NW Kids Magazine May 2017

L I V E • PLAY • DO

magazine

S(cience) T(echnology) E(ngineering) A(rt & Design) M(athematics) Camps!

Street Fair Guide Rose Festival highlights & can’t-misses nwkidsmagazine.com

MAY 2017

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Editor’s Note Wow, 2017 seems to be flying by… we’re already almost halfway through! We’ve finally come out of the slog of winter and enjoying longer and (somewhat) warmer days. In honor of this awakening, the May issue is jam-packed with goodies that’ll get you and the littles out the door and active in the sunshine, or inevitable rain showers, all day long.

We rounded up a list of our favorite STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art & Design, Mathematics) camps; there are so many options that we almost ran out of room! What an exciting time to be a kid and spend the summer learning, experimenting and seeing just how super cool science and math can be.

And then there’s weekends! I’ll bet that you can find something to do almost every weekend for the next few months right here within these pages, between our Street Fair Guide, Rose Festival feature and events calendar. My personal favorite is the Milk Carton Boat Race, where local families can compete and show off their clever innovations!

See you out there!

Karel

Cover and contents photography by KYNDRA DAVIS and LUZ MARIA VEGA for SATURDAY ACADEMY

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Contents MAY 2017 9 Bits & Bytes 12 Not Your Father’s Rose Festival!

16 Portland’s Best Summer Camp Contest Finalists 18 Build, Design, Innovate, Investigate!

STEAM camps for the curious child 26 Party on the Pavement: 2017 Street Fairs 31 Get Out and Play!

This month’s local adventures

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magazine Publisher Michelle Snell michelle@nwkidsmagazine.com Connect With Us: • Phone: 503.282.2711 • email: contact@nwkidsmagazine.com • Facebook: facebook.com/nwkids • Instagram : @nwkidsmagazine • Twitter: @nwkids • Pinterest: pinterest.com/nwkids NW Kids is published monthly by Miche Media, LLC. Every effort is made to ensure accuracy; sometimes we make errors. Please let us know when we do and accept our apologies. Printed locally; Please recycle.

Editor Karel Chan karel@nwkidsmagazine.com Advertising Director Laurel Carrasco laurel@nwkidsmagazine.com Graphic Designer Robyn Barbon robyn@folkloremedia.com Client Services Coordinator Mary Brady mary@nwkidsmagazine.com Advertising Inquiries: 503-282-2711, ext. 1 sales@nwkidsmagazine.com Accounting & Business Services Heather Rex heather@nwkidsmagazine.com

Listings Adventure WILD............................................... 8 Aim High Martial Arts...................................14 All Families Surrogacy...................................34 Art of STEM....................................................15 Barre3.............................................................11 Bella Stella.....................................................33 Bennett Suzuki...............................................33 Big Lake Youth Camp....................................... 8 Brain Balance.................................................34 Brian Baxter Sports Camp..............................17 Camp Invention..............................................20 Camp Meadowood Springs...........................33 Camp Wahoo!.................................................33 Capitol Debate................................................17 City of Hillsboro..............................................24 Club Pilates.....................................................34 Coding with Kids............................................20 Connections Academy..................................... 3 Engineering for Kids......................................17 Farber Swim School.......................................33 German International School.......................... 2 Herrold Stables...............................................33 Hope Chinese Immersion Charter School.....33 6 | NW Kids Magazine

International School......................................10 Jauregui Violin Studio....................................33 Krugers Farm..................................................33 Little Fruit Farm..............................................34 Math Gamers.................................................20 Metro Arts Inc.................................................. 2 Modern Domestic..........................................20 Naydenov Gymnastics...................................33 North Clackamas Parks and Recreation........... 7 NWDSA Bike First!..........................................23 NW Fencing Center........................................25 Omega Gymnastics........................................24 Open Signal....................................................20 Oregon College of Art and Craft....................10 Oregon Episcopal School...............................25 Oregon Zoo.....................................................35 Peninsula Children’s Learning Center............20 Play Fit Fun.....................................................30 Portland Children’s Museum.........................23 Portland Jewish Academy.............................15 Portland Parks and Rec Aquatics...................28 Portland Trampoline......................................29 Royal Ridges..................................................... 8

Saturday Academy.........................................23 Schoolita Alegria............................................24 Serpa Audiology............................................34 Sit Still.............................................................. 7 Skinner Montessori........................................28 Sky High Sports..............................................15 Spielwerk Toys................................................11 Steve and Kate’s Camp...................................30 Sunshine Montessori.....................................11 SWKids Adventure Camp................................. 8 SW Community Center..................................24 The Kids’ Backyard Store................................29 Lumberyard Bike Park....................................10 Trinity Lutheran..............................................30 Uniquely Wise................................................30 USTA RecTennis..............................................10 Vibe of Portland.............................................23 VillaSport.......................................................35 Yeates Academy.............................................30 YMCA Camp Collins.......................................17

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BITS & BYTES , Tickets are $35 ($30 for members) and includes Garden admission, brunch and bottomless beverages, a plant to take home and a free return pass to be used later in the season! Stay after brunch for a hand-tied bouquet workshop for an additional $25.

Celebrate Mother’s Day at The Oregon Garden Mother’s Day is May 14! This special day usually calls up images of brunches or breakfasts in bed, flowers and lovingly handmade cards. What if instead, you wanted to get a little dirty (and then have brunch)? The Oregon Garden is hosting their first Digging in the Dirt event on Saturday, May 13, where families can plant spring annual flowers together and then relax with live music and a scrumptious buffet, complete with mimosas and sparkling cider.

The Oregon Garden has a full schedule of family-friendly events through the spring and summer seasons. Brewfest is just around the corner Father’s Day weekend (kids welcome Jun 17 & 18, with Family Day on Jun 18) and Petal Pedal is a gorgeous bike ride around Silverton, OR on Jun 24. Celebrate Independence Day with fireworks in the Garden on Jul 3; head down each Thursday from Jul 13 – Aug 31 for movies at dusk! Camp out at the Garden Aug 19-20 and round out the weekend with a viewing party for the upcoming total solar eclipse on Aug 21.

Digging in the Dirt at The Oregon Garden Saturday, May 13, 10am-1:30pm 879 W Main St Silverton, OR 97381 Tickets available online: oregongarden.org

Performances Beehive

Pinkalicious: The Musical

Robin Hood

Disney’s High School Musical 2 Jr.

Thru May 14, $21-42 broadwayrose.org Thru May 21, $11-25 nwcts.org

May 6-Jun 4, $14-32 octc.org May 18-21, $10-18 journeytheater.org

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Photograph courtesy of ROSE FESTIVAL

Not Your Father’s Rose Festival! by AFTON NELSON

If you’ve lived in Portland for even a year, you know how exciting Rose Festival can be. Events like CityFair (weekends starting May 26), Starlight Run and Parade (Jun 3), Fleet Week (Jun 7-11), and of course the Grand Floral Parade (Jun 10) will always have a place in our hearts and on our calendars. This year, why not make room for even more Rose Festival family enjoyment with these lesser known, can’t-miss events?

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Photograph courtesy of PORTLAND-KAOHSIUNG SISTER CITY ASSOCIATION

Treasure Hunt end of May Follow daily clues posted on oregonlive. com to locate a Rose Festival medallion hidden somewhere in our fine city or beyond. Hunters may be required to Google, tweet and consult their friends as they delve into Portland’s history and geography to uncover the hidden meaning behind each clue. Watch for information on the exact start date at rosefestival.org. rosefestival.org/programs/ treasure-hunt

Archeology Roadshow at Portland State University Jun 3 Bring your budding Indiana Jones to the PSU Campus (next to the Farmer’s Market) for the Archaeology Roadshow. Hands-on exhibits and real archaeologists will be available to keep kids both entertained and informed. facebook.com/ ArchaeologyRoadshowPDX

Rose Festival Dragon Boat Race Jun 10-11, 25 More than 80 local and international teams will compete in this exciting traditional Chinese event. Watch the stunning and colorful dragon boats cut through the waters of the Willamette near the Hawthorne Bridge. Heats start every nine minutes, making this a fun, engaging event to watch. rosefestival.org/event/dragon-boatrace

Good in the Hood Multicultural Music and Food Festival Jun 23–25 Promoting the cultural richness of North and Northeast Portland, Good in the Hood combines music, food and drink, a parade and youth and kids’ venues at Lillis-Albina Park. goodnthehood.org

Junior Rose Parade Jun 7 Children from all across the city bring their bands, their dance and gymnastic troupes and even their bikes and pets to march through the Hollywood District. The Junior Rose Parade has been on the Rose Festival docket since 1936 and is the oldest children’s parade in the nation. True Portlanders need to see this at least once. rosefestival.org/event/junior-parade

Photograph by KEN PANCK

Festival of Balloons in Tigard Jun 23–25 Arrive at Cook Park early in the morning to watch the balloons fill and lift into the air. Or come a little later and enjoy the crafts and food vendors. There will be live music, a carnival fun center, clowns and cotton candy. On Friday and Saturday nights stick around for the impressive Night Glow, when the balloons light up the night. tigardballoon.org

Photograph by GAYLE AMAN COURTESY ROSE FESTIVAL

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Recycled Arts Festival Jun 25-26 The Rose Festival crosses the Columbia for this popular event held at Esther Short Park in Vancouver.

Check out amazing recycled art and learn about environmental issues.

Kids can even make their own recycled craft! recycledartsfestival.com

Milk Carton Boat Race Jun 25 Build and race your milk carton boat, or just come and watch others in this memorable event that’s been part of Rose Festival since 1973. Different boat classes allow participants from seven years and up to join in the fun.

Race information and participation rules are available online.* rosefestival.org/event/milk-cartonboat-race

*Milk carton boat info and race participation rules: rosefestival.org/wp-content/ uploads/2017-Milk-Carton-RaceInformation-and-Rules.pdf

Photograph courtesy of ROSE FESTIVAL

Afton Nelson is a Portland writer and a fan of the lesser-known activities and hidden gems that make this city great. Get to know her better at aftonelson.com.

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Portland's Best Summer Camp Contest 2017 Finalists!

Our 5th Annual Best Summer Camp Contest, sponsored by Trackers Earth, had another successful run throughout the month of April. With over 600 nominations, competition and summer camp-lovin’ spirit was fierce!

We can’t wait to announce the winners in each of the 14 categories, as well as the recipient of the most total votes, who will tote the title of “Best Overall Camp” for the year. Everyone’s a winner in our book, though – check out our lovely finalists, and keep an eye for the contest results on nwkidsmagazine.com and facebook.com/nwkids this month!

2017 Finalists: Baxter Sports Camp – Sports baxtersports.com

One with Heart – Sports onewithheart.com

Big Lake Youth Camp – Art, Outdoor Skills & Adventure, Overnight biglake.org

Oregon Children’s Theatre – Performing Arts octc.org

Camp Westwind – Art, Cooking, Outdoor Skills & Adventure, Overnight westwind.org

Portland Early Learning Project – Language portlandearlylearning.com

Camp Yakety Yak – All Abilities campyaketyyak.org

Saturday Academy – Academic, General, STEM saturdayacademy.org

Columbia Dance Center – Dance & Gymnastics columbiadance.org German International School – Language gspdx.org Girl Circus – Dance & Gymnastics girlcircus.com Happy Mindful People – All Abilities happymindfulpeople.com Imagination Yoga Summer Camp – All Abilities imaginationyoga.com The International School – Academic, Language intlschool.org

School of Rock – Music schoolofrock.com Schoolyard Farms – Farming & Sustainability schoolyardfarms.org Sound Roots School of Music – Music soundroots.com Steve and Kate’s Camp – General steveandkatescamp.com Trackers Earth – Farming & Sustainability, Outdoor Skills & Adventure trackersearth.com Tualatin Hills Parks & Recreation – Sports thprd.org/activities/summer-camps

The Merry Kitchen – Cooking themerrykitchen.com

Turnip the Heat – Cooking turniptheheatcooking.com

Mr. David’s School of Film – STEM dloitz.com/mrdavidfilm

Willowbrook Arts Camp – Art, Dance & Gymnastics, General, Music, Performing Arts willowbrookartscamp.org

Northwest Children’s Theater – Performing Arts nwcts.org OMSI – Academic, STEM omsi.edu 16 | NW Kids Magazine

YMCA Camp Collins – Overnight ymcacw.org/locations/ymca-camp-collins Zenger Farm – Farming & Sustainability zengerfarm.org

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Build, Design, Innov

Photograph by KYNDRA DAVIS and LUZ MARIA VEGA for SATURDAY ACADEMY 18 | NW Kids Magazine

vate, Investigate!

STEAM camps for the curious child by KELLEY GARDINER

You’ve heard of STEM: Science, technology, engineering, and math. These days, there’s a movement to include arts into this programming to make – you guessed it – STEAM. Proponents of that extra “A” say that art and design have an important place in science and technology, and that the arts can benefit from cultivating the innovation that we typically think of with more technical disciplines. Creative thinking, problem-solving, active bodies and brains are welcome in every discipline, and demonstrated by these fun and inventive Portland area summer camps.

Art of STEM N Portland Jul 24-28 Art of STEM knows how to combine the arts into STEM education, and your kiddo can benefit from this expertise with a one-week Minecraft camp this summer. They’ll concoct IRL models and play outside and online as well. Not able to make the camp that week? Check out drop-in classes throughout the summer for stop-motion animation.

Ages 5-10, $299/wk artofstem.com

Camp Invention Various Portland metro locations Jun 26-Jul 14 Inspired by real-life inventors and taught by local educators, Camp Invention’s programming is conveniently offered all over the Portland metro area and SW Washington. This year’s programs will roll together business, physics and space exploration as campers create and devise new ways to solve problems.

Grades K-6, $225-270/wk invent.org continued on p. 21 NW Kids Magazine | 19

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Coding with Kids

Engineering for Kids

Various Portland metro locations Jun 26-Sept 1 Coding isn’t just writing out lines of letters and numbers. For campers at Coding with Kids, it also means making their very own video game that they can show off and play with pride. Even little ones can use age-appropriate programs to create interactive stories. Minecraft is the most popular, so hop on it!

Ages 5-16, $161-395/wk codingwithkids.com

Various Portland metro locations Jun 26-Jul 28 Half and full-day camps allow budding engineers to puzzle and explore their way through topics like Mindstorms Robotics, Minecraft, 3D printing and civil engineering, all with hands-on open-ended projects and problem-solving. Juniors from ages 4-7 might explore marine life, while the age 7-12 class talks about city-building and chemical engineering.

Ages 4-14, $168-368/wk engineeringforkids.net

Photographs by SAM GEHRKE for OPEN SIGNAL

Open Signal NE Portland, Jun 19-Aug 11 When kids show up for a filmmaking class at Open Signal, they’re often surprised that they get to use (really use, themselves!) the same professional equipment used in the adult classes. Hands-on camps blend art and technology to bring stories to life, like in the Animation Nation class that teaches stop-motion, claymation and cut-out animation.

Ages 8-18, $350/wk opensignalpdx.org

Oregon Episcopal School

Math Gamers Lake Oswego & Newberg Jul 17-Aug 4 Little one scared or intimidated by math? Or maybe they love it and can’t get enough? Math Gamers helps prevent summer “brain drain” with engaging and fun games, crafts and active play that teaches and reinforces math concepts. The Newberg location also gets a day measuring Baxter, a friendly math-loving dog.

Grades 1-5, $120-130/wk mathgamers.net

SW Portland Jun 26-Aug 18 OES offers a wide range of summer programming, from LEGO and robotics, to stop motion animation, to math games and “Zany Science.” An Innovation and Inspiration class for 3rd to 6th graders takes kids on tours of local businesses to watch real-life production processes before heading back to the classroom to make their own Rube Goldberg machines.

Grades K-8, $160-375/wk oes.edu continued on p. 22 NW Kids Magazine | 21

Peninsula Children’s Learning Center

Trackers: “It’s a Trap: Survival Engineering”

NE Portland, Jun 22-Aug 11 Peninsula’s “Full STEAM Ahead” summer camp is a traditional day camp experience (field trips, outdoor play, arts and crafts, music) rolling in STEAM content for 2017.

Weekly topics include Locomotion, Make Some Noise, Light and Color, Mathletics, Technology, Theater and Physics. One week might include learning capoeira, nutrition with food projects, circuit building and coding.

Ages 5-12, $275/wk penchild.org

SE Portland, Jul 3-7 (other Trackers camps all summer long) You know Trackers for their outdoor programming, but STEAM doesn’t just happen in a lab. “It’s a Trap” puts kids’ minds at work detecting and creating traps made from items foraged from the woods. After all, traps and triggers depend on physics, and ecology and biology dictate where those traps are set.

Grades 1-5, $349/wk trackersearth.com

Photographs by KYNDRA DAVIS and LUZ MARIA VEGA for SATURDAY ACADEMY

Saturday Academy

Vibe of Portland

Various Portland metro locations Jun 19-Aug 11 It’s not just on Saturday, and it’s not just in one place — Saturday Academy holds a huge array of programming all over the metro area, all summer long.

Kids develop critical thinking with openended projects, and each curriculum allows space for the instructor to follow the students’ interests. Computer programming, “The Art of Math” and invention are just the beginning.

Grades 2-12, $89-669/wk saturdayacademy.org

SE Portland Jun 16-Jul 21 The littles (age 3-6) will love working on 2D and 3D art projects at Vibe’s Pint Size Picasso camp! For grades 1-5, Passport themed camps give kids a chance to explore global art and music, and Photography campers grades 4-7 can learn from local photographer Posy Quarterman – such a treat.

Grades PreK-7, $150-300/wk vibepdx.org

Kelley Gardiner is a Portland native, a freelance writer and blogger and the mother of one sweet toddler. To see what she’s up to, visit kelleygardiner.com.

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May 5 First Fridays in Milwaukie Billed as the city’s “biggest block party”! You won’t want to miss this family-friendly art celebration. Explore downtown Milwaukie, stopping to enjoy art installations, food truck fare, craft beer and more! Free, milwaukieoregon.gov

May 13 St. Johns Parade and St. Johns Bizarre Come enjoy the 55th annual St. Johns Parade! After watching the “Whimsical Adventure,” head to the St. Johns Bizarre for food, entertainment and a host of community vendors. Both free, stjohnsparade.org, stjohnsbizarre.com

May 19-21 Oregon City Pioneer Family Festival The highlight of this three day festival is the Teddy Bear Parade, which will be held on Sat May 20 at 10:30am.

Donated teddy bears will be shared with children in need across the community. Throughout the festival you can enjoy carnival games, rides and a variety of other activities.

Free (ride tickets start at $3.75), pioneerfamilyfestival.itgo.com

May 21 SE Sunday Parkways Enjoy seven miles of family-friendly biking across SE Portland, interspersed with food and fun activities stationed in several parks along the route.

Sunday Parkways events happen throughout the summer in different neighborhoods; check the website for details. Free, portlandoregon.gov/ transportation/58929 26 | NW Kids Magazine

May 21 Kenton Street Fair Come to the Kenton neighborhood for craft activities, music, food and more! This year, event organizers ask you to bring both an umbrella and a sun hat - they’re not going to let unpredictable May weather stop the fun! Free, facebook.com/ events/1707785622815723

Party on the Pavement: 2017 Street Fairs

by GESSE STARK-SMITH

Jun 2-4 Canby Wine, Food and Brew

Jun 3 Rock the Block

Enjoy live entertainment and local food. This is an event for the whole family and adults are invited to try some great Oregon wines and beers – not a bad plan! $5 (free for kids 15 and under), clackamas.us

This annual family-oriented celebration in the Rockwood Neighborhood includes free food and live entertainment. With this year’s theme of “Superheroes of S.T.E.A.M.” expect lots of fun activities for kids of all ages!

Free, eventbrite.com/e/rock-theblock-2017-tickets-21503452405

Street fairs and block parties are one of the best ways to enjoy a Pacific Northwest summer! Take in the festivities with your neighbors or explore a neighborhood you’ve never visited. Many of these celebrations happen later in the summer – but no need to wait, we’ve found several happening soon – starting this month! Stay tuned in June and July for the rest of this three-part series.

FIRST FRIDAYS IN MILWAUKIE

Jun 23-25 Lake Oswego Festival of the Arts Make art come alive for your family this summer in Lake Oswego! A wide variety of art exhibits, demonstrations and ha nds on activities will be presented all weekend in the Lakewood Center for the Arts and surrounding parks. Free, lakewood-center.org

Jun 24 Taste of Parkrose Enjoy delicious samples from local restaurants, arts and crafts activities, a music stage and a beer garden. Feeling more ambitious? Enter the cooking competition or the 10K run! Free to attend, $15-$35 to participate in the 5K/10K, historicparkrose.com Gesse Stark-Smith is librarian and freelance writer. A native Seattleite she enjoys exploring the Portland area, baking and reading cozy murder mysteries.

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ROBIN HOOD AT NWCT

Get Out and Play!

This month’s local adventures

Thru May 21 Robin Hood

Develop your child’s appreciation for the performing arts with this swashbuckling original stage production. You never know, you might be inspiring the next great stage actor (insert dramatic bow, add extra flourish to embarrass kids). $11-25, nwcts.org

Thru May 29

OMSI: The Art Of The Brick This exhibition defies what we know about the deceptively simple children’s toy; the LEGO®. Artist Nathan Sawaya has created revelatory original works with the tiny bricks, in addition to recreating some of history’s most loved works of art. Your kids will never look at LEGO®s the same way again. $3.50-19.75, omsi.edu

display (or steamies, as we call them at Titmus Shed) as well as train rides, displays, food carts and live music. Free (donations encouraged), orhf.org

May 13-14

Mother’s Day Flower Show Some mothers love to while away the day pirouetting among thousands of vibrant blooming flowers. Those mothers should be told to put on their flounciest skirts/pants/gender-neutral garments and be whisked thusly to Crystal Springs for a dreamy day of celebratory mother/flower gazing. Free, crystalspringsgarden.org

May 6

Portland Train Day We can’t say that we understand this strange phenomenon of kids universally loving trains, but we can say that Train Day is fun for everyone in the family, not just the Thomas fanatics. This year’s event features three steam trains on Please confirm calendar events and performances as scheduling changes may occur.

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May 18-21

UFO Festival

This annual festival is a celebration of all things cosmic and infinite. Bonus: Downtown McMinnville is an uncannily charming location to live out your X-Files daydreams while your kids gawk at a parade of bewigged interpretations of celestial life. Free, ufofest.com

ST. JOHNS BIZARRE

May 13

UFO FESTIVAL

St. Johns Bizarre The misty northern enclave known as St Johns is universally regarded as one of the last vestiges of Old Portland. So what better neighborhood to kick off street fair season? Start by taking in the parade before strolling through the streets of downtown (and appreciating all the old storefronts before they become designer mayo boutiques).

Free, stjohnsbizarre.com

May 21

Wildflower Festival

For more street fairs, check out our guide on p. 26!

Whip up a playlist and pack up the family (but leave the dogs) for a mini road trip to Eugene for Mt. Pisgah Arboretum’s Wildflower Festival. This year’s fest will feature a children’s area with nature crafts, face painting, and microscopes, guided hikes and live music all day. $8 suggested donation (members and children under 12 free), mountpisgaharboretum.com

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May 27

Participants in the Doggie Dash are sponsored for a 2-mile loop that ends at Tom McCall Waterfront Park. If you and the fam just want to spectate, you can catch the various doggie award ceremonies/contests/ performances from the grassy comfort of the waterfront. Proceeds benefit the Oregon Humane Society. Free, oregonhumane.org

Rice Museum of Rocks and Minerals hosts an annual celebration of elemental minerals that features geode cutting, activities and games for children of all ages. Talks with meteorite experts will have your rockhound/junior geologist/ cosmic crystal space cadet feeling engaged and inspired. $7-10, kids 4 & under free, ricenorthwestmuseum.org

Doggie Dash

Meteorite Festival And Family Fun Day

Looking for more? Check out our online calendar: nwkidsmagazine.com/events

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