Our Annual earth Day Issue!

Transcription

Free
april 2011
Our Annual
Earth Day
Issue!
‘Radical
Homemakers’
The Environmental
Power of
Domestic Bliss
Why We Love
Nature Camps
Taming Media
Madness
Summer
Camps
Section
content s
This Month in Metro Parent
This Month on the Web:
Serving the Families of the
Portland Metropolitan Area
Exclusively on Metro-Parent.com:
Read the special online-only article Navigating Urgent
Care: Tips for Parents When Dealing with Injuries and
Illnesses by Dr. Kelly Leaf, medical director of Doctors
Express of Lake Oswego
Metro Parent
P.O. Box 13660
Portland, OR 97213-0660
Phone: 503-460-2774; Fax: 503-331-3445
Enter to win a Cloth Diapering Basket valued at over
$150!
Check out our Family Fun Pages for reviews of GREAT,
family-friendly outings and our Parents’ Calendar,
featuring parent education offerings and other parenting-related events.
Stay informed and connected all month long!
L et’s face it: Today’s kids are growing up in a mediasaturated world. In this article, we explore how
media is influencing kids today and what we can do
to help them learn to filter it, think critically about it,
and stay safe and in control of media interactions at
every age.
T he Early Years (2 and under)......................... 14
The Family Plan: Establishing Media Guidelines
The Preschool Period (ages 3 to 5).................. 16
Educational Media: There’s an App for That!
Elementary Concerns (ages 6 to 10)................ 18
Peeking Behind the Curtain: How to
Help Kids Deconstruct Media Messages
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Contributing Writers
Melissa Favara, Anne Laufe, Julia Silverman
Advertising Account Executives
In Every Issue
Editor’s Note........................................................6
Raising Media Savvy Kids
Parent Postings..................................................8
Announcements, community events, fundraisers and
other useful information
Family Fare ..................................................... 36
Westside/National/Outside Metro Area
Debbie Dille, 503-997-4044; fax: 503-352-4373
[email protected]
Eastside/Vancouver/Washington
Ali King, 503-331-8184; 360-695-0455
fax: 503-331-3445
[email protected]
Design & Production Susan Bard
For distribution issues,
e-mail us at [email protected]
Burgerville
For calendar submissions,
e-mail us at [email protected]
Going Places with Ramona....................... 38
To subscribe to Metro Parent,
e-mail us at: [email protected].
A one-year subscription is $25.
A Theatrical View of the World
Angels Among Us.......................................... 40
The ‘Radical Homemaker’ Revolution............ 22
April Family Calendar
In the Spotlight........................................42
Family Favorites.....................................42
Oregon Lions Sight & Hearing Foundation
Earth Day and Easter Egg Hunt Events
Family Calendar.....................................44
Advertising Sections
Green Business Guide......................... 23-26
Summer Camps.................................. 29-34
Summer Camp – the Way Nature Intended!.. 28 Parties........................................................51
Nature Camps Inspire Kids to Appreciate the
Classifieds................................................. 51
Great Outdoors
Advertisers Index......................................51
T he Portland metro area is brimming with opportunities to explore nature, from mountains, lakes and
rivers to working farms. Find out how kids benefit
from nature-focused experiences at camp, and what
options are available locally for kids of all ages.
4
Managing Editor
Emily Puro
[email protected]
• Follow “Metro_Parent” on TWITTER
The ‘Middle Ages’ (ages 11 to 14)................... 20
‘Friend’ Me on Facebook? Kids and Social Media
Reclaiming Domestic Life as an Act of Political,
Environmental and Personal Empowerment
There was a time when women had no choice
but to be homemakers. Today, we have plenty of
choices, but many modern women are choosing to
return to the home to gain more control over their
lives, reduce their carbon footprints, build community and create a better life for their families and for
themselves.
Editor
Marie Sherlock, 503-460-2774
[email protected]
Calendar Editor
Teresa Carson
[email protected]
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Ages & Stages:
Advice for every phase of childhood..... 14
Raising Media Literate Kids
Publisher
Martin Griffy, 503-460-2774
[email protected]
M etro Parent • metro-parent.com • A pril 2011
Metro Parent is published monthly by
Metro Parent Publishing, Inc. and is copyright
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e d ito r ’s note
Raising Media Savvy Kids
E
verywhere we turn these days, someone is telling us what we should do to be good parents – or
perhaps worse, what we shouldn’t do. But let’s face
it, none of us is perfect. We do the best we can,
but every once in a while we’re going to let our
kids eat too much candy or stay up way too late,
or we’ll drive them to school when we really could
have walked, or we’ll sign them up for too many
(or too few?) activities.
So what?
I for one would be happy if we could just agree
to disagree on certain points and refrain from
judging each other. We all make our own choices
and create our own family cultures. What works
for my family might not work for yours, but that
doesn’t mean one approach is inherently better
than the other.
This is particularly apparent when it comes to
screen time.
Some families shun electronic entertainment
altogether. Others seem to center their lives around
screens and online media. Most of us fall somewhere in between, but whether you embrace the
ever-expanding realm of mass media or reject it
– at least within the walls of your own home – it’s
difficult to deny that our children are growing up
in a media-saturated world. You can limit their
exposure to it. You can monitor their interactions
with it. But ultimately, they’re going to be bombarded with it on a daily basis.
As parents, the best thing (possibly the only
thing) we can do is teach our children how to sift
through the onslaught of commercial and social
messages, make their own informed decisions, and
6
use media and technology wisely and in moderation – in other words, help them learn to control
their interactions with mass media rather than be
controlled by them.
One of the most challenging aspects of all this,
for parents at least, is keeping up with the ever
changing media landscape. From television and
video games to social networking to smartphone
apps to online gaming to whatever the next big
thing will be, we need not only to do our homework
but to keep the lines of communication open with
our kids and share these evolving media experiences with them.
With that in mind, we explore the roles media
play throughout our children’s lives in our Ages &
Stages feature this month, offering some tips for
approaching the issue thoughtfully and realistically
so you can determine how and when your children
will interact with electronic media – and how you
can help them become savvy media critics as well
as informed consumers.
Our best advice? Try not to be intimidated by
the sheer volume of media surrounding us. If you
learn to sift through the garbage to find the hidden
gems, focus on meaningful ways to share them with
your kids – with an eye always to keeping screen
time in balance with other pursuits – you’ll do just
fine.
Emily Puro, Managing Editor
[email protected]
PHOTO BY studio ess
177 N.E. 102nd Avenue
Portland, Oregon 97220
Office 503-254-1399
Toll Free 800-652-1399
Fax 503-256-1340
www.gatewaywomensclinic.com
Robert D. Dyson, M.D., Ph.D., FACOG
Dina J. Levin, M.D., FACOG
Asma S. Ahmad, M.D., MPH, FACOG
Kimberlynn M. Heller, D.O., JFACOG
Clea Caldwell, D.O., JFACOG
Jennine M. Varhola, DO, FACOG
Natalia Korneeva, MD, JFACOG
Karen M. Rash-Gitner, C.N.M.
7
pa r ent p o s tin g s
Can your family
go “screen-free”
for one week?
Screen-Free Week (formerly
“TV Turnoff Week”) is April 1824. Will your family unplug in
order to reconnect?
During that week, families
across the country will refrain
from electronic entertainment and
rediscover the joys of connecting
with one another. For information about the effects of excessive screen time on children and
resources for making the most of
your unplugged family time, visit
commercialfreechildhood.org/
screenfreeweek.
Doernbecher launches
iPhone app
for worried parents
Oregon Health & Science University’s Doernbecher Children’s
Hospital has developed an iPhone
app to offer parents advice about
when to call a doctor – or 911 –
and when it’s safe to provide care
at home.
Using the free app – MD
4KIDS – parents can search for
terms that describe their child’s
symptoms. For example, a search
for “earache” brings up a list of
possible symptoms. Those requiring immediate medical attention
– a call to 911 – are listed first.
Less serious symptoms generate prompts to call your doctor
or administer home care. The
app also provides suggestions on
8
Win a $4K Oregon College
Saving Plan account!
MD4KIDS, available for iPhone and online, can
help you decide when to call the doctor – or 911
– and when to play Dr. Mom or Dad at home.
home care for minor illnesses and
injuries as well as weight-based
dosage tables for commonly used
medications.
MD 4KIDS is available on
iTunes. Don’t have an iPhone?
Access the service at ohsudoernbecher.com/MD4KIDS.
Gov. Kitzhaber introduces
lifelong education strategy
Oregon Governor John Kitzhaber has created the Oregon Education Investment Team to develop
a more integrated, efficient and
accountable education system
from early childhood through
post-secondary school, with the
goal of ensuring that children enter school ready to learn, teachers
have the support and resources to
teach, and high school graduates
are prepared to pursue college
and careers. For more information, visit governor.oregon.gov.
The Oregon College Savings
Plan recently announced “You
Can Get There,” a contest for
children 18 and under. To enter, kids write a brief paragraph
about what they’ll be when they
graduate from college. Each of
five winners will receive a $4,000
Oregon College Savings Plan
account. Enter by April 30 at
oregoncollegesavings.com/news/
get-there-form.shtml.
Free developmental
screenings at IKEA
As part of their ongoing series on Positive Parenting, IKEA
is hosting free developmental
screenings on April 9 from 9:30
am to 12:30 pm. No appointment
is necessary. IKEA, 10280 NE
Cascades Pkwy. 503-282-IKEA
(4532). IKEA-USA.com/Portland.
In praise of bicycles
Bicycles are taking over the
Oregon Convention Center April
9-10 for the PDX Bicycle Show,
with loads of activities, demos,
information and workshops for
the whole family. $10 at the door,
$8 online through April 4. Kids
12 and under are free with a paid
adult. 10 am to 6 pm April 9; 10
am to 5 pm April 10.Oregon Convention Center, 777 NE ML King
Blvd. Pedalnationevents.com
Parent Postings continues on page 10
PHOTO COURTESY OF PINT-SIZED PRODUCTIONS
KidFest! features nonstop entertainment and dozens of interactive
exhibits for the whole family.
Celebrate spring
at KidFest
The Northwest’s Largest Family
Expo – KidFest! CampFest! BabyFest! and the new SportFest! – returns to the Portland Expo Center
April 16-17. This event highlights
active and healthy family lifestyles and successful parenting
strategies, including hundreds of
interactive exhibits for kids, teens
and parents as well as non-stop
family entertainment. There also
will be a special Easter Egg Hunt
and visit with the Easter Bunny
on both days to benefit Easter
Seals. $5; free age 3 and under. A
family pass is available for $20 at
ticketswest.com. Parking is $7, $6
for carpools of three or more. April
16, 10 am to 6 pm; April 17, 10
am to 5 pm. kidfestnw.com.
Your bargain hunting cup
runneth over!
Two consignment sale extravaganzas are coming up this
month, with loads of great gear
at bargain basement prices. Super
Kids Resale features over 70,000
gently used items, from clothes,
toys and baby gear to books,
movies, furniture and more, plus
entertainment for the kids. Check
website for details and to register
for presales. 9 am to 8 pm April 7
& 8; 9 am to 5 pm April 9 & 10.
Mall 205, 10090 SE Washington
St. superkidsresale.net.
Just Between Friends hits the
Portland Expo Center later this
month with over 100,000 items
including children’s and maternity
clothing, baby equipment, furniture, DVDS, toys and more. Pre-
10 M etro Parent • metro-parent.com • A pril 2011
sale for volunteers and consignors
is April 29. The public sale runs
9 am to 5 pm April 30 and 9 am
to 2 pm May 1. jbfsale.com.
Admission to both sales is free.
Mama Makeover
winners announced
Congratulations to the winners of the 2011 Mama Makeover
contest! It was a difficult decision,
but the judges have selected Carrie
Hartley of southwest Portland as
the grand prize winner. The first
runner up is Laurel Hallock Koppelman of northeast Portland, and
the second runner up is Stephanie
Brown of southeast Portland. For
more information about the winners, visit mama-makeover.com.
You can watch the progress of
Carrie’s makeover, and get in on
some great deals and discounts,
by following Mama Makeover on
Facebook and Twitter, too. More
details to come in our May issue!
Car Seat Safety
Kohl’s, ACTS Oregon and
OHSU Doernbecher are partnering
to provide a yearlong outreach
program to improve children’s
car seat safety with monthly free
car seat safety inspection events.
April’s event is Saturday, April 9
from 10 am to 1 pm at Kohl’s Department Store, 11055 SW Canyon
Rd. Families can have their children’s car seats inspected free of
charge; replacement car seats may
be available to some families.
Childseatsafety.org/calendar.html.
Parent Postings continues on page 12
11
March for babies
on April 30
Physical therapy
house calls for kids
Raise funds to support the
March of Dimes’ lifesaving research, education and advocacy
that help babies get a healthy
start on April 30. 10K begins at
9 am. 3K family walk begins at
9:15 am. Two local runs: At the
Rose Quarter, 1 N Center Court
St., in Portland, and at Vancouver
Landing, 100 Columbia St., in
Vancouver, Wash. marchforbabies.
org.
Beyond the Clinic, a Portland
area physical therapy business,
now offers house calls for its
pediatric clients, providing convenience for families and allowing
clinicians to tailor their recommendations to the child’s living
space. 503-496-0385. beyondthe
clinic.com.
Running for Risa
Show your support for a
17-year-old Beaverton teen battling a rare form of cancer. Her
insurance company labeled the
illness a pre-existing condition,
so friends and family organized
this benefit run to help. Choose
from a full marathon ($75), half
marathon ($50), 5K ($20) or fun
run (0.7 miles, $5). April 23;
check website for start times.
Henry Hagg County Park, Gaston.
runningforrisa.com
Join the Great Cloth
Diaper Change!
Bring your baby and cloth
diapers to Milagros Boutique,
5433 NE 30th Ave., on April 23
by 9 am to be part of this attempt to set the Guinness World
Record for the most cloth diapers
changed at the same time.
greatclothdiaperchange.com.
Parent Education
The following parenting education opportunities are just a
small sampling of those available
in the region. You’ll find many,
many more options in our online
parents’ calendar at metro-parent.
com/calendars/?parents_calendar.
Oregon PTA Leadership Conference. Grow your leadership
skills with workshops and motivational speakers. $195 (register
by April 8). April 15-16. Sheraton
Portland Airport Hotel, 8235
Northeast Airport Way. oregonpta.
org/Events/convention.htm.
Parent Naturalist Workshop.
Help the children in your life develop an appreciation for nature
with the naturalist skills you’ll
learn in this workshop. Childcare
available for $10 per child, ages 3
to 8. $18. April 23, 8:30 to 11:30
am. Nature Park Interpretive Center, 15655 SW Millikan Way, Beaverton. 503-629-6350. thprd.org.
a g e s & s ta g e s
By Julia Silverman
Raising Media Literate Kids
Using Screen Time Wisely at Every Age and Stage
W
e’re living in a golden age for
children’s media – although there’s
plenty of schlock on the market, too
– but if you want all the rich and engaging options to spark your kids’
curiosity, you’ll need to share the experience with them.
Talk to your 3-year-old about the
iPhone app she’s entranced by and
teach her how to make the on-screen
cow go moo or find the matching
pairs. Turn video game time into family time by exploring under the virtual sea or having a game-controlled
dance party together. Help your
8-year-old understand the buy-buybuy-more-more-more subtext behind
those commercials featuring grinning celebrities. And yes, friend your
13-year-old on Facebook, if she’ll
have you.
As parents, we can decide when it’s time to turn
off the screens and head
outside – or to the dinner
table or the library – but
like it or not, our kids are
growing up in a mediasaturated world and experts agree they’ll have
the best shot at navigating their way through it,
whether they’re toddlers
or teens, if you’re there by
their side.
14 The Early Years (Ages 2 and under)
The Family Plan:
Establishing Media Guidelines
Facing a long flight from Rome to Portland with a squirmy 13-month-old, Jaime
Gennaro finally cracked. Until then, her son, Luca, had seen virtually no television,
which is what the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends — no screen
time for children under 2. But given the looming 17 hours in transit, Gennaro and her
husband bought a portable DVD player and a DVD of a popular Italian cartoon. At least,
they figured, their bilingual son would get some exposure to Italian conversation, and
they might be able to avert a dreaded in-flight meltdown.
“I think, don’t beat yourself up too much,” says Gennaro, who lives in northeast
Portland. “You have to be able to take those breaks as a parent.”
The AAP’s recommendation to avoid screen time for babies and toddlers is the ideal,
of course, and there’s plenty of documentation behind it: Studies have indicated links
between screen time and a host of negative outcomes, including delayed language
development, increased risk of childhood obesity, hypertension and attention problems,
sleep disturbances and more. But that ideal can run quickly into the reality of piled up
laundry, unprepared dinners, long overdue showers and a parent who’s greatest dream
is 10 minutes of peace and quiet to check email or sip some hot coffee.
So, if TV and other screens are going to be an inevitable part of
your family life, says Ellen Currey-Wilson, a southwest Portland
mother who’s written a book about trying to raise (relatively)
TV-free kids, you need a plan. Take the time to determine in advance how much and what types
of screen time will be allowed,
as well as when and where
you’ll allow it. And make sure
all family members – including indulgent grandparents
and screen-savvy older siblings – are on board.
Be thoughtful about the
type of content you’ll allow.
Currey-Wilson suggests
families avoid anything
too flashy or fast-paced
and keep it nonviolent,
unless you want to explain what a machine
gun is to your toddler.
Be firm in your resolve
to keep the TV off at
Children learn by example, so parents need
to be aware of their own media habits,
dinnertime, and don’t
especially when kids are around.
put a TV or computer in
your child’s bedroom.
Instead, Currey-Wilson
recommends keeping the television in
quickly check your email on your
“(E)ven when
a common room inside a cabinet that
smartphone after pushing your todcan be closed, if possible. That way,
dler on the swings for a solid halfyour kids are
it’s not the focal point of the room
hour, but remember that your kids
young, you have are watching and they’ll notice if
and kids won’t be tempted to turn it
on every time they walk by it.
you tune them out for 20 minutes to
to figure out a
play Angry Birds or scroll through
Think carefully about setting
strategy for man- a day’s worth of Facebook status
screen time limits that are appropriupdates.
ate for your child’s age, adds Caroline
aging the media
Knorr, parenting editor at the non“You have to have boundaries
profit media literacy website common- rather than havaround what is important to you,”
sensemedia.org. How long depends on
Knorr says, “to say, look, my work
ing the media
your family and can change as your
life, my social life doesn’t intrude
manage you.”
kids get older, but she suggests starton my family time when my biggest
- Caroline Knorr, priority is being with my kids and
ing small – perhaps 15 minutes a day
commonsensemedia.org
for younger toddlers. Choose a time of
interacting with them.”
day when your kids are ready for play,
As kids get older, she says, you
Knorr adds, not right before bed or naptime when
can get more flexible with the media use guidelines,
they’re likely to be tired and might throw a tantrum or even use extra screen time as a reward or incenwhen their time is up. Tell them ahead of time that
tive, but those conversations will be more producthey’ll be allowed 15 minutes of screen time, and
tive if the groundwork has already been laid.
let them know when they’ve got only five minutes
“What parents should take out of this is that
left. (You may even want to set a timer.)
even when your kids are young,” Knorr says, “you
Parents also should give careful thought to
have to figure out a strategy for managing the memoderating their own screen time when kids are
dia rather than having the media manage you, bearound, Knorr adds. That doesn’t mean you can’t
cause otherwise things can get out of hand.”
Raising Media Literate Kids continues on page 16
15
Raising Media Literate Kids continued from page 15
The Preschool Period (Ages 3 to 5)
Beware The
Hidden Charges
With smartphone apps, parents
need to be aware of what are
called in-app charges, invitations
for a child to click and buy add-ons
as they play a game, unbeknownst
to their parents. Such charges can
add up quickly.
You can turn off the ability to accept in-app charges on an iPhone,
iPod Touch or iPad by going to
“Settings,” selecting “General,”
then “Restrictions.” (You may be
prompted to enter a four-digit pass
code; if you haven’t already set
one up, do it now.)
On the “Restrictions” screen, select
“Allowed Content,” then switch
“In-App Purchases” to Off. Android
and Blackberry users, check with
your provider to find out if this is
possible on your device.
PHOTO COUR
TESY OF THE SIM
S FAMILY
Even northeast Portland dad Nat
Sims, who designs iPhone and iPad
apps for preschoolers, sets limits
on when and where his daughter,
Hazel, age 3, can use his iPad.
Educational Media: There’s an App for That!
Nat Sims has a rule for his 3-year-old daughter,
Hazel: No apps when it’s time for a nap.
Hazel happens to be an app expert. She’s her father’s personal focus group for the iPhone and iPad
apps he develops for Portland-based Night and Day
Studio, the company behind some of today’s most
popular and best-designed apps for kids, including
Peekaboo Barn and Eric Carle’s My Very First App.
But Nat, who lives in northeast Portland, draws
the line when Hazel asks to take his iPad to bed at
naptime, though old-fashioned books are gladly
allowed.
For preschoolers like Hazel, there’s no telling
what the media landscape will look like in the future
– Computers as wristwatches? Robots as colleagues?
– and Sims wants his daughter to be ready to be a
part of that brave new world, however it evolves. So
he’s allowing screens to be a part of her life.
Still, Sims and others in the know caution parents
of preschoolers to choose well from the often-bewildering array of media options, and to allow media
consumption only in moderation.
Warren Buckleitner, who edits the
New Jersey-based Children’s Technology
Review, knows just how saturated the
kids’ media market has become. During the past four years, he’s tested over
13,000 kid-centric computer games,
DVDs, websites, apps and other media
aimed at children, and new ones show
up in his inbox at an average of about
10 a day.
To sort through it all, Buckleitner’s
developed a five-point checklist that
applies across all interactive media
platforms: Is it easy to use? Is it fun
for kids? Is it educational? Will it
grow along with a child? And finally, how much does it cost? (See
“Beware the Hidden Charges” on
this page for more on that last one.)
The new class of media, Buckleitner says, is tailor made for this
age group and their penchant for
obscure preoccupations. Is your
child into dinosaurs? Ponies?
Rocket ships? There’s an app for that, often a beautifully detailed one from a respected name such as National Geographic or the Museum of Natural History.
There are even ways to make video gaming, traditionally seen as an age-inappropriate haven of shoot’em-ups, palatable for this age group. Buckleitner
suggests making it a social event, whether you’re
exploring an underwater coral reef together on a
Nintendo Wii or throwing a family dance party with
Microsoft’s Kinect.
When choosing television options for this age
range, those in the field recommend looking for simply told, easy to understand stories that can translate
into real world experiences. Ellen Lee, who works
in children’s programming at Oregon Public Broadcasting, says the network’s shows are cre“I look for apps
ated so parents can
take what their kids
that allow for an
are watching and exinteraction betend it – by planning
a trip to the fire statween the child
tion or grocery store
and the parent. If
like one they’ve seen
you want it to be
on Sesame Street, for
example, or going to
a learning expethe library to look for
rience, then the
books about beloved
parents have to
animated characters
like Clifford or Curibe involved.”
ous George (who both
— Nat Sims, northeast Portland
started out in book
form, after all!).
Unleashing kids this age onto the Internet unsupervised isn’t recommended, but a few well-chosen
sites can help get them ready to become Internet
explorers. Dana Plautz, one of the Portland-based
creators of MrsP.com, a website that features a kindly
actress reading classic stories aloud, says a goal in
developing the site was giving kids a place to “use
their imaginations and have a quiet moment. We
wanted a place without an ad popping up, just an
old-fashioned story.” The site also reinforces one of
the most old-school media ideas, she adds, with frequent recommendations to get a library card.
As Hazel’s gotten older, Sims says, they’ve explored more media together, from “Yo Gabba Gabba,”
which he likes for its loosey-goosey storylines that
leave room for imagination, to documentaries like
the BBC’s “Earth” series. When choosing apps, he
looks for ones that allow his daughter to accomplish
something rather than just passively tapping and
watching.
But as always, he adds, the key is to play along.
“I look for apps that allow for an interaction between
the child and the parent,” Sims says. “If you want it
to be a learning experience, then the parents have to
be involved.”
Elementary Concerns (Ages 6 to 10)
Peeking Behind the Curtain:
How to Help Kids Deconstruct
Media Messages
For northeast Portland father Nick Rothenberg, the first clue that his
kids were growing up in a media-saturated world came when his eldest
daughter, Chiara, was just 18 months old. She pointed at the Starbucks
logo on the side of a paper bag and said, “Coffee!”
“I knew,” Rothenberg recalls, “that what we were trying to manage
was so much more intense than the nature of media messages while I
was growing up. Abstinence from screens has a place, but it is not the
reality. There is no such thing in the current landscape.”
Short of moving to Pennsylvania Dutch country, there’s almost no
way to shield kids from the pervasive advertising all around us – from
the sides of buses to the billboards above, from the pop-up ads on the
Internet to the enticements in the supermarket checkout line. And all of
those ads – plus the TV, DVDs, video games and websites grade school
kids are likely to frequent – carry subtexts, often pretty blatant ones,
says Joan Rutkowski, who works with MediaThink, a Portland-based media literacy group.
Some scream, “Buy this! It will make
“Ask (kids) quesyou smarter/stronger/happier/more popular!” while others are shrewdly constructed
tions: Do real
images of what kids “should” look like and
women’s bodies
the products that can help them get there.
look like that?
So how can we help our kids sift
through the mixed messages they might
Who is paying
be receiving? The answer is simple: Talk to
for this message?
them about it. The technical term is deconstruction – taking the messages apart and
… Will you be
analyzing them in an age-appropriate way.
happy if you eat
“Ask them questions,” says Ellen Curthat candy bar?
rey-Wilson, a southwest Portland author
and media literacy expert. “Do real womWhat aren’t they
en’s bodies look like that? Who is paying
telling you?”
for this message? How does seeing that
– Ellen Currey-Wilson,
southwest Portland
make you feel? Will you be happy if you
eat that candy bar? What aren’t they telling you?”
One goal is to teach kids to recognize the difference between a
commercial and a story, all the more difficult these days with product
placement and animated ads that pop up in a lower corner of a TV
screen. Rothenberg has encouraged Chiara, now 8, and her sister
Mattea, 5, to spoof commercials during their creative play, helping them
learn to make the distinction between what’s meant for entertainment
and what’s meant to make a sale. As kids get older, around fourth or fifth
grade, Rutkowski recommends talking directly with them about commercial messages and images, running down the techniques that can be used
to sell products from humor to repetition to celebrity endorsements.
This is also an age when boys and girls start branching off and often encounter different media. Girls are bombarded with the inescapable
Disney Princess line and all its offspring, from Bratz to Groovy Girls.
Boys are targeted with increasing amounts of violent entertainment,
from pratfalls to gunplay. To counter that, Rutkowski recommends a
PHOTO BY CAMPBELL SALGADO STUDIO, campbellsalgado.com
Nick and Jacqueline
Jonnatto Rothenberg
have encouraged their
daughters, Chiara
(left), 8, and Mattea,
5, to spoof TV commercials to help the
girls understand the
difference between
entertainment and
advertising.
family-wide conversation about shared values, so if
you decide to – as an example – ban shows that glorify violence, kids “may not like it, but they will know
that the rules apply to everyone and come from a
place of love, not a desire for control over them,” she
explains.
Rothenberg and his wife have picked their battles,
allowing their girls to joyfully dress up in frilly tutus
and wave fairy wands while avoiding branded characters. Their goal, he says, is to engage with their kids
and monitor the quality and quantity of the media
they consume as well as, as much as possible, how
they consume it.
“To use a 70s TV analogy, this ‘Jeannie’ ain’t going
back in the bottle,“ quips Rothenberg. Even though
that’s the reality, the Rothenbergs’ believe that, ultimately, their daughters’ media savvy will depend on
“their ability to process information well from any
source and be creative and be good communicators.”
19
Learn More Online
(Where Else?)
The Middle Ages (Ages 11 to 14 and beyond)
Children’s Technology Review: Independent
reviews of thousands of children’s media options from experts in the field. childrenstech.
com
Common Sense Media: Great tips, picks and
pans for all ages, including movies, gaming,
apps, websites, TV, books and music. commonsensemedia.org
Coalition for Quality Children’s Media: Another review site, particularly strong on
films, TV shows and DVDs. kidsfirst.org
Don’t Buy It!: From PBS, a site that teaches
kids to think critically about mixed media
messages. pbskids.org/dontbuyit/
Media Awareness Network: A Canadian site
for parents on navigating media literacy for
young children. media-awareness.ca/english/
Media Think: This Portland-based nonprofit
promotes media literacy. See “Parent Groups
Explore Kids and Media” on this page for
information on their discussion courses for
parents. Mediathink.org.
Parent Groups Explore
Kids and Media
Navigating today’s crowded media landscape
is a tricky business, especially as a parent.
The Portland-based media literacy nonprofit
MediaThink can help.
Board members at MediaThink are developing a five-session course for parents interested in holding their own media discussion
groups. The course is called “Media Mindful
Family.” It’s kind of like a book club, says
board member Joan Rutkowski, but it’s focused on media issues kids might encounter,
tools parents can use in response, and how
to make healthy media choices for your
family.
Participants are given suggested weekly
readings on media issues as well as ideas for
at-home experiments with kids. Group members meet once a week to discuss the results.
Course topics range from how to navigate a
virtual world that’s second nature to many
kids but a mystery to parents to considering
the effects of excessive screen time on children’s health.
At press time, the groups were still in the pilot stage with about 30 local parents participating, but Rutkowski says they’re working
on a more widespread roll-out in the coming
months.
For more information, visit mediathink.org.
20 ‘Friend’ Me on Facebook? Kids and Social Media
It’s an age-old question: Should you try to
be friends with your kids? Except these
days, you’ve got to capitalize the F, as
in Friends on Facebook or MySpace
or any of the other social networking sites that have colonized the Internet over the
past decade.
Official Facebook
policy is that no one
under the age of 13
can open an account, but plenty of
‘tweens, teens and
even younger kids
are on the site or
its competitors. Asha
Talking with your kids about social networking and privacy issues, and connecting with them online if
they’re amendable to it, can help them learn how to act safely and responsibly in cyberspace.
Dornfest, a northeast
Portland mother, prolific
Case in point: When his own daughter was
blogger at parenthacks.com and one half of a
11,
she wanted to post a video to YouTube
very linked-in couple (her husband works for
featuring
a slightly racy dance routine she’d
Twitter), doesn’t see the harm in that.
performed
with a friend. Would she want the
“Look, it’s better to participate as a parent
principal of her school to see it, her father
than arbitrarily restrict,” she says. “Don’t let
remembers asking, or her grandparents? She
fear be the guiding factor in how you make
blanched at the idea, and the point was made.
choices for your kids. So, yes, “friend” your
As for the parental controls that can be put
kids. If they don’t want to, then fine, but insist
on
computers,
for this age, Buckleitner says,
that you can periodically take a look at their
honest
conversation
and a relationship based
Facebook profile with them present, so you
on
trust
are
a
much
more
effective barrier to
can monitor.”
the Internet’s seamier side.
Open communication is the key, agrees El“When they are adults and you send them
len Currey-Wilson, a media literacy author
out
of the nest, there will be no more filters,”
based in southwest Portland who has worked
he says. “You want them not to be afraid of
through these issues with her own 15-year-old
technology.”
son. If your kids have given you a reason to
A frank discussion about privacy setworry, she says, like a dip in grades or shutting
tings
also can help teach kids about so-called
themselves alone in their rooms for long pe“stranger danger” online, so they know not to
riods of time, then don’t be afraid to tell them
allow people they haven’t met to “friend” them,
that “friending” you is the only way they’ll
or that they can and should ignore online marget to be on social networks. More trustworthy kids could be given greater leeway, but she keters who ask for personal information. And
“friending” your own kids (and their friends, if
still suggests keeping computers in a common
the invitation is extended) can help you guard
room rather than a child’s bedroom.
against cyber-bullying, whether your child is
Experts also suggest making sure you’re as
the target, a friend or classmate is the target, or
up-to-date as possible with the latest technolthey’re the ones flinging mud online.
ogy so you can keep up with your kids, who’ve
“There is so much on the Internet that you
never known an Internet-less world. As your
could never possibly protect for,” says Dornkids are getting started with social networking,
fest. “I would much rather arm (my child) with
sit them down for a conversation about priinformation than block off large and undifvacy, propriety and what it means to be postferentiated chunks of it. We just talk openly
ing their thoughts, whereabouts and pictures
about it. That’s worked for us.”
in a public forum, says Warren Buckleitner,
Julia Silverman is a Portland freelance writer
who edits the New Jersey-based Children’s
and the mother of 2-year-old twins.
Technology Review.
arriet Fasenfest, Portland author of A Householder’s Guide to the Universe:
A Calendar of Basics for the
Home and Beyond (Tin House
Books, 2010), wants nothing less than to overthrow
governments and economies
as we know them. Her weapons are the tomatoes and root
vegetables harvested from her
garden, the chest freezer and
glass jars lining the walls of
her basement.
The former restaurant owner
left the business world several
Angela Baker homeschools her
years ago, fed up with consumer
three children, weaves, spins, raises
culture. She wanted to become
chickens (pictured is Nudge) and
more self sufficient. Now she
grows food for her family and the
community on a quarter acre lot in
grows, prepares and preserves
the Parkrose neighborhood.
much of her own food and
teaches others these same skills.
After all the blood, sweat and
years our foremothers spent fighting for the right to work outside the
home – and to be fairly compensated for that work – why does Fasenfest believe the domestic life actually gives her more freedom?
Her answer is decidedly political.
“When people ask me if this life pays, if it’s worth my time,” she
explains, “they’re using the language of empire, which devalues labor
and resources. We need to create a new economy of scale and systems
in which labor and resources are valued.”
“I don’t teach canning,” she adds. “I teach revolution.”
Fasenfest – along with Shannon Hayes, the New York-based author of Radical Homemakers: Reclaiming
Domesticity from a Consumer Culture
“I don’t teach
(Left to Write Press, 2010) and others
– believes that by becoming as self relicanning. I teach
ant as possible and rejecting convenrevolution.”
tional American ideas of success, today’s
– Harriet Fasenfest,
women can embrace lives that value
author of A Householder’s
Guide to the Universe
family, community, social justice and the
health of the planet.
They do this in a variety of ways but some of the hallmarks of
“radical homemaking” include growing much of your own food (or
finding local sources for it), and preparing meals from scratch rather
than purchasing processed foods. Radical homemakers also barter for
goods and services, eschew consumerism, learn to fix things when
they break, and enjoy crafts that are both functional and beautiful.
Writer-activists like Hayes and Fasenfest have galvanized numerous Portland area families who walk a similar path, although they do
so for a variety of reasons, from social to political to environmental
and beyond.
Why Embrace Homemaking?
Angela Baker’s commitment to making more and consuming less
goes back to her college days. The Parkrose resident, now 31, says she
22 By Anne Laufe
phOTO COURTESY OF
THE BAKER FAMILY
and her husband
read Your Money
or Your Life (see
“Radical Homemaker Resources”
on page 23 for details on the most
current version
Harriet Fasenfest, author
of A Householder’s Guide
of the book) and
to the Universe, is pictured
decided to define
here with her root cellar
in the background, just
their lives through
one of her many “radical
their actions
homemaker” efforts.
rather than their
possessions.
“That book led us to think about ‘life hours’ (the hours spent working to earn money to buy things) not dollars,” says Baker. “As we’ve
gotten older, we’ve gotten more intentional and more committed to
our choices. Our lifestyle is definitely a political statement … not being dependent on some sort of larger system.”
Baker – who homeschools her three children, ages 2, 6 and 8,
grows food on a quarter acre lot, weaves and spins – felt Hayes’
Radical Homemakers affirmed things she’d been doing for a long
time. Clearly, she’s not alone. There’s a national Radical Homemakers Google Group and a local Radical Homemakers Facebook group
where like-minded householders can connect with one another and
find support.
Pia Watzig, a member of the local Facebook group, says her decision to embrace a domestic life came about because she and her husband didn’t want their son, now a toddler, growing up in daycare. Her
husband was earning more money than she was, so he stayed in the
work force and she became the homemaker.
“I think it’s better for my family and for the environment,” says
Watzig, who lives in outer southeast Portland. Though she tries to stay
PHOTO BY LEAH NASH, COURTESY OF HARRIET FASENFEST
H
Local Parents
The
Reclaim Domestic
as an Act
‘Radical Life
of Political,
Environmental
Homemaker’
and Personal
Revolution Empowerment
Radical Homemaking continues on page 24
Green Business Guide
Radical Homemaker Resources
A Householder’s Guide to the Universe: A Calendar of Basics for the Home
and Beyond by Harriet Fasenfest, Tin House Books, 2010.
Radical Homemakers: Reclaiming Domesticity from a Consumer Culture by
Shannon Hayes, Left to Write Press, 2010.
The Urban Homestead: Your Guide to Self-Sufficient Living in the Heart of
the City by Kelly Coyne and Erik Knutzen, Process Media, 2008. (Coye and
Knutzen also have an informative, engaging website at rootsimple.com.)
Your Money or Your Life: 9 Steps to Transforming Your Relationship with
Money and Achieving Financial Independence: Revised and Updated for
the 21st Century by Vicki Robin, Joe Dominguez, and Monique Tilford,
Penguin, 2008.
See “Local Groups and Classes” on page 24 for more resources.
23
To find the local Radical
Homemakers Facebook
group, search “Portland
Radical Homemakers” on
Facebook.
Find the national Radical Homemakers Google
group at groups.
google.com/group/
radical-homemakers.
Sign up for householding
classes with Harriet Fasenfest and home economist
Marge Braker at
Preserve. 503-280-9895;
portlandpreserve.com
Learn how to bake bread,
raise chickens, buy in
bulk, lacto-ferment and
more from local radical
homemaker Chris Musser,
who runs Lost Arts
Kitchen. 503-253-7331; lostartskitchen.com
The Portland Bureau of
Planning and Sustainability offers classes on
a variety of topics from
organic gardening and
cheesemaking to beekeeping and raising hens,
goats and rabbits. 503-8237700; portlandonline.com
(search “Urban Growth
Bounty”)
You’ll find tons of information on food preservation,
gardening, food safety
and more through OSU’s
Extension Service. To find
local contact information
go to extension.oregonstate.edu/locations.php.
Portland Community College provides non-credit
courses in raising goats,
chickens and bees as well
as many backyard gardening topics. pcc.edu/schedule; 503-977-8888
Urban Farm School offers urban farming classes
in Vancouver, Wash.
urbanfarmschool.com;
360-852-3728
24 Radical Homemaking continued from page 22
away from politics, she does express dis“I have several degrees,”
satisfaction with industrial farming and the
says Pia Watzig, shown
here with son Gerhard,
way the American food system works – or
now 17 months, “but I
doesn’t.
find a lot of satisfaction in
building a home.”
“The farmers are hurting the most,” she
says, “and the environment is hurting because we’re growing so many monocrops.
We’re hurting also. People are becoming
more and more unaware of what’s going
into their bodies.” (Monocropping is the
practice of growing the same crop on the
same land every year, which has numerous
negative effects on the environment.)
Watzig raises about 40 percent of the
food her family eats. She also sews and
knits, making many of their winter clothes.
While others find solace in shopping and accumulating stuff, Watzig says, she finds solFor Angela Baker, giving back to the commuace in the home she’s created.
nity is a big part of the lifestyle. She and her family
Another local radical homemaker, Christin Brezil,
keep what they need of the food they grow on their
recently moved her family from West Linn to a 280oversized lot, donating the rest to Birch Community
acre farm in Molalla. They’re renting the land now
Services, an agency that works to reduce food inbut hope eventually to buy property nearby. The
security in East Portland. Last year they harvested
move was prompted by a desire for greater self suf1,400 pounds of food with an annual budget of $400
ficiency and to give their three sons, ages 2, 4 and 9,
for water, seeds and compost. Baker also teaches free
a better life.
gardening workshops to Birch Community Services
“We felt kind of cooped up in a neighborhood,”
and Proud Ground Community Land Trust.
Brezil says. “We felt like we were just living, not nec“I love that there are so many ways that you can
essarily being alive.”
contribute to your community when you’re not stuck
One of the first changes the family made was getin an office all day,” she says. “I wouldn’t be able to
ting rid of their television, which they felt was luring
do this if I were working (outside of the home).”
their children into “the bottomless pit” of consumerism, she says, and the idea that happiness can be
bought. Now the boys are doing more for themselves,
including helping out with their new milk goat and
its kid.
“We have one car, we shop at thrift stores and on
craigslist, and we can’t go to a movie whenever we
want,” Brezil says, “but we feel that nourishing our
bodies and being together are more important.”
What’s Involved?
For all of the families interviewed, growing and
preserving food and cooking from scratch were
among the most important aspects of radical homemaking. Homeschooling, making their own entertainment and being active members of the community
also ranked high.
Author Hayes helps run her family’s grass-fed
beef farm in New York. She and her husband, who
works with her on the farm, also earn money through
beekeeping and basket making, and they now have
a publishing company, too. Because the rule in their
house is that they produce rather than consume, evenings are spent making music, reading and doing
crafts. Hayes’s 7-year-old daughter is teaching herself
to knit and weave and often cooks for entertainment.
Why is Homemaking Radical?
Radical homemakers are quick to point out that
their lives are not the same as those of isolated
1950s-era housewives. For Hayes, the main difference is that there is a balance of power between
partners. If a woman trusts her partner and feels they
have equal voices in decision making, there’s nothing
wrong with her being dependent on his income while
she tends to the domestic sphere. (While we didn’t
find any local male radical homemakers to interview,
Hayes interviews several in her book, including some
stay-at-home dads.)
“We chastise women for being financially dependent on men, but not men for being financially
dependent on a boss or a job,” she says. “How many
people have found out in recent years that they have
no pension or no job?”
“Relying on my husband and his income is not
necessarily a bad thing,” agrees Brezil, “because
I’m bringing something to the table that’s just as
valuable.”
Fasenfest turns the question of what homemakers
give up on its head, asking instead: “How much do
Radical Homemaking continues on page 26
PHOTO COURTESY OF THE WATZIG FAMILY
Local Groups
and Classes:
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Radical Homemaking continued from page 24
families sacrifice by running a home with
children and two full-time jobs? That’s very “Relying on my
challenging as well and lots of sacrifices
husband and
are made.”
his income is
While it can be difficult to explain the
not necessarily
phenomenon to the generations of women
a bad thing
who fought for the right to work outside
the home, ultimately the issue is one of
because I’m
choice. Many women today have the choice
bringing someto work outside the home – and the choice
thing to the
to embrace a life of productive domesticity.
table that’s just
“My mother thinks I’m insane,” Watzig
says. “She fought to work and not be a
as valuable.”
housewife and for her to find me wanting
— Chrisin Brezil, Molalla
to be home is absurd.”
But while Watzig values the rights her
mother and so many others struggled to obtain, she finds power in focusing her energy on home and family. “I have several degrees,” she
says, “but I find a lot of satisfaction in building a home.”
Rather than being barefoot, pregnant and ruled by their husbands,
today’s radical homemakers are redefining the very term homemaker,
taking some wind out of the sails of our consumer culture, and building interdependent communities in which their families can thrive.
Anne Laufe is a Portland freelance writer and mom.
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27
Summer Camp The Way Nature
Intended!
Nature Camps Inspire Kids to
Appreciate the Great Outdoors
By Julia Silverman
ay back when, just the words “summer camp” were enough to
conjure up visions of lanyards and archery ranges, crushes on counselors and swims in cool mountain lakes, tall trees and bare feet on soft,
green grass.
These days, you can send your kids to computer camp or film camp,
chess camp or science camp – worthy pursuits to be sure – but if your
children want their own summer memories of hoisting a backpack and
heading down the trail on a blue-edged-with-gold Oregon afternoon,
you’ve got to get them outside.
Thanks to the region’s geographically blessed
“Nature
location between the mountains and the beach,
with waterfalls and rivers in every direction,
requires
there are dozens of wonderful nature camps
a really
within easy reach, both day and residential.
complex set
Done right, parents and camp directors agree,
even a week at nature camp can inspire kids to
of problem
explore and appreciate the great outdoors all
solving skills
year long.
Why Kids Need Nature
that aren’t
always there
in the paintby-number
curriculum.”
— Tony Deis,
Getting kids outdoors is exactly what’s
needed to curb the ever-rising childhood obesity
rate and growing numbers of kids diagnosed
with Attention Deficit Disorder, argues author
Richard Louv in his book Last Child in the
Trackers Earth
Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit
Disorder (Algonquin Books, 2005). Louv coined
the term “nature-deficit disorder” to describe a generation of children
being brought up indoors, glued to electronic screens, exactly what
Portland’s many nature-focused camps hope to remedy.
Beaverton mom Kim Maher says she saw the change in her daughter
Shannon, now 8, after her first week at a camp run by Tualatin Riverkeepers along the banks of the suburban river last year. Shannon came
home talking about lazy days spent fishing for crawfish and learning to
identify animal tracks, Maher says. Spurred on by her enthusiasm, the
entire family took a canoe trip down the river.
“Time in the outdoors helps kids build relationships with the land,”
says Heather Burns, an environmental education professor at Portland
State University. Many of her graduate students, she says, first got
interested in sustainability and the environment during summers spent
outside.
28 “Whether it’s climate
change or a polluted
river, making change
involves changing a
local system and living
within what the land
provides,” Burns says.
“If kids don’t know how
to do that, they won’t be
equipped to live sustainably.”
At Tualatin Riverkeepers
camps, kids spend a lot
of time kayaking and
canoeing, with plenty
of opportunities to pull
out for picnics and to
observe wildlife.
Exploration and
Discovery
Demand for nature
camps in the Portland area is high and
continues to grow, says
Tony Deis, who founded
Trackers Earth camps six years ago after spending time as an environmental educator with the Audubon Society of Portland. The camp
started with about 40 kids. Last year, nearly 2,200 were enrolled, from
day camps for preschool and elementary school kids to more elaborate
overnights for ‘tweens and teens. Their latest summer offerings include
a canoeing excursion around the Hawaiian islands and archaeological
expeditions through the inner American West.
Trackers tries to take kids back to the most basic of skills, pre-industrialized knowledge such as blacksmithing, boat building and foraging for food. Kids are taught not only how to start a fire and pitch a
tent, Deis says, but what to do if there’s no tent available – building a
shelter and weaving a sleeping bag out of cattail reeds. So often, Deis
says, nature is sanitized for kids, whether by safety-conscious parents
guiding them along well maintained trails or opting for organized
sports in well-tended parks rather than letting kids roam free in a
forest.
“The wilderness skills that we teach are valuable in terms of building competency and capacity to earn a living,” he says. “Nature requires a really complex set of problem solving skills that aren’t always
there in the paint-by-number curriculum.”
Summer Camp continues on page 30
IMAGE COURTESY OF TUALATIN RIVERKEEPERS
W
Kids have fun
while learning
wilderness survival
skills – like building
a shelter from
debris – at Trackers
Earth camps.
Summer Camps
29
Summer Camps
Looking for a Nature Camp?
Not surprisingly, the Portland metro area is rich in nature camp opportunities for kids of all ages, including traditional sleep-away camps
in natural settings. Here are a few to consider (you’ll find other nature
camp possibilities in our Summer Camps & Learning Guide, available
throughout the region wherever you pick up Metro Parent, and online at metro-parent.com):
Audubon Society of Portland, 5151 NW Cornell Rd.: 971-222-6120;
audubonportland.org
Camp Namanu, 10300 SE Camp Namanu Rd., Sandy: 971-340-1604;
503-224-7800; portlandcampfire.org
Friends of Tryon Creek Nature Day Camp, 11321 SW Terwilliger Blvd.:
503-636-4398; tryonfriends.org
Opal Creek Ancient Forest Center: Camps take place in the Opal Creek
Wilderness Area; 503-892-2782; opalcreek.org
Portland Parks and Recreation Nature Camp: Locations at parks
throughout Portland; 503-823-3601; portlandonline.com/parks
(Search “Nature Day Camp”)
Trackers Earth (TrackersNW): Camps explore various locations;
503-559-2825; trackerspdx.com
Tualatin Hills Park and Recreation District Nature Camps: Tualatin Hills
Nature Park, Cooper Mountain Nature Park and other parks throughout the Beaverton area; 503-629-6350; thprd.org
Tualatin Riverkeepers: Camps explore various locations; 503-620-7507;
tualatinriverkeepers.org
Zenger Farm, 11741 SE Foster Rd.: 503-282-4245; zengerfarm.org
Summer Camp continued from page 28
While Trackers tends to cast a broad net over the outdoors, the
Tualatin Riverkeepers day camp program is more tightly focused on
its namesake river. Often overshadowed by the showy Willamette, the
Tualatin River is a vital water source for people throughout Clackamas
and Washington counties.
“Our main goal is to have people build a relationship with their
watershed and become future boaters and future stewards,” says Lori
Kruse, environmental education and outreach coordinator for the
nonprofit group.
The Riverkeepers camp is for kids between the ages of 4 and 13,
with half-day camp options for the youngest kids and full days available for older ones. Sessions are structured around themes, Kruse says.
Younger kids might spend a day learning about bumblebees, drawing
pictures of them, finding pollen, making bumblebee antennae, taking
a hike to look for bees in their natural habitat (without getting too
close!) and talking about what they’ve learned. Older kids spend a lot
of time paddling in canoes and kayaks, pulling out for picnics and to
observe signs of local wildlife, like beaver slides and osprey nests.
“I get stories from parents that their children have taken them to
natural areas, showed them around and become their guides,” Kruse
says, “and sometimes families didn’t even know these natural areas
existed.”
Sherwood mother Margot Fervia says her 5-year-old son, Jonathan Neamtzu, came back from his days at the Riverkeepers camp
and taught her things she didn’t know before about nature and being
outside.
“One question answered leads to more questions asked,” she adds.
“It was that classic opportunity to go out and see what you can find in
wide open space.”
Summer Camps
31
Summer Camps
Summer Camp continued from page 30
A Camp-Farm Connection
IMAGE COURTESY OF TUALATIN RIVERKEEPERS
A bit closer in, Zenger Farm in outer southeast
Portland is a rural oasis in a sprawling urbanized
quadrant of the city. The year-round farm and summer
camp sits on 16 acres that was originally a dairy
farm, preserved by the city to protect its valuable
wetlands from being eaten up by development.
The farm was always intended to be a working
You never know
educational farm, a place for school kids to visit and
what you’ll find
out in the wild,
see firsthand where their food was coming from, says
if you just look
Alice Froehlich, the farm’s educational coordinator.
closely enough!
Summer camps began there six years ago and are
now available for students in first grade through high school, with the
oldest kids serving as counselors-in-training.
The youngest campers spend most of their time with the farm’s
animals, Froehlich says. They pick their snacks from the farm’s bounty,
explore the preserved wetlands and do art projects. As kids get older,
the focus turns more to the harvesting and preparation of food, even
planning menus based on what’s in season. As much time as possible is
spent outdoors, Froehlich adds, including periods set aside for quiet time,
for listening for the sounds of a cricket or a frog or smelling the pungent
scents of the barn.
“Getting kids outside makes them healthier and happier, and the more
people are out connecting to the land the better,” Froehlich says. “I’ve
seen children’s attitudes change, seen them feel proud when they have
ownership in a space and know how to identify the birds flying around
and the foods that they are harvesting.”
Summer Camps
33
Summer Camps
Northeast Portland
mom Stacey Marshall
says sending her daughter, Adaline Beaupre, to
camp at Zenger Farm for
a week gave the 8-yearold a chance to “get her
hands dirty, to learn
about dirt and worms
and composting. It’s
about them being able to
discover the wonderment
of getting down onto the
ground, of smelling the
grass and analyzing the
bugs.”
At the end of a week
Sometimes just having fun in the great outdoors is the best
of camp, Marshall says,
way to encourage kids to develop a bond with nature.
parents and campers
gather for a potluck dinner, including food the children have harvested and prepared. After the
meal, families are welcome to explore the farm.
“It reminded me,” Marshall says, “of what it felt like to be 8 years old
in the summer.”
Julia Silverman is a Portland freelance writer and the mother of twin
toddlers.
IMAGE COURTESY OF TRACKERS EARTH
Summer Camp continued
from page 32
35
m
y family isn’t big on
fast food, but every once in a
while we all crave a nice juicy
burger with fries and a shake.
If it’s affordable and quick, all
the better. That’s why we love
Burgerville.
With ingredients sourced
from local producers – including fresh, seasonal fruits and
vegetables – and a strong
commitment to sustainability, Burgerville lets us grab
a quick, tasty meal, whether
we’re in town or on the road,
without worrying about the
quality of the ingredients or
the destruction of any rain
forests.
Family Fare
Burgerville
Fast Food With a Sustainable
Northwest Twist
What’s Cooking: Burgerville burgers feature Country Natural Beef, Tillamook
cheddar cheese and other local
ingredients – many of them
seasonal – but there are plenty
Burgerville serves up traditional
of other options as well. You’ll
fast food fare while promoting
sustainability and supporting the
find white meat chicken tencommunity.
ders and chicken sandwiches,
IMAGES COURTESY OF BURGERVILLE
a turkey club or turkey burger,
vegetarian burgers, wild Alaskan halibut served as fish & chips or
in a sandwich, and some tempting fresh salads including Grilled
Chicken Club, Rogue River Smokey Blue, and Wild Smoked
Salmon & Hazelnut. In addition to the ever popular French
fries, seasonal sides include Walla Walla onion rings, Portobello
mushroom wedges and more. (April’s seasonal side is Rosemary
Shoestring Potatoes.) Breakfast options also are available.
Liquid Refreshment: It’s the usual suspects with a sustainable
twist, including fair trade coffee, Odwalla juice and lemonade,
and seasonal fresh berry shakes. (Of course, they’ve got soda,
too.) Shakes feature real ice cream and smoothies boast YoCream
nonfat frozen yogurt, as well as fresh, seasonal produce including
berries, cherries, pumpkin and hazelnuts (again, depending on the
season).
What’s Cool for Kids: Most kids crave familiarity, so the fact
that they can walk into a Burgerville anywhere in Oregon – and
many places in Washington – and find the same brightly lit,
clean and welcoming atmosphere is a big plus. The goodies
in Burgerville kids’ meals encourage children to be active and
creative, whether they get mini gardening tools with seeds and
biodegradable pots in spring, colored sidewalk chalk in summer,
or activity books in winter, to name a few. Learn more, and find
online activities for kids, at burgerville.com/kids.
36 Burgerville is also committed to supporting local schools,
hosting fundraising days on
which they donate a portion
of sales to your neighborhood
school. With middle and high
schools, they give the kids a
chance to participate in the fundraisers by greeting customers,
clearing trays and more.
What’s Cool for Earth Day:
Burgerville’s commitment
to sustainability runs deep,
informing every aspect of the
company’s operations. From using compostable cups and composting and recycling as much
waste as possible – including
recycling used cooking oil into
biodiesel fuel – to purchasing
100 percent renewable wind
power credits to offset all the
energy used at their locations
and corporate headquarters,
they walk their green business
practice talk.
As part of their ongoing
commitment to charitable giving, the company will make a
donation to EarthShare – a
national nonprofit helping connect people and organizations
with effective ways to support environmental causes – for every
customer who eats at Burgerville on April 20.
Ringing It Up: Burgers start at $1.29 for the Original and top out
at under $6 for the Half-Pound Colossal Cheeseburger. Chicken,
turkey, vegetarian and fish sandwiches run about $4 to $5. Salads
are available in half ($3 to $4) and full ($6 to $7) sizes. Shakes
range from about $2 to about $5.
Keep In Mind: If you’re concerned about calories, check out the
nutritional information available online (burgerville.com/ourfood/menu-nutrition/) to help you focus on healthier options. (If
you hold the spread on an original cheeseburger, for example,
you save 80 calories and seven grams of fat. Go for a 20-oz.
strawberry smoothie instead of a 16-oz. strawberry milkshake
and save 390 calories and 33 grams of fat!)
Concerned about food allergies? Check for ingredients and allergy information at burgerville.com/our-food/menu-nutrition/.
Where and When: Multiple locations throughout Oregon and
Washington. Check website for locations and hours. burgerville.
com.
37
g oin g p l a c e s w ith r a mon a
By Melissa
Favara
b
y the time this goes to print, Ramona will have
either gotten into the Spanish immersion kindergarten we’re gaming for or not. The stress of choosing a
school will be past. I’m already more relaxed about the
process than I was, though, because I’m confident in our
collective ability as a family to get Ro educated good and
proper wherever she ends up. Plus, she is already making
her own independent study of Hindi.
It’s not exactly independent. We give our friend
Uma, also 4, a ride home from daycare. A few
weeks ago I turned down NPR to listen to the
chirping voices emanating from the back seat:
“aik, do, teen, chaar … ” – Uma was counting
from one to ten in her family’s native language,
Ramona dutifully repeating after her. Radical!
Ro also learned “How are you?” (apa kaise
haim) and “I’m fine!” (maim thika hum).
Sweet Uma is one of Ramona’s least volatile friends, so she was
a natural choice, along with kind and calm Jascha, for my first solo
try at taking a gaggle of kids downtown for a great educational experience when I found myself the owner of four tickets to a Tears of
Joy Theatre puppet show. Tears of Joy has been staging high quality
shows in Portland since 1973. They’re dedicated to exposing kids to
puppet theater from diverse world cultures and encouraging kids to
perform themselves – a pretty good mission.
The play I had tickets to, “Bridge of the Gods,” was even more
special because it told a very local story about how the warring
brothers Wy’East and Klickitat got themselves turned into mountains
by not getting along – the same mountains we spy on clear days
crossing the Interstate Bridge. (Ramona often shouts, “Mama! Look at
this BEAUTIFUL VIEW!”).
Wearing the paper coyote masks they’d been invited to color in
the Portland Center for the Performing Arts lobby before the show,
Ro, Uma and Jascha held hands in the Winningstad Theater and
gasped at the man in buckskin and a coyote headdress hung with raccoon tails and feathers gamboling about the stage. They pointed at
the beautiful puppets crafted of handmade basket bodies and wizened
paper mache faces, the feathery owl puppet hooting over the pretend
fire.
They didn’t really notice the two puppeteers, Amy Clark and
Shuhe Hawkins, until the show was over and Clark and Hawkins invited the kids in the audience to touch the puppets and try their little
hands at making them move. It was only after we got home that I
realized I had just watched a Jewish child, a Hindi child, and my own
little Judeo-Christian kid equally connect to a Native American myth
about our own part of the world.
On the way home, Ramona suggested she and her friends vote on
which bridge to cross on the way back to the east side. It was a triumphant day for the Steel Bridge, and for me – I had only forgotten
the string cheese and fruit leathers Daddy had packed for us, and we
were all filled with that deep feeling that only live performance imparts. I couldn’t wait to go again. Tickets typically run $15 for kids,
but I suspect I’ll pony up for the next show. I decided to talk with
the performers to investigate why this live performance felt so much
more fulfilling than a movie.
A Theatrical View
of the World
38 “There’s no comparison between this kind of storytelling and a
piece of art that’s static,” offered Shuhe Hawkins. “The oral tradition
keeps stories alive, and witnessing live storytelling stokes children’s
creativity. It invites them to tell stories. As an arts educator, my job is
to impart to kids that anything is possible.”
Hawkins was speaking my language. We’re always looking for
ways to grow Ro’s brain, expand her options and her perspective, and
help her learn and imagine. I had a sense that the arts are good for
you from my own childhood attending a school that valued the arts,
but seeing Ramona’s coals blown to flame while she watched a beautiful story unfold with her friends hammered the point home.
It turns out our fair city agrees that this kind of experience is important. In 2008, the City of Portland embarked on a partnership with
the Regional Arts and Culture Council on the Right Brain Initiative,
an effort to bring art experiences to all Portland-area K-8 students by
integrating art into core curricula in public schools.
Mayor Sam Adams says, “The arts impart to students a willingness
to think creatively, to be open to new concepts and to imagine what
is possible beyond the limitations of the present. Early exposure to
the arts helps young people to become tomorrow’s innovators.”
I’m sold, especially as Ro requested paper and crayons to draw
the story of our puppet show experience just 23 minutes after we got
home.
Puppeteer Amy Clark, who helped design the puppets that so
struck my Ro, said, “This show is typical of Tears of Joy. The last line
in the play is ‘Learn a story. Then tell it.’”
I cannot wait to bring our intrepid group back for the next show,
“The Ugliest Duckling,” which I think will be educational indeed. It’s
Hans Christian Andersen’s classic tale set in Australia. The duckling is
actually a platypus.
“It’s different because the duckling never gets beautiful,” Shuhe
told me. “He stays weird looking, but it’s okay.”
If You Go
Tears of Joy Theatre: 503-248-0557; tojt.com. Performances at
Winningstad Theatre, 1111 SW Broadway. The Ugliest Duckling
runs April 8-17. Best for ages 4 & up. $15 children; $18 adults.
39
a n g e l s a mon g us
Oregon Lions Sight & Hearing Foundation
Knights of the Blind: Meeting Helen Keller’s Challenge
A Health Clinic on Wheels
The flagship service of the Foundation is the
Mobile Health Screening Program. The State of Oregon requires schools to screen the sight and hearing of all school children, but it doesn’t pay for the
screenings. So since 1994, the Foundation has been
providing health screening on a 65-foot-long truck
that travels all across Oregon, a “clinic on wheels.”
For children, the focus is on sight and hearing. For
adults, the Foundation adds diabetes, blood pressure and glaucoma screenings. The program screens
the health of 30,000 people (86 percent children)
per year. OLSHF also has developed screening kits
that do not require a truck, so now children can be
screened in the school gym.
Why does this work matter?
• 640,000 Oregonians are uninsured or under-insured. 118,000 of them are under 18.
• 60 percent of children with learning problems
have undiagnosed vision issues.
• 10 percent of Oregonians are hearing impaired.
over 400 refurbished hearing aids to people each
year. Over 35 years ago, Lions started the Lions Eye
Bank of Oregon. The Eye Bank provides “eye tissue” for corneal transplants that restore eye sight to
the blind. In total, the Lions Foundation helps over
100,000 people per year at an average cost of only
$10 per person.
Get Involved
Are the children at your school having their sight
and hearing screened each year? Want to sponsor a
public screening at your annual community event?
There are many ways to get involved, even if you’re
not a Lions Club member. You can easily be trained
to volunteer to help screen the sight and hearing of
children. The Foundation wants to work with PTAs
to supplement Lions volunteers.
To find out how to get involved or to make a tax
deductible contribution to OLSHF, visit orlions.org,
email [email protected] or call 503-413-7399.
COURTESY OF OREGON LIONS SIGHT AND HEARING FOUNDATION
A
ustin knew something was wrong with
his eyes. When the Oregon Lions Sight & Hearing Foundation (OLSHF) came to his school to
provide free eye exams for over 100 children,
the 11-year-old insisted he be looked at, yet his
parent had not returned the required consent
form. But Austin was adamant.
The Oregon Lions Sight and
“Don’t worry, my mom won’t be mad” he
Hearing Foundation provides
said. When staff could not reach Austin’s mom
screenings to over 30,000
on the phone, doctors from Casey Eye Instipeople (86 percent of whom are
children) in a mobile clinic and
tute made a brave decision. They gave Austin
at schools across Oregon.
an eye exam. As it turns out, he has advanced
stage glaucoma, a rare case in a child so
• 24 percent of Oregonians are not aware they have
young. With help, Austin’s vision likely will be
or are at risk for diabetes.
saved.
For over 75 years, Lions in Oregon have been
Approximately 4 percent of children have Amhelping children like Austin. Lions’ focus on sight
blyopia or “lazy eye,” a disorder that can result in a
and hearing began with an American legend. In
child losing vision in the affected eye. The disorder
1925, Helen Keller asked Lions Clubs at a national
is easily detected and can be treated, but if it is not
convention to take up her cause to prevent blindtreated by age 10 it cannot be fixed. The Foundation
ness and deafness. She beseeched them to become
estimates that Lions volunteers discover over 1,000
“Knights of the Blind.”
children with Amblyopia each year.
OLSHF was founded in 1959 as the statewide
The Lions Foundation also runs a statewide Low
charity arm of the Lions Clubs of Oregon. Fifty-one
Vision Clinic for children with disabilities, providing
years later, the Foundation is now a $1 million per
vision exams and adaptive equipment for over 150
year nonprofit organization with a staff of 10. The
children each year. In addition, the Foundation proFoundation does not make grants. Instead, the goal
vides funds for sight- and hearing-saving surgeries
of OLSHF is to screen, treat, save and restore sight
for uninsured Oregonians.
and hearing in order to prevent blindness and deafOregon Lions also collect, refurbish and distribness for those in need.
ute over 70,000 pairs of used eyeglasses and provide
41
fa mi ly c a lend a r
In the Spotlight
The Ugliest Duckling. Tears of
Joy’s magical puppets perform this
re-imagined version of the fairy
tale. Puppet making activities in
lobby before Sat and Sun shows.
Ages 3+. 7:30 pm April 8. 11 am
April 9, 16. 2, 4 pm April 10, 17.
$18 adults, $15 children, plus service charge. Winningstad Theatre,
1111 SW Broadway. 503-248-0557.
tojt.com.
Family
Favorites
Tears of Joy Theatre works
its magic on a re-imagined
version of The Ugly Duckling
beginning April 8.
photo courtesy of tears of joy
How I Became
a Pirate delivers
adventure and music
and fun for families
beginning April 30.
Earth Day. Earth Day is
officially April 22 but
we’ve listed events all
month designed to provide
fun and raise awareness
about our jobs as the
earth’s stewards. We’ve
featured a few here,
but our calendar also
lists, hikes, crafting
sessions and other
ways to honor
everyone’s
mother.
Oregon Garden
Earth Day Celebration.
Music, demos and more.
10 am-4 pm April 12.
FREE, with 2 cans food.
879 W Main St., Silverton.
503-874-8100. oregongarden.org.
SOLV IT for Earth Day. 75 worthy environment-enhancing
volunteer projects available in Portland. 9 am-1 pm April 16.
Call or visit website for details. 503-844-9571. solv.org.
photo by owen carey
How I Became a Pirate. Avast
me hearties! Oregon Children’s
Theatre presents this musical
pirate adventure. A pirate’s life is
great, but there’s nobody to tuck
you in or read you stories. Best
ages 4+. 2, 5 pm April 30, May 1,
7, 8 14, 15, 21, 22. Adults $19-24,
children $16-20, plus service
charges. Winningstad Theatre,
1111 SW Broadway. 503-2289571. octc.org.
Ag Fest. Touch, taste and
experience life on the farm. Dig
for potatoes, watch chicks hatch,
pedal mini-tractors, see farm
animals, pony rides, entertainment and so much more “farmily” fun. 8:30 am-5 pm April 30.
10 am-5 pm May 1. $7.50 adults, free
ages 0-12. Free parking. Oregon State
Fairgrounds, 2330 17th St. NE. Salem.
503-535-9353. oragfest.com.
42 Earth Day 2011. Crafts, info booths, games, face painting and
more. Noon-4 pm April 16. FREE, with can of food. VancouverClark Parks & Rec. at Marshall Community Center, 1009 E
McLoughlin Boulevard. 360-487-7100. cityofvancouver.us.
Earth Day Celebration. Music, entertainment, kids village,
workshops and classes. 10 am-7 pm April 23. FREE. Sponsored
by City Repair Project at Washington High School Field, SE 12th
and Stark. 805-637-5711. earthday.cityrepair.org.
A Billion Acts of Green. Crafts, dive presentations and lots
of environmental info. 10 am-4 pm April 23. Free w/admission:
$15.45 adults, $12.75 ages 13-17, $9.95 ages 3-12, free ages 2-0.
Oregon Coast Aquarium, 2820 SE Ferry Slip Road, Newport. 541867-3474. aquarium.org.
PHOTOS COURTESY OF
OREGON AG FEST
All city slicker kids could use a day on
the farm. The Oregon Ag Fest – April 30
and May 1 at the Oregon State Fairgrounds
– is the next best thing!
StreamTeam Earth Day Celebration. Wildlife entertainment,
kids’ activities. Environmental expression contest grades 3-12.
10 am-2 pm April 23. FREE. Salmon Creek Greenway, 1200 117th
Street, Vancouver. 360-992-8585. streamteam.net.
PHOTO COURTESY OF METRO
The Blue Lake Bunny Bonanza egg hunt –
frantic but fun – is just one of the many hunts
families can enjoy this month.
Easter Egg Hunts. The Easter Bunny really gets around the
metro area! We’ve gathered a basket of our favorite egg hunts and
events here. You’ll find more details and more egg hunts online at
metro-parent.com – look for Family Favorites on our calendar pages.
Southwest Community Center. Pancake breakfast, petting zoo,
photo opp with the bunny, egg hunt. 9 am-11 am, 10:30 am-12:30 pm
April 16. $15, pre-registration. 6820 SW 45th Ave. 503-823-2840. portlandonline.com/parks.
Pearl Bunny Hop. Easter-themed treasure hunt around the Pearl.
Noon-4 pm April 17. Free. Map at explorethepearl.com.
Conestoga Rec Center. Underwater egg hunt, inflatables, crafts. Ages
0-13. 6:30 pm-8:30 pm April 22. $7, in-district, pre-register. 9985 SW
125th Ave., Beaverton. 503-629-6313. thprd.org.
St. Johns Community Center. Flashlight egg hunt, crafts and more.
Ages 2 1/2-11. 8-9:30 pm April 22. $3 per trip through the bunny patch.
8427 N Central St. 503-823-3192. portlandonline.com/parks.
Alpenrose Dairy. Portland’s big hunt, arrive early. Ages 3-5 10:30 am,
moms 11:30 am and ages 6-8 12:30 pm April 23. FREE. 6149 SW Shattuck Rd. 503-244-1133. alpenrose.com.
Blue Lake Bunny Bonanza. Ages 0-4 hunt at 10:30. Ages 5-10 at
11 am April 23. FREE, $5 park fee. Blue Lake Regional Park, 20500 NE
Marine Dr., Fairview. 503-665-4995. oregonmetro.gov.
Cedar Hills Rec Center. Spring egg hunt, bunny photos. 10 am April
23. $6, in-district. 11640 SW Park Way. 503-629-6340. thprd.org.
Great Westside Easter Egg Hunt. Pony rides, petting zoo, egg hunts
and more. 9 am-3 pm April 23. FREE admission, charge for some activities. Washington County Fair Complex, 873 NE 34th Ave, Hillsboro.
503-640-1360. kuik.com.
Krugers Farm. Music, hay rides, 1 pm egg hunt. Noon-3 pm April 23.
FREE; food for purchase. 17100 NW Sauvie Island Rd. 503-621-3489.
krugersfarm.com.
Lake Oswego. Egg hunt, bunny appearance. Ages 0-8 only. 9 am
April 23. West End Building, 4101 Kruse Way. 503-675-2549. ci.oswego.
or.us
Rabbit Romp at the Oregon Zoo. Egg hunts every 20 minutes for
kids 0-10, kids 0-2 have their own hunt. Games, petting zoo and more. 9
am-3 pm April 23. Free w/admission: $10.50 adults, $7.50 kids 3-11, free
0-2. $2 to park. 4001 SW Canyon Road. 503-226-1561. oregonzoo.org.
43
Need more family fun ideas?
You’ll find MANY, MANY more events in our online calendar at Metro-Parent.com.
Metro Parent believes all calendar information to be correct as of the date of publication; however, you may want to call to confirm events as scheduling and other changes may occur.
April Family Calendar
Visit Metro-Parent.com for an expanded calendar
Friday, April 1
Go, Dog. Go! Northwest Chil-
dren’s Theater presents a musical,
tail-wagging good time. Ages 4+.
7 pm April 1. Noon, 3 pm April 2,
3. $22 adults, $18 kids, plus service
charge. NW Neighborhood Cultural
Center, 1819 NW Everett St. 503222-2190. nwcts.org.
Movie Night at Café Sip-n-Play.
Family-friendly movies. 5 pm
every Friday. 3000 SE 164th Ave.,
Vancouver. 360-896-4446. cafesipnplay.com.
Target FREE First Friday. Enjoy
the museum FREE from 4 -8 pm.
Portland Children’s Museum. 4015
SW Canyon Road. 503-223-6500.
portlandcm.org
Ladybug Nature Walks. PP&R
naturalist-led walks for the littlest
nature buffs. Ages 2-5. 10-11 am
every Friday. $3 per preschooler.
503-823-3601. portlandonline.com/
parks.
Story and Stroll. Naturalist led
walk, story time. Ages 3-6, with
grown-up. 1-2 pm April 1, 8, 15,
22, 29. FREE, pre-registration
required. Tryon Creek State Park,
11321 SW Terwilliger Blvd. 503636-9886 xt. 225. tryonfriends.org.
Wooden Shoe Tulip Fest. Tulips
in bloom and more. 9 am-6 pm
daily through May 1. $10 car
weekends, $5 weekdays. 33814 S
Meridian, Woodburn. 503-6342243. woodenshoe.com.
Saturday, April 2
Trillium Festival. Tryon Creek’s
annual festival celebrates this pretty
perennial. Guided hikes, crafts,
music, native plant sale and more.
10 am-4 pm April 2 and 3. FREE.
Tryon Creek State Natural Area,
11321 SW Terwilliger Blvd. 503636-4398. tryonfriends.org.
44 16, 23, 30. FREE. Tryon Creek State Park,
11321 SW Terwilliger
Blvd. 503-636-4398.
tryonfriends.org.
Doctors Express.
Grand opening of
urgent care clinic
with face painting,
fitness classes, health
tips and snacks. 9
am-6 pm. FREE.
17437 Boones Ferry
Rd, Lake Oswego.
503-766-2215. doctorsexpress.com/
lakeoswego.
Curious About
Community. The
Go, Dog. Go! See
April 1.
Movie Night at Café
Sip-n-Play. See April
1.
Sunday, April 3
Trillium and many other native
plants will be sold at the annual
Trillium Festival at Tryon Creek
on April 2.
Portland Children’s
Museum hosts community friends for
PHOTO COURTESY OF FRIENDS OF TRYON CREEK
storytimes, demos
The Rat’s Tale. Play After Play
and more. 10 am-4 pm April 2, 10
presents a story from China. Ages
am-2 pm April 3. Free w/admis2-8. 10 am April 2, 9. 2 pm April 3,
sion: $9 ages 1 and up. 4015 SW
10. $7, free ages 0-2. Brooklyn Bay,
Canyon Road. 503-223-6500.
1825 SE Franklin St. Bay K. 503portlandcm.org
772-4005. playafterplay.com.
Lakeshore Learning Crafts.
Creative crafts. Ages 3+. 11 am-3
pm. FREE. April 2: Friends Around
the World. April 9: Spring Chick.
April 16: Tote Bag. April 23: Bunny
Basket. April 30: Buzzing Bee.
16901 SW 65th Ave., Lake Oswego.
503-620-9888. lakeshorelearning.
com.
Rock, Gem and Craft Show.
Handprint Tiles. Make a great
Owls Are a Hoot. Guided walk
and craft. Ages 5-9 w/grown-up. 9
am-noon. $10/person, registration
required. Audubon Society, 5151
NW Cornell Rd. 503-292-6855.
audubonportland.org.
mother’s day gift. $22+. 10:30
am-5 pm April 2: Mother Natures,
2627 SE Clinton St. 10 am-4 pm
April 8: Plue, 4431 SE Woodstock.
10 am-5 pm April 9: MamaBaby,
4029 SE Hawthorn Blvd. 10 am-5
pm April 16: Hanna Andersson
Outlet, 7 Monroe Pkwy. 10 am-4
pm April 22: Little Urbanites, 916
NW 10th Ave. 10 am-4 pm April
23: Polliwog, 234 NE 28th Ave.
9:30 am-4 pm April 29: Kazoodles,
13503 SE Mill Plain Blvd., Vancouver. 10 am-4 pm April 30: Haggis
Mcbaggis, 6802 SE Milwaukie Ave.
503-658-7210. handprinttiles.com.
Rock hound fun. (Thunder) egg and
rock hunts April 2. 10 am-6 pm
April 2. 10 am-5 pm April 3. FREE.
Mt. Hood Rock Club at Mt. Hood
Community College Gym, 26000
SE Stark, Gresham. 503-760-1825.
mounthoodrockclub.com.
Kites! Kite-related crafts and
activities every April Sat and Sun
to go with display Colorful Kites of
China. Garden open 10 am-6 pm
daily. $8.50 adults, $6.50 ages 6-18,
free 0-5. Lan Su Chinese Garden,
239 NW Everett St. 503-228-8131.
lansugarden.org.
Guided Nature Walk. Explore the
forest at Tryon Creek. All ages w/
grown-up. 10-11:30 am April 2, 9,
Reading Fair. Uni-
versity of Portland
hosts games, crafts,
storytelling to celebrate reading. 1 free
book per child, while supplies last.
11am-3 pm. FREE. Chiles Center,
5000 N Willamette Blvd. 503-9437135. up.edu.
$2 Day. Explore OMSI for $2 every
first Sun. 9:30 am-5:30 pm. Parking
$2. 1945 SE Water Ave. 503-7974000. omsi.edu.
Sundays for Families. Gallery
tour (12:30 pm) art activities (1-3
pm) and stories (2:30 pm). April 3,
10, 17, 24. Free w/admission: $12
adults, free ages 0-17. Portland Art
Museum, 1219 SW Park Ave. 503226-2811. pam.org.
Go, Dog. Go! See April 1.
Trillium Festival. See April 2.
Curious About Community. See
April 2.
Rock, Gem and Craft Show. See
April 3.
The Rat’s Tale. See April 2.
Monday, April 4
Momtopia Mondays. Bunny hop,
crafts and more for kids; treats for
parents. Ages 0-6 w/parents. 10-11
am. FREE. Near Legacy Funland
(first level) at Lloyd Center. Lloydcenter.com. 503-282-2511.
Zoo’s Gone Wild. Spring break
enrichment, keeper talks and more.
10 am- 3 pm April 4-8. Free w/admission: $10.50 adults, $7.50 kids
3-11, free 0-2. $2 to park. Oregon
Zoo, 4001 SW Canyon Road. 503226-1561. oregonzoo.org.
Van Oodles’s Lunch Party. Kiddie rock. Ages 2-8. Noon April 4,
11, 18, 25. FREE, food for purchase. Warehouse Cafe, 3434 SE
Milwaukie Ave. 503-206-5766.
vanoodles.com.
Tuesday, April 5
Preschool Play & Skate. Skating,
songs, games and lesson. Ages 0-6.
10-11:30 am Tues/Wed. $5.50 per
child. Oaks Park, 7805 SE Oaks Park
Way. 503-233-5777. oakspark.com.
Baby Hour. Docent-led 45-min-
ute gallery tour, coffee hour after.
For grown-ups with baby age 0-1.
10-10:45 am tour, 10:45 coffee. $5
members, $12 non-members, preregistration encouraged. Portland
Art Museum, 1219 SW Park Ave.
503-226-2811. pam.org.
Symphony Storytime. Oregon
Symphony musician plays and
displays instrument, craft and story.
3:30-4:30 pm April 5, 12, 19, 26.
FREE. Sellwood-Moreland Library,
7860 SE 13th Ave. 503-988-5398.
multcolib.org.
Drop-in Craft. Projects for pre-
schoolers. 6-7 pm April 5, 12, 19,
26. FREE. Ledding Library, 10660
SE 21st, Milwaukie. 503-786-7580.
milwaukie.lib.or.us.
Zoo’s Gone Wild. See April 4.
Wednesday, April 6
Tadpole Tales. Story, crafts and
hike. Ages 3-5. 10 am-11:30 am
April 6, 13, 20, 27. $3 per child,
pre-register. Whitaker Ponds Natural Area, 7040 NE 47th Ave. 503281-1132. oregonmetro.gov.
Wondrous Wednesday. $3
admission to the World Forestry
Center Discovery Museum every
first Wed. 10 am-5 pm. 4033 SW
Canyon Road. 503-228-1367.
worldforestrycenter.org.
Ladybug Theater. Ages 2.5 +.
10:30 am. April 6, 7, 13, 14: The
Three Silly Goats Gruff. April 20,
21, 27, 28: Baby Bear and the
Beanstalk. $3.50, babes in arms
free, reservations please. Smile Station. 8210 SE 13th. 503-232-2346.
ladybugtheater.org.
Preschool Play & Skate. See April
5.
Thursday, April 7
The Adventures of Flat Stanley.
Make a Flat Stanley and take him
on adventures. FREE. 3:30-5:30 pm
April 7: Belmont Library, 1038 SE
39th Ave. 503-988-5382. 1-3 pm
April 30: Gregory Heights Library,
7921 NE Sandy Blvd. 503-9885386. Multcolib.org.
Penny’s Puppets at Café Sip-nPlay. Puppet show. 10 am. FREE w/
paid admission to play area. 3000
SE 164th Ave., Vancouver. 360896-4446. cafesipnplay.com.
Ladybug Theater. See April 6.
Friday, April 8
Super Seedlings. Families learn
to start seeds, transplant. Ages
3-12, w/grown-up. 6-7 pm April 8.
6:30-7:30 pm April 11. $5-$25 sliding scale. Location on registration.
Growing Gardens. 503-284-8420.
growing-gardens.org.
Bumblebee Strolls. Listen for
birds, search for animal signs and
more. Ages 3-5 w/adult. 10-11 am
April 8, 22. $3 child (resident), $8
(nonresident). Wilderness Park,
22101 Clark St., West Linn. Preregistration required: westlinnoregon.
gov.
The Ugliest Duckling. See In the
Spotlight.
Ladybug Nature Walks. See April
1.
Story and Stroll. See April 1.
See April 1.
Handprint Tiles. See April 2.
Saturday, April 9
Pedal Nation. Bike convention
with kid zone, cool bike displays,
more. 10 am-6 pm April 9, 10 am-5
pm April 10. $10 at door, free ages
0-12 with paid adult. Oregon Convention Center, 777 NE MLK Blvd.
603-887-3084. pedalnationevents.
com.
Lakeshore Learning Crafts. See
April 2.
Tuesday, April 12
Young Artists. Concert by nine
talented classical soloists ages
10-18. Best ages 6+. 7:30 pm. $15$25. Newmark Theatre, 1111 SW
Broadway. 503-245-4885. metroartsinc.org.
$4 Zoo Tuesday. Visit the Oregon
Zoo for $4 per person. 9 am-4 pm.
4001 SE Canyon Road. 503-2261561. oregonzoo.org.
Fairy Tale Party. Stories, crafts,
games. Ages 3-6, w/grown-up.
FREE. 6:30-7:30 pm April 12:
Fairview-Columbia Library, 1520
NE Village St. 503-988-5655.
10:30-11:30 am April 23, tickets 30
minutes prior. Capitol Hill LIbrary,
10723 SW Capitol Hwy. 503-9885385. multcolib.org.
5.
The Pedal Nation Bicycle Show, on April 9 and 10, highlights all-thing-bike, promising fun, information
and more for families.
ist-led, drop-in activities along trail.
10 am-1 pm. FREE. Tualatin River
National Wildlife Refuge, 19255
SW Pacific Hwy., Sherwood. 503625-5944. fws.gov/tualatinriver.
FREE Family Day at Washington
County Museum. Crafts, activities
and more with St. Pat’s theme. 10
am- 2 pm.17677 NW Springville
Rd. (PCC Rock Creek Campus).
503-645-5353. washingtoncountymuseum.org.
Learning to Look. Guided gallery
tour aimed at kids. 10 am ages 3-5
with grown-up, 11 am kids ages
6-11 with grown up. $5 members
and children, $12 non-members.
Portland Art Museum, 1219 SW
Park Ave. 503-226-2811. pam.org.
Second Saturday. Reptile show,
crafts and fun. Ages 3-12. 1-3 pm.
FREE. Water Resources Education
Center, 4600 SE Columbia Way.
360-487-7111. cityofvancouver.us/
watercenter.
Spotlight.
1.
See April 1.
Guided Nature Walk. See April 2.
5.
Creature Feature. See April 5.
Sunday, April 10
Family Adventure Day. Natural-
Symphony Storytime. See April
Drop-in Craft. See April 5.
Hearing Voices. Washington
County Library’s storytelling
festival kicks off today and runs
through April 16. Ages 6+ unless
noted otherwise. FREE. 1 pm: Ken
Iverson and Kelly Hoffman. Tigard
Public Library, 13500 SW Hall Blvd.
503-684-6537. wccls.org/voices.
Penny’s Puppets at the Warehouse. 1:15-2 pm. $5 person, $17
Earth Day. See Family Favorites.
Wednesday, April 13
Wild About Cooper Mountain.
Walk, stories, craft and more. Ages
4-6. 1-3 pm April 13, 20, 27. $13.
18892 SW Kemmer Rd., Beaverton.
503-629-6350. oregonmetro.gov.
family of 4, non-walkers free. 3434
SE Milwaukie Ave. 503-282-9207.
portlandgreenparenting.com.
5.
Pedal Nation. See April 9.
Tadpole Tales. See April 6.
Spotlight.
Sundays for Families. See April 3.
Hearing Voices Storytelling.
Monday, April 11
Mondays on the Mall. Video
gaming truck 11:30 am-1:30 pm,
SW 5th/Oak. Get a caricature
drawing noon-2 pm, SW 5th/Taylor. Musician Scott Head performs
noon-1 pm SW 6th/Jefferson.
FREE. portlandmall.org.
Super Seedlings. See April 8.
Van Oodles’s Lunch Party. See
April 4.
Thursday, April 14
Gene Tagaban: 7 pm. Banks Public
Library, 111 Market St. 503-3241382. Kelly Hoffman: 7 pm.
Tualatin Public Library, 18878 SW
Martinazzi Ave. 503-691-3074.
FREE. wccls.org/voices.
Friday, April 15
Family Friday Concerts. Classical
Revolution PDX performs. 7:15 pm.
FREE, $5 person donation sug-
47
gested. Community Music Center,
3350 SE Francis St. 503-8233177. communitymusiccenter.
org.
Autism Walk-a-Thon. Raise
money for autism. Registration
open 9:30 am, walk at 10:30 am,
rides open 11 am. Entertainment
and crafts. Registration $12
adult, $9 child. Oaks Park, 7805
SE Oaks Park Way. 503-636-1676.
firstgiving.com.
Newt Watch. Nature night out
to look for wildlife. Ages 6-11.
6-9 pm. $25. Cooper Mountain
Nature Park Interpretive Center,
15655 SW Millikan Way,
Beaverton. 503-629-6350.
oregonmetro.gov.
Ladybug Nature Walks. See
April 1.
See April 1.
Kids in Nature: Signs of
Spring. All about woodpeck-
PHOTO COURTESY OF CANSTRUCTION
Yes, we CAN … build amazing structures with
canned food, that is. Check out Canstruction,
a benefit for the Oregon Food Bank, at Pioneer
Place April 25 through 30.
Saturday April 16
KidFest. Family fair with enter-
tainment, info and fun - emphasis
on camps, babies, sports. 10 am-6
pm April 16, 10 am-5 pm April 17.
$5 adults, free ages 0-3, $20 family.
Parking $7. Portland Expo Center,
2060 N Marine Dr. 360-514-0767.
kidfestnw.com.
Elephantastic! Celebrate the
Oregon Zoo’s pachyderms with
training sessions, games and your
own elephant ears. Packy gets cake
at 2 pm. 10 am- 4 pm. Free w/
admission: $10.50 adults, $7.50
kids 3-11, free 0-2. $2 to park. 4001
SW Canyon Road. 503-226-1561.
oregonzoo.org.
Spring Gala Concert. Portland
Symphonic Girlchoir performs. 2
pm. $20 adults, $10 student, $45
family. Zion Lutheran Church,
1015 SW 18th Ave. 503-226-6162.
girlchoir.com.
Parents’ Survival Night. Kids
April 29
8 pm
Curious Comedy Theater
5225 NE MLK
Visit
jackikane.com
for info
48 have fun with physical fitness,
games, music and more and parents
get a night to themselves. Ages
3-12. 6-9:30 pm. Call for details.
503-595-9702. tlglakeoswegoor.
com.
Hearing Voices Storytelling. Jeff
Gere: 10:30 am. Sherwood Public
Library, 22560 SW Pine St. 503625-6688. Gene Tagaban: 12:302:30 pm. Beaverton City Library,
12375 SW 5th St. 503-644-2197.
Festival Finale with all 4 storytellers: 7 pm Garden Home Community Library, 7475 SW Oleson Rd.
503-245-9932. FREE. wccls.org/
voices
Spring Fest. Plant a seed, crafts,
face painting and more. 10 am-6
pm. FREE. Handmade Local Market,
7702 NE 219th St., Battle Ground.
360-576-5848. handmadelocalmarket.com
OPB Day with the Kratt Brothers. The goofy zoologists from Zo-
boomafoo answer questions; enjoy
crafts and more. Check website for
hours. FREE, museum admission
and parking not included. OMSI,
1945 SE Water Ave. 503-797-4000.
omsi.edu.
OHS Family Day. Native American
arts demos, tour museum. 11 am-3
pm. 2 kids FREE w/ 1 paid adult
$11. Oregon Historical Society,
1200 SW Park Ave. 503-222-7141.
ohs.org.
Earth Day. See Family Favorites.
Spotlight.
See April 1.
April 2.
Easter Egg Hunts. See Family
Favorites.
Sunday, April 17
Latino Cultural Festival. En-
tertainment, games and family
resource information. Noon-5 pm.
FREE. Civic Center, 150 E Main St.
503-648-1102. hillchamber.org.
ers. Ages 4-7, w/grown-up.
10-11:30 am. $10 child/adult
pair, pre-registration required,
Tryon Creek State Natural Area,
11321 SW Terwilliger Blvd. 503636-4398. tryonfriends.org.
Spotlight.
KidFest. See April 16.
Favorites.
Monday, April 18
Mondays on the Mall. Star in
your own photo shoot 11:30 am1:30 pm SW 5th/Mill. Listen to
Gerardo Caldern noon-1 pm, SW
6th/Main. Buckman Elementary
Marimba Band, noon-1 pm, SW
6th/Oak. FREE. portlandmall.org.
April 4.
Tuesday, April 19
Reading Makes You Feel Good.
Author Todd Parr reads, signs
books, answers questions (1 free
book/family while supply lasts).
Ages 3-6. FREE. 10:15 April 19:
Hillsboro Public Library, 2850 NE
Brookwood Pkwy. 3:30 pm April
20: Beaverton City Library, 12375
SW Fifth St. 4 pm April 21: Tigard
Public Library, 13500 SW Hall Blvd.
503-648-9809 xt. 5. wccls.org.
5.
5.
Wednesday, April 20
5.
49
Sunday, April 24
Canstruction. See April 25.
Monday, April 25
Canstruction. Teams build structures/sculptures from cans of food
9 am-5 pm April 25. Creations on
display 10 am-8 pm April 26-30,
11 am-6 pm May 1. Watch FREE.
Public votes by donation. After
display, food goes to Oregon Food
Bank. Pioneer Place Mall, 700 SE
Fifth Ave. canstruction.org.
April 4.
Tuesday, April 26
There are lots of opportunities this month to get the kids out exploring nature – like Tadpole Tales, featuring a hike, a story and crafts. See April 6.
Wild about Cooper Mountain.
See April 13.
Favorites.
See April 19.
Favorites.
Thursday, April 21
Saturday, April 23
See Family Favorites on pages 42
and 43 for Easter Egg Hunts and
Earth Day Events.
Kindie Concerts. Great kid music.
to George at 9:30, 11:30 am. Jam
with Johnny 10 am, noon. Free w/
admission: $9. Portland Children’s
Museum, 4015 SW Canyon Road.
503-223-6500. portlandcm.org
10 am-noon. April 23: Mr. Ben,
Professor Banjo, Matt Clark, The Alphabeticians. April 30: Mo Phillips,
Johnny & Jason, The Toy Trains.
$8 adults, $4 kids. Curious Comedy
Theater, 5225 NE MLK. 503-2315753. squaredancepaul.com
Running For Risa. Fundraiser runs
Meet Curious George. Say hi
See April 19.
Friday, April 22
Recycled Art. Turn cast-offs into
for teen with cancer, insurance
classed as pre-existing condition.
Fun run 0.7 mile, $5, 10 am. Longer runs too! Info runningforrisa@
gmail.com. Henry Hagg County
Park, 50250 SW Scoggings Valley
Rd. Gaston, runningforrisa.com.
art. FREE. 3-5 pm April 22. Kenton Library, 8226 N Denver Ave.
503-988-5370. 2-4 pm April 23.
Midland Library, 805 SE 122d Ave.
503-988-5392. multcolib.org
See April 1.
April 2.
Bumblebee Strolls. See April 8.
Fairy Tale Party. See April 12.
50 Preschool Play & Skate. See April
5.
5.
El dia de los ninos/ El dia de
los libros (Children’s Day/Book
Day). Enjoy bilingual story time,
Spanish songs and dances, face
painting, snacks and multicultural
fun. Ages 1-12. 5-7 pm. FREE. 1933
Fort Vancouver Way Vancouver,
WA 98663 Gaiser Student Center.
360-992-2977. clark.edu.
Open the Doors to Dance. Bea-
verton student troupe Dance West
performs. 7:30 pm April 29, May 1.
2 pm April 30. $12.50-$18. ACMA
Performing Arts Center, 11375 SW
Center, Beaverton. 503-672-3700 xt
9. beaverton.k12.or.us.
Faire in the Grove. Dance, music,
storytelling, juggling, medieval
combat demos and more. 3 pmdusk April 29. 10 am-dusk April 30.
10 am-3 pm May 1. FREE admission. McMenamins Grand Lodge,
3505 Pacific Ave., Forest Grove.
Faireinthegrove.com.
1.
See April 1.
Wednesday, April 27
Mariachi Viva Mexico. Six-piece
band plays lively music. 6:30-7:30
pm. FREE. Fairview-Columbia Library, 1520 NE Village St. 503-9885655. multcolib.org.
5.
Wild about Cooper Mountain.
See April 13.
1.
See April 1.
Shell Show. Exotic shells on
display. 9:30 am-5:30 pm April
26-May 1. Free w/admission: $12
adults, $9 ages 3-13. Parking $2.
OMSI, 1945 SE Water Ave. 503797-4000. omsi.edu.
Friday, April 29
Thursday, April 28
FREE Preschool Piano Intro.
Ages 3-5, w/grown-up. 1-1:45 pm.
FREE, registration required (info@
MusicWerksStudio.com). Milagros
Boutique, 5433 NE 30th Ave. 503287-5028. musicwerksstudio.com.
Saturday, April 30
Ponta & The Big Drum. Portland
Taiko performs a Japanese tale
about a badger. Ages 5+. 11 am
April 30, May 1, 7. 1 pm May 1, 8.
$18.25 adult, $12.25 children/students, plus service charge. Brunish
Hall, 1111 SW Broadway. 503-2882456. PortlandTaiko.org.
Paper Airplane Construction!
Learn to make cool aircraft and
fly in the library. Ages 9+. 3-4:30
pm. FREE. Troutdale Library, 2451
SW Cherry Park Rd. 503-988-5355.
multcolib.org.
How I Became a Pirate. See In
the Spotlight.
Ag Fest. See In the Spotlight.
Parties
See April 1.
The Adventures of Flat Stanley.
See April 7.
April 2.
Open the Doors to Dance. See
April 29.
Calendar Deadline Details. The
calendar submission deadline is
the 1st of the month preceding the
month of publication. All submissions must be made in writing and
e-mail submissions are preferred:
[email protected].
classifieds
activities
American Sign Language
Workshops, Playgroups & Story Times
With Local Children’s Author
Dawn Prochovnic, MA / 503.223.5622
www.SmallTalkLearning.com
~Teaching Children to Sign~
~Since 1999~
preschools
Co-op Preschools
Call or email PCPO for the
parent participation
preschools near you.
(503) 293-6161, [email protected]
www.oregonpreschools.org
rummage sale
Brooklyn Preschool
Rummage Sale, April 15-16
Friday 9-3 & Saturday 9-2
2901 SE Steele, 97202
OVER 30 FAMILIES! SOMETHING
FOR EVERYONE!
surrogacy
Creating Families
through Surrogacy
www.ggscnw.com
vacation
Plan a Family Getaway
in Sunriver!
3 BR/2BA, Full Kitchen, Many Extras
$125/Night + Tax/Hskg: 503.349.4970
email: [email protected]
http://web.me.com/dawn
prochovnic/Sunriver/Welcome.html
Advertiser’s index
ABC Doula ................11
Academy Theater.......40
Ag Fest......................46
Amiquitos..................31
Bob Eaton Magic.......51
Bob’s Red Mill...........23
Bodhi Tree Language
Center.......................35
Café Sip-n-Play..........37
Camp Invention.........33
Camp Nor’wester......31
Camp SCRAP.............30
CCLC.........................19
Childbloom® Guitar
Program of Portland..10
Children of The Sea....18
Chinook Book............26
Christian Youth
Theater......................29
CLASS Academy..........9
Clever Cycles.............23
Clogs -N- More Kids..18
ClubSport..................33
Council on International
Education..................27
Dentistry for Kids.........2
Dentistry for Teens.......3
Do Jump....................34
Doctors Express.........52
D’Onofrio &
Associates.................11
EcoMaids of Portland..25
EinsteinWise..............31
Energy Trust...............25
The French American
School.......................37
Gateway Women’s
Clinic...........................7
George Fox................46
Handprint Tiles...........47
Harmony Road/Westside
Music........................33
Hidden Valley Camp...32
Hop
(Universal Pictures)....21
Hopworks..................23
In a Child’s Path.........33
The International
School.......................35
Internet CEO Moms ....8
JLM Insurance
(Jay Monteblanco).......6
Just Between Friends
Sale...........................23
Kid Institute
of Technology............32
KidFest........................5
Kids Like Languages..32
Kindermusik................8
Kohl’s Car Seat Community Outreach........15
Lakeshore Learning... 49
Larry Steele Basketball
Camp........................31
Laurelwood...............25
Learning Palace...........8
Legacy Emanuel.........13
Little Garden
Preschool...................35
The Little Gym...........29
Little Smiles...............10
Mad Science..............34
Mama Makeover.......49
MetroArts Day
Camp........................31
Metro Mountain
Climbing....................51
Micha-el School.........35
Momtopia Mondays..19
Multisensory Learning
Academy.....................7
Music Together..........11
Musikgarten..............27
Northwest Primary
Care..........................11
Northwest Surrogacy
Center.........................8
NW Children’s
Theater......................33
NW Dance Theater.....27
Oaks Park..................51
OHSU Center for
Spoken Language......41
OHSU Doernbecher
Children’s Hospital.....39
OHSU Infant Study.....18
OHSU NurseMidwives...................12
Old McDonald’s
Farm..........................32
Oregon Children’s
Theater......................45
Oregon Connections
Academy...................37
Oregon Episcopal
School.......................34
Oregon Healthy Kids
Program....................41
Oregon Hope Chinese
School.......................37
Oregon Music Teachers
Association................12
Oregon Partnership to
Immunize Children....17
Oregon Zoo...............43
OSU Degrees
Online...................7, 41
Our World Learning
Center.......................27
Pediatric Urgent
Care..........................10
Pelonca School
of Music....................30
Penney’s Puppets … 51
The Portland French
School.......................49
Portland Japanese
Garden......................46
Portland School
Project ......................15
Portland Taiko............37
PPS Russian Immersion
Program....................12
Preserve (Harriet
Fasenfest)..................26
The Reading Toolkit...37
Royal Ridges..............33
RubySky Coaching.....11
Run Like a Mother.....35
Run Mama Run.........11
Small Friends.............41
Stagecoach Theater...34
Sunriver Resort..........27
Swallowtail School.......6
Sweet Peas
Kidzone.................8, 51
Thorsen’s Surrogate
Agency........................6
Tidee Didee...............25
Tillamook Forest
Center.......................48
Time Out:
Mamalogues.............48
Tualatin Hills Park &
Recreation.................29
U of O Academic
Extension...................30
The Vancouver Clinic....7
Willowbrook Camp....34
Woodhaven School....34
51

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