Yippee! The mercury has taken a (much needed) nose dive, the weekend is here – and we’ve got SO many possibilities for family fun! Consider these possibilities – and check our online calendar for many, many more…

All weekend
Great Oregon Steam-Up. Watch the antique steam equipment, including the sawmill, operate. Threshing, milling, blacksmithing and logging demos. Steam and vintage parade at 1:30 pm daily. All ages. Trolly ride and food extra charge. 7 am to 6 pm Aug. 1 and 2. More…

Category: Uncategorized // Posted on July 31, 2009 // Leave a Comment

While you’re hunkered down in your basement – got your laptop with you, right? – take a few moments to fill out our Family Favorites Reader Survey. Last year we received more than 400 submissions. Area parents opined on the kid-friendliest restaurants (our “Happy Highchair” award), coffee shops, ice cream parlors, toy stores, children’s book shops, kids’ clothing/shoe stores, children’s hair salons, outdoor destinations (the Oregon Zoo – love those polar bears! – won in this category) and indoor spots, family-friendliest movie theaters, holiday event/attractions and vacation destinations More…

Category: Metro Parent // Posted on July 29, 2009 // Leave a Comment

Here we go.
The forecast is for triple digit weather through mid-week. Those of us with young children may want to head to the area’s swimming pools and public fountains. But you should also keep the following information and advice from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) in mind:
1. Your child is more susceptible to heat-related illness than you are. According to the AAP, children do not tolerate heat as well as adults, particularly when they’re running, walking or participating in sports. More…

Category: Metro Parent // Posted on July 27, 2009 // 2 Comments

Hmmm… Weren’t we just talking about trying to stay cool LAST weekend? This extended heat wave thing is very un-Oregon(and SW Washington)-like, dontchathink?
Be that as it may, we’re stuck with it. As long as it’s gonna be HOT – and by Sunday it should be VERY HOT – enjoy the many swimming pools and public fountains the area has to offer. Don’t forget the sunscreen!
The City of Portland has some great Beat the Heat tips at this link.
Here are a few ideas for getting out this weekend (bring water! stop for ice cream!). Check our online calendar for more.

All weekend
Great Oregon Steam-Up. More…

Category: Uncategorized // Posted on July 24, 2009 // Leave a Comment

Back in May, I wrote a blog about an interview on salon.com with Lenore Skenazy, author of Free-Range Kids: Giving our Children the Freedom We Had Without Going Nuts with Worry (Jossey-Bass, 2009).
I finally got my hands on a copy – and I couldn’t put it down.
I laughed out loud, read passages to my 11-year-old daughter, quoted sections to my husband, and have been recommending it to everyone I come in contact with. More…

Category: Metro Parent // Posted on July 22, 2009 // 1 Comment

I got one of those dreaded phone calls last week.
I had sent my son off to horse day camp just an hour earlier. Because the camp is about 30 minutes from our house, and nine kids from our neighborhood were participating, we had arranged an elaborate car pool for the week, with two parents driving one way each day.
“Anne, have you heard anything?” my friend Kelly, mother of two girls also attending the camp, asked me when I picked up the phone.
“No,” I managed to answer.
“Well everyone’s okay, but…” More…

Category: Uncategorized // Posted on July 20, 2009 // Leave a Comment

Hot enough for you?? Yeah, us too. One way to beat the heat is to hop into a Big Pool of Cool (H2O). Check out our list of local public pools by clicking here.
On to the weekend! It’s Prime Family-Friendly Festival Time. On tap this weekend are the Robin Hood Festival (Sherwood), Battle Ground Harvest Days, the Portland Highland Games (Gresham), the West Linn Old time Fair and da Vinci Days (Corvallis). Click here for details on all of these.
We’ve got a few suggestions for other family fun below. But check our online calendar for much, much more! Stay cool!

All Weekend
Yoshida’s Sand in the City. More…

Category: Metro Parent // Posted on July 17, 2009 // 1 Comment

The biggest fear most parents have when sending their children off to overnight camp is that the kids will get homesick. But this year many are also worried about the swine flu (H1N1 virus).
If you’ve got concerns about the swine flu – Could my child get it at camp? How can I make sure she doesn’t? – we’ve rounded up some information that should answer your questions.
The first thing to remember is this: If your child is ill, don’t send her to camp. More…

Category: Metro Parent // Posted on July 15, 2009 // Leave a Comment

My kids like to hike and explore, but they don’t like to spend a lot of time in the car getting to natural areas. Therefore I’m becoming something of an expert on wild places in or near the city.
One of our latest discoveries is Elk Rock Island, in Milwaukie, only about 20 minutes from our home in northeast Portland. (Click here for directions.) The island is accessible by foot most of the year, except during Rose Festival, when the Willamette River is raised to allow the navy ships to pass through downtown. More…

Category: Metro Parent // Posted on July 13, 2009 // Leave a Comment

Before we tell you about some great kid-friendly events to consider this weekend, we wanted to put a plug in for TIME OUT: The Mother of All Comedy Shows, taking place July 10 at Airplay Café, 701 E Burnside, from 7 to 8:30 pm. The Comedienne Formerly Known as Jacki Sturkie (now Jackie Kane) hosts these monthly laugh riots and this month the show moves to Friday night (which can only mean more laughs as parents shift into neutral for the weekend). The topic tonight: Dad’s Revenge. Guys, it’s your turn. Tickets ($10) are available through www.brownpapertickets.com and at the door. 503-808-7908. www.airplaycafe.com.
Many, many more events in our online calendar. Enjoy!

All Weekend
Who’s On Third? Celebrate “Oregon’s favorite main street” with a big street fair in McMinnville. More…

Category: Metro Parent // Posted on July 10, 2009 // Leave a Comment

Now that we’ve survived the Fourth (note to our neighbors behind us: we loved the Michael Jackson tribute but, puh-lease, next year, don’t set off your – mostly illegal – fireworks in your backyard, 20 feet from our deck and kids), it’s time to really get patriotic. As in, making our country all that it can be.
Two opportunities are coming up. The first is the launch of Family Forward Oregon, a movement with a mission of “inspiring workplaces, communities and policies that value families.” More…

Category: Metro Parent // Posted on July 7, 2009 // Leave a Comment

Metro Parent was asked recently to appear on KATU to give advice to parents on how to choose a summer camp. Our marvelous writer, Anne Laufe, offered these great ideas on how to pick a camp – while ensuring that it’s affordable:
1. Look at what’s available. There is a seemingly endless variety of summer camps – art, dance, theater, puppets, language immersion, equestrian, computers, cooking, film, urban farming, gymnastics, sports (soccer, basketball, swimming, ice skating, etc.) – the list goes on and on. Check our online camps listings for dozens of possibilities. Our July issue Summer Camps Section includes additional options.
2. Ask about discounts and financial aid. More…

Category: Uncategorized // Posted on July 5, 2009 // 1 Comment