Weekend Ideas

Not a ton of events going on this weekend, and it all comes down to how far you want to drive, and how how much you want to spend. But here's some ideas to consider:

• Northwest Flower and Garden Show: I know, it doesn't sound that exciting for kids, but they actually have a Playgarden there for kids with dirt to dig in, chicken and bunnies to pet, seeds kids can take home and Recess Monkey is playing there today. There's also food and drinks available, and it's at the Convention Center (800 Convention Place) so you're surrounded by other food options. Cost is $20 adults, $5 ages 13-17, 12-and-under free. It's $10 if you go after 3 today and after 2 on Sunday.
• Octopus Week at Seattle Aquarium: It's a week devoted to the giant Pacific octopus, with daily talks (not exciting for kids) and kids hands-on activities. At noon Saturday and Sunday a diver dives with an octopus and they have daily feedings. Satchel loves the aquarium. Cost is $19.95 for those 13 and over (which seems pricey to me), $13.95 for ages 4-12 and 3 and under are free.
• Northwest Bears: This seems pretty cool to me, but brown bears are my favorite animal. At 1 p.m. Saturday the Department of Fish and Wildlife are going to do a presentation about bears in the Northwest and will have three Karelian bear dogs there. The cost is $5-7 and it's at McCollum Park (600 128th St SE, Everett). Not sure how exciting it would be for kids, but if they like bears and dogs, maybe it's a cheap option.
• Auburn Daddy Daughter Date Night: It's a bit of a drive and it costs $45-$57 per couple, but if you're a dad looking to splurge on something with your daughter, this might be fun. The ticket includes appetizer, dinner and desert, dancing and a photo. It's at the Auburn Senior Activity Center (808 Ninth St. SE, Auburn).
• Langley Mystery Weekend: This sounds fun. You search the town for clues to solve a mystery and win prizes. It goes from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Sunday, and they reveal the culprit at 4:30 p.m. Sunday. It's part of Langley's Centennial celebration and tickets cost $8-10 depending on your age. Sounds like an awesome event and they have really good prizes.
• SJCC Purim Festival: Come celebrate Purim at the Stroum Jewish Community Center (3801 E. Mercer Way, Mercer Island). It's free! They have Purim Land for kids 5 and under, story time, costume contest with prizes, music and entertainment and you can buy tickets for carnival games, bouncy houses and face painting and there's lunch for sale. Oh, it's noon-3 p.m. Sunday.
• Pacific NW Yo-Yo Championship: I don't know about you, but I love a good Yo-Yo competition, and so does Satchel. This event is free and is located at the Seattle Center Armory (formerly the Center House). It's from 11 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Saturday. Maybe tie it in with a trip to the Seattle Center.
• Cardboard and Excess Packaging Craft Workshop: How about a trip to the Burke Museum (on the UW campus) where kids can bring used cardboard to make a giant trash monster and learn about the value of recycling? Satchel likes the Burke, it's not very big but there's lots of stuff there kids will like (think Dinosaurs). This event is from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday. Museum entrance fee is $7.50-$10.
• Discover Mat Weaving: This is free, only takes about 15 minutes and is for kids 4-12 (adults too) at the Shoreline Historical Museum (18501 Linden Ave. North, Shoreline). You can learn how to do traditional mat weaving from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday. I don't know anything about mat weaving, but it's free, close to us, and doesn't last long.
• Paper Airplane Flight School: This is a drive, it's at the Olympic Flight Museum in Olympia (7637 Old Hwy 99 SE) but it sounds fun. I've never been there but it sounds like a cool museum and this event is open to all ages, where you learn to build awesome paper airplanes. They also have contests. Sounds like it goes from 1 p.m.-2:30 p.m. Saturday so you'll have to get moving. Cost is $5-7.
• The Art of Video Games: I'm not sure how kid-friendly this exhibit is, but if your kids are into video games maybe they'd be into this. It's at the Experience Music Project (325 Fifth Ave. North, Seattle), which is obviously a museum Satch and I love. This exhibit talks about the history of video games and you can play like 80 different games, which sounds good to me. The cost to get into the museum is $12-20 but if you're into music and video games, it would be worth it.
• Owl Prowl: Have been wanting to do this but haven't yet. You walk the woods of Camp Long (5200 35th Ave SW, Seattle) looking for owls. It starts at 5:30 p.m. Saturday and it's $8, and you have to preregister.
• Total Experience Gospel Choir: If you haven't seen these guys, they put on a really great, high-energy show. This one is free, and it celebrates Black History Month at Third Place Books (17171 Bothell Way NE, Lake Forest Park) at 1 p.m.. Saturday. A lot of fun stuff at Third Place so this could be a fun day.
• Sundays are Special: The Seattle Public Library system is celebrating being open on Sundays now with a weekly event at a different library. This week it's at the South Park Branch (8604 Eighth Ave. South, Seattle) from 2-3:30 p.m., where they'll have refreshments, a craft activity and their Check-Out Challenge game. It's free.
• Lunar New Year: Celebrate the Lunar New Year at Bellevue Square (Bellevue Way NE and NE Eighth St.) from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday. It's free, there'll be martial arts demonstrations, music and dance exhibitions and at 2 p.m. the traditional lion dance and dragon parade.
• Cascade Symphony Orchestra Children's Concert: Not sure how well kids would sit through a symphony concert, but this one is kids music so it might be worth a shot, though it costs $10-15. It's at 3 p.m. at the Edmonds Center for the Arts (410 Fourth Ave. North, Edmonds) and features music from Tubby the Tuba, whatever that is, and a narrator.
• Cirque du Soleil Amaluna: I've heard this show is amazing. It's a little hard to describe it, so check out the website, but it's a Cirque show so you know it's pretty awesome. It's costly at at least $43.50 per adult and at least $33 kids 2-12, but if you're looking to splurge, you could find worse things to do it on. It's at Marymoor Park in Redmond with various show times.
• Dot & Ziggy: This is the current show at Seattle Children's Theater (201 Thomas St., Seattle) about a ladybug and a skunk learning to get along. Cost is $20, check the website for times. Seattle Children's Theater always puts on good shows. Sounds like it's geared towards kids 5 and younger.
• It Gets Better: You may have heard about the It Gets Better Project, a campaign to show young LGBT people that their lives will get better once they get through the tough teen years. This show at the Moore Theater (1932 Second Ave., Seattle) is geared around that theme and is geared toward kids 11 and older. The cost is $12.50 to $72.50 and it's at 8 p.m. Saturday. It's a great message to support if you're interested and can afford it.
• The Music Man: This is a well-known musical full of great songs about a con artist who puts together an all-boys marching band, it's bright, vibrant and fun. This one is at the 5th Avenue (1308 Fifth Ave., Seattle) and costs $27-$97, various showtimes and geared toward kids 8 and older.
• War Horse: You might have seen the Spielberg movie of this. A friend saw this show the other day and raved about it and it's got a ton of awards to back it up. It's about a boy during WWII who loses his horse to the army and goes on a journey to find the horse. The story is better than I describe it and the play is supposed to be pretty incredible. It's at the Paramount (911 Pine St.), cost is $20-105 and is geared toward kids 12 and up.
• Puss in Boots: The Northwest Puppet Center (9123 15th Ave. NE, Seattle) - which puts on great shows - is having this one at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. This one is set in New Orleans with live music and is about a boy and his cat journeying to impress and king and a princess. Cost is $8.50-10.50 and is for all ages.
• The Musical Adventures of Flat Stanley: Satchel loves Flat Stanley. It's about a boy who is literally flat, like a piece of paper, but wants to be normal and go on adventures. This is at the Tacoma Musical Playhouse (7116 6th Ave., Tacoma) at 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday, cost is $12-19 and is for ages 4 and up.

Alright, there's more and I'll try to get to thos

A Great Deal for Music Lovers

As some of you may have heard, Satchel really, really likes music. So any chance we get, we hit up concerts. And while his heart lies with classic rock, he also does enjoy kids music. We're lucky in Seattle that we have a pretty awesome kids rock scene with some bands that play music geared towards kids that won't make parents want to rip their ears off.

I came upon this great deal the other day for the Kindiependent Kids Rock series at the Mount Baker Community Center in Seattle. For the last half of their 2012-13 season - five shows - they're offering four tickets for each show for $40 each. So basically $2 per ticket, per show, for five rockin' kids bands. It's a pretty great deal if your kids are into music.

All shows start at 10:30 a.m. and are on Saturdays. The lineup:

Feb. 23, The Board of Education: This is the only group in this series we haven't seen, but I've heard good things about them. Their songs are pretty silly but with educational-type themes. I've heard some of their songs and they're pretty funny, and rock pretty well.

March 9, The Not-Its!: Loooove the Not-Its! We've seen them a lot, and they always rock and put on a good show. They're a five-piece band, play really up-beat music, kids love to dance to them. Super friendly, sometimes they bring the kids up on stage to be part of the show. They just released a new CD which is great (my favorite of the new songs is Participation Trophy) and had a quick tour of the East Coast last weekend, taping a segment for Nick Jr. Can't recommend them enough.

March 30, Recess Monkey: From a kids rock band standpoint, doesn't get too much better than Recess Monkey. They're three Seattle teachers (they just got a new drummer who rocks big time) who play really catchy, fun songs. I've gone to shows where it's been insane, kids go nuts for them and I have enjoyed every show I've seen them in. Last week, they had a recording party where the audience got to sing on their two new CDs, due this summer (Satch was close to a microphone so who knows, maybe we'll even hear him on them). If you haven't seen them, you should, they're great.

April 13, Harmonica Pocket: These guys are a little different than the other bands, not quite as rocking and more jazzy, with a stand-up bass, saxophone and acoustic guitar. They're more mellow than the other bands and their songs are a little longer, telling more of a story. Also pretty interactive and improvisational so even though they don't rock as hard, the kids get into it because they get to be a part of the story. Kind of cool from a musical standpoint to see a jazzy type of kids band.

April 27, Caspar Babypants: Caspar Babypants is the alter ego of Presidents of the United States of America lead singer Chris Ballew. He puts on a fun show, a little more geared to younger kids than Recess Monkey or the Not-Its, a little more poppy than rocky. His lyrics are fun and funny, kind of a kids version of  Presidents songs, but he connects really well with the kids and his songs tell some pretty funny stories. Kids go nuts for him too.

The thing that ties these bands together is they play really good music that parents will like as much as the kids. Musically they're really good, fun to hear, fun to dance to and they talk about things that are important for kids to hear (cooperation, friendship, etc.) without being tedious or preachy or boring. If you and your kid are into music, this deal is great (you can get tickets through the Kindiependent website or the Mt. Baker website) or you can always check these guys out on their own, they play around town all the time (I'll let you know when I see their shows coming up).

As a matter of fact, Caspar Babypants is playing two shows Friday at the Northwest Flower and Garden Show, another show at Top Pot Donuts in Renton, Recess Monkey is playing two shows Saturday at the Flower and Garden Show and the Not-Its are playing a free show Saturday at Sonic Boom Records in Ballard. Check out their websites for more details.

It's Free, Fun and Reliable

I intended to write about the zoo in this post, which we went to on Monday. But the line to see the lion cubs was too long, and we didn't end up doing all that much, so I'll save the zoo for another time.

Instead, I'm going to write about one of our most reliable places we go: the library. We love it, and it goes beyond just being able to find free books, movies and music. There are regular events there that are fun and, more importantly, free.

Every Tuesday, Satch and I go to family story time at the Lynnwood Libary, part of the Sno-Isle Libraries group. We've gone to similar story times at Shoreline Library, part of the King County Library System and we've done plenty at various Seattle Public Library branches. No matter where you live, you can probably find something to do at the library.

Sometimes people think of the libraries kind of like they think of public transportation: grungy, gross, full of people you wouldn't want to be around. Yes, some of those people are at the library (and on buses). Mostly, though, it's just a place where a diverse group of people gather, and that ain't so bad. They probably have any book or movie or cd you're looking for (we haven't rented or paid to stream a movie in years, we get them all at the library). From a kid standpoint, most of the libraries have good kids book sections but they also have events for kids of any age. I recommend checking your local branch's event schedule, I'm sure you'll find something.

Three things that we regularly do:
Family story time: Every Tuesday at 7 p.m. at Lynnwood Library. This is a pretty informal gathering of kids, usually aged probably 2-7 or so. There's a core group of us there almost every week and always new kids. The librarian leads the kids in songs, dancing and stories for about 30 minutes and then they do an art project. Usually the art project ties into whatever theme the stories have been (last night it was boxes. ...which was better than it sounds). Satchel loves it, he loves singing and dancing around and listening to the story, and he likes doing the art project. They also usually put out some toys after the stories are done.

Reading With Rover: This happens once a month at various libraries, we go to the one at Mountlake Terrace branch (we're going tonight). There's usually three or four dogs they bring in who are trained to listen to kids practice their reading. The kids can read to the dogs, pet and groom them and they usually get some kind of sticker or bookmark or something from each handler after reading to them. There's usually only a few kids at this so they can read several times if they want. Satch loves reading and he thinks it's pretty fun to read to the dogs, who are very relaxed and calm (might be good for kids who are scared of dogs too).

LEGO Club: This also happens once a month, though we usually go to the one at Lynnwood and Mountlake Terrace. It's a club in name only, it's not formal. Just a thing for kids to drop in and play with LEGOs, and who doesn't like doing that? At MLT, the librarian usually gives the kids a short challenge (build the tallest tower in 5 minutes) and then gives a theme (last time it was to build an entire city). At Lynnwood, they also do a theme (I think it was animals last time) and they'll display what's built in the display case in the kid's book section for a week, which was cool for Satchel to see.

All three of these events, and others at the library, are free. You don't usually have to sign up or register. And there's enough going on and enough other kids there that it gives parents a chance to enjoy watching their kids without having to be part of the entertainment. Hey, we all need a break, right? So check out your library's schedule. I bet there'll be something that fits what you're looking for.

Is the Seattle Wheel Great?

On Sunday, Satchel, Jessica and I rode the Seattle Great Wheel for the first time. We'd been wanting to ride it since it opened last summer and Jessica's birthday seemed as good a time as any to do it.

For those not familiar with the Seattle Great Wheel, it's a new, 175-foot tall Ferris Wheel on the Seattle Waterfront. It's huge, with 42 gondolas that are completely enclosed, have heat and air conditioning. Each gondola can seat 8 people. It's a pretty impressive sight.

We bought and printed our tickets ahead of time, which was key and my best tip for you. It doesn't cost any more to do it online than at the ticket office and it will save you a lot of time. We bypassed the ticket booth line and had to wait only about 5 minutes to load. If we would have had to buy tickets there, it probably would have taken 30-40 minutes before we got on.

Tickets are $13 plus tax for anyone 12 and older, $8.50 for ages 4-11, $11 for ages 65 and older and kids 3 and under are free, but they still need a ticket to ride. They also have a special VIP Gondola that is $50 per person. That has leather bucket seats, a glass floor, you get a t-shirt and you don't have to wait in line. Still seems pretty pricey to me, but a glass floor would be pretty cool.

The ride itself is very smooth and quiet. The seats aren't super comfortable, but I wouldn't say they're uncomfortable either. The fact that you're totally enclosed and there's very little swing to the gondola means I didn't really notice the height much. None of us are afraid of heights, but if you are, if you can get past how high it looks from the outside, I don't think it would be a problem once you're inside. I mean, you do notice you're high up because you get some great views, but it didn't seem disorienting or intimidating at all. In other words, it's not an exciting ride, but it's cool to see the city from that high up. Satchel, who is afraid of pretty much everything, had no fear at all before or during the ride.

The website says you go three rotations but really, it's four because you get off on the fourth. And it's a pretty slow ride, so we were on there for probably about 10-15 minutes. We all had a fun time. Again, if you're looking for excitement this probably isn't it, but if you're looking for some great photo ops, a relaxed but fun ride and doing something a little different, it's terrific. It's a little more expensive than I think it should be, and I wouldn't do it on a regular basis but it's a fun once-a-year or so thing. I'd love to do it at night, next time.

Lunch: We were going to eat lunch at Red Robin after the wheel ride but the wait was like 45 minutes so we said forget it. We walked back over the Miner's Landing and ate at the Alaskan Sourdough Bakery. This is right next door to the wheel. It's a good place with breakfast and lunch, mostly soups, sandwiches and salads, basically a deli. It's reasonably priced and has a kid's menu. Satchel had a grilled cheese, chips and milk, I had a veggie sandwich, chips and lemonade, Jessica had a veggie panini, chips and a soda.

The grilled cheese is your basic grilled cheese, nothing special on it or anything, just plain and just how Satchel likes it. The veggie sandwich was pretty good, with lettuce, tomato, onions, peppers, pickles, some kind of vinaigrette and dijon mustard. I got it without mayo but it came with olives, which it didn't say it did, and I hate olives. The dijon mustard was almost too spicy and it was a bit overstuffed and hard to eat, but it was still pretty good. Jess really liked her panini, though it was also tough to eat and kind of flimsy. It's a good place though if you're not looking to sit down and have a long meal.

Also: After eating we walked up to the Pike Place Market to check out my favorite store there, Golden Age Collectibles. It's full of comics, retro stuff, lunch boxes, vintage Star Wars toys, bobbleheads, goofy action figures, posters, etc. For our purposes, it has a ton of Beatles stuff and super hero toys. It's also a little expensive but if you're into any of those things, it's an awesome place to browse. Satchel used his allowance to buy some SpongeBob toys. It's located in the southwest corner of the second floor of the market.

Next up: Satch and I are headed to the Woodland Park Zoo today, where we hope to get a glimpse of the new lion cubs.

Answering the Call

For the past couple of years, I get a fairly regular question asked to me by friends: Hey Mike, what's going on today?
Somehow, I've become the go-to person to find out what activities are going on to do with kids. Heck, I even wrote a book about it! I've gotten periodic suggestions to start writing about different things going on. So. ...we'll give it a try.
My closing-in-on-6-year-old son Satchel and I do a lot of things. One weekend we might find a great kids concert, the next a free event at a library. Why do we do so much? Pretty simple, because we like to. We like spending time together and I like giving him different experiences. SpongeBob is my friend on days I don't have the energy, but I'd rather have him doing something, seeing something new, or just spending an hour amongst other kids.
On this blog, I'll try to share ideas and events that I know are coming up. I'll share any experiences Satchel and I have, review any thing we do. Will I keep this up-to-date? I'll try. Looking for a weekend event? Trying to find a good park? Need a decent place to eat with kids? I will do my best to present some ideas that we've enjoyed and let you know what might be coming up. And if you have anything to share or any ideas, I'd love to hear them.
So, let's see how this goes and hopefully this can help answer the question, Hey Mike, what's going on today.
Next post will be a review of a Seattle activity Satch and I have really been looking forward to doing, that we're finally going to do today!