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active lifestyles, exercise, and better mental health,” says Ying Zhang, family physician with UW Medicine and a Seattle mother. Keeping these benefits in mind, hosting a winter Play Street makes sense, but rallying neighbors to attend may come as a challenge.
“Consistency and communication are the key to having a great Play Street,” says Schnellenberg. Try printing invitations decorated by neighborhood children and hand-delivering them together to ensure all neighbors, including those on adjoining streets, get invited to the Play Street.
She also suggests applying for a reoccurring Play Street permit to “create visibility and provide over time awareness that something cool is happening.”
Another way to entice neighbors to join in: assign a theme like “Glow-in-theDark Play Street” where each attendee receives an inexpensive glow stick during nighttime play.
Schellenberg proposes a “Game Day” theme, where neighbors play flag football or street hockey during a Play Street before the TV watching and feasting begins. Just remember to follow all SDOT safety guidelines for barricading and monitors for proper visibility.
Once you have support from your neighbors, there’s plenty of winter fun to be had!
Set up an obstacle course incorporating ride-on toys and puddle jumping. Supply children with pails to collect natural objects, or plan scavenger hunts where neighbors hide clues in their respective yards. At the end of the game, the kids will have a communal treasure chest full of outdoor toys. Fill a kiddie pool with rocks and experimental toys or old pots and utensils where children can prepare “meals.”
Remember to provide comfort by draping cozy blankets over lawn chairs, keeping guests extra warm and providing a canopy for quick refuge from the elements to keep people coming.
With all the memories you’ll create, Play Street will become a year-round tradition in no time.
Plan it! Visit seattle.gov/transportation to download a permit application, which can be submitted online or in person, and allow at least 14 days to obtain the permit.
welcome to Pullman!
BRANDON ROSE
Bring your family for new adventures, beautiful views and memories that will last a lifetime.
Escape from Seattle!
Look! Squirrel! Author Kate DiCamillo’s
comes to the Olympic Family Theater. This wacky tale follows the unconventional friendship between 10-year-old Flora and a squirrel, Ulysses, who develops human intellectual understanding and superhero strength after she saves his life. Will Flora’s mother accept her daughter’s new fuzzy friend? Visit and find out!
Feb. 1-17, various times at the Olympic Family Theater (612 4th Ave. E., Olympia). $15 youth, $20 adults. olyft.org/flora-ulysses
Morningside Academy
NOW ENROLLING Basic Skills Grades 1-8 Middle School Grades 6-9
Reading, Writing & Math Study & Organizational Skills Thinking, Reasoning & Problem Solving Daily Support Card Art, Wushu, Field Trips
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SEATTLEʼS PREMIER NANNY AGENCY “Your child deserves the best, and so do you”
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Right under your nose!
Raw cookie dough? Sure! One of the joys of childhood is back. The new Sugar+Spoon food truck sells fun flavors of cookie dough that kids (and you) can eat raw, thanks to heat-treated flour and an egg-free batter. Their schedule is online. Mrs. FrogLegs, which opened earlier this year at University Village, sells edible dough too.
sugarspoondough.com, froglegskca.com
» Chomp
Eating with kids
Coffee aficionados Drew and Sara Billups have a daughter who’s coffee-curious. Their son? Not so much.
Coffee-curious kids?
When your child asks for a mocha or Frappuccino, at what age is it not unreasonable to say “yes”?
by REBEKAH DENN / photo by JOSHUA HUSTON
Breaking up our usual hot chocolate vs. steamed milk debate
at the coffee shop counter, my 11-year-old says, “I think I’ll have a mocha today.”
“That’s got espresso in it!” I say. No way, right?
But then, why not?
Coffee drinks have caffeine, sure, but so does soda, which we don’t wholly forbid. Even hot chocolate contains a little caffeine.
Official recommendations run in line with the old “coffee will stunt your growth” warnings. The American Academy of Pediatrics doesn’t recommend caffeine until children reach adult height.
“While there isn’t evidence that caffeine intake affects growth directly, some of the CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE >
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Lowrider Baking Company’s Full Tilt Sammie
New in town
Blissful bakeries Fine new bakeries and expansions of old favorites are opening all over: Celine Patisserie: Definitely don’t miss the “cruffin.” 3 6801 Greenwood Ave. N., celinepatisserie.com
Damsel and Hopper: It’s mostly to-go, but there’s babka! 34405 Wallingford Ave. N., damselandhopper.com
Deep Sea Sugar & Salt: Tall cakes and possibly the city’s best cupcakes. 3 6601 Carleton Ave. S., deepseasugarandsalt.com
Good Day Donuts: Try the “buttermilk hunk.” 3 9823 15th Ave. SW, gooddaydonuts.com
Grand Central Bakery’s bright new Wedgwood branch offers lunch too. 3 7501 35th Ave. NE, grandcentralbakery.com
Lowrider Baking Company: Cookies only, weekends in Georgetown. 3 5805 Airport Way S., lowriderbakingco.com
Macrina Bakery’s new branch at the old Surrogate Hostess spot. 3 746 19th Ave. E., macrinabakery.com
