The Experience: Our family has seen nary an episode of the legendary Scholastic TV show “The Magic Schoolbus,” but that didn’t stop us from being mesmerized by the Oregon Children’s Theatre’s live stage adaptation, The Magic Schoolbus Live: The Climate Challenge.

From the moment Ms. Frizzle and her class of curious kids board the bus for their first adventure, we and all the other kids in this packed audience were agape. (Literally – I looked down the row and saw nothing but open-mouthed faces and riveted eyes.)

The class travels around the globe to figure out why the weather’s so wacky these days, and in the course learn about habitats, animals and the relationship between people, our actions and the changes we can see in the seas or feel in the weather.

It’s a cautionary tale, to be sure, but it’s fraught not just with evergreen messages like, “Reduce, Reuse and Recycle,” but also fresh additions like “Rethink” how you do things and “Small Things Matter” (small people, it seems to imply, do too). And even this relatively educated adult appreciated the refresher on the science of the greenhouse effect.

Bottom line? Take the time to catch this bus. You’ll walk away with lots to think about, to be sure. But between the show’s catchy songs and fast-moving dialogue, lively staging, creative sets and imaginative use of simple effects to pull it all together, you’ll never even know you’re learning something.

Inside information: The Magic Schoolbus runs about an hour, with no intermission. Booster seats for smaller kids can help ensure their view; get yours at the coat check room.

The 411

Performance dates: Runs Saturdays at 2pm and 5pm; Sundays at 2pm thorough Feb. 19. Tickets: $16 to $30 adults, $13 to $26 youth, plus charges. Location: Newmark Theatre at the Portland Center for the Performing Arts’ Hatfield Hall, 1111 SW Broadway Contact: 503-228-9751; octc.org/onstage/magicschoolbus.

— Sarah Pagliasotti

The Experience: Our family has seen lots of shows this season, for the sake of these reviews. But Northwest Childrens Theatre’s current production of Willy Wonka, based on the book “Charlie & the Chocolate Factory” by Roald Dahl, is my 7-year-old’s “favorite show so far.” More…

The Experience: If you have a spare hour this coming weekend, go right now and buy tickets to the final weekend of Pinocchio, the latest show from Tears of Joy Puppet Theatre. More…

The Experience: Pinkalicious The Musical opened last weekend at the Newmark Theatre, and sightings of be-tutu’d and bejeweled girls downtown have soared.

With good reason – Pinkalicious the Musical is a pageant of pink that enchants even us earth-tone adults. More…

The Experience: Hero to sassy girls the world over, Junie B. Jones shines in the lively new play at Northwest Childrens’ Theatre based on the bestselling series by Barbara Park. Junie B. and her classmates show us just how trying first grade can be. And NWCT is the perfect troupe to perform this show More…

The Experience: Where can you find rock stars, Chinese acrobats, dog tricks, fruit pies and baby pigs all in one place? The State Fair, of course! Starting Friday, this annual event will More…

The Experience:
Step back to sock-hop days – and give your kids a one-of-a-kind, small-town community experience – at one of the last remaining drive-in movie theatres in Oregon and Washington. The 99-W Drive-In has been showing first-run movies since 1953, and is now run by the grandson of the man who built it. Though there’s also a two-screen indoor theatre on the premises, the drive-in is the real must-do for any local family – at least once. Chances are, once you try it you’ll keep going back.

Put the kids in their jammies, throw blankets and pillows in the car, and make the 23-mile drive to Newberg. Though you’ve got to get there early, there’s plenty to do before the sun goes down and the first of the double features starts. Park your car in between the old radio posts that mark the spaces then More…

The experience: Calling all families – it’s time to grab your bikes and tour your city’s neighborhoods with Sunday Parkways. For three more weekends this summer, the City of Portland will close routes around the city to cars and other motorized traffic, reserving streets exclusively for bikers, walkers, runners, skaters and anyone else who wants to move (including those on mobility devices).

Based on a program that began in More…

The Experience: The Portland Art Museum’s summer headline show, The Allure of the Automobile, lives up to its name with stunning cars (when you see them you’ll understand why they’re considered art) that are much more interesting than those high-end vintage vehicles you may be used to. It’s truly a must-see for adults and older kids. Lively placards with period photographs describe the car and its historical context, and you can rent an audio tour for $5 or download it for free on your iPhone. More…

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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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…

Check the Web site for frequent family-friendly storytelling events.
www.portlandstorytellers.org.

Concerts span musical genres from classical to choral to jazz.
Performances at St. Joseph Church, 400 S Andersen Rd., Vancouver, Wash.; 360-906-0441; www.bravoconcerts.com.

Schedule includes a number of family concerts.
522 SW 5th Ave., Ste. 920; 503-294-6400; www.cmnw.org.

Music classes and performances for children and adults.
3350 SE Francis; 503-823-3177; www.portlandonline.com/parks.

Individual and group music classes offered on a sliding fee schedule.
10 N. Killingsworth St., 503-AT-ETHOS (503-283-8467), www.ethos.org.

Most performances held at the Vancouver First Church of God, 3300 NE 78th St., Vancouver, Wash; 360-696-4084; www.oregonchamberplayers.org/jsv.html.

A nonprofit youth music education organization for musicians from age 6 through college.
4800 SW Macadam, Ste. 105; 503-239-4566; www.playmys.org.

Summer camps, music workshops and one-on-one instruction provided at a variety of locations throughout the area.
11555 SW Durham Rd., Tigard; 503-616-7161; www.oregonmusicacademy.com.

Semi-professional adult and youth chamber ensembles.
Lake Oswego; 503-570-6211; www.oregonproarte.org.

Adult and youth choirs.
9320 SW Barbur Blvd., Suite 240; 503-230-0652; www.orsingers.org.

Schedule includes a series of children’s concerts.
Performances at Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, Ticket Office at 923 SW Washington; 503-228-1353 (tickets); www.orsymphony.org.

Graduates of Portland Boychoir join high school aged girls (graduates of the intensive Ovation! Girls Training) to form this vocal ensemble.
Portland; 503-697-SING (7464); www.portlandchoirs.org.

Youth choral groups for ages 6 through college.
In residence at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral, 147 NW 19th Ave.; 503-780-1675; www.pacificyouthchoir.org.