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

Konichiwa Japan!

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.
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Think Parks & Rec for the summer ahead

May 12, 2009

 In Portland, there are a huge variety of reasonably priced classes for children through Portland Parks. Every summer, I look forward to the schedule of classes coming out and the activities for June/July/August do not disappoint! Portland Parks' programs meet the needs of the community and keep  children happy and busy! For the younger preschool set, classes are usually Mommy & Me type classes, and as your child grows, there are even more options (parent remains in the building, but is free to read or surf the 'net!). Here are few classes that stand out for the upcoming Summer session (descriptions from PP catalogs):

Budding Art Critic: A guide to not getting booted from the Portland Art Museum

by Sarah Gilbert

November 06, 2008

Yes: I write this post from the shame that only the mother of an extremely willful child can know. Here are some tips on how to enjoy the Portland Art Museum with your young children (and not get asked to leave): If your child is small enough to wear, wear him . The Ergo or a similar carrier is a great way to let your little one interact with the art without, you know, interacting with it. And  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...