Recent Articles
Keeping your kids active this winter
Winter is here! And with winter come cold, rainy, dark days. What is a parent to do with kids who have a lot of unspent energy? Exercise! Getting kids to exercise in wintertime can be a struggle, but with 17 percent of U.S. youth between the ages of 2 and 19 being obese, it is more important tha
Read More »
Past Time: New Museum Explores Gig Harbor’s History
Eleven-year-old Elias Ferrer of Federal Way put his stamp of approval on the new Harbor History Museum in Gig Harbor when he recommended it to his best friend. Elias thoroughly enjoyed the museum’s hands-on exhibits, especially basket weaving and listening to the spoken Indian words of the Puyallup
Read More »
Volunteer Opportunities for Kids
General Opportunities United Way of King County Has many different kinds of volunteer opportunities, including one-time and ongoing projects. Volunteermatch.org Helps match volunteers up with interests and location. Treehouse for Kids A retail-like store (clothing brand) environment wh
Read More »Falstaff: Family Day at the Opera
“Why,” you might ask, “would I ever bring my child to the opera?” Operas are long, they are sung (for goodness sake) not spoken, the stories are often flimsy, at best, and, oh, they are usually in a language other than English. My answer to this question is that opera is p
Read More »
Keep Summer Learning Fun - And Free!
Should summer be a time to play or a time to learn? How about both? With a little inspiration, you’ll find lots of ways to keep summer learning fun — and free. “Let summer break be a break from the classroom, but not a break from learning,” says Lindsey Benedetti, a first-grade teacher at Rose Hill
Read More »
Getting Graphic: Why Comics Are Good for Kids
My 7-year-old daughter, nose deep in her book, just asked me for the definitions of “surveillance,” “eccentric” and “forfeit,” and why “insomnia” is a bad thing. What could she be reading? Perhaps a little Jane Austen or The New Yorker? Nope. She’s reading Garfield. Not the president’s biography —
Read More »
Staying dry: Indoor play spaces for the rainy season (North edition)
By now, we all know what’s coming. In November, the sprinklers turn on for real, and the rain doesn’t let up until well into the new year. If you’re at home with kiddos, you could give in to cabin fever — or you could hustle your clan out to one of our area’s indoor pla
Read More »
Staying dry: Indoor play spaces for the rainy season (South edition)
SOUTH KING COUNTY Federal Way Community Center. The pool’s cool! Spend a couple of hours floating in the “lazy river” or practicing your dog paddle. Lots of other play opportunities on the schedule, including an indoor play time; purchase a daily pass ($4–$8, ages 2 and yo
Read More »