Theater

Diary of a Worm, a Spider, and a Fly- Oregon Children’s Theatre

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This weekend, we headed downtown to see Diary of a Worm, a Spider, and  a Fly at Oregon Children’s Theatre.  Always one for a theme, I decided to take my own spider- a.k.a Nugget in a Spider-Man sweatshirt.  Chicken and Nugget had read some, but not all, of the books in the series.  While they are not our go-tos, both kids have positive associations with the stories.

This visit we happened to get to do one of our favorite theater things- a backstage tour!  One of the many perks of being a subscriber at Oregon Children’s Theatre is the opportunity to go on a backstage tour led by Ross McKeen, the managing director of the theater.  You meet in the lobby area an hour before the performance, and are taken through the stage door just like the actors.  Mr. McKeen explains the different areas such as the green room, dressing room, the expectations for the actors, etc.  Of course the coolest part is getting to walk onto the stage and see the set and props up close.  Interesting facts or stories are told about different props and the development of the set.  You get to see the complicated rope pull area that moves curtains and stage elements, as well as see how the lights are set up.  You even get to take pictures on stage.  Nugget, of course, asked all sorts of random questions.  Our leader kindly took him seriously and answered each and every one.  The tour itself usually only takes 20 to 30 minutes, plenty of time for a bathroom break and snack before the show officially begins.  We have had fun trying to find a special prop or element we saw on stage and seeing if we can remember to identify it during the play.  This time, Nugget spotted a wig with soda cans used as rollers.  He was so excited when he saw it worn on stage!

The play itself is very cute.  It is a musical that combines different elements from various stories in the series.  The play’s storyline follows Worm, Spider, Fly, their friends Ant and Butterfly, as well as the teacher, Mrs. McBee, over the course of a school year.  Our insect friends face typical developmental challenges in a fun and accessible way- what do I want to be when I grow up?  Where do I fit in my family?  How am I the same as and different from my friends?  The music had the kids moving in their seats, and lots of giggles were heard throughout the theater.

The set is fun, comprised of oversized items that might be attractive to bugs- a pizza box, coffee cup complete with a lipstick smudge, soup can, etc.  Simple elements help creatively move us from the bugs’ outdoor world, to the rooms as they write in their diaries, and to their classroom for group discussions and presentations.

We have seen a couple of the actors in other plays, and this production very well casted really allowed them each to shine.  The teens in Oregon Children’s Theatre plays are so talented and professional, and it is fun to watch them grow on stage.

After the show we took advantage of the meet-and-greet with the cast.  This cast is made up of primarily middle school and and high school students, and they were all so sweet with the children coming for autographs.

As with most OCT plays, the run time is about an hour.  I would say the target audience is probably pre-school through second grade or so.  It’s an enjoyable show, even more so if you are familiar with the books.

So….

What it is: a familiar story to younger children, an appropriate length for younger audiences, a fun musical, family friendly, a positive message, creative staging

What it’s not: the best fit for upper elementary students

Tickets to the show can be found here:  https://www.octc.org/#index

 

Day Trips, Spring and Summer Activities

Bonneville Dam and Fish Hatchery

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Chicken is a Girl Scout and I am one of the the troop’s fearless (well, fearful) leaders.  Spring has arrived and so has overnight trip season.  This time, we were headed to the Girl Scout camp outside of Stevenson, Washington.  After our weekend there, we decided to break up the drive home with stops at Bonneville Dam as well as the fish hatchery.

I remember going to both of these places as a child, but as my only clear memory was of the Herman the sturgeon, I was curious to return.  We headed to the dam first.  We arrived with enough time to sign up for a tour, go downstairs to the fish viewing area, and take a quick peek at the gift shop.

The girls really enjoyed the fish viewing area.  There are several windows and you can see the fish as they attempt to make their way up the fish ladder.  There are informational sheets available to help you figure out what kind of fish you are seeing, and there is a measuring tape at the bottom of the window should you wish to try and estimate the size of the fish that swim by.  The number of fish you will see varies with the time of year.  Also in the downstairs area is information about the natural and hatchery life cycle of the fish, history of the facility, and other educational displays.

When we headed back upstairs for the tour, we found Ranger Meg waiting for us as well as a couple of families.  She spoke for 20 minutes or so about the dam, it’s history, it’s function, and how it works.  A slide presentation gave nice visuals, and she was able to answer all questions the kids asked.  She even had a bag of props that the kids got to use to create a mock-up of how the dam works.  This part felt very targeted for kids, and I don’t know if it would be part of a tour leaning more the the adult end of the age spectrum.

We then followed Meg outside and stood by the fish ladder as she share more information about the ladder and answered even more questions from the kids.  The tour continues to the powerhouse.  The Ranger put on a microphone headset and continued providing information.  There are also display items available to look at, mostly related to the history of the plant.  The power generators happened to be turned off while we were in there, but it would have been interesting to see them in action.

As we were leaving, we happened to catch a free nature show.  The Ranger had pointed out an osprey nest that had been built on one of the towers, and we got to see the osprey defending her nest from an interested bald eagle.  “It’s like the Avengers!,” one of the girls shouted.  Not quite, but it was still pretty cool.

Free tours of the dam are available 3 times per day.  Space is limited, so you may wish to plan ahead if you have your heart set on participating in one.  There is also a Junior Ranger program if that is something your kids would be interested in.  They complete a variety of activities determined by their age that we were told take about 30 minutes.  Once complete, they get “sworn in” as official junior rangers.  We didn’t quite have time for it during our visit, but it sounded like a fun opportunity.

The hatchery is a few minutes away and is a self tour.  You get to see the hatchery outdoor tanks full of different kinds of fish at different growth stages.  The highlight was definitely feeding the trout.  For $.25 you can purchase a handful of fish food and toss it to the excited fish.  It seems that they remain excited no matter how much food gets sent their way, and the girls were excited to see the fish jostle each other for food- sometimes coming partially out of the water.  Just past the feeding pond is the sturgeon pond, where you can see fish up to 13 feet long.  If you go down the stairs towards what looks like a little white house, you can look through a window and see into the water for a view of numerous fish.  There is also a gift shop with the all important espresso bar.

Overall, the girls seemed to enjoy the experiences and the general consensus was that they preferred the hatchery.

So….

What it is: a day trip from the Portland area, free, educational, a good spot for homeschool field trips, a good spot to break up a longer drive, a good way to bring engineering to life in a fun and practical way

What it’s not: a place we would make a special trip for

Do we recommend it?  Kind of.  It’s a great spot to break up a longer drive, and we did enjoy the hatchery in particular.  While it may be a bigger hit with kids who are really into engineering or learning about fish, I don’t know that we would make the trip with this as our sole destination.

Theater

Jason and the Argonauts- Oregon Children’s Theatre

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When I first read about Oregon Children’s Theatre’s Jason and the Argonauts play, I had reservations.  Serious ones.  When it came time to renew our subscription, I read the brief summary provided which indicated that two adult men were going to use action figures and paper boats to reenact the classic tale.  Immediately, visions of creepy guys who make you want to run a background check  playing with G.I Joes on YouTube popped into my mind.  I debated whether this was one we really needed to see.  But, Oregon Children’s Theatre has never let us down and I as I have nothing but faith in their judgement and production capabilities, I put our theater fate in their hands and bought the tickets.

This weekend, it was time to find out what we had gotten ourselves into.  When I attempted to explain the play to the kiddos, Chicken simply raised her eyebrows, gave me a skeptical look, and carried on with her business.  Apparently not my best sales pitch.  Nugget, however, was immediately on board.  “You mean they’re going to play with Star Wars toys?  Cool!!”  Not quite, I told him, but all he cared about was that he was going to see someone play with toys.  Whatever floats your boat, buddy.

We left early enough to stop and have a treat at the Starbucks near theater.  If you read this blog, you will notice a theme here.  Things always go better when mom is caffeinated. Then we headed over to check out the pre-show activities.

This time, the activity was folding paper into a boat.  At least that was the intent.  There were laminated instruction sheet with visual instructions. Apparently we fail in the visual spatial skills department and couldn’t figure it out, so we scrapped that plan and made some more than adequate paper envelopes and airplanes.  We were sufficiently pleased with ourselves.

We then settled into our seats, occupying our time with the word searches found in the program, and I continued questioning my decision to come.  The lights went down, I took a deep breath, and the show began.  And about 30 seconds in we were hooked.

This show is as far from a creepy YouTube video as you can get.  The main characters, Josh and Andy, guide us through our journey, moving flawlessly between the variety of characters they play.  As Josh and Andy, they are charming, endearing, hilarious, and I walked away kind of wanting to invite them for a play date.  They take turns playing Jason, Hercules, argonauts, princesses, kings, old men, and a range of other characters and each character is distinct due to their impressive talent.  The action figures are used to perfection, mirroring the movements of the actors and vice versa.  The toys add humor, interest, and really function as supporting cast members.

Any time the play becomes a bit intense, possibly scary for littles, or goes down the path of the classic tale long enough that the younger patrons become a bit wiggly, humor is inserted at the perfect time to re-engage even the youngest viewers.   The show was so well done, you could feel the mood shifting in the auditorium as the actors moved between characters and the tone changed.  You rarely have a perfectly silent auditorium at a children’s theater, when children honor the silent pauses that hold emotion created by the actors, but this happened several times and audience members were captivated by what was happening on stage.  A noteworthy feat.

Nugget was delighted each time Spiderman made an appearance (no, he’s not in the original version), Chicken lost it when a modified version of the theme song from Titanic was sung, Nugget cheered during the sword fights, and they both sat open mouthed when a wind machine was used to blow up an inflatable tail that was attached one of the actors in order to turn him into a monster.

The lighting is beautiful and enhanced a simple but creatively functional set.  What initially appears to be a simple wooden cart transforms into a giant paper boat, a king’s throne, and later comes apart to become two pieces of set.  A wooden box functions as a toy box, prop holder, seat, and ship anchor.

I think the recommended age of 7 and up is about right.  Nugget didn’t really follow the complete story line (his summary was “it’s two guys looking for a really cool coat”), but he laughed and can’t stop talking about how funny it was.  Chicken tends to be a pretty serious theater goer and isn’t known for having strong reactions during the actual shows, although she usually has plenty to say afterwards.  This time, I heard her laugh out loud over and over again, sometimes even throwing her head back.  It was really fun to see.  She leaned over more than once to whisper “this is so good!”  Nugget clapped enthusiastically at the end, and he is definitely not one to applaud if he does not mean it.  Then he couldn’t get out of the theater fast enough to go meet the cast.

Possibly due to having only two cast members and/or the smaller audience size (it’s held in the Winningstad which has a lower seating capacity), the actors took time to chat with each child longer than I have found is typical there.  They asked each child about their favorite part, and provided a response to the child’s answer.  They were nice when Nugget asked them each to sign his program in three specific spots (the cover, their picture, and the word search), and briefly talked Timbers with him when they noticed his Timbers gear.  One even tried to prove that his beard was real when Nugget asked why he didn’t have a beard in the advertising materials.

Overall, this was definitely our favorite show of the season so far and is for sure in the top three that we have seen there.  If you are going to take your kiddo to one show this season, take them to this one.

So…

What it is: hilarious, smart, engaging, an incredibly talented cast, a perfect length for younger viewers (about 70 minutes) but probably best for those 6 or 7 and up, creative, sassy, suspenseful, silly, a simple but effective set, a play you should definitely go see

What it’s not: a fully accessible storyline for very young children (they will likely still find it funny, though)

Do we recommend it?  A million percent yes!  Go!  Go now!

The show is running until May 19th.  Grab your tickets here:  https://www.octc.org

If you can’t make this show (but you really must try), Diary of a Worm, a Spider, and a Fly is up next.  Next season will begin in the fall, and they will be doing Dragons Love Tacos!  We are so excited!

 

Theater

Tenali- Northwest Children’s Theater

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For the past few years, Northwest Children’s Theater has collaborated with Anita Menon’s Anjali School of Dance to create beautiful works of theater and dance.  Anjali’s School of Dance focuses on traditional South Indian dance and her students are amazingly talented.  Their collaboration has resulted in numerous awards and full theater audiences.  Their show last year, Chitra, was gorgeous and we were really looking forward to seeing what they came up with this year.

This year it was Tenali, the story of a minister to the king who wreaks havoc by not doing his job; in this case he fails to protect the king’s favorite crown.   The show begins with an impressive procession of dancers leading the king to his place on the stage.  Beautiful dancing ensues before introducing us to the characters and the plot.  There is a lot of humor, and Chicken was definitely amused.

While Tenali was the title character and the actor has a great stage presence, it was three other ministers who stole the show.  The minister of spies, a bumbling police officer type, is played by one of our favorite NWCT actors and brings his trademark humor and fun to the role.  The minister of art has boundless energy, does some pretty impressive acrobatics, and fills the stage with his smile and enthusiasm.  The royal accountant, armed with his trusty abacus, manages to get all of his calculations wrong despite his best and most earnest efforts.  I feel his pain.

This production uses an extended stage, and we love it every time they make this choice.  In this case, it was amazing to see the individuals playing the music and I was astonished to see a single woman do the majority of singing to such a perfect degree I initially thought it was pre-recorded music.

The show itself is colorful, fast-paced, energetic, and action packed.  The long dance number at the end which incorporates a bit of audience participation is something the behold.  The costumes are stunning and the dancing really is incredible.  This style of dancing is so articulated, from the intricate and specific placement of fingers to the intentional use of eye gaze.  It is all so precise and yet graceful and dynamic.  The years of training, dedication, and passion clearly comes through.

As always, the cast members were fantastic with the kids during the meet and greet after the show.  And as always, Nugget refused to talk to any of the girls.  One actually tried to get his attention and talk to him and he put his hand to his neck and whispered “I have a sore throat” and continued on his merry way.  Still working on that one.  But the cast members he did talk to answered all of his random questions, from “what is the paint on your head for?” to “why did you do a flip?,” and my favorite, “what is your favorite kind of cheese?”  Because that is important to know about a person.  They were beyond gracious as he began organizing his own photo shoots, gathering his favorite characters and suggesting they do serious faces or silly faces.  To his credit, they really did turn out to be my favorite pictures of the day!  Because the hand movements are so specific during the dancing, Nugget apparently interpreted this as sign language and proudly showed off his minimal knowledge of signing.  The cast members were lovely and played right along.

So….

What it is: Relatively short (70ish minutes), making it perfect for a younger child, colorful, full of amazing dancing, funny, a bit of a convoluted story that may be a bit confusing for young children to follow, a bit of audience involvement at the end, inclusive of beautiful music children can intuitively find the beat of, family friendly, based on a real person (who knew?!?) who continues to be present in Indian popular culture

What it’s not: A story familiar to most children not exposed to East Indian stories

Do we recommend it? Yeperoozers!  And definitely take advantage of the meet and greet!

The show is running through May 12th.  You can find more information and buy tickets here:  https://nwcts.org/

And if you can’t make it to this show, this amazing collaboration with bring the return of The Jungle Book next season!

Adventure Box, Coffee Shops & Restaurants

Slappy Cakes

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Today we had some of the best pancakes I have ever eaten.  It was our first trip to Slappy Cakes and we are officially hooked!  For those of you who, like us, have never visited before, Slappy Cakes is an incredibly popular breakfast spot in southeast Portland.  The idea is to select a pancake batter, things to mix in, and toppings for serving.  There are nonstick griddles built into the tables and you are free to let your food creativity flow!

We chose chocolate batter and traditional buttermilk.  Chicken and Nugget talked me into chocolate chips, whipped cream, and strawberries.  How do you say no to that?!?  Examples of other options include blueberries, bacon, candied bacon, nuts, coconut, lemon curd, bananas, lavender honey, etc.

Chicken and Nugget had a blast drawing pictures with the batter, trying out different combinations, attempting to flip the pancakes, and eating the fruits of their labor.  Nugget cheered for me every time I successfully flipped a pancake, so that was an added bonus that put a little pep in my step.  We may not be pancake Picassos, but we had fun- and that seems like the point, doesn’t it? And the pancakes were seriously delicious.  I don’t know how they did it.

Like I mentioned, this place is popular.  We got there around 9:30 and were told the wait would be an hour.  Luckily they use a texting system, so we headed out to explore the area, finding and adorable hat boutique.  We wound up waiting about 30 minutes.

Once we were seated, service was incredibly quick.  Since we only ordered pancakes, they have all the batters already in bottles and the toppings already prepared, so the wait time is minimal.

If you don’t feel like going to a restaurant and still cooking your own food, they do have a traditional breakfast menu.  We didn’t try any of it, but many people around us did.  The servings were huge and it all looked really good.

Batters were about $8 a bottle, and toppings/mix ins were $2-3.  Maple syrup was available on the table for no additional charge.  The waitress said each bottle would make about 3 pancakes the size of their serving plate.  That seems about right.  Our two bottles of batter and three toppings, two of which we had refilled (which they charge for), ran about $30.  We ate it all and the three of us left full but not stuffed.  Well, Nugget was stuffed.  Chicken and I had a bit more self restraint.  You could get away with spending less, or spending quite a bit more.  Depending how many things you add in, you could wind up with some pretty pricey pancakes.  Just be mindful, and you should be fine.

Overall, Slappy Cakes was a huge hit and we will definitely be going back!

What it is: a fun, family friendly restaurant, design-your-own pancakes, delicious, interactive, a mix of communal and stand alone tables, quick service once seated

What it’s not: a short wait

Would we recommend it?  Totally!  Chicken and Nugget were trying to talk me into another visit before we even finished eating!  As they were getting ready for bed later in the evening, I heard Chicken say “Slappy Cakes was really good, wasn’t it?”  Nugget answered “Yeah.  I wish we could live there.”

More information about Slappy Cakes can be found here:  https://www.slappycakes.com/portland

 

 

Adventure Box, Day Trips, Parks, Spring and Summer Activities, Vacations

Wildlife Safari- Winston, Oregon

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Nugget got licked by a giraffe!  No, really!  I was so excited!  Him, not so much.  Turns out his obsession with, adoration of, and fascination with all things giraffes does not extend to their slobber.  You win some, you lose some.

The highlight of our spring break was their adventure box gift that included a day trip to Wildlife Safari.  We had gone a couple of summers ago and all had a blast, so this time I added a cheetah encounter and a giraffe encounter to add to the magic.  It was totally worth it!

We began by leaving the Portland area bright and early and treating the kids to hot chocolate.  That’s code for “mom’s going to need coffee if she is going to make it through this day.”  Once caffeinated and sugared up, we were really on our way.  Wildlife Safari is in Winston, Oregon, near Roseburg, about 3 hours from Portland.  But armed with musical soundtracks, coloring books, and story prompt cards, it really wasn’t that bad.  It’s just a few minutes off of I-5, making it a perfect way to break up a long road trip.

When we got there, I checked us in for both encounters, which was a quick and painless process.  Then we spent some time checking out the Children’s Zoo.  I tried to convince Chicken and Nugget that meant it was a zoo where the children were kept, but they didn’t buy it.  This area has goats, donkeys, jack rabbits, animals like that.  You can buy cups of feed for $.25 for a little added fun.   Outside of the Children’s zoo, there are flamingos, reptiles, little tiny monkeys, and a bald eagle.  There is also currently an exhibit with a baby cheetah and his puppy buddy.  Except for the feed, all of these areas are free and you can visit without entry to the driving portion of the park.  Parking is also free.  There is also the requisite gift shop (which doubles as guest services and the place where you check in for encounters), snack stand, and cafeteria.

Then it was time to head to our first encounter- the cheetahs.  We were loaded onto a school bus and driven to the cheetah area.  After unloading we were lead to a grassy field.  Staff members brought out a portion of a cheetah pelt since you aren’t allowed to actually touch the cheetah.  Another staff member gave an informational presentation about cheetah’s and the cheetah program.  Then each family was pulled aside to have their picture take with the cheetah.  You are required to give the cheetah a ten foot radius.  You can pay extra to get prints of the pictures the staff member takes, or they are happy to use your own camera or cell phone.  After everyone has their turn, there is more time for questions.  They also have the cheetah lay down for you to see and take additional pictures of before loading back on the bus and returning to the drop off point.

We enjoyed the experience.  Cheetah’s are Chicken’s favorite animals and I was able to find a Groupon for half off.  The staff were very knowledgeable.  However, I think if we had paid full price and if Chicken wasn’t so into cheetah’s we may have been a bit disappointed by the level of interaction.  The group was also much larger than I had been told the max group size was.  I don’t think it really negatively impacted the experience, but just be forewarned that can apparently happen.

After the cheetah encounter, we stopped for lunch at the cafe.  It has the typical park fare- burgers, chicken nuggets, mac and cheese, veggie burgers, and the like.  Prices are comparable to what you would expect for the type of location, and while the food was nothing to write home about, it was adequate.  Since we were there right at lunch time, the lines were pretty long.  We began to get nervous that we were not going to get the food in time for the next encounter, but it all worked out in the end.  Yay!

And off we went to the giraffe encounter.  This time we rode in a vehicle that reminded me a of a hay bale ride at the pumpkin patch.  Except instead of hay bales it has bench seats.  The driver takes you through a portion of the park, which is an added bonus.  Once we arrived where the giraffes were, the giraffes immediately saw us and headed toward the truck, clearly in hopes of a snack.  We were given information about each giraffe, Erin, Maya, and 1-year-old Sally.  And may I just say, baby giraffes are adorable.  We were instructed on how to feed the giraffes and what to do if the giraffes became overly enthusiastic in their search for snack.

We formed a line and took turns feeding the giraffes until all of the food was gone.  The giraffes were calm, friendly, and stunning.  Of course, in a moment of parenting failure, right before it was Nuggets turn, I reached to put my hand on his shoulder and accidentally scratched his neck.  It scared him and he cried, missing one of his turns.  Sigh.  But we all rallied and he was finally up.  He was wide eyed and stunned as he got his chance.  It was so adorable.  And then the giraffe licked him.  He was not impressed.  Despite all his drama, he loved it and it fulfilled a lifelong dream.

The giraffe encounter was 100% worth it.  You get extra time in the park, and couldn’t get any closer to the giraffes.  They are incredible and majestic creatures, and having interaction with them felt like a once in a lifetime moment.  We didn’t feel rushed and we would absolutely do it again the next time we go.

After a quick snack, it was time to enter the drive through portion.  The idea of Wildlife Safari is that you are enclosed and the animals roam free.  Basically this means you stay in your car and the animals wander around.  It take an hour to an hour and a half to make your way through the park.  Along the way you will see zebras, elephants, tigers, bears, turkeys, buffalos, giraffes, dear, ostriches, and many others.  It’s truly amazing.  The animals are not afraid and often come quite close to the vehicles.

Near the end of the driving loop, you have the option of buying a cup of animal feed for $5.  Should you choose to do so, you will be incredibly popular with the deer, ostriches, and other animals in the area.  We bought one cup for the kids to share, and it it kept them plenty busy and definitely felt like enough.  Beware the ostrich- they can be a bit aggressive!

All in all, it was a wonderful day.  We arrived at the park at 10 in the morning, and left around 3.  We were busy the whole time and probably could have stayed longer if we weren’t facing the drive home.

Admission to each encounter and to the driving portion is by person and can add up pretty quickly.  Luckily, Groupon regularly has deals for admission, the cheetah encounter, and the elephant encounter (which is on our to-do list for next time), dropping the cost by about half.  So always check there first!  If you are lucky, you can sometime catch an additional discount if Groupon is running a special on Local Deals.

What it is: a drive through zoo, beautiful, a unique opportunity to see animals close-up in a setting closer to their natural habitat than a zoo, fun, a perfect stop to break up the drive from northern Oregon to southern Oregon or California

What it’s not: cheap, close to the Portland area

Do we recommend it? The park itself and the giraffe encounter- whole heartedly!!  The cheetah encounter- if cheetahs are totally your thing and you have ample budget, go for it.  Otherwise, I would save your money for one of the other opportunities.

More information about the park, encounters, events, and everything else can be found here:  https://wildlifesafari.net/

 

 

Fall Activities, Parks, Spring and Summer Activities

Tualatin Hills Nature Park

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According to Nugget- no play structure, no park.  He corrects me everytime I say “let’s go the park” and I mean Tualatin Hills Nature Park.  “It’s not a park, mom.  There’s not a playground.”  Or, “a real one, or the walking one?”  That said, he always has a blast once we get there.

Tualatin Hills Nature Park actually has a lot going on.  When you first arrive, you see the visitors center.  There is a small garden in the front and kids (or grownups), can look at plants through a telescope/microscope.  My kids love that.  Inside, they can use microscopes to look at different things like snake skin, a birds nest, honey comb, things like that.  There are cards kids can use to write their favorite thing about nature and add it to the collection on the designated wall.  There are books to look at, animal pelts and skeletons to check out, and a fireplace to sit by on a cold day.  We always take a lingering look.  Also while here, check out their upcoming events.  They are often hosting day camps, evening activities, the nature mobile, or have other fun activities for kids of all ages as well as adults. This is also the home of the bathroom, so make sure those littles have a visit!

One of the cool things kids can do is approach the staff member and ask for a letter boxing map.  For those not in the know, letter boxing is kind of like simplified geocaching.  The map has clues and you follow them to specific locations in the park.  There you will find a little box containing paper, pencils, and a stamp.  You can sign the papers with your name or leave a little note for others.  You use the stamp to mark your map.  When you are done, the kids can turn the completed map in and get a pocket sized journal as a prize.  This activity totally makes my kids feel like real explorers.  And man can they get competitive about solving the clues and finding the boxes!

There are multiple trails that take you through the nature park.  The main path is flat and paved, while the side trails can be dirt and have stumps or roots protruding.  None of them are steep and as long as your little is a stable walker, they should be fine on any of them

If you look closely, you will see birds, bugs, squirrels, rabbits, and even beavers.  The whole area is shaded, making it perfect for a summer afternoon.  The air is clean, the foliage is beautiful, and entry and parking are free.  What more could you ask for?

What it is: shady, pretty, fun, free, active

What it’s not: a playground.  🙂

Do we recommend it?  Totally!

You can find their address and other information here: http://www.thprd.org/parks-and-trails/detail/tualatin-hills-nature-park

 

 

Parks

Spring Garden Park

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It was spring break this past week, and we didn’t have a lot of big plans.  It’s Oregon, so weather was a bit hit or miss.  So, we took advantage of the sunny bits to explore outside places we either had never been to or hadn’t been to in a while.  First up was Spring Garden park.

Spring Garden is a newish park built in the last year or so and is located near Multnomah Village.  It’s lovely!  It has a large grassy hill, picnic tables (one of which is covered), and fun play equipment.  There are a couple rope climbing structures, logs and rocks to climb on, small slides, swings- including an accessible one, structures that make music, one of those stick house things you can go inside, a climbing structure complete with telescopes, and other small pieces of equipment.  All of the area, with the exception of the area surrounding the ropes, is either pavement or padded, meaning a majority of it is accessible for strollers, wheelchairs, walkers, or other mobility devices.  I love that!

One of the features Chicken and Nugget are most excited about was one we didn’t get to use yet.  They have an area that appears to involve water.  It hasn’t been turned out yet for the season so I don’t know exactly what it will look like, but it looks like it will have a small “stream” and possible a small area of low reaching fountains.  A great way to cool off in the summer!

Chicken and Nugget loved this park and we wound up going twice over the course of the week. It’s pretty, the elements are well spaced out, there are places for eating, and it just feels peaceful.

Note to the wise- map programs take you to the Spring Garden address, which is at the bottom of a rather large hill.  There is a paved path as well as bark chip cut throughs, but it’s still a bit of a trek.  Much to my chagrin, when we arrived at the top of the hill, there is street parking up at the top that is right next to the play structure!  Waaayyyy easier access, especially with strollers or multiple littles.  Since the kids really enjoyed that park, we went back a few days later.  I followed Spring Garden road around and discovered that the park level parking is on Dolph Court.  There!  I just saved you a climb!

What it is: pretty, relaxing, accessible, nice mix of structures, some sort of water feature(!), one covered picnic table

What it’s not: shaded on a hot, sunny day

Info about the park and it’s location can be found here: https://www.portlandoregon.gov/parks/67420

 

Theater

Legend of Rock, Paper, and Scissors- Oregon Children’s Theater

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Rock, paper, scissors, shoot!  Rock, paper, scissors, shoot!  The classic game that has solved many a childhood problem, and perhaps some adulthood ones too, has become a musical!

Our trip to the theater this weekend was extra fun because we brought along one of Nugget’s friends from Kindergarten.  It was the second time this little had been to the theater (the first being a field trip earlier this school year), and it was fun to see the magic fresh through his eyes.

Both boys had been on a daily countdown for their theater date for a couple of weeks.  At home, we read the book again to get ready.  We ate dinosaur shaped chicken nuggets.  We wondered how the battles would go.  We were ready!  So, it turns out, was our little friend.  When his mom sent a picture that morning of our friend sitting on a chair staring out the window waiting for us to arrive, we kicked into high gear and got there early so we could all go for hot chocolate.

So into the car we all piled, with Chicken taking on the role of caregiver and theater expert for both boys.  She explained to our friend how it all works, asked if he would like to participate in the pre-show activities, and wondered if he would like to get his program signed after the show.  Chicken and Nugget were both thrilled when he said yes to all of the above.

Getting there so early meant we got a prime parking spot.  Yay!  We walked around the corner to the closest Starbucks and chit chatted as we enjoyed our drinks.  Then we made sure not to step on any lines on our way back to the theater- wouldn’t want to get electrocuted so close to show time!

The preshow activity for this play was a coloring and writing activity.  There were coloring sheets and fresh crayons (fresh crayons are a big deal in kid land) for each Rock, Paper, and Scissors.  There was also writing prompt paper kids could use to create their own stories.  All of the kiddos did a great job coloring and we smartly carried our papers into the theater with us. Once seated, they of course had play the Rock, Paper, Scissors game, complete with a referee for any questionable calls.  When the lights went down, the kids were so ready!

The play has a set up reminiscent of a wrestling match.  There is a narrator who introduces our heros- and frequently gets interrupted by Rock.  The narrator provides us with background information and builds the excitement for the various battles in a way that reminded me of a circus ringleader- in a good way.  The audience was encouraged to cheer for the characters and those in the front row got running high fives from some of the cast.  The boys decided to wave their papers for their favorite characters, just like waving a fan sign at a sporting event.  We were in the back row of the orchestra, so it was a great way for them to get engaged without blocking anyone else’s view.

Each main character has a battle or two with opponents from their realm, only to find themselves insufficiently challenged.  At the end, they all battle each other and find they win some and lose some, and that is okay!  It’s definitely a play with a good message.

The songs were long and a bit repetitive and the set was not at the same level of amazingness I have come to appreciate at Oregon Children’s Theater.  But I did love the incorporation of a variety of styles of music.  Each character had a style associated with them.   Rock (guess who that was for), jazzy/bluesy music for Paper, and a bit of salsa flair for Scissors.  The boys were bopping along to the rock and jazz, while Chicken was swaying in her seat to the salsa.  Scissors also incorporated a bit of Spanish, and all of the kids I had with me speak Spanish to varying degrees.  The actor playing the narrator was fun and fantastic.  Although the peach was only on stage for a few minutes, he was hilarious and full of sass- definitely one of our favorite characters.

What it it: Kid friendly, funny, including of a variety of music, engaging of the audience, based on a fun children’s book and true to that story, nonviolent despite the concept of the battles

What it is not: the best set we’ve seen at this theater

Do we recommend it:  Yes!  Especially with hot chocolate and extra especially if your child is a fan of the book

 

Books

Annie Bloom’s Books- A Portland Treasure I Forgot About

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Full disclosure- this post is a double plug.  I am so proud that our family friend and 3rd grade teacher, Jody Little, released her first book on March 12, 2019.  It is a middle grade book called Mostly the Honest Truth that focuses on the relationship between a young girl, her alcoholic father, and their work to define love and family.  It has already been named one of Amazon’s editor’s choice book for the genre, and was also an Indie Introduces book.  So huge achievements for a first time author!  We bought three copies- one for our family, one to donate to Chicken and Nugget’s school, and one to donate to the school where I work.

I could go on forever about Jody’s wonderfulness and how excited I am for her, but I should also mention the place where we went to celebrate her book launch- Annie Bloom’s books.  This independent bookstore is tucked in Multnomah Village and has been around for 40 years.  So not much of a discovery on my part.  Mostly a rediscovery for myself and my kids.

Jody’s book launch was on a Tuesday night at 7:00, so when 6:15 rolled around and Chicken and Nugget were still in fantastic moods, I decided we should roll the dice and to to the event even though it was a school night.  I explained where we were going and why, established the parameters of the visit, and crossed my fingers I wouldn’t totally regret it.

Annie Bloom’s is right in the middle of Multnomah Village and is packed with fantastic books.  It is cozy, there are books everywhere, and comfy seating is tucked in corners and spaces where it fits. I had been there years ago, but for some reason it hadn’t crossed my mental radar in a long time.  So it seemed like a great opportunity to go see what we had been missing.

We went early to explore the children’s section before the book reading and signing and I was pleasantly impressed.  There was a nod to some of the more popular series, like Dogman and Dork Diaries, but the focus was clearly on quality children’s literature.  Oregon Battle of the Books selections were prominently displayed, as were books related to Oregon and the Pacific Northwest in general.  Sections were divided by age range and were attractively displayed.  Books for older children were divided into paperback and hardback sections.  Novels with good content and positive messages were predominant over graphic novels and massed produced books with little meaning.  Can you tell I may have some opinions and preferences on this topic?

After browsing, it was time to sit at listen.  Champagne was available to adults and “apple cider with sparkies!,” as Nugget put it, was served to kiddos.  Donuts with pink frosting and sprinkles were also there- so Nugget was hooked.  He even raised his hand during the question and answer portion to inform Jody that the donuts on the table looked exactly like the donuts on the over of her book.  Teacher that she is, she praised his observation skills while I sat there pink faced.

After the signing, there was a bit more time for browsing.  The staff was kind, knowledgeable, and clearly invested in celebrating good books and local authors.  When it was time to go, Chicken had a wish list a mile long and tears glistened in her eyes when it was time to go.  Sure, being tired definitely played a role, but she was also completely in love with this book store and the items she was finding there.

This is definitely a little book store with a lot of heart and charm.  And while you’re there, it’s a perfect opportunity explore the other stores, cafes, and restaurants nestled in Multnomah Village.  The area is a great place to spend an afternoon, and this book shop should definitely be one of the stops you make  No, you won’t get the discounts you can find on Amazon or big chain book stores, but you are supporting a local business that, in turn, is supporting authors in our community.  And you may just find a literary gem, as well.  I am grateful the event brought this book store back to my mind and we will definitely be back for another visit soon!

More information about the store can be found at https://www.annieblooms.com/