.

Cirque du Cycling noon-7pm

Schedule of Events:

Grand Central Fun Zone for Kids (714 N. Fremont) 12-3:00pm
Family Ride Registration + Bike Safety Activities
Family Ride Departs 1:30pm
Art Bike Parade 3:00pm-3:30pm
Live Performances 4:30pm
Two-Way Street Racing 5:00pm -7:00pm

Cirque du Cycling takes place on Mississippi Avenue between Shaver and Fremont. The street will be closed to traffic.

$5 Bike Helmet Sale 10:00-2:00pm

All bike helmets are only $5! Helmet fitting and adjustments available. Helmet sizes: Toddler to Adult. Bring your old helmet to be recycled.

Two locations:

• Legacy Salmon Creek Medical Center Healthy Kids Fair
  2211 NE 139th St – Vancouver, WA
  

Metro's 2009 Gardens of Natural Delights Tour noon-4pm (Gresham area)

Check out fantastic flowers, edibles, a manicured lawn and naturescapes; enjoy short seminars on growing native plants and composting.

To register, call the Metro Recycling Information hotline at 503-234-3000. For more information about this year’s tour program or the new lineup of workshops and hands-on natural-gardening activities at Metro’s demonstration gardens in the Portland metropolitan area, visit www.oregonmetro.gov/garden.

Safety Saturday at Belmont Fire Station 10:00am-3:00pm

All ages can tour the firehouse, visit with firefighters, learn about safety, and sit in a real firetruck! Free.

900 SE 35th Ave Portland  503-823-3615

Sunday, June 14th

Lent's Bike Boulevard Ride  9:00am-noon (pre-ride activities begin at 9am, ride at 10am)

Join families and neighbors on a Bike Boulevard Ride to the opening day of the Lents International Farmers Market!

Activities are free and include: Bike Gallery bike repair station, BTA helmet fitting station (limited free helmets), Portland Bike Master Plan update, BTA Kids Safety Class & Ride for youth ages 8-12 years (bikes required). Bike parking will be provided at the Farmers Market. Raffle for fun prizes! Please contact Laura Bouma for more information: LAURA_KQB@YAHOO.COM

Kelly Elementary, 9030 SE Cooper, Portland

"Don't miss this delightfully fun event! Everyone is welcome to dress up and show off their favorite pet (stuffed animals okay too). Winner categories include: "Dressed to Impress," "Entertainers" (tricks), "Me & My Shadow" (owner and pet look-alikes), and "It's a Small World" (small pets). Music entertainment presented by the Petropolitan Jazz Band."

Millennium Plaza Park 200 First Street, Lake Oswego

The parade starts in the North Park Blocks and winds its way towards Waterfront Park. Bring your family

 Everywhere we turn these days, the media is full of news of the economic down turn, foreclosures, and stock market gloom. The reality of "tough times" hit home for us a few months ago when my husband's company abruptly shut down their Portland office. (cue screeching brakes sound here) We went from planning a summer trip to contemplating exactly how we would make our mortgage payment and juggle our monthly bills on less than one-third of our normal income. (Our plan of saving for a rainy day always seemed to get derailed by a leaking roof or a broken tooth, so we were ill-prepared for such a drastic reduction of our income). 

We sat down with our daughter and discussed what these changes meant for our family. It is important to include children in major changes, but with age-appropriate facts, and with lots of reassurance. The gritty details can be hashed out after bedtime, but children deserve to be part of family discussions, even at a young age. My daughter understands we won't be doing summer camps this year (but we might just make our own summer camp in the backyard!) and she is approaching this lifestyle change as a challenge (what can we reuse instead of buying new things?)

 Here are some resources for you if you are facing personal, economic, or medical turmoil:

First, breathe. This too, will pass.  

Next, make a plan.  Gather information and link yourself with resources. People want to help you succeed and be safe. 

• In the Portland Metro area, 211 is the place to start. You can call 211 (or 503-222-5555 in Multnomah, Washington, and Clackamas Counties 

if the 211 service does not work with your phone) to be linked with emergency community services, including food assistance, housing/shelter, and medical care. The website has a comprehensive, searchable database to connect with a variety of agencies. 

• Oregon SafeNet (Oregon only) 1-800-SAFENET (723-3638) SafeNet offers information and referral to state-wide programs that touch the lives of women and children. Referrals include: Oregon Health Plan, Food Stamps, immunizations prenatal care, WIC and nutrition programs.

• Winter Shelter (November-March: Multnomah County ONLY) 503-721-1500. Bed space information and availability for several private, nonprofit and church-based family shelters. Homeless families in Multnomah County may call the Winter Shelter line November 1-March 30.

• Multnomah County Early Childhood Program 14030 NE Sacramento. 503-262-4100.The birth to three program provides early identification and intervention for infants and toddlers with developmental disabilities who reside in Multnomah County, exclusive of Portland Public School District. The program serves children with genetic syndromes, metabolic disorders, neurological disorders as well as children who are drug-affected or have other disabilities that impact their development.