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

Three Portland Bands Your Child Will Love

by Oona Baker

August 04, 2009

Portland is well-known for its multitude of bands who hole up during the winter in secret practice spaces and create albums full of amazing music. Think Modest Mouse, The Decemberists, or the late Elliott Smith.
Mom and Dad may love these music greats, but what about bands that you can enjoy out as a family? (I'm guessing you want to avoid ear splitting shows or the "adult scene".) Here are three local kid-friendly bands that often play around town, in family venues, libraries, or parades.

1) Captain Bogg and Salty-- Yaaaaaar! This rollicking band of striped tights wearing scallywags will charm the pants off both you and your kiddos. They are aces at involving the crowd in hearty sing alongs and have scores of pint-sized fans who will attend gigs garbed head to toe in pirate attire.  (Yes, all those mysterious Eat a Lime stickers are signs of die-hard Captain Bogg and Salty fans!) Visit their interactive website to print out song lyrics or watch some totally cute music videos that will have you joining in on all the choruses. Catch Captain Bogg on August 26th at Sellwood Park (6-7pm) for a pirate fest of extraordinairy proportions! More details here.

2) Last Regiment of Syncopated Drummers Boom and Crash!-That's the sound of LRSD making its ways through the streets of Portland! The all drum core will stop you in your tracks and the infectious beats of over 10 drummers decked out in black and red (Look for children representing in the flag guard!) You can often catch the LRSD during half-time at Rose City Roller Derby bouts, but you can also see them this Saturday at the Central Library's Block Party. (Where you'll also be able to decorate cupcakes, visit with creatures from the Oregon Zoo, or learn circus skills!)

3) March 4th You can often catch this wildly-garbed group of entertainers at street festivals or fairs. Children will be awed by the stilts-walkers, 12 piece horn section, and wacky costumes. You'll be able to catch a glimpse of all the March 4th fun at the Muddy Boot Festival in September!

Also check out ongoing performances through Rock and Roll Camp for Girls, Sound Roots, and School of Rock! Who are some of your family's favorite local bands that perform in kid-friendly spaces?  Read more...

What's happening in PDX 7/25-7/26

by Oona Baker

July 24, 2009

Another weekend, another chance to get out and enjoy the city with your family and friends. Catch a parade, learn all about constructing chicken coops, and craft up some fun with recycled materials!

Saturday, July 25

The Division-Clinton neighborhood Street Fair is from 10am-5pm--come out and support the local vendors in your community. Parade is from 10:45am-noon (from 50th & Division to 20th & Clinton) Free eco shuttle will be running all day long. Pizza eating contest, snow cones, Joe Mishkin's Balloon Art, Ice Cream Social, and Lego Exhibit.
On Division from 11th to 50th and on Clinton from 14th - 28th.  See website for details. www.divisionclinton.com

Tour De Coops 11:00am-3:00pm
Head out on a self guided tour of up to 25 backyard coops and meet the chickens who live there!
Price: $10/booklet. Booklets include addresses & descriptions of each coop and maps with suggested Tour routes, including safe bike routes! Purchase raffle tickets to win a chance to own specially designed coops of your own!
Pre-sale tickets available at these locations:

Urban Farm Store: 1925 SE Morrison St.
People's Coop: 3029 SE 21st Ave. (near Powell Blvd.)
Garden Fever!: 3433 NE 24th Ave. (at Fremont St.)
Livingscape Nursery: 3926 N. Vancouver Ave. (b/w Shaver St. & Fremont St.) 
Pistils Nursery:  3811 N. Mississippi Ave. (at Failing St.)

Later that night, continue the chicken theme and catch Mad City Chickens--"a serious yet whimsical look at the people who keep chickens in their backyards. From experts and authors to a rescued landfill hen and an inexperienced family that decides to take the poultry plunge, it's a whirlwind trip through the world of backyard chickendom."
Vendetta 4306 N. Williams 8pm.

SCRAP Art 11:00am-1:00pm
Work with an artist from SCRAP to create a unique piece of art from reused and reclaimed materials. Presenter is bilingual, Spanish/ English presentation. Limited seating.
North Portland Library, 512 N. Killingsworth St. Portland

Steve's Creature Feature 11:00am-noon
Explore the amazing world of reptiles with Steve! Hosted across the street from the library, at Dewitt Park.
Hillsdale Library, 1525 S.W. Sunset Blvd. Portland

Family Habitat Hike 9:30am-11:30am
Join a naturalist from the Tualatin Hills Park & Recreation District on a guided hike through one of the many different habitats of Cooper Mountain. Strollers discouraged. All ages welcome; children must be accompanied by an adult. $8 per person. Up to two children (ages 10 and younger) may accompany each registered adult for free. Advance registration required; call 503-629-6350.

Sunday, July 26

Sundays For Families 12:30pm-3:00pm

In July, visitors of all ages can learn about Indian art in the Brantley Gallery, including the statue of Ganesha, a Hindu god with the head of an elephant.

Family Tours: 12:30 p.m.
Outdoor Art Making: 1 - 3 p.m.
Story Time: 2:30 - 3 p.m.

Free for children age 17 and under. Free for Museum Members and with Museum admission.

Portland Art Museum 1219 SW Park Avenue, Portland

Forest Music 2009 2:00pm-3:00pm
Enjoy the Rose City Timberliners Barbershop Chorus in the serene setting of Tryon Creek State Park. Free event.
Tryon Creek State Park, 11321 SW Terwilliger Blvd.  Read more...

Konichiwa Japan!

by Oona Baker

June 29, 2009

Having just survived a nine day trip with my daughter, all the travel I'm down for in the next few weeks involves our imagination and the internet! Just a two hour time difference continues to wreck havoc in our household even four days after our return, as my daughter continues to spring awake before six am and I'm still battling the piles of dirty laundry from our suitcases.

 My daughter shares my passion for collecting all things Hello Kitty and lately, we've been talking about making our dream of traveling to Japan come true. I've told my daughter we'll make there before she graduates high school; she's convinced she'll be packing her bags by the end of the month with all the nickels she's saved up (!) I've been planning a virtual trip, want to come along with us?

 --Check out the Little Travelers Japan DVD from your local library. This sweet movie follows the journey of two home-schooled children and their mother as they travel to various countries and immerse themselves in culture and joys of life. Join Chantel and Nakia as they explore daily life, cherry blossoms, and new foods in Japan! My daughter loves this series of films and is anxiously awaiting a new chapter of their travels. Very simple and captivating vignettes will keep even very young children interested.

 --Dream big, plan your trip and destinations online! Print out maps, chart your course, and let your children imagine all the places they will go. Send away for maps or scour thrift stores for old copies of National Geographic to find maps to pin up on the wall and use some yarn to detail your "journey". What animals live where you are going? What do people eat there? Make clothing or instruments that reflect the culture of the country you are investigating.

--Art can help take you there! We are going to make paper cranes, paint cherry blossoms, and create Hello Kitty themed paper dolls. My daughter and I are obsessed with pop culture and have fun collecting miniature sushi and other teeny tiny foods from Re-ment. Your investigations can be as simple as checking out a cd of traditional music from the library and dancing around the livingroom or as complex as recreating Roman architecture out of Model Magic! Have fun with it!

 --Sample foods you and your child may have never tried before. For Japan, we are making a trip to FuBonn for a sampler of Pocky, biscuits, noodles, and mochi. (You can also sneak in some interesting and unusual fruits and vegetables too!)

 --Learn to count to ten, or twenty in a foreign language! Check out  “Count Your Way Through Japan” or “I Live in Tokyo” for inspiration.

--Research the currency of the country you have chosen.
 Read more...

Alice in Wonderland: The one thing for preschooler parents not to miss this weekend

by Sarah Gilbert

January 23, 2009

'Alice in Wonderland' is one of my all-time favorite children's books; it never fails to delight and amuse. It's slapstick before slapstick became about destruction and was still just about silly . Tonight, as part of the Fertile Ground festival (a 10-day city-wide festival of original theatrical presentations), a "new jazz musical adaptation" of Alice in Wonderland opens at the Northwest  Read more...

Mozart, Moby or Miles: Music your preschoolers will love

by Sarah Gilbert

November 05, 2008

I'm a nut for the Portland farmer's markets, and the family-friendly bands make the circuit with gusto. These ones were good enough so that I'll seek them out again: Trashcan Joe : Their sound is funky, danceable and hilarious, and the parents seem to like it as well as the kids. The band's instruments are made from trash cans, wash tubs, an old boot... how can you resist? Captain Bogg & Salty  Read more...