The Experience: Bart King is one of Portland’s local treasures. First he gave us The Big Book of Boy Stuff, and then The Big Book of Girl Stuff (King relied heavily on his five sisters for this one), followed by a string of equally informative and entertaining pocket guides (if you consider reading about how to make armpit farts and artificial snot informative and entertaining, which, face it, a lot of kids do), and most recently, The Big Book of Gross Stuff and The Big Book of Spy Stuff. More…

The Experience: It’s spring break, and the sun is doing its usual game of hide and seek, but don’t let that keep you and the kids inside all week. Consider getting out of town for a hike, where you’ll find the forests lush with early greenery and discover the season’s first wildflowers. More…

The Experience: My first rule when I take my kids to museums is “keep it short”. I want them to leave on high note, with at least a few strong impressions of what they’ve seen, rather than walking out whining, pouting and hungry – and hating even the mention of the “m” word.

This makes it difficult to take in all that the newest exhibit at PAM has to offer. More…

The Experience: Imagine – a place where you can sit and enjoy a bite to eat with friends, not distracted by the dust bunnies/crumbs/cobwebs gathering in your house, as your child blissfully plays just a few feet away.

This piece of heaven is available to parents – and grandparents, nannies and other caretakers – seven days a week at Vancouver’s popular Cafe Sip-n-Play. More…

The Experience: If you have an animal lover in your home, you’ll want to know about Dogstar. This doggie daycare in the Pearl also runs a small pet rescue operation, and encourages passers-by to stop in and help socialize the cats and dogs that are up for adoption. More…

The Experience: This toy store with a full-on cafe tucked inside opened to much fanfare last fall, and for good reason. Mary Langley and Lynn Gleeson, one a former teacher and the other a chef, have hit upon a great concept. More…

The Experience: Does the rain have you down? Feeling like you can’t bake another cookie or create another cutesy craft, and if you subject your kids to one more Disney video, their brains will turn to mush?

Thank goodness for PlayDate PDX. More…

The Experience: Kids can become immersed in the daily lives of the pyramid builders in this fascinating new exhibit at OMSI. With hands-on activities, artifacts, and explanatory videos at various levels of complexity, Lost Egypt will entertain and educate everyone from about age four on up. More…

The Experience: The legend of Robin Hood continues to thrill, as Northwest Children’s Theater and School (NWCTS) takes on a new telling by formerly-local playwright James Moore.

In this version, Maid Marion wears the pants (literally), Robin is upstaged by The Kid, and it’s all played for laughs. More…

The Experience: Who knew that a play featuring a singing insect, an annelid, and an arachnid, among other creepy crawly creatures, could be so much fun? Well, your kids might have suspected, especially if they were already familiar with the books by Doreen Cronin and Harry Bliss, on which the musical is based. More…

The Experience: While the Lake View Shopping Plaza has gussied up downtown Lake Oswego, devotees of the Lake Oswego Ice Creamery have nothing to worry about. This local staple retains its mom and pop charm.

With the black and while bovine theme and 38 flavors of Tillamook ice cream, kids of all ages find something to love here. The burgers all come with fries, and include variations like the western, the lumberjack and the guacamole jack. Soup, sandwiches and salads are also available, as well as breakfast served until 11 during the week and noon on weekends.

The real star here, of course, is the ice cream. Introduce your kids to homegrown favorites such as marionberry, mountain huckleberry and Oregon strawberry, or seasonal offerings like pumpkin and peppermint candy. Plenty of chocolate and nut variations are always on the menu, too.

The prices are a bit steeper than the nearest fast food chain, but the quality is far superior.
Inside information: This is a favorite hangout for local teens and tweens on summer evenings, so be prepared to wait in line.

The 411
Ages: Good for all ages.
Hours: Sunday – Thursday 7 a.m. to 9 p.m., Friday and Saturday 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Cost: Burgers with fries start at $7.25. Junior cones are $2.25 and milkshakes will set you back $4.50.
Location: 37 S.W. A Avenue in downtown Lake Oswego.
Contact information: 503-636-8218.

The Experience: I love getting out of town with my family, but don’t like the long, tension-filled car rides that often go with it. Luckily, there are lots of family-friendly places to go just a short trip from the city. McMenamin’s Edgefield in Troutdale, just a 20-minute drive from downtown Portland, is once such oasis. More…

The Experience: Also known as Thousand Acres, this park located at the west end of the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area is a great place for kids to romp, stomp, run and play. Although it’s described by many as a dog’s paradise, because dogs are allowed to run off-leash in most of the park, with 1400 acres there’s room for everyone. It never feels overrun by canines, or people for that matter. More…

The Experience: Looking for ways to get your kids outside and active during the rainy days of winter? Mt. Hood Skibowl is the place to go, with enough options to please everyone in the family. The closest ski area to Portland, Skibowl also features two hills dedicated to snow tubing and a kids’ snowmobile track. More…

A caveat is necessary with this entry – we’ve included it in the Family Fun section because of its educational nature, and the lessons it holds for older kids, but it’s not a light-hearted family outing.
The Experience: The latest exhibit at Mercy Corps’ downtown Portland Action Center, titled “The Revolution Will be Led by a 12-Year-Old Girl: The Girl Effect”, begins with a disturbing and thought-provoking question: Is 12 the beginning of a girl’s life or the end of it?

The videos, photographs, and text which make up the exhibit illustrate two very different answers to this question. More…

The Experience: If you haven’t finished your holiday shopping, or even if you thought you had, add this to your list: tickets to Northwest Children’s Theater’s production of Annie. The acting is marvelous, the songs exuberant, and the story upbeat, yet relatively complex. More…

The Experience: We are so lucky to have not one, but two, independent bookstores dedicated to children right in our part of town, Green Bean Books on N.E. Alberta (see an earlier review of this neighborhood gem) and A Children’s Place on N.E. Fremont.

My family lives just a few blocks from A Children’s Place, so we often stroll over to browse the latest selections. More…

The Experience: Every summer for the past 20 years, the Lakewood Center for the Arts has sponsored the Lake Oswego Festival of the Arts, drawing visitors from around the region to view and purchase works by local artists. Those who live in the community are also well aware of the classes offered for both kids and adults, including painting, acting and storytelling, and of the full season of plays put on by the Lakewood Theatre Company.

In December, the Company has a tradition of offering two family friendly shows. More…

The Experience: Quick, hire a babysitter and buy tickets today for Mars on Life LIVE!, Susannah Mars’ one-woman ode to the holiday season. The show only runs until December 19, and you need a little bit of adult fun during this hectic time of year (heck, any time of year!). More…

The Experience: When I was little, my dad used to set up our model train set in the work room, running the track on plywood boards laid on saw horses so they were right at my eye level. I loved operating the train myself, watching it go through the towns and mountains, and I was entranced by all the miniature embellishments that went along with it. More…

The Experience: For a parent who grew up on spectacles like “Godspell”, “Jesus Christ Superstar” and “The Wiz”, seeing the latest offering from Oregon Children’s Theater was a trip back in time. “Alice and Wonderland: A Rock Opera” was actually written in the ’70′s for adults; it was only recently that playwright Richard Rosen (who was in the audience for the Portland premiere) rewrote it for a younger audience.

The audience, both young and old, ate it up. True to the story, Alice falls down the rabbit hole and meets a host of off-the-wall characters, including the Cheshire Cat, the Mad Hatter, the White Rabbit, and others. But rather than speaking, these characters express themselves in song and dance – and eccentric outfits. Alice finds herself a stranger in a very strange land indeed, but makes her way back home again.

It’s like a music video come to life – what more could our kids ask for?
Inside information: Read a version or two of “Alice in Wonderland” and the poems “Jabberwocky” and “The Walrus and the Carpenter” with your kids before you go. The more familiar they are with the characters, the more they’ll get out of the performance.

The 411
Ages: Best for ages 5 and up.
Show times: Saturday, Nov. 6, 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. Saturdays Nov. 13 and 20, 2 p.m. Sundays Nov. 7, 14 and 21, 2 p.m.
Ticket prices: $13 – $20 for children, $16 – $26 for adults.
Location: The Newmark Theater, 1111 S.W. Broadway
Contact information: 503-228-9571, www.octc.org.

The Experience: My kids and I love our local bookstores, where the service is top-notch, the atmosphere inviting, and we’re always sure to find what we didn’t know we were looking for.

Green Bean Books in Northeast is one of our favorites. Located in a tiny building on the corner of N.E. 16th and Alberta, this store is a jewel box of treasures for young children. More…

The Experience: The Academy Theater in Southeast Portland is a godsend. With just a little planning, parents can drop off their kids, ages 6 months to 8 years, at the on-site day care, grab a glass of beer and a piece of pizza, and relax in front of one of three movies. More…

The Experience: The North Clackamas Aquatic Center has taken to calling themselves “the other Oregon Coast” and we can see why! With a wave pool, two long slides, a diving board, spray area and kiddie pool, not to mention a lap swim area and whirlpool for adults, you might just want to stay for the weekend. More…

The Experience: Alexander might be having a bad day, but the audience is having a blast, as Northwest Children’s Theater kicks off its 2010-2011 season. Judith Viorst wrote the lyrics for this musical based on her picture book of the same name, and it’s filled with catchy tunes that will have you singing along. More…

The Experience: The folks who designed and manage the Portland Children’s Museum must truly be kids at heart, because they’ve succeeded in creating a space that captures nearly every child’s imagination. Each room and hall and nook and cranny is filled with activities to delight and entertain kids of all ages, from infants to older elementary school kids. More…

The Experience: This hugely popular – and hugely fun – indoor park couldn’t be more aptly named. Filled with two rooms of inflatable toys, Pump It Up gets kids revved up and then wears ‘em down, making your job that much easier.

Toddlers to teens enjoy jumping in the bouncy houses, sliding down the inflatable slides and racing against each other on the obstacle courses. Adults, too, are usually tempted to join in the fun, so dress appropriately! More…

The Experience: Lacking the funds needed to travel the world with your kids? Try dining at ethnic restaurants to give them a taste of the exotic. They’ll learn not just about different foods, but a bit about the various countries themselves as they dine.

We recently discovered Sushiland in Northeast Portland, where customers can pick and choose dishes off of a conveyor belt that passes right before their eyes. More…

The Experience: Tryon Creek, in Southwest Portland, is at the top of my list for great outdoor places to go with young kids. From informal play group strolls to guided hikes and special events, you’ll find all sorts of activities to interest your little ones. More…

The Experience: Visiting Powell’s City of Books, the downtown flagship store of the Portland-based company, is pure magic for any book lover. I find the smell of both the old and new volumes intoxicating; and I feel an immediate kinship with the hundreds of other bibliophiles present in the store on any given day. If you start bringing your kids when they’re young, they too may come to count Powell’s as one of their favorite destinations in Portland. More…