Now that the season of nonstop rain is upon us, kids and parents alike
begin pacing their rooms like jaguars at the zoo. Sometimes we all need
to break out of our cages, so allow us to suggest a few new venues for
rainy-day play (they're sure to become standbys), as well as some old
favorites to fall back on. Bring along a few friends and find fun for a
crowd!
Artsy fartsy
No matter how well-stocked your crafts closet, young artists sometimes
require a change of scenery for inspiration to strike. Local museums
are great places to both see and make art. For the price of admission,
your mini-Matisse can create masterpieces at several area museums. All
of these opportunities are free with admission.
On its free First Saturday Family Days, the Seattle Asian Art Museum (206-654-3100, www.seattleartmuseum.org)
provides art opportunities that engage children and teens in current
exhibits. The Bellevue Art Museum (425-519-0770, www.bellevueart.org)
also offers drop-in weekend art opportunities for elementary and middle
school youth in conjunction with exhibits.
The Children's Museum, Seattle (206-441-1768, www.thechildrensmuseum.org)
offers daily artist-facilitated activities at its Imagination Studio.
At the museum's Festivals of Light cultural celebration, held this
month, kids can do projects specific to the cultures celebrated each
week.
At Everett's Imagine Children's Museum (425-258-1006, www.imaginecm.org),
drop in on selected days for special arts and crafts, as well as a
chance to work on projects with a guest artist. Check the museum's Web
site for the schedule.
Local arts and crafts studios also provide opportunities to create. The Little Artist in West Seattle (206-935-4185, www.littleartiststudio.com)
offers drop-in arts and crafts for $12 per child. Parents and tots ages
1-3 can visit on Mondays and Wednesdays at 9:30 a.m., and ages 3 and up
can visit on Mondays and Wednesdays at 11:00 a.m. Kirkland's Art n' Play (425-820-2040, www.artnplay.com) is a drop-in art studio for ceramics, painting and imaginative play. A two-hour session is $5-$10. The Creation Station in Lynnwood (425-775-7959, www.creationstationinc.com) stocks its drop-in studio with industrial recycled materials and mainstream crafts supplies ($5.95 per person).
Animal attractions
Zoos and aquariums are great places for kids to stretch their legs while taking refuge from the weather.
Peel off layers of fleece at the Woodland Park Zoo's (206-684-4800, www.zoo.org)
Tropical Rainforest exhibit, or visit the Day and Night exhibit to bask
in the sun lamps that warm reptiles and guests. The zoo's new Zoomazium
indoor play area, designed for kids under age 8, stimulates both mind
and body with active play areas and quiet spaces for exploration of the
natural world. Download a Rainy Day Map at the zoo's Web site.
The Seattle Aquarium (206-386-4300, www.seattleaquarium.org)
is a foul-weather favorite and its large tanks allow for lots of
viewing space no matter how busy it gets. In addition, tots and parents
can visit the drop-in Toddler Time, Mondays and Tuesdays through
February (Dec. 11 and 12 only), for storytelling, songs and other
activities.
Known for its outdoor adventures, Northwest Trek (360-832-6117, www.nwtrek.org)
in Eatonville is open Fridays through Sundays all winter. Trek's trams
provide shelter from the weather, and the Cheney Discovery Center
offers an indoor venue for viewing native reptiles and for hands-on
learning activities about Northwest animals and habitats. Older kids
will enjoy the Baker Research Cabin, which provides Web cam observation
of Trek's fox and wolf dens.
Might as well jump
Cabin fever's ultimate cure, of course, is letting kids run, jump and
climb. Many area gymnastic centers feature open gym schedules, and
bouncy-house centers offer drop-in fun for the whole troop. See the
list below for local venues, and, because it's the busy season for
indoor play spaces, don't forget to call first to ensure space
availability.
All wet
Even on the rainiest days, some activities make getting wet worthwhile. Razor clam digging
is a Northwest winter tradition. Ocean beaches will be open for
clamming from Dec. 2-4 and New Year's Eve through Jan. 2. Information
on licensing and logistics is available at the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Web site: www.wdfw.wa.gov/fish/shelfish/razorclm/season.htm.
The upper Skagit River
provides a winter buffet for convocations of bald eagles who fly in
from as far away as Alaska. Thousands of visitors gather to watch the
great birds feast on spawned-out salmon carcasses served a la carte on
the river's gravel bars. During the peak season (mid-December to late
January), morning visitors may see up to 100 birds at a time. The Skagit River Bald Eagle Interpretive Center in Rockport (360-853-7626, www.skagiteagle.org) offers speakers, walks and directions to eagle-watching areas. Warm, waterproof outerwear and sturdy footgear are advised.
Forest canopies offer wet-weather hikers some protection from winter's
whims. Lowland hikes can be suitable for family outings all year. After
a jaunt along Rattlesnake Lake's flat, family-friendly trails, visit
the nearby Cedar River Watershed Education Center (www.cedarriver.org) for kid-friendly watershed education. Seattle's Seward, Schmidt, Discovery and Carkeek parks (www.seattle.gov/parks) are also good places for short rainy-day hikes, and Bellevue's Mercer Slough (www.ci.bellevue.wa.us/mercer_slough.htm) stays damp rather than frosty and sports broad, flat trails and an environmental education center.
Washington State Forest Rangers, National Forest Service and National Parks have a jointly operated Outdoor Recreation Information Center
in the REI Flagship store in Seattle that is open Tuesdays-Sundays to
offer tips, advice and information about hikes, permits and conditions.
It can be reached at 800-627-0062 or 206- 470-4060.
Colleen Laing
is a Seattle freelance writer and mother of a preschooler. She
regularly blogs for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer and contributes to
Multilingual Living Magazine.
Indoor Play Spaces - north zones
- Pump It Up (inflatables)
Drop-in times: Tuesdays, Wednesdays, 9-10:15 a.m. or 10:30-11:45 a.m.
Ages: 5 and under
Cost:$6/one child, $4 for siblings
In Kirkland at 11605 N.E. 116th St.
425-820-2297
In Lynnwood at 18027 Highway 99, Ste. J
425-820-2298 - 3-2-1 Bounce (inflatables)
Ages: 2 years-adult
Cost: $6/child
In Bellevue at 13434 N.E. 16th St., Ste. 110
425-378-0321
Drop-in times: Mondays, Tuesdays, 9:30-10:45 a.m., 10:45 a.m.-noon
In Everett at 1111 80th St. S.W., Ste. 200
425-438-0321
Drop-in times: Wednesdays, Thursdays, 9:30-10:45 a.m., 10:45 a.m.-noon - Urban Monkeys (indoor play space)
1124 Harrison St., Seattle
206-262-9282
Drop-in times vary monthly. Visit www.urbanmonkeys.com for schedule.
Ages: Crawling-age 6
Cost:$10/family - Seattle Gymnastics Academy
12535 26th Ave. N.E., Seattle
206-362-7447
Drop-in times: Mondays-Fridays, 11:30 a.m.-12:45 p.m.
Ages: 1-5
Cost: $6/child - GYMagine Gymnastics
3616 South Rd. #B3, Mukilteo
425-513-8700
Drop-in time: Fridays, 9:15-10 a.m.
Ages: 1-4
Cost:$12/child - Gymnastics East
13425 SE 30th, Bellevue
425-644-8117
Drop-in times: Saturdays, 6:30-8:30 p.m.
Ages: Kindergarten and up
Cost: $6/hour/child - Gym East Location 2
19510 144th Ave. N.E., Woodinville
425-486-8836
Drop-in times: Once a month on Fridays, 8-11 p.m. (Dec. 1, Jan. 12, Feb. 9)
Ages: First grade through high school
Cost: $10/child - Auburn Gymnastics
1221 29th N.W., Auburn
253-876-9991
Drop-in times: Saturdays, 9 a.m.-noon; alternate Saturdays, 6-8 p.m.
Ages: 5-17
Cost: $15/two hours - Metropolitan Gymnastics
6822 S. 190th, Kent
206-575-4138 or 425-282-5010
Drop-in times: Mondays, Wednesdays, Saturday noon-2 p.m.; Tuesdays,
Thursdays, 1:30-3:30 p.m., Fridays, 1-3 p.m.
Ages: Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, preschool; Tuesdays, Thursdays,
Saturdays, preschool and school age
Cost: $6/one hour, $8/two hours
Indoor Play Spaces - south zone
- Gymnastics Unlimited (open gym)
34016 9th Ave. S., D-5, Federal Way
253-815-0998
Drop-in times: Mondays-Thursdays, 4-8p.m. (call in advance)
Ages:school age
Cost: $12.50 for 11 and under; $15 for 12 and up - Max Gymnastics Academy (open gym)
19102 Des Moines Memorial Drive, SeaTac
206-439-8234
Drop-in times: Fridays, 7:30-9 p.m.
Ages: 3-15
Cost: $10/child, $15/two children - Mile High Gymnastics (open gym)
4242 Mile Hill Drive, Port Orchard
360-871-6670
Drop-in times: Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays, noon-2 p.m.
Ages: weekdays, ages 1-6; Saturdays, school age
Cost: $6 - Rainy Dayz Playcenter (indoor play)
Location:2615 Jahn Ave. N.W. # E-7, Gig Harbor
253-853-7529
Drop-in times:Mondays, 9-10 a.m.; Tuesdays, 10:15-11:15 a.m. 1:30-2:30
p.m.; Wednesdays, 1:30-2:30 p.m.; Fridays, 9-10 a.m., 10:15-11:15 a.m.,
11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m., 1:30-2:30 p.m. (reservations recommended for
Fridays).
Ages: 0-5
Cost: $8/child - Bainbridge Island Gymnastics (open gym)
Bainbridge High School
206-842-2306
Drop-in times: Mondays, Wednesdays, 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. (call for holiday schedule)
Ages: 6 months-5 years
Cost: $5 - Black Hills Gymnastics Westside (open gym)
2601 Mottman Ct. S.W., Olympia
360-786-8310
Drop-in times: Fridays, 6-9 p.m.
Ages: Preschool-teens
Cost: $10 per child - Black Hills Gymnastics Lacey Center (open gym)
7961 29th Ave. N.E., Lacey
Phone:360-413-9855
Drop-in times: Saturdays, 7-9 p.m.
Ages:Preschool to teens
Cost:$10 per child
Preschool drop-in: Fridays, 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
Ages: 18 months-5 years
Cost: $5
