November 2019 Issue

SEATTLE’S GOT TALENT

Music!Theater!Dance!

Seattle’sChild NOV E M BE R 201 9

F RE E

YO UR G UIDE TO A KID - F R I E N D LY C IT Y

MEET THE BEHIND T 9-YEAR-OLD FOOD FIG HE POPULAR HT CARD GAME

SHOP

TACO VS BURRITO THE GAME

p RoGm I R LCO N

p m Cho AL OC WHAT LBANKS FOOD MOST NEED

WHA PARENT T TALKIN S ARE G ABOU T

LESSONS F ROM A HIPPIE COMMUNE

R S E AT T L E S C H I L D.C O M

GE E K

Ages 4–10

Our Mission:

Providing the healthiest screen time for kids!

Get a free Osmo Sampler at: playosmo.com/seattle

Osmo Sampler contains 5 Osmo games for iPad: Tangram, Numbers, Monster, Masterpiece, and Newton.

Get yours while supplies last!

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>>Contents

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Seattle’sChild

November 2019 // Issue 478

WHAT PARENTS ARE TALKING ABOUT....... 5 DAD NEXT DOOR................ 7 ROMP........................................... 9 CHOMP....................................... 11 SHOP..........................................13 FEATURE YOUTH AND PERFORMING ARTS..........17 CALENDAR............................23

WE’RE HERE FOR YOUR HEALTH p.9

kp.org/wa ©2019 Kaiser Foundation Health Plan of Washington

ST. JOSEPH SCHOOL Seattle’s Jesuit Parish School

Igniting a Community of Learners

p.11

Call for a Tour!

„ Find us online at seattleschild.com Cover photo by JOSHUA HUSTON

700 18th Ave E, Seattle 206-329-3260 www.stjosephsea.org

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Assumption-St. Bridget School PreK-8 OPEN HOUSE

NOV 14 JAN 30 Tours + Q&A 9:30am

206.524.7452 asbschool.org

Seattle’sChild November 2019 // Issue 478 “Seattle is my town. I know this city inside and out… or so I thought until I had kids.”

Seattle’s Child is your guide to getting to know your city all over again.

Finding things to do, places to eat, and how to get around — it’s a whole new ballgame with kids in tow. We’re interested in how parents make homes in a space-challenged urban environment, how families create community, and what parents are really talking about.

Seattle’s Child reflects real Washington families and their broad range of parenting experiences.

ANN BERGMAN Publisher, Founder abergman@seattleschild.com BOO DAVIS Art Director bdavis@seattleschild.com SYDNEY PARKER Managing Editor sparker@seattleschild.com JULIE HANSON Website Editor jhanson@seattleschild.com JENNIFER MORTENSEN Things To Do Editor jmortensen@seattleschild.com LEAH WINTERS Calendar Editor calendar@seattleschild.com MIKE MAHONEY Copy Editor JEFF LEE, MD Columnist KATIE ANTHONY, ERIKA LEE BIGELOW, MEG BUTTERWORTH, TAMARA GANE, HALLIE GOLDEN, POSEY GRUENER, JIAYING GRYGIEL, BRETT HAMIL, DANIELLE HAYDEN Contributing Writers JASMIN THANKACHEN Admin Coordinator/Project Manager JANA WITT Accounting ADVERTISING KIM LOVE Ad Production Manager klove@seattleschild.com MELIA WILKINSON Advertising Sales Manager mwilkinson@seattleschild.com 774-253-2219 RACHEL NEVARIL Sales Account Manager rnevaril@seattleschild.com

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Seattle’s Child has provided useful information to parents since 1979. In addition to our monthly magazine, look for our special themed publications — Explore, FamilyPages, School and SummerTime — distributed free throughout the Puget Sound area.

Seattle’s Child is published monthly with combined issues in January/February and July/August.

ONLINE seattleschild.com Facebook facebook.com/seattleschild Twitter @SeaChildMag Instagram @seattleschildmag MAIL c/o Postal Plus 1211 E. Denny Way, Seattle, WA 98112 VOICE 206-441-0191 TO ADVERTISE advertise@seattleschild.com MAGAZINE DISTRIBUTION distribution@seattleschild.com STORY IDEAS editor@seattleschild.com CALENDAR SUBMISSIONS calendar@seattleschild.com Deadline is first of the month, one month prior to publication (Dec. 1 for January/February publication).

Include date, time, cost, appropriate ages, address, contact information and description.

Don’t miss these stories on seattleschild.com

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Too much sugar!

What to do with Halloween candy

Minecraft at MoPOP A parent’s review of this cool exhibition

Kids and OCD How to recognize and treat it

»What Parents

„ Find more local news for families on seattleschild.com

Are Talking About Education, health, development and more

The author, left, and her family in the backyard of “The Big House,” once the Love Family’s main compound.

From flower child to parent What growing up in a hippie cult taught me about parenting

by P O S E Y G R U E N E R / photo by J O S H U A H U S T O N

Before I became pregnant with my first child, I often said I’d like to have a home birth. “After all,” I’d say, “I was born at home.”

“Born at home” was an understatement.

My mother delivered me in a house atop Seattle’s Queen Anne Hill, without medication of any kind, without promise of an ambulance if things went badly, surrounded by a circle of hippies playing guitar, singing songs, and smoking marijuana. It wasn’t a home birth, it was a happening.

At the time, my parents were members of the Love Israel Family. The Family was a commune, or maybe a cult, formed around a very simple vision: We are all one. Love is

the answer. The time is now. At its height, the Love Family had more than 300 members, spread among properties in Seattle, Arlington, Yakima, northeastern Washington, and even Alaska. Members followed Love Israel, the man who had the vision, and joining his family meant abandoning your old identity and giving all your worldly possessions to the group. In return, you got a new name and a new family. Members CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE >

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Celebrating over 50 years of Educational Excellence

Seattle’s first AMI Recognized School offering high-quality Montessori learning environments for children ages 2½ through 12 years.

Seattle Area Locations:

Woodland Park Wedgwood West Seattle

www.northwestmontessori.org

Main Office: 206.524.4244

e “ I lo v w it h si n g in g d s! ” n ie fr my HO IR BOYC

N O RT

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«What Parents Are Talking About CONTINUED

lived together in large households led by family elders, and they shared all the tasks of life, including cooking, cleaning, and childcare.

My parents both joined the Family in the 1970s. In pictures from that era, they look gorgeous to me. My mom, with her long, strawberry-blonde braid, bent over in a vegetable patch. My dad, shirtless, steering a horse-driven plow. They drifted into a relationship, the way people do in a hippie commune, and they stayed together for long enough to have my sister and I. Then things changed.

When I was a toddler, my parents’ relationship dissolved. Not long after, the Family itself broke up. The leader, Love Israel, had been accused of abusing his power. (Among the evidence: he had a cocaine habit and a personal airplane.

Meanwhile, kids in the family didn’t have winter coats.) A group of elders in the family wrote Love a letter asking him to share power and resources. When Love ripped it up, they knew it was the end.

The Love Family dispersed, and my parents and my sister and I blended into mid-’80s America. My mom cut her hair and started wearing sweater vests. My dad shaved his beard, leaving just a mustache. I joined the Girl Scouts.

Decades passed. I went to college, got a job in public radio, got married. I didn’t really think of the Family that much.

Then I became pregnant with my first child. Suddenly, I had a fresh interest in my parents’ lives. I was curious why they did things that way, and what I would want to do the same or differently. During

my pregnancy and maternity leave, I dug through old pictures, read old documents, and talked to my parents and their friends. Through all of this, I came to a few conclusions.

The stuff I would do differently? Easy.

Don’t join a cult. Seems so obvious in retrospect.

The stuff in the “maybe” column? It could all fit on a Pinterest board, maybe one named “commune chic.” Like most Pinterest boards, it’s usually better in theory than reality. Handmade clothes?

Bought the sewing machine but never made a stitch. Cloth diapers? Sure, but overnight disposables are the best. Home birth? Decided against it. A plow driven by draft horses? Wouldn’t know where to park it. Brown rice seasoned with Bragg’s liquid aminos and sprinkled with nutritional yeast? Yep, that’s gold; I’ll eat that forever.

And the stuff I’d do again? Easy. Join a commune. Or some version thereof. In fact, I’m doing this already. I went to my first Program for Early Parent Support (PEPS) meeting when my daughter was three weeks old. My wife and I formed a nanny share with another family. I’ve enrolled my daughter one day a week at a co-op preschool. And occasionally, my neighbors and I get together and close our street, turning it into a play street.

There was a moment, the last time we did this: I remember standing next to my neighbor, eating a potluck dessert in this perfect sliver of evening light, just watching as our kids ran wild in the space between our houses. And I thought: This is it.

And yes, of course, whether it’s PEPS, or a nanny share, or co-op preschool, or play street, when bedtime comes around, we all go back to our private houses. And you know what? That’s perfect.

It’s no hippie commune. And I like it.

„ Read all of Jeff Lee’s columns on seattleschild.com

»DadNextDoor

A little encouragement from across the fence

by J E F F L E E , M D

Discover the history and culture of the Tulalip Tribes

Right down the middle You don’t get many trophies for being a good parent, but you still have to bring it every day We still had the slimmest of leads, but they had two runners on base, and we were out of options. Our star pitcher, Nick, had suffered a crisis of confidence and had asked to be pulled two innings ago. Adrian, our next best pitcher, had reached his inning limit, and had to be replaced. I turned to Jeremy and told him what he already knew: “You’re on.”

Jeremy wasn’t a bad pitcher. He was steady and accurate, but he wasn’t fast. He also wasn’t exactly an athlete — more of a smart, quiet, slightly nerdy kid with round, wire-framed glasses that made him look like an owl. The first pitch he threw was barely outside the strike zone. So was the second. He was pitching afraid, trying to paint the corners. His third pitch was ball three, just a little low. One more and he’d load the bases. My co-coach, Dave, called time out and jogged out to the mound.

He got down on one knee, looked Jeremy in the eye, and said one thing: “Throw it right down the middle.” Jeremy pursed his lips and nodded.

The next pitch was strike one. The batter was hoping for a walk — he never took the bat off his shoulder. His coach yelled at him to be more aggressive. He took a big cut at the next one and fouled it off — strike two. Full count, two outs.

The baserunners would take off with the next pitch. Jeremy looked over at

us and we mouthed the words to him: Right down the middle.

That moment had been four years in the making. Dave and I had been coaching this same group of kids since they were 9-year-olds, including his son and my daughter. Like so much of parenting, coaching can be a privilege and a chore at the same time. Every spring, four times a week, we’d load our cars with bats and gear bags and buckets of balls, and drive down to the playfields for practices and games. At night, we’d email back and forth, tweaking lineups and pitching rotations, and designing practices to keep the attention of a dozen hyperactive kids long enough to turn them into ballplayers.

Along the way, we got to know those kids, and we grew to love them.

We watched them work hard and get better. We watched them cope with failure and disappointment. Together, we built a team that was much bigger than its individual parts, and now we were in the last game we might ever play as a team, one pitch away from being champions.

Jeremy stared toward the catcher’s mitt and adjusted his glasses.

We all stood up in the dugout, our white-knuckled hands clinging to the fence. He wound up, reared back and threw, and the batter took a giant swing. A moment later Jeremy disappeared under a mob of ecstatic

HOURS Tue – Fri 10 AM – 5 PM Sat & Sun 12 PM – 5 PM Mon Closed

FREE Admission the first Thursday of every month!

Located less than a mile west of I-5 Exit 199 6410 23rd Ave NE Tulalip, WA 98271 360-716-2600 info@HibulbCulturalCenter.org HibulbCulturalCenter.org

CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE >

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«DadNextDoor

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At At The The Everett Everett Clinic Clinic at at Shoreline, Shoreline, our our board board certified certified family family medicine and pediatrics providers specialize medicine and pediatrics providers specialize in in the the unique unique needs needs of of children children and and young young adults. adults. Whether Whether you you need need a a routine routine school school physical, physical, help help with with a a picky picky eater, eater, care care for for an an upset upset tummy tummy or or a a referral to a pediatric specialist — The Everett Clinic cares referral to a pediatric specialist — The Everett Clinic cares for for that. that.

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teammates for whom he had just won a championship. Strike three.

Those kids are all grown up now, but most of them still stay in touch. My daughter, who got her start in athletics on that team, is now a sports journalist. Dave and I are close friends, and we sometimes talk about coaching again someday, after we retire, with a couple of grandkids on the team.

But when I drive by those playfields in the spring, and the little kids are out there with their toolarge, grass-stained uniforms and their baseball caps slightly askew, that game is still as fresh in my memory as the day it happened.

It’s a little embarrassing, as a grown man with a long career and a long, fortunate life to look back on, that a Little League championship stands out as one of my proudest achievements — but it does. It was the culmination of hours of work, attention, drudgery and emotional investment. At the time, it was the crowning moment in a dozen 12-year-olds’ lives, and for many it germinated an understanding of teamwork, dedication, discipline and grit.

You don’t get many trophies for being a good parent, but you still have to bring it every day. You bring your focus, your generosity, your patience and your faith that all of this will make a difference in the end. But in this season of giving thanks, don’t forget to bring your gratitude as well.

We get to do this incredibly difficult and demanding work that puts us in a position to make a difference in someone else’s life. How cool is that? We get to walk out to the mound with the game on the line and take the ball. There’s no telling how it all turns out, and we’re not as good at this as we wish we were, but there’s no one else on the bench who can throw this pitch.

Don’t be afraid. Don’t be timid.

Throw it right down the middle.

ABOUT OUR COLUMNIST

Jeff Lee keeps a bucket of baseballs in his garage, just in case, in Seattle. ©2019 ©2019 The The Everett Everett Clinic Clinic

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5 things to do

„ Find more things to do on seattleschild.com

Toy store playdates

Right under your nose!

Artful experimentation Unleash some messy creativity at Scrappy Art Lab, a bright new art studio on Bainbridge Island. Kids can transform natural and reused materials into original artwork during Open Lab Hours ($25/family), or sign them up for an afterschool camp. At Kid Drop Off, kids get creative time while parents go explore the island.

Neighborhood Toy Store Day is Saturday, Nov. 9!

Many indie toy stores will celebrate with crafts, demos and giveaways.

Or stop by one of these shops for a regularly scheduled playdate:

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scrappyartlab.com

»Romp

Crafternoons at Snapdoodle Kids ages 5 to 8 can drop in on Wednesday afternoons for handson fun with a craft kit.

Snapdoodle Toys & Games, Redmond 3 snapdoodletoys.com

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Things to do with kids

Paint and play at Mox

Paint miniatures alongside fellow hobbyists on Sundays at this game store/ restaurant. Drop in on Mondays for board game night. Mox Boarding House, Ballard 3 moxboardinghouse.com

3 Make Magic at Math ‘n’ Stuff

This U-District STEM store caters to mathophiles and mathophobes alike.

Fridays and Saturdays, play in a Magic: The Gathering tournament.

3 mathnificent.com

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GeekGirlCon board president Sharon Magliano Feliciano geeks out with her kids at Arcane Comics.

Geeky feminist fun GeekGirlCon empowers girls to be who they are and pursue what they love

by J E N N I F E R M O R T E N S E N / photo by J O S H U A H U S T O N

“My mom will tell you that I’ve been a geek since day one,” says Sharon Magliano Feliciano, GeekGirlCon board president.

She dressed as Spider-Woman for her second Halloween. On her

fifth birthday, she had a Pac-Man party. When she was 8, Star Trek: The Next Generation debuted, and she became a self-identified geek for life.

“I immediately fell in awe and wonder of the Star Trek world,

where people were going on big adventures to, basically, make friends,” says Feliciano. In a way, she’s been on a similar journey — building communities, connections and friendships — ever since. Today, Feliciano supports a global community of women writers at the nonprofit Hedgebrook. She also co-owns the geek CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE >

Pokémon Swap at RetroActive Kids

What’s old is new again at this toy store that combines nostalgia with fun discoveries.

Trade Pokémon cards and spin the prize wheel at their monthly swap. 3 facebook.com/ retroactivekids

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Storytime at Pottery Barn Kids

Listen to a story while nestled among stuffies and imaginative décor.

Get a passport at your first story time and receive a gift after your fifth. Tuesdays at 11 am.

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3 uvillage.com

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«Romp CONTINUED

hangout Arcane Comics in Shoreline.

GeekGirlCon is an annual celebration of female geeks. It empowers women and girls to pursue their passions, and it’s coming up November 16 and 17 at the Washington State Convention Center. Feliciano hopes to encourage more children and families to attend.

“If you’ve never been to a convention, GeekGirlCon is a good one for beginners,” says Feliciano, who has been bringing her own geeklets, Nate, 19, and Kitty, 12, to the convention since they were little. “My daughter’s favorite is still the DIY Science Zone,” she says. “Scientists from all over the world are there to help families do hands-on activities. You might extract DNA from a strawberry. Or design and fly paper airplanes.”

q Find, save

and share calendar events on the Seattle’s Child mobile app

» seattleschild. com/app

The two-day program is packed with meetups, family-friendly science and art, gaming, cosplay and other events that honor women’s contributions to geek culture. Here’s a small sample of this year’s entertainment: music from folk-pop duo The Doubleclicks; a presentation about diversification in gaming with I Need Diverse Games founder Tanya DePass; a creative performance by Seattle-based “goddess of electronic psychedelic soul” SassyBlack; and a kids cosplay celebration, where mini-geeks can win prizes for costume craftsmanship and stage presence.

Passes for GeekGirlCon are $50 for the weekend, $35 for a day and $15 for kids ages 6-12. It’s free for children 5 and younger.

While the convention celebrates feminism, you definitely don’t have to be a girl — or a geek — to attend.

“Dads, brothers, gender-nonconforming, big geeks, little geeks, and even the notso-geeky are welcome,” says Feliciano.

“GeekGirlCon is for everyone.”

Like her favorite Star Trek worlds, Feliciano hopes that GeekGirlCon will be a place for your family to make new friends and build community. “Come and be yourselves,” she says. “This is a place where being yourself is joyful, and where we can all unabashedly celebrate the things we love.” q geekgirlcon.com

Escape from Seattle!

Overnight cruise to British Columbia Go on a cruise without blowing through a week of vacation time.

Your family can take a one-night Princess Cruises Pacific Coastal voyage from Seattle to Vancouver, B.C. Spend the evening enjoying the ship’s family-friendly entertainment, and wake up in Vancouver. Then stroll Granville Island and explore downtown before hopping on a short flight back to Seattle. For a more scenic ride home, take Amtrak’s Cascades train. princess.com

Create unforgettable holiday experiences for the whole family: • Enjoy a planetarium or laser show ®

• Hang out with butterflies and naked mole rats • Explore the majestic landscape of Saturn’s largest moon in our multiplayer virtual reality experience, Expedition Titan • Plus festive events bringing the winter spirit to life pacsci.org/holidays

NEW FALL HOURS › Visit pacsci.org 10

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CR A FTY KI D : S H U TTE RSTOC K, VA N COU VE R BC: DAVI D G. GOR DON

• Catch the latest Star Wars in IMAX

n the „ Joi er Club Supp Kids on the pp

„ More on feeding your family at seattleschild.com

ild a pp h C s ’ e l Seatt child.com/a

Right under your nose!

Get tasty, exclusive deals

ttles » sea

Welcome to the Seattle’s Child Kids Supper Club, a monthly membership pass where your kids can eat free or discounted meals at more than 100 local family-friendly restaurants, including Pagliacci, Full Tilt, Cupcake Royale and Lunchbox Laboratory.

Download the Seattle’s Child app by texting “ROMP” to 43506 to start your membership for just $9.99 a month.

»Chomp Eating with kids

Around town

Cool spots for hot chocolate There’s nothing like sharing a cup of hot chocolate with your kids on a cold day. Check out these sweet options: 3Bakery Nouveau This delicious hot cocoa is made from handcrafted chocolate.

4737 California Ave. SW, bakerynouveau.com 3The Dining Room at Salish Lodge “Kid’s Coffee” is hot chocolate covered with whipped cream and sprinkles. 6501 Railroad Ave. SE, Snoqualmie, salishlodge.com

White Center Food Bank caters to the diverse needs of neighborhood residents.

No more hungry kids I know what it’s like to stare at an empty cupboard; here’s how you can help

by T A M A R A G A N E / photos by J O S H U A H U S T O N

We’re heading into food drive season. The time of year when bins at grocery stores and notes in children’s backpacks remind us that some members of our community are less fortunate than others and ask

us to help if we can. I have mixed feelings about this. With so much need around us, any effort to help our neighbors is important, but I hate to see the holidays branded as the only giving season. Food insecurity is an issue that won’t go

away after the lights and festive decorations come down.

I know firsthand what it feels like to stare at an empty cupboard. To gather up all the change from the top of the washing machine and the cushions of your couch and realize you still don’t have enough money to buy milk for your child. Twenty years ago, I relied on my local food CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE >

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3Zoka Coffee Impress your kids with hot chocolate topped with artistic foam art.

129 Central Way, Kirkland, zokacoffee.com 3Proper Joe Coffeehouse The pros here make sure their hot cocoa is just the right temperature for your little ones. 1101 1st St., Snohomish, facebook. com/ProperJoe 3Valhalla Coffee The most decadent hot chocolate in Tacoma is made with local favorite Tease Chocolates.

3918 6th Ave., Tacoma, valhallacoffee.com — Tamara Gane

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«Chomp

How you can help

CONTINUED

bank for help feeding my son.

I was a single mom, working as a receptionist, and every month I was handed a box full of food by volunteers at my local food bank. It was mostly staples: items like dried macaroni, eggs, pancake mix, powdered milk and peanut butter, which helped me stretch my meager paycheck further at the grocery store and keep my son’s stomach full.

These donations were especially helpful when unexpected expenses arose, like car repairs or a higher-than-normal utility bill.

For me, the assistance I received from the food bank was no more vital during the holidays then it was the rest of the year.

“The vast majority of our customers are regulars,” says Marelle Habenicht, executive director of the White Center Food Bank.

“There’s no particular time of year that we need more help than others.”

According to Northwest Harvest, a nonprofit food bank distributor that provides close to 2 million meals a month to hungry Washingtonians through their network of 275 food banks, high-need schools, and meal programs, 1 in 9 Washingtonians are fighting hunger.

Keeping food banks stocked year-round Cash is the best way to help, but Northwest Harvest’s website lists the following items they most urgently need, ranked by importance: If you’re in a position to support your local food bank, Habenicht says cash donations are the best way to help: “With the cooperation and partnership of many local vendors, White Center Food Bank is able to stretch a dollar much further than the average person.”

If you prefer to donate food, Northwest Harvest suggests “shelf-stable foods with the lowest saturated fats, and refined carbohydrates such as white flour and sugar.” Since they buy oats, white rice, beans, tomato products and pasta in bulk, they encourage the public to donate other nonperishables instead.

This holiday season, it’s important to remember local families in need, and to keep remembering those families year-round. q whitecenterfoodbank.org q northwestharvest.org

• Beef stew, chili and similar meals with low salt, sugar and saturated fats • Canned fruit, especially with low sugar (but not artificial sweeteners) • Canned fish or meat • Peanut butter (plastic jars are preferred) • Canned vegetables (low sodium) • Brown rice • Whole grain pasta • Canned tomato sauces • Shelf-stable milk • Infant and baby foods: Baby formula, jars of baby food, powdered or canned milk, infant cereal. They also accept baby diapers.

University Book Store proudly supports the Huskies of tomorrow.

Shop our unique selection of Husky gear for kids (and parents) of all ages, because no one outgrows Husky spirit.

The authentic Husky retailer since 1900.

Seattle • Bothell • Tacoma • 206.634.3400 • ubookstore.com • 1.800.335.READ 12

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FU L L TI LT KI DS : JOSH UA H U STON , H OT CH OCOL ATE : SH U TT E RSTOCK

GO DAWGS, GO! GO DAWGS, GO!

„ More shopping local on seattleschild.com

Q&A

Where do you get the most bang for your buck in the city?

Regan Pro, Director of Education & Public Engagement at Seattle Art Museum

Things we love

If you ask our two boys (2½ and 5½), they would 100% say their favorite store is the Dearborn Goodwill. If they donate two toys, they can pick out one to take home, and we’ve spent many rainy weekend mornings in those aisles. For all things art and creativity, my favorite place is the SAM Shop — I buy all of my kids’ gifts there.

»Shop

Poppin’ color

Lively + locally made

Stay-at-home-momturned-entrepreneur Adrianne Gold opened her own balloon shop after years of being that Pinterest mom at parties for her kids.

Color Pop Design opened in March, and even did a party for Mariners great Edgar Martinez.

Fully customized balloons start at $100. Delivery available throughout the Seattle area.

3 shopcolorpop.com

Cutline here cutline here cutline here cutline here.

Family game play resulted in the bestselling Taco vs Burrito.

Food fight game night Ballard kid inventor of Taco vs Burrito is winning over players with his game of strategy

by J I A Y I N G G R Y G I E L / photo by J O S H U A H U S T O N

Alex Butler is 9 years old, and he’s cracked the Top Ten for best-selling games on all of Amazon for a game he created when he was 7.

Yes, you read that right.

“Adults always think he’s

making it up, the first time they hear about it,” says his mom, Leslie Pierson.

But it’s true. They’d always been a family of game players, ever since Alex was little. On trips, they would play a new card game

every day, and evaluate which ones they liked best. Alex loved strategy; he’d study up on a new game, so he could win right away.

Then one day when Alex was 7, he announced he wanted to make his own game, and it was going to be called Taco vs Burrito.

“I didn’t think he was going to make a game, I thought he was just joking around,” his mom says.

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Bento bibs Seattle artist Linda Hoshide learned to sew from her mom, and she’s been sewing her whole life.

Her bibs and tees feature a bowl of rice, because Asians eat a lot of rice, says Hoshide, who is a third-generation Japanese-American.

Bibs ($12) and tees ($15, 6 months-4T), come packaged in a bento box.

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But Alex stuck with it. He came up with the concept, made cards and tested them.

Every weekend, he and his mom would walk their dog, Humphrey, to Café Bambino so she could get a coffee and they would play his game. On the twoblock walk home, he’d come up with ways to improve it. The first versions were terrible, but over the next 6 months, Alex fine-tuned the cards.

Alex launched his Kickstarter last year on March 1. By 1 pm, he’d already hit his goal of $1,000. His mom picked him up from school and they headed to Comic-Con, where he demonstrated his game to adults at the annual convention while dressed in a taco costume. At the end of his Kickstarter, he’d raised $24,312, $15 at a time.

“It was insane,” Pierson says. “I couldn’t believe it was going so well. It just grew and grew and grew. People were really supportive. The good thing about Kickstarter is people are a lot more open to start something. And the ‘kid inventor’ played into it.”

The premise of Taco vs Burrito is simple: players draw from a deck of wacky cards trying to assemble the biggest meal to win the game. You might get moldy bread, hot yogurt or chocolate-covered shrimp (remember, a kid designed this game). But watch out for the health inspector, who will make you dump all your food out. The game is highly strategic, easy to learn and really fun for kids and adults.

Alex picked his manufacturer based on the funny name of the company (Bang Wee Games). They shipped out Taco vs Burrito over Labor Day weekend, and sent the extras to Amazon. It was an instant hit. That month, he made more than $20,000 and the game sold out. Sales climb even higher with each month.

Taco vs Burrito has ranked as high as ninth of all the games on Amazon. In the past 30 days alone, Alex has sold more

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than 2,000 games. Since launching last November, Taco vs Burrito has sold more than 10,000 units.

The money from sales stays in the business. “If we had $30,000 of Pokémon cards in the house, that would be a waste,” says his mom. Alex gets to take out 1 percent of his earnings, which then gets split into savings and donations. Not that he’s a big spender or anything. Alex has been pet-sitting since he was 3, and his rate hasn’t changed: $1 a day. (Pro advice from Alex: “If you only charge a little bit of money, they tip really big.”)

Despite creating a blockbuster game, Alex turned down speaking engagements and an opportunity to be on CNBC. “He’s not a little Bill Gates or anything. He is totally a regular fourth grader,” Pierson says.

What’s next for the kid game inventor?

Alex and his mom are working on a remake of Old Maid, called Bold Made.

Instead of avoiding getting “stuck with the old maid,” Bold Made features inspiring women.

Alex’s advice for other kids: “If you want to make a game, you should go for it! Just make sure to do a ton of work and play-testing to make it great!” q tacovsburrito.com

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»TheBook Corner

A young reader’s review of Guts

by J U L I E H A N S O N

Raina Telgemeier’s highly anticipated new young-adult graphic novel Guts did not disappoint, topping the Publishers Weekly sales charts for books of any genre (beating out even Margaret Atwood and Stephen King!) the final week of September. It has earned wide praise for its frank portrayal of a young girl’s anxiety, tummy troubles, friend issues, and more.

Here’s 11-year-old Elizabeth Hanson’s review, in Q&A form: What a funny name for a book!

What is Guts about?

Guts is a story about Raina, based on a true story from her childhood. She gets a stomach bug and is not the same after that. Guts to me is an amazing story, that I can slightly relate to because I’m scared of throwing up, just not to her level.

What other challenges does Raina face?

Of course, her main challenge was her fear of throwing up, but there are other concerns with mean girls, a friend moving away — you know, little things.

How did the protagonist and her family deal with the challenges she faced?

They took Raina to therapy, as most people would, until she felt a little more comfortable.

How does the graphic-novel format contribute to the telling of the story?

I always personally thought that pictures always made things a lot better.

Unfortunately, sometimes, the pages were a little bit confusing, and I’m 11.

Do you recommend this book?

I say “yes” to most all people ages 7+, but if they are much younger, they might have a hard time understanding parts. I’m not saying they shouldn’t read it, I’m saying you might have to explain a few things. I think everyone can enjoy this book, but especially girls ages 8-12, just because this is Raina Telgemeier, and I started liking her books around 8, and still love them a lot. Some teens might think it’s too “kiddish” and that they are “too cool.” I personally disagree, and think it’s fine for all ages (I know if she writes another one in five years, when I’m 16, I’ll read it.)

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Seattle’s youngest performers are also some of our city’s most dedicated. From weeknight rehearsals to lugging instruments on vacation, these kids go the extra mile for the performing arts they love. Meet a few of Seattle’s brightest young stars and the arts educators who are bringing theater, music and dance to kids citywide.

Getting in on the act

Kids in Melody Xie’s classes learn the body language of dance.

Fall for FOLK DANCE

Seattle kids learn all about Chinese culture and history through the joy of dance

by M E G B U T T E R W O R T H / photos by J O S H U A H U S T O N

Our bodies tell stories through dance.

Combined with traditional dress and music, dance can be a visual, physical and emotionally evocative way to share culture and history and remind someone of their roots.

This is the driving force behind the Melody Institute Chinese Language and Dance School.

Founder Melody Xie has taught traditional Chinese and folk dance to youth in the Seattle area for more than 25 years. “I find it’s a very good tool to make kids interested in culture, to learn about themselves, learn skills and learn the body language of dance,” she says.

Melody arrived in the U.S. in 1992, with her then-3-year-old daughter in tow. They joined her husband, who had made the move earlier to pursue a graduate degree in anthropology from the University of Washington. The move CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE >

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not only meant adapting to a new country and customs, but leaving behind a promising academic career of her own. After obtaining a degree in international business from Xiamen University, Melody intended to pursue her Ph.D. to become a professor. She made the difficult decision to forego that path in order to devote her time to her daughter and starting their new life in the U.S.

The transition was not easy.

When her daughter was 5 and enrolled in kindergarten, she was not doing well in school. She refused to speak Chinese at home, complained about her black hair and didn’t like that she looked different from her classmates.

Melody feared her daughter’s behavior would negatively impact her future and tried to find an explanation for it all. As Melody says, “I found out that she lost her roots, her identity.”

At the time, Melody had recently joined a local Chinese performing arts group. She had been dancing since age 11 and was trained in ballet and traditional Chinese dance and folk dance. Convinced that the most important thing for her daughter was to learn how to appreciate her Chinese culture, Melody considered her dance background and thought, “Maybe I can do something for her.” Since it was close to the Chinese New Year, she asked her daughter’s school if she could teach traditional Chinese dance in her class and perform for a school assembly. She

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taught her daughter and some of her classmates a short routine and also brought in traditional food to share. It was a success, and a real turning point for her daughter. “I gave her confidence to be proud of herself, and not imitate others,” Melody reflects.

It was a turning point for Melody as well. Soon after, she decided to incorporate dance into the Chinese language classes she was teaching at a small Chinese school in Seattle. She understood that “Asian kids are more shy, not as outgoing. This is a very good way for them to open their minds, to learn how to present themselves in front of people, and is good for the future when they find a job.”

In 2005, she started the Melody Institute, the only school in Seattle that offers a mix of Chinese dance and language classes. In 2011, she moved the school to its current location in northeast Seattle. She’s quick to point out that unlike many dance teachers who copy dance routines they see on YouTube or from other performances, she does all of her own choreography. In addition to traditional Chinese dance, she teaches China’s numerous folk and ethnic dance styles. As she says, China is a big country, and it’s important that people know its “minority and not just its majority.” Parents contribute to the cost of costumes and props that she purchases from China.

Classes are open to boys and girls between the ages of 2½ and 18. Melody also offers adult dance and exercise classes. Although

SO YOU THINK YOU CAN FOLK DANCE If you’re interested in learning about other cultural dance programs for youth in the Seattle area, check out some of these offerings: 3 Greek dance:

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many of her students are children of Chinese descent or who have been adopted from China, she welcomes students from all different ethnic backgrounds.

Her program follows the Seattle Public School calendar, with three sessions per year; summers are off. Classes take place after school and on weekends, and last from an hour and a half to two hours. Class size is limited to 12 students.

The Melody Institute performs at several events in the greater Seattle area and is the only Chinese dance youth group that works with the Seattle Theatre Group. Her students have performed at such popular venues as the Moore Theatre and the Northwest Folklife Festival, where she is a showcase coordinator. Melody also schedules performances at nursing homes and senior centers as a way to imbue in her students the Chinese value of paying respect to your elders.

In addition to educating youth about Chinese culture and its beauty, Melody believes that dance is an effective tool to teach leadership and cooperation. In each class, she assigns a student leader to help group kids, and check on costumes and makeup.

She encourages older students to try their hand at choreography.

“They have to think,” she says, “instead of just learn to dance.”

Parent feedback has been consistently positive, emphasizing how the Melody Institute has helped their children feel connected and allowed them to explore their culture.

Piper Bronson’s two adopted daughters participated in Melody’s language and dance classes from the time they were 4 until they graduated from high school. “It was important for us to do what we could to help them maintain contact with their Chinese heritage,” says Bronson.

“Over time, I realized Melody was also a mentor to the kids. That’s what I valued most.”

At 59, Melody reflects on what she has gotten out of teaching dance to youth all of these years: “Lots of people my age start to retire and wait for the end of their life. I find meaning in my life, to help people, to give them what I know and to see how happy they become. That’s the most achievement for a teacher.” q For more information about the Melody Institute: melodyinstitute.org

Juan Felipe Molano conducts the Seattle Youth Symphony Orchestra.

Transforming lives THROUGH MUSIC Raising the next generation of classical musicians, one note at a time

by D A N I E L L E H A Y D E N / photos by J O S H U A H U S T O N

The rehearsals are nearly as good as the concerts themselves. Sure, the acoustics of the space are incredible, but what’s truly awe-inspiring is listening to the sheer talent of some of Seattle’s most exceptional young musicians as they play the works of legendary composers.

Each movement enraptures; a crescendo of pride swells in the audience as we sit, spellbound.

The Seattle Youth Symphony Orchestra (SYSO) is the largest youth symphony in the United States, as well as one of the oldest. Last season marked its 75th anniversary, and its legacy is apparent. Since its inception it has grown into an organization of great renown, with a considerable range of programs for young musicians. From five orchestras, to two summer programs, partnerships with local schools and a conservatory, SYSO offers a breadth of opportunity for cultivating musicianship in Seattle to more than 1,800 students per year.

Admission is competitive; auditions include a combination of scales, a solo, and sight reading, and many talented prospects are

practicing, and setting up private lessons are just a few of the responsibilities families take on for their young musicians.

“Our family does a lot of weekend hiking, skiing and camping trips, and joining SYSO meant saying goodbye to family outings on Saturdays and weekdays,” says Leeia’s mom, Lucie Huang.

For Martha Reynolds, whose son Hugo plays the French horn with SYSO, the commitment felt natural: “We are a family of musicians. While pregnant with him, I routinely placed earphones on either side of my belly and played the Adagio movement of Mozart’s Clarinet Concerto in A Major.”

Research on music education reveals a number of benefits, such as improved cognition and memory, teamwork skills, stronger academic performance and other advantages, compared to peers who are not exposed to music. Despite the benefits of arts education, many students around the country have suffered losses, as arts-based classes and programs are deemed expendable and cut from the school budget.

SYSO strives to close the music education opportunity gap through the Musical Pathways project, bringing classical music instruction to Seattle public schools where economic barriers have limited student exposure to the arts. Giving students in less affluent neighborhoods the opportunity to work with professionals at the top of their field is a core value of the organization.

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turned away. For those admitted, the work can be grueling but the payoff is great.

Violinist Leeia Stroh, 14, eagerly anticipates SYSO rehearsals every Saturday. “Yes, I look forward to sitting in a chair for four hours doing the same three pieces over and over again.

And yes, it can be very difficult at times,” she says. “But the coaches and the conductors make everything seem possible. Not only possible, but easy and fun. They break the hard spots down into just a few note spots, and drill us through them until it starts to sound like music.”

Of course, parental support is key. Providing encouragement, shuttling kids to rehearsals, keeping them on track with

SYSO features some of the area’s best young musicians.

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The Endangered Instruments program, another one of SYSO’s educational initiatives, teaches less-taught orchestral instruments to interested players. Instruments like the viola and bassoon are often overlooked in favor of the violin or flute. By offering free instruction for these and other underexplored instruments, SYSO helps to maintain a robust assembly of players.

“Music is a human right,” says Juan Felipe Molano, the organization’s new musical director.

Born in Colombia, Maestro Molano is happy to call Seattle his new home. “Seattle has been and will be an incubator for really talented people,” says Molano, citing other classical art forms such as ballet and opera, but also grunge rock and other alternative art forms that consider this city their birthplace.

He believes that Seattle’s melting pot is also a strength of our city.

“The immigrants in this part of the country are so diverse. Different cultures coming together in one place … the arts are [positively] affected by that.”

This cultural cornucopia is something he’d like to see a little more of in the SYSO’s repertoire as well. In the future, Molano would like to enhance the 18th- and 19th-century European artists who comprise the traditional canon by adding compositions from other cultural backgrounds — American, Asian and South American, for example — whose work is likewise brilliant, but lesser known. Molano believes that this will help to usher in an era of well-rounded musicians: “We need to remind the next generation that diversity and inclusion are so important.”

Although each individual member of the Seattle Youth Symphony Orchestra is remarkable, the harmonies they produce will leave you speechless — giving credence to the belief that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.

„ For our mobile-friendly, totally searchable, frequently updated calendar go to seattleschild.com

Seattle’s GOT TALENT Local child actors work hard, learn important lessons and make lifelong memories

by H A L L I E G O L D E N / photo by J O S H U A H U S T O N

When a friend suggested to Heather Sanders that her daughter Piper Harden would make a very cute Tiny Tim in ACT Theatre’s 2018 production of A Christmas Carol, she thought it might be a fun opportunity. The then-7-year-old had enjoyed acting in productions at Tacoma Musical Playhouse and modeling for print and commercials when she was younger.

But this would be Piper’s first foray into professional stage performance.

Piper went to a half-hour audition, where she performed a monologue and sang “It’s the Hard Knock Life” from the musical Annie. She was asked to return for a callback, where she read Tiny Tim’s lines with other young actors under consideration for the show.

Days later, Sanders received a call from

Piper Harden, left, and Tia Kwanbock are veterans of A Christmas Carol.

CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE >

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SEE SYSO LIVE Interested in seeing the Seattle Youth Symphony Orchestra live? Juan Felipe Molano’s debut concert with SYSO is Sunday, Nov. 17 at Benaroya Hall. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit syso.org/ concerts-tickets

November 20 19

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Youth and performing arts

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Christmas Carol CONTINUED

casting director Margaret Layne, with some good news: Piper had been cast as Tiny Tim. The second-grader would become one of the youngest children ever cast in ACT’s annual holiday production.

“It was crazy, I could not believe when I got the part,” says Piper, now 8. “It was like, mind blown.”

In its 44th year, A Christmas Carol has become a beloved holiday tradition at ACT Theatre in downtown Seattle. The adaptation of Charles Dickens’ famous 1843 novella follows grumpy old miser Ebenezer Scrooge on a journey through his past, present and future, ultimately reigniting the true holiday spirit of generosity.

Actors dedicate weeks to intensive rehearsals, then commit to dozens of performances between Nov. 29 and Dec. 28, sometimes twice a day. Seven are younger than 16.

Kelly Kitchens, directing the show for the first time this holiday season, says the child actors rehearse mostly after school under guardian supervision, but otherwise are held to the same professional standards as the adult actors. They are as much a part of the production as anyone else, and Kitchens plans to treat them accordingly.

“They’re all at different points on the journey of how many stories that they’ve potentially told or how much training that they’ve had,” says Kitchens. “But in the end, it’s about reflecting humanity, and I believe everyone is capable of that.”

On a late September Sunday, ACT Theatre held an open-call audition: 40 children between 6 and 15 delivered their prepared monologue, sang a song, and played a series of interactive theater games with other youth actors.

“It is a very efficient process, this casting process,” says Kitchens. “So children who are prepared, have a sense of play and who can live truthfully inside a set of circumstances; those are the ones I think that will bloom in the callback room.”

Twenty-eight youths were invited to return for a callback during the second week of October. Only a handful joined the final 2019 cast.

Tia Kwanbock, 16, who has played Bob Cratchit’s oldest daughter Martha the past two years, said she learned a lot working alongside professional adult actors. In a party scene in last year’s production, she had to improvise with an adult actor. She was impressed by his ability to commit to speaking and acting like his character, whether it was a performance or simply a rehearsal.

“You’re working with people who are doing what you want to do as equals, which is such a unique experience, and [it’s] incredible to learn from people who are doing what they love for a career,” says Kwanbock.

As a high school student at Seattle’s Lakeside School, Kwanbock talked with the administration about having to miss most of 8th period during the rehearsal process.

She had to meet regularly with her teachers,

making up any work she missed.

Piper and her family live in Gig Harbor, about an hour south of Seattle, so it took a bit more planning. While it would have been possible to commute to the theater every day, Sanders wanted her daughter well rested for the show, so they rented an apartment on Capitol Hill.

Sanders opted to homeschool Piper during the rehearsal and performance process. Her elementary school teachers sent worksheets and granted access to school-

Piper Harden as Tiny Tim.

Tia Kwanbock as Martha Cratchit.

work online. Sanders also incorporated the show into Piper’s schooling, making the play script a reading assignment and requiring her to keep a daily journal.

All that work paid off. Piper, who dreams of appearing on the TV show America’s Got Talent and working as a professional actor when she grows up, said she had a wonderful experience playing Tiny Tim in last year’s show.

“She loved the crowd,” says Sanders.

“One thing she said was, ‘We say the same things, but the crowd acts different every night, so it feels different.’ ” In fact, Sanders says Piper began asking about auditioning for the show again less than two months after the 2018 show run ended.

“At 7, with the first big production, it’s kind of like, well, fingers crossed that it goes well,” says Sanders. “I figured she’ll either be retiring at the end of December or we’ll be in it for the long haul. And here we are.

She’s talked about it all year.”

Editor’s Update: Piper landed the role of Tiny Tim for 2019! See Piper and the rest of this year’s cast in CAROL ACT Theater’s SEE A talented CHRISTMAS 44th production ofPiper A Christmas Editor’s update: landed Carol the role during theTim show Nov. 29–Dec. 28, 2019. of Tiny forrun 2019!

See Piper and Nothe onerest under the age of 5 permitted. of this year’s talented castBackstage tours available for production weekend matinee in ACT Theater’s 44th shows. acttheatre.org of A Christmas Carol during the show run Nov. 29–Dec. 28, 2019.

No one under the age of 5 permitted.

Backstage tours available for weekend matinee shows. 3 acttheatre.org

P I P E R H A R DE N : ROSE M A RY DAI ROSS, TI A KWA N BOC K: PAU L A B OCK

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Detective Cookie’s Chess Club Head to the Rainier Beach Library and learn to play chess!

This game club has been around for more than a decade, and new members are always welcome.

Great for children 7 and older and teens.

Mommy Matinees at the Admiral Remember pre-kids, long ago, when you could go to a movie theater? Those days are back at West Seattle’s Admiral Theater.

Bring your child and enjoy a movie where no one cares about fussing or crying.

The Monkey King A rambunctious young boy wants to be a god! Bellevue Youth Theater brings this adaptation of a classic Chinese legend to life on stage.

Does the Monkey King have supernatural abilities? Find out.

Rise Up: The Hamilton Tribute Band Rise Up is an ensemble of top Seattle vocalists and musicians who perform the amazing music of Hamilton.

Don’t miss this incredible, uplifting event at the Kirkland Performance Center.

Seattle Turkey Trot Burn a few calories before the big feast for a great cause.

Join this fun, annual 5K run/walk in Ballard benefiting the Ballard Food Bank.

Strollers and dogs on a leash 6 feet or shorter are welcome.

»Calendar

„ For our mobile-friendly, totally searchable, frequently updated calendar go to seattleschild.com

What’s happening around town

11/19

by L E A H W I N T E R S

Friday, November 1 S E AT T L E A R E A

Community Night Out at SAM. Celebrate Día de los Muertos at SAM by checking out this year’s unique tapete (sand painting) installation inspired by Oaxaca’s beautiful traditions. There will be a dance performance, art activities and music. 7 to 9 pm. FREE. Seattle Art Museum, Downtown Seattle. www.seattleartmuseum.org

P H OTO CO U RT ESY OF S E AT TL E CE N TE R

Family Nature Class: Falling Leaves. Preschoolers and caregivers explore the natural world using all five senses, creativity, and pre-math and literacy skills. Activities, circle time and a short hike with games and stories. 9:30 to 11 am. $$.

Washington Park Arboretum, Seattle. www.botanicgardens.uw.edu Small Frye: Storytelling + Art. A dramatic storytelling by Seattle Children’s Theatre in the galleries, followed by an optional art-making session. For preschoolers and caregivers. 10:30 to 11:45 am. FREE; pre-register. Frye Art Museum, First Hill. www.fryemuseum.org Family Fun Night. If you’re looking for family fun on a Friday night, here’s your ticket. Tonight’s theme: Board Games! 6:30 to 8:30 pm. FREE. Ravenna Eckstein Community Center, Seattle. www.seattle.gov/parks

Día de Muertos at Seattle Center

Día de los Muertos & Movie Night.

Celebrate and learn about this Mexican tradition. Dance performances, face painting, sugar skull designing and a movie screening. 5:30 to 8:30 pm. FREE. Miller Community Center, Seattle. www.seattle.gov/parks

high-flying acrobatics and unexpected stunts! Performances include characters from favorites including Peter Pan, Coco, Moana, Beauty & the Beast, Frozen, Aladdin, and more. 7 to 9 pm tonight; various times through Nov. 4. $$ to $$$. ShoWare Center, Kent. www.disneyonice.com

admission to the Museum the first Friday of each month, with special lectures, tours, presentations, and programming throughout the day.

Extended hours from 11 am to 8 pm.

FREE. Bellevue Arts Museum. www.bellevuearts.org

EASTSIDE

S E AT T L E A R E A

Free First Friday at BAM. BAM’s Free First Friday program offers free

Día de Muertos. Experience the Mexican traditions of this day honoring

SOUTH SOUND

Disney on Ice Presents: Mickey’s Search Party. A brand-new adventure filled with world-class skating,

EVENT S ARE SUBJE CT TO C H A NG E Please call ahead or check the venue’s website before you go.

Saturday, November 2

E VE N T P R I C I N G $: Under $10 / $$: $10–$20 / $$$: $20 and over

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HOLIDAY FUN

departed loved ones with crafts, food, performances, displays and more. 11 am to 7 pm Sat. and 11 am to 6 pm Sun. FREE. Seattle Center Armory (Lower Queen Anne). www.seattlecenter.com Green Seattle Day. Get out into your local neighborhood to help restore Seattle’s forests. Join the fun at 17 parks across the city, and be one of hundreds of volunteers planting thousands of plants. Begins at 9 am. FREE; preregister. Various park locations. www.greenseattle.org Day of the Dead Festival. Watch a neighborhood parade, followed by a festival of music, dance, crafts, a community altar, sugar skull decorating and more. 3 to 7 pm. FREE. Phinney Center, (Phinney Ridge), Seattle. www.phinneycenter.org Hmong New Year Celebration.

Experience the culture of the Hmong people from the highlands of China, Laos and Thailand. 11 am. FREE. Seattle Center Armory, Lower Queen Anne. www.seattlecenter.com NORTH SOUND

Northwest Artists Holiday Show.

Award-winning artists will be selling paintings, prints, pottery, gourmet food and more. 10 am to 5 pm today and Sun. FREE; donations appreciated. Unitarian Universalist Church, Edmonds. www.nwartshow.org SOUTH SOUND

Pier Into the Night Live Dive. Take an underwater journey of Gig Harbor Bay… without getting wet. Professional divers livestream what they encounter below the surface. Narrated by biologists. 6 to 7 pm. FREE. Jerisich Public Dock, Gig Harbor. www.harborwildwatch.org

Sunday, November 3 S E AT T L E A R E A

ArtVenture: Bodies of Water. Which animals and plants live around us in the Puget Sound area? Investigate this and other water-themed ideas as you make art. 1 to 3 pm. FREE. Henry Art Gallery, University of Washington. www.henryart.org Toddler Time at the Aquarium. Tots explore developmentally age-appropriate, hands-on activities. For children 5 and younger. 9:30 am to noon today through Nov. 5 and Nov. 10-12. $$$.

Seattle Aquarium, Downtown Seattle. www.seattleaquarium.org Bunka no Hi Japanese Culture Day. Japanese groups and organizations showcase their cultural traditions including taiko drums, tea ceremony, music, dancing, food (cash only), martial arts, games and crafts. 11 am to 4 pm.

FREE. Japanese Cultural & Community Center of Washington, Seattle (International District). www.jcccw.org EASTSIDE

Juanita Bay Park Interpretative Tour. Watch for songbirds, waterfowl, turtles and more during a ranger-led interpretive tour of this wildlife habitat.

Children ages 6 and older. 1 to 2 pm.

FREE. Juanita Bay Park, Kirkland. www.eastsideaudubon.org Plant a Tree. Learn why some tree leaves change color and others don’t.

Then go for a walk through the forest and plant a willow tree. Children ages 5-10 and caregivers. 2:30 to 3:30 pm.

FREE; pre-register. Lewis Creek Park, Bellevue. www.bellevuewa.gov

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Bellevue Youth Symphony Orchestra Masterworks Concert.

Enjoy classical music, performed by young musicians, keeping to the theme of “People, Places, and Things.” 7:30 to 8:30 pm. $$-$$$.

IKEA Performing Arts Center, Renton. www.byso.org SOUTH SOUND

Día de los Muertos Celebration.

Art-making, face painting, performances, food, and exhibitions of a tapete (sand painting) and community altars. 10 am to 4:30

pm. FREE. Tacoma Art Museum. www.tacomaartmuseum.org

Monday, November 4 S E AT T L E A R E A

Pajamarama! Evening Family Story Time. Change the scene for bedtime stories. Enjoy rhymes, songs and crafts for preschoolers.

Jammies and teddy bears welcome.

6:45 to 7:30 pm. FREE. Shoreline Library. www.kcls.org Library Lab: Circuits Challenge.

Learn about electronics using

snap circuits, and experiment and play with technology to make new discoveries. 4 to 7 pm. Delridge Library, Seattle. www.spl.org

Tuesday, November 5 S E AT T L E A R E A

Story Time for Kids. University Bookstore hosts a special story time for ages 3 to 7. Enjoy dramatic readings of the best in new and classic kids tales, plus activities and entertainment. Tuesdays at 11 am. FREE. University Bookstore, U District. www.ubookstore.com

Detective Cookie’s Chess Club.

Learn to play chess. New members are always welcome to this urban club that’s been ongoing for more than a decade. Children and teens ages 7 and older. 3 to 5 pm. FREE. Rainier Beach Library. www.kcls.org

Wednesday, November 6 S E AT T L E A R E A

Kaleidoscope Play & Learn. Listen to stories, sing songs and do simple arts and crafts. Plus play time with various toys and activities. Open to children of all abilities. 10:30 to 11:30 am. FREE. Broadview Library. www.kcls.org EASTSIDE

Celebrate your child’s next birthday at –

KidsQuest Low Sensory Evening.

A special time for kids with sensory sensitivities to visit the museum.

Limited attendance, low ambient noise and lighting make an inviting space to explore and play. 5:30 to 7:30 pm. FREE; pre-registration required.

KidsQuest Museum, Bellevue. www.kidsquestmuseum.org SOUTH SOUND

HOLIDAY FUN

‘Where fun never ends for kids’ www.funtasticplaytorium.com 425.623.0034 Facebook.com/playtoriumalderwood ALWAYS OPEN FOR WALK-IN PLAYTIME!

* FACTORIA MALL, Bellevue * ALDERWOOD MALL, Lynnwood *

Three Little Kittens. The kittens have lost their mittens! What will they do?

Part of the “Let’s Play” series featuring short, interactive shows for kids 5 and younger. 10 am today through Nov. 10. $, free ages 2 and younger. Olympia Family Theater. www.olyft.org

Thursday, November 7 NORTH SOUND

Disney on Ice Presents: Mickey’s Search Party. A brand-new adventure filled with world-class skating, high-flying acrobatics and unexpected stunts! Performances include characters from favorites including Peter Pan, Coco, Moana, Beauty & the Beast, Frozen, Aladdin, and more. 7 to 9 pm tonight; various times through Nov. 10. $$ to $$$. Angel of the Winds Arena, Everett. www.disneyonice.com SOUTH SOUND

Late Play Date. Enjoy playing, snacking and painting at the museum on this free Thursday night session. Paint activity led by artist Crystal Lowy. 6 to 8 pm. FREE. White River Valley Museum, Auburn. www.wrvmuseum.org

Friday, November 8 S E AT T L E A R E A

Seattle Symphony: The Movie Music of John Williams. Enjoy classic film scores such as Harry Potter, Star Wars and Indiana Jones, performed by a live orchestra. Today and Sat. at 8 pm, Sunday at 2 pm. 10 am and noon, today and Sun. $$$. Benaroya Hall, Downtown Seattle. www.seattlesymphony.org Family Nature Class: Mushroom Mania. Preschoolers and their caregivers use sensory investigation, creativity and math to learn all about mushrooms and their natural environment. Class includes circle time, a hike, story time and group play. 9:30 to 11:30 am. $$. Washington Park Arboretum. www.botanicgardens.uw.edu Mommy Matinees at the Admiral.

Enjoy a movie with your infant or toddler. Lights are turned up, sound is turned down and no one cares about fussing and crying. Fridays, usually 10 am; check website. $$. Admiral Theater, West Seattle. www.faraway entertainment.com

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„ For our mobile-friendly, totally searchable, frequently updated calendar go to seattleschild.com

Saturday, November 9 S E AT T L E A R E A

Short Run Comix & Art Festival. Mingle with thousands of comic artists and comic arts fans from all over the world. Art demos, author interviews and live performances. 11 am to 6 pm. FREE. Fisher Pavilion and The Vera Project at Seattle Center, Lower Queen Anne. www.shortrun.org Park in the Dark Hike. Explore your senses and search for nocturnal movements in the forest. For children ages 5 to 12 and caregivers. 6:15 to 8:45 pm. $ to $$. Washington Park Arboretum. www.botanicgardens.uw.edu Exploration for All: Autism Early Open. Families affected by autism spectrum disorder are invited experience exhibits without heavy crowds. Softened general lighting and decreased noise levels and visual stimulation wherever possible. 8 to 10 am. FREE. Pacific Science Center, Lower Queen Anne. www.pacificsciencecenter.org SOUTH SOUND

Green Day Seattle

Skwim. Play a game that’s a mix of water polo and Frisbee golf with kids, teens and adults.

6:45 to 8:10 pm. $. Greenwood Community Center/ Evans Pool, Seattle. www.seattle.gov EASTSIDE

The Monkey King. A rambunctious young boy

wants to be a god! In this adaptation of a portion of the classic Chinese legend, the Monkey King (Sun Wukong) has supernatural abilities. 7 pm tonight; various times through Nov. 17. $$. Bellevue Youth Theatre, Bellevue. www.parks.bellevuewa.gov

Veterans Day Parade. Learn about the meaning behind Veterans Day at one of the largest Veterans Day parades in America. 11 am. FREE. Main Street, Auburn. www.auburnwa.gov Veterans’ Appreciation Days. All currently serving or honorably discharged military personnel will receive FREE admission through the weekend, with half-price admission for their immediate family members. Valid ID required. 9:30 am to 4 pm through Mon. Northwest Trek Wildlife Park, Eatonville. www.nwtrek.org Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium, Tacoma. www.pdza.org NORTH SOUND

Rock and Gem Show. Rockhounds of all ages

Spruce Street School

Elementary Education, Ages 5 - 11 A diverse academic environment where creativity and imagination thrive.

2019-2020 Open Houses December 7, 2019 10:00am January 11, 2020 10:00am

Does your child love school?

University Co-op kids do!

Visit ucoopschool.org to schedule a tour.

Open House – December 7, 1 p.m.

PH OTO A M Y SC A RFON E

Downtown Seattle Kindergarten through 5th 206.524.0653 | ucoopschool.org

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Morningside Academy

SEATTLEʼS PREMIER NANNY AGENCY “Your child deserves the best, and so do you”

FULL YEAR & SUMMER SCHOOL Basic Skills Grades 2 - 8 Middle School Grades 6 - 9 Reading, Writing & Math Study & Organizational Skills Thinking, Reasoning & Problem Solving Daily Support Card Art, Wushu, Field Trips

901 Lenora St, Seattle

206.709.9500 www.morningsideacademy.org

Known for our exceptional personal service, long-term support and unique approach to finding just the right fit for your family.

CAREWORKSNW.COM 2 0 6 - 3 2 5 - 7 5 1 0

are welcome at this annual show with displays, demonstrations and a kids’ beading table. 9 am to 5 pm today; 10 am to 5 pm Sun. FREE. Maplewood Rock and Gem Club, Edmonds. www.maplewoodrockclub.com Oddmall: Emporium of the Weird.

Unusual arts and crafts, performances, kids’ area and more. 10 am to 6 pm today, 11 am to 5 pm Sun. FREE. Evergreen State Fairgrounds, Monroe. www.oddmall.co World Toilet Day. Learn about taking care of our water to keep humans and the environment healthy. Do art projects and science experiments, and take tours of the wastewater treatment plant. 10 am to 1 pm. FREE, but please pre-register. Brightwater Education Center, Woodinville. www.islandwood.org SOUTH SOUND

Lusio Lights Family Night. Curator Lusio brings the Conservatory gardens alive with light. Explore creative light art in the fragrant dark pathways.

Snacks, glow-in-the-dark face paint and music. 6 to 9 pm. $$ to $$$; FREE for children 12 and younger. W.W. Seymour Botanical Conservatory in Wright Park, Tacoma. www.metroparkstacoma.org

Sunday, November 10 S E AT T L E A R E A

Community Skate Night. Relive your youth while introducing kids to skating rink fun, music and games. 2 to 5 pm. $. Magnuson Community Center. www.seattle.gov/parks Public Sail. Set sail on a beautiful, classic boats for a 45-minute tour of Lake Union. 10 am to 4 pm. FREE. The Center for Wooden Boats, South Lake Union. www.cwb.org SOUTH SOUND

Second Sunday Music. Folk music

by Sweet Mary will fill the beautiful gardens. The week’s musical guest is Castletown. 1 to 2:30 pm. $. W.W. Seymour Botanical Conservatory, Tacoma. www.metroparkstacoma.org

OUR CAMPUS IS A CLASSROOM

EASTSIDE

Pineapple Classic 5K. Try not to drop your pineapple! It’s an obstacles race followed by a luau to benefit the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Ages 8 to adult. 8:30 am. $$$. Marymoor Park, Redmond. www.llswa.org

Monday, November 11 S E AT T L E A R E A

Veterans Day Discount. Woodland Park Zoo honors active duty and retired military and their spouses with FREE admission today. Must present valid military ID; cannot be combined with other offers or discounts. 9:30 am to 4 pm. Woodland Park Zoo, Seattle (Phinney Ridge). www.zoo.org Free State Parks Days. Enjoy free admission to one of 140 beautiful state parks including Mount Rainier. Day use only; overnight stays require additional fees. Today and Nov. 29. Various parks throughout the state of Washington. www.discoverpass.wa.gov S E AT T L E A R E A

Veterans Day Program. All veterans of a U.S. military branch are invited, along with the public, to a short program in their honor. Refreshments to follow. 2 to 4 pm. FREE. Shoreline City Hall, Shoreline. www.shorelinewa.gov

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„ For our mobile-friendly, totally searchable, frequently updated calendar go to seattleschild.com

musicians. This show features music inspired by Samin Nosrat’s novel cookbook Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat. 7:30 pm. $$. Hugo House, Seattle. www. thebushwickbookclubseattle.com GeekGirlCon. This two-day convention celebrates and brings together women and girls interested in gaming, science, technology, role-playing, comics and other “geeky” endeavors. All ages and genders are welcome. 9 am Saturday to 6 pm Sunday. $$ to $$$, free ages 5 and younger.

Washington State Convention Center, Downtown Seattle. www.geekgirlcon.com Imagine a Treehouse Storytime. Create your own treehouse using your imagination and inspiration from stories. Ages 3 to 8. 10:45 to 11:30 pm. FREE. UW Botanic Gardens, Miller Library (Seattle). www.botanicgardens.uw.edu Family Magic Show. Comedy magic, stage illusions, mind reading and lots of audience participation. After the show kids will learn a magic trick. 1 and 2:30 pm. $. Armory Building, Seattle Center. www.seattlemagicshow.com EASTSIDE

Mill Creek Veterans Day Parade

Magic Monday. Magicians conjure feats of mystery, wonder and the bizarre. 7 pm. FREE. Third Place Books, Ravenna. www.thirdplacebooks.com NORTH SOUND

Mill Creek Veterans Day Parade. This parade honors those who have served in the U.S. Armed Forces and features floats, bands, drill teams, equestrian teams and more. 11 am to noon. FREE. Main Street, Mill Creek. www.millcreektourism.com

Wednesday, November 13 EASTSIDE

Free Student Day at BAM. Students are invited to visit Bellevue Arts Museum and enjoy all exhibits on the second Wednesday of each month.

11 am to 5 pm. FREE. Bellevue Arts Museum. www.bellevuearts.org

Friday, November 15 S E AT T L E A R E A

South Park Fall Ball. Come one, come all to the annual South Park Fall Banquet, complete with local, sustainably sourced, traditional Thanksgiving food for the whole family. 5 to 7:30 pm. FREE. South Park Community Center, Seattle. www.seattle.gov/parks Seattle Reptile Man. Meet reptiles and amphibians including snakes, geckos, turtles and more.

6:30 to 7:30 pm. $. Ravenna-Eckstein Community Center. www.seattle.gov/parks SOUTH SOUND

The Hip Hop Nutcracker. Watch this hip spin on Tchaikovsky’s timeless music. Performed by dancers, a DJ and a violinist. 7:30 to 9:30 pm. $$$. Pantages Theater, Tacoma. www.broadwaycenter.org

SOUTH SOUND

Story Hour at the Conservatory. Kids will have fun learning about nature and plants through short stories, crafts and science projects. Today’s book: Planting a Rainbow by Lois Ehlert. Also enjoy corn maize science and paper mosaic craft.

11 am. $. W.W. Seymour Conservatory in Wright Park, Tacoma. www.metroparkstacoma.org

Thursday, November 14

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S E AT T L E A R E A

Seattle International Auto Show. See hundreds of new vehicles, including exotic cars and alternative fuel vehicles. Family fun zone with track driving, video games, crafts and more. Noon to 10 pm today; 10 am to 10 pm Fri. and Sat.; 10 am to 6 pm Sun. $$; FREE for children 12 and younger. CenturyLink Field Event Center. www.seattleautoshow.com Pilobolus: Come to Your Senses. Enjoy an award-winning dance performance that defies the laws of gravity and combines dance, video and theater. 8 pm tonight; various performances through Nov. 16. $$$. Meany Hall (University of Washington Campus), Seattle. www.meanycenter.org EASTSIDE

Rise Up: The Hamilton Tribute Band. Rise Up is an ensemble of top Seattle vocalists and musicians who perform the amazing music of Hamilton. 8 pm tonight and Friday, Nov. 15. $$$.

Kirkland Performance Center. www.kpcenter.org

EASTSIDE

Fired Up Fridays. Artists of all ages can create a one-of-a-kind clay masterpiece. 3 to 6 pm. $ to $$ for clay, glazing and firing, and museum admission. KidQuest Museum, Bellevue. www.kidquestmuseum.org Planetarium Show: Stars. The Bellevue College Planetarium will reproduce the night sky under a special dome-shaped room. Marvel at the wonders of the night sky while learning from a Science and Math Institute guide. Shows at 6, 7 and 8 pm. FREE; pre-register. Willard Geer Planetarium, Bellevue College. www.bellevuecollege.edu NORTH SOUND

Free Friday Night at the Museum. Enjoy all of the free exhibits and hands-on learning at Imagine Children’s Museum for no cost. 5:30 to 9 pm. Imagine Children’s Museum, Everett. www.imaginecm.org SOUTH SOUND

Overnight at the Museum: Girls Only! Groovy ’70s. Kids ages 7 to 12 have an adventure with ’70s-themed crafts, games and more. 7 pm. $$$. White River Valley Museum, Auburn. www.wrvmuseum.org

Saturday, November 16 S E AT T L E A R E A

Bushwick Book Club: Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat. Not your run-of-the-mill book club, Bushwick shows offer a special interaction between audiences and

Snoqualmie Ridge Turkey Trot. 5K run and 1K kids’ run. 7 am registration, 9 am kids’ run, 9:15 am 5K. $$ to $$$. Cascade View Elementary School, Snoqualmie. www.runsnoqualmie.com Wetland Waddlers. Preschoolers and caregivers explore the Mercer Slough with art, play and story time. 9:30 to 11:30 am; pre-register. $$. Mercer Slough Environmental Education Center. www.pacificsciencecenter.org SOUTH SOUND

Family Nature Walk. Take a naturalist-led walk through the park and learn how plants and animals adapt to the seasons. Ages 3 and older. No strollers. 10 to 11 am. FREE; pre-register. McKinley Park, Tacoma. www.metroparkstacoma.org Family STEAM Days. Explore science, technology, engineering and math activities at America’s Car Museum. 11 am to 4 pm. $$; FREE ages 5 and younger. LeMay America’s Car Museum, Tacoma. www.americascarmuseum.org Tacoma Youth Symphony Concert. Hear classical music from talented young musicians.

3 pm. $$ to $$$. Rialto Theater, Tacoma. www.tysamusic.org

Sunday, November 17 S E AT T L E A R E A

Green Lake Gobble & Mashed Potato Munch Off. 10K, 5K and kids’ dash for ages 12 and younger, followed by mashed-potato eating competition.

8 am registration, 9:10 am kids’ dash, 9:30 am 10K and 5K. $$$. Green Lake Park, Seattle (Green Lake). www.secure.getmeregistered.com

Thursday, November 21 S E AT T L E A R E A

Corduroy. Welcome the holiday season with this classic story. Don Freeman’s beloved picture book comes to vibrant life in this fun and highly physical adaptation, sure to delight all audiences.

Ages 3 and older. 7 to 8 pm tonight; various times through Dec. 29. $$. Seattle Children’s Theatre, Lower Queen Anne. www.sct.org Thanksgiving Feast. Enjoy a full-scale Thanksgiving dinner with your community.

6:30 to 8:30 pm. $ suggested donation. Garfield Community Center, Seattle (Central District). www.seattle.gov/parks

Friday, November 22 EASTSIDE

Madagascar, Jr.. Take a walk on the wild side!

Join four friends when they find themselves shipwrecked in Madagascar. This lively musical is appropriate for all audience members. 7 pm today; various times through Dec. 1. $$. Bellevue Youth Theatre. www.parks.bellevuewa.gov

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The Polar Express™ Train. Wear your pajamas and ride a historic train as you enjoy story time, treats and a gift from Santa. 5:30 and 7:30 pm tonight; various dates and times through Dec. 31. $$$, free ages 2 and younger. Mount Rainier Scenic Railroad, Elbe. www.mtrainierrailroad.com

Saturday, November 23 S E AT T L E A R E A

First Concerts: Meet the Clarinet. Listen to music at the Seattle Symphony. Then, curious children may ask questions and play with instruments. Today at 9:30 and 11:30 am. $$.

Benaroya Hall, Downtown Seattle. www.seattlesymphony.org Holiday Crafts Market. 65 juried artisans selling their handmade crafts and wares. 9 am to 4 pm.

FREE. Spartan Recreation Center, Shoreline. www.shorelinewa.gov Turkey Toss. Watch as the zoo’s carnivores feast on a raw, store-prepared turkey. 10 am to 2 pm.

Included with admission. $$, free ages 2 and younger. Woodland Park Zoo, Seattle (Phinney Ridge). www.zoo.org

Tuesday, November 26

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Fantasy Lights Walk. Walk through 2.5 miles of animated displays at Spanaway Park before it becomes a drive-through-only event. Bring flashlights. Strollers, wagons or wheelchairs are welcome. A vendor village will provide sweet treats.

5 to 8 pm. $, free ages 3 and younger. Spanaway Lake Park, Spanaway. www.co.pierce.wa.us

Arts & Crafts Extravaganza. Kids are out of school, time for some crafting fun! Take part in a day of messy, creative, and hands on fun. 11:30 am to 1:30 pm. FREE. Lake City Community Center, Seattle. www.seattle.gov/parks

Appreciating Nature Through Art. Head out on a nature walk with your sketchbook in hand and experience nature in a hands-on, creative way. Noon to 1 pm. FREE, pre-register. Lake Hills GreenBelt Park, Bellevue. www.bellevuewa.gov

So You Think You Can Dance Live! One of America’s all-time favorite shows is live on stage! The top 10 finalists battle it out in front of an audience at The Moore Theatre. 7:30 pm. $$$. The Moore Theatre, Seattle. www.stgpresents.org

Wednesday, November 27

FA R T H E R A F I E L D

S E AT T L E A R E A

Holly Daze Bazaar. 65 island artisans and craftsmen showcasing their creations – just in time for giving season. 11 am to 4 pm. FREE. McMurray Middle School, Vashon Island. www.business. vashonchamber.com

The Bishop’s Wife. Merry Christmas from Mr. and Mrs. Darcy! Seizing the opportunity to be the heroine, middle sister Mary pursues her equal. “Pay what you can” night. 7:30 pm tonight; various times through Dec. 28. $$ to $$$. Taproot Theatre, Greenwood. www.taproottheatre.org

Sunday, November 24 S E AT T L E A R E A

Piper’s Creek Salmon Celebration. See chum and coho salmon return to Piper’s Creek at Carkeek Park; enjoy food, hot drinks, music and activities throughout the park. Salmon Stewards will be on hand to answer questions. 11 am to 2 pm. FREE. Carkeek Park, Seattle (Broadview). www.govlink.org Festival of Trees Celebration. View designerdecorated trees, visit Santa, enjoy music, cookies, cocoa, shopping and more. Proceeds benefit Seattle Children’s Hospital. 1 to 4 pm.

FREE, fee for some activities. Fairmont Olympic Hotel, Downtown Seattle. www.seattlefestivaloftrees.com EASTSIDE

Turkey Trot. 5K fun run/walk benefits Hopelink.

Strollers and leashed dogs welcome. Post-race party with family fun. 8 am registration, 8:30 am kids’ dash, 9 am start. $$$. Marina Park, Kirkland. www.hopelink.org

Monday, November 25 S E AT T L E A R E A

Thanksgiving Dinner. Can’t get enough turkey?

Join us and your friends and family in the community for a shared meal. 5 to 7 p.m.

FREE. Magnuson Community Center. www.seattle.gov/parks

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Thursday, November 28 S E AT T L E A R E A

Magnuson Series Turkey Trot. 5K, 10K and kids’ dash. Kids’ dash at 9:45 am, 5K and 10K at 10 am. $ to $$$. Magnuson Park, Seattle (Sand Point). www.magnusonseries.org Seattle Turkey Trot. Annual 5K run/walk benefits Ballard Food Bank. Strollers, dogs on 6-foot or shorter leash welcome. 9 am. $$ to $$$. NW 85th Street and 32nd Avenue NW, Seattle. www.seattleturkeytrot.org NORTH SOUND

Woodinville Turkey Trot. Test yourself on this flat, chip-timed 5K course, or enjoy the experience of running or walking with friends and family.

Costumes encouraged. 7:30 am registration; 8:50 am kids’ dash; 9 am 5K run/walk. $$$. Wilmot Park, Woodinville. www.woodinvilleturkeytrot.com SOUTH SOUND

Norpoint Turkey Trot. 5K run, 2-mile run/walk and kids’ trot (ages 3 to 10, followed by crafts and games). 7 am registration; 9 am start. $$ to $$$. Center at Norpoint, Tacoma. www.metroparkstacoma.org Tacoma City Turkey Trot. 5K fun run and 1K kids’ run. Strollers welcome, no dogs. 7 am registration, 9 am 5K, 10:15 am kids’ run. $$ to $$$. Fleet Feet, Tacoma. www.tacomacityturkeytrot.com

Fantasy Lights. Drive through 2.5 miles of animated displays at Spanaway Park. Tune your radio to FM 95.3 for holiday music performed by a local high school. 5:30 to 9 pm through Jan. 1. $$.

Spanaway Park, Spanaway. www.co.pierce.wa.us EASTSIDE

Issaquah Turkey Trot. 5K run/walk benefits Issaquah Food and Clothing Bank. Costumes encouraged. 9 am. $$ to $$$. Issaquah Community Center, Issaquah. www.issaquahturkeytrot.org

Friday, November 29 S E AT T L E A R E A

Macy’s Holiday Parade. More than 20 inflatable floats, high-school marching bands, 650 costumed characters, drill teams and Santa Claus.

9 am. FREE. Parade starts at Seventh Avenue and Pine Street, turns south on Fifth Avenue to University Street, then west to Fourth Avenue and north to Macy’s, Downtown Seattle. www.macys.com Seattle Center Winterfest. Connect to the spirit of the season with activities and entertainment including a Winter Train and Village, performances, ice skating ($) and more. See online for schedule through Dec. 31. FREE. Seattle Center Armory and Fisher Pavilion, Lower Queen Anne. www.seattlecenter.com/winterfest Argosy Cruises Christmas Ship. A holiday ship, decorated with hundreds of white lights, setting sail to various Puget Sound shore locations.

Choirs onboard perform and bring Christmas carols to communities gathered on shore. Kids Crew craft corner. 6:30 pm tonight, various days and times through Dec. 23. $$$. Departs from Pier 55, Seattle waterfront. www.argosycruises.com Lumaze: Lost in Lights - Fairytale Christmas.

An indoor Christmas festival, brand-new to Seattle!

Explore a light garden, illuminated structures, and a million twinkle lights while enjoying food, drink, and music. 4 to 10 pm tonight, various times through Jan. 4. $$-$$$. Smith Cove Cruise Terminal at Pier 91, Seattle. www.lumazelights.com Native Holiday Gift Fair. Shop from native artisans for crafts, jewelry, cards, clothing, fine art, food and more. 10 am to 5 pm through Sun. FREE. Duwamish Longhouse, West Seattle. www.duwamishtribe.org A Christmas Carol. A Seattle tradition, Charles Dickens’ classic returns to ACT Theatre. Ages 5 and older (no babes in arms). 7:30 pm tonight; various dates and times through Dec. 29. $$$.

ACT’s Allen Theatre, Downtown Seattle. www.acttheatre.org

PH OTO COU RTE SY OF S EATTL E TU RKE Y T ROT

A Charlie Brown Christmas. This family-friendly performance celebrates the classic television show as the Peanuts gang comes to life on stage.

There are three shows today only: 1, 4 and 7 pm. $$$. The Moore Theater, Seattle. www.stgpresents.org

„ For our mobile-friendly, totally searchable, frequently updated calendar go to seattleschild.com

George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker. Pacific Northwest Ballet presents the Tchaikovsky classic, a true holiday tradition. Best for school age and older. 7:30 pm tonight; various dates and times through Dec. 28. $$$. McCaw Hall, Seattle (Lower Queen Anne). www.pnb.org A(n Improvised) Christmas Carol. Charles Dickens’ Christmas classic with a twist. Improv comedians from Unexpected Productions use audience suggestions to tell the tale. All ages. 8:30 pm tonight; various dates and times through Dec. 22. $$. Market Theater, Downtown Seattle. www. unexpectedproductions.org GeekCraft Expo. Shop dozens of vendors offering handmade, geeky wares. Featuring small, local businesses. Craft activities for kids hosted by Seattle ReCreative. Cosplay encouraged. 10 am to 5 pm today; 10 am to 4 pm Sun. FREE. Hangar 30, Magnuson Park, Seattle. www.geekcraftexpo.com NORTH SOUND

Holiday Market. Browse local, handmade crafts.

Food, music and family photos with Santa. 10 am to 5 pm. FREE. Thomas Family Farm, Snohomish. www.snohomish.org The Lights of Christmas Festival. Experience the largest Christmas festival in the Pacific Northwest. More than 1 million lights, live entertainment, children’s activities, food, gift shops and more. 5 to 10 pm today; various dates and times through December 29. $$. Warm Beach Camp & Conference Center, Stanwood. www.thelightsofchristmas.com

Washington Center Main Stage, Olympia. www. washingtoncenter.org Zoolights. See the zoo transformed into a colorful winter wonderland with more than a half-million lights. Ride a camel or the antique carousel. 5 to 9 pm through Jan. 6. $$, free ages 2 and younger.

Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium, Tacoma. www. pdza.org

available, through Sun. $$$. Pre-register. Hotel Murano, Tacoma. www.playtacoma.org NORTH SOUND

Edmonds Tree Lighting. Sing holiday tunes, see Santa and watch the tree lighting. Come early for refreshments and stay late for photos with Santa.

4 pm. FREE. Centennial Plaza, Edmonds. www. edmondschamber.com

EASTSIDE

Snowflake Lane. It snows nightly on a parade of live toy soldiers and other characters, music and a light show. 7 pm daily through Dec. 24. FREE. Sidewalks of Bellevue Way and Northeast Eighth Street, Bellevue. www.snowflakelane.com

Saturday, November 30 S E AT T L E A R E A

Seattle Children’s Kids Marathon. Children in grades K through 8 complete the final 1.2 miles of the annual marathon today. 10 am. $$$. Seattle Center Memorial Stadium (Lower Queen Anne). www.seattlemarathon.org Greet the Season. Enjoy festive music, dance workshops, crafts and family activities at MOHAI, The Center for Wooden Boats and the Historic Ships Wharf. 10 am to 5 pm. FREE outdoor activities, $$ entrance to MOHAI. Lake Union Park, Seattle (South Lake Union). www.mohai.org

EASTSIDE

Santa Train. Take a holiday train excursion to visit Santa Claus at the historic Snoqualmie Depot.

Music, fresh-baked cookies from coal-fired ovens and a small gift for each child. 9 am to 4 pm today and Sunday and several weekends in December. $$$. Northwest Railway Museum, Snoqualmie. www.trainmuseum.org Garden D’Lights. Stroll a winter garden with half a million mini-lights in three-dimensional plant and critter shapes. 4:30 to 9 pm through Dec. 31. $; free ages 10 and younger. Bellevue Botanical Garden, Bellevue. www.gardendlights.com

q Find, save and share calendar events on the Seattle’s Child mobile app » seattleschild.com/app

SOUTH SOUND

SOUTH SOUND

Tacoma Holiday Tree Lighting. Carols, Santa photos and a tree lighting ceremony. 4:30 pm.

FREE. Pantages Theater, Tacoma. www.tacomaartslive.org

O Christmas Tea: A British Comedy. These performers, masters of physical comedy, share a tale of friendship at Christmastime. 7:30 pm. $$$.

Gingerbread Jamboree. Create your own gingerbread house as a family. Sponsored by Children’s Museum of Tacoma. 10 am and 2 pm sessions

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S E AT T L E ’ S C H I L D

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Winter wonderland at redmond town center

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