Saturday, March 30, 2013

Easter Weekend!

This weekend, whether you are celebrating the rebirth of the world or just rejoicing in the world's beauty, family activities abound in the Mid-Willamette Valley.

 For kids on a mission for the perfect Easter egg, Egg Hunts all over Salem, both Saturday and Sunday, promise prizes, candy, giggles, and tons of fun.  All those little children out on the damp lawn scrambling around for that coveted egg!  What a great way to celebrate the holiday and to get the little ones' ya-yas out.

 Tulip Fest! starts this weekend at Wooden Shoe Tulip Farm.  Take the whole family, decked in Easter finery, of course, for some amazing photo opportunities among the fields and fields of beautiful flowers.  Do keep in mind that it can get muddy, so if a romp through the mud is more your kids' style, ditch the Sunday best and bring your mud boots instead.

 Want to get away from the crowds and experience Spring at its finest?  Head to Lincoln City to watch as gray whales make their annual journey north for the summer.  Obviously, the whales will be visible from many places on the Oregon coast.  But Lincoln City has established an event with naturalist guides available at popular whale-watching points to provide information and help with spotting the magnificent and amazing animals.

 Have a wonderful weekend!  I'd love to hear stories of your hunt for the perfect egg or the elusive whale.  Let me know how it goes!  And pictures are always welcome.  If you have an event you'd like listed on Mid-Valley Kid Calendar, just email me here.  Hope to see you out there!

SATURDAY, MARCH 30, 2013
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EVENING

SUNDAY, MARCH 31, 2013
Easter
ALL DAY
MORNING
  • 10:45 Easter Egg Hunt for Kids, Keizer Clear Lake United Methodist Church, 0-11 year olds, Free, Event held either at Forest Ridge Elementary School Park or inside church, weather depending.
AFTERNOON
EVENING

  • 6:30-8:30 Square Dance Lessons, Salem Square Dance Center, Ages 10+, $5


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    Monday, March 25, 2013

    Spring Break!!

    Oh, Spring Break!  That time when kids rejoice that they won't have to do anything... until they discover that they have nothing to do.  Time for Moms and Dads (and Aunties and Grandpas!) to take a look around the Mid-Willamette Valley for unique and exciting activities.  Some very cool events are on the Calendar this week and Spring Break is the perfect time to check out some of the Everyday offerings that you might be missing while the kids are in school.

     All week long, Gilbert Discovery Village is offering special Spring Break activities for families.  Thursday's and Friday's fantastic Mini-Camps require pre-registration, so be sure to give them a call earlier in the week.

    The Willamette Heritage Center at Mission Mill is hosting Spring Break activities for kids and adults, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.  Crafts, history, and natural sciences are on the agenda all three days, so stop by!

     This week's Kid Pick for Fun is the Enchanted Forest!  The park will be open all this week, and then only weekends until May, so take this opportunity to get some thrills in mid-week.  Take Grandma and Grandpa along with you: this is a memory they'll want to share from their own lives!

     Let me know what kinds of fun your kids got into this week.  If you have an event or photos you'd like posted, email me here. Spread the word about Mid-Valley Kid Calendar.  Spring Break is all about exploring and finding new, exciting things to do around your own neighborhood, or on fun day-trips.  Check out the lists to the right for ideas on everything from a coffee play-date to a family beach day.  Be inspired to try something different!  After all, you're on vacation!

    MONDAY, MARCH 25, 2013
    ALL DAY
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    TUESDAY, MARCH 26, 2013
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    WEDNESDAY, MARCH 27, 2013
    ALL DAY
    MORNING
    AFTERNOON
    • 12:00-7:00 Easter Bunny Visits, Lancaster Mall, All Ages, Free
    • 1:00-4:00 Spring Break Family Learning, Gilbert Discovery Village, all ages, Free with Admission
    • 1:30 Salem Library, Brainy Babies - Bebes Super-Inteligentes bilingual storytime, infants and toddlers
    • 2:00 Karate for Kids, Salem Library, Grades 1-6, Free
    • 4:00-6:00 YuGiOh! Tournament, Hopscotch Toys, Must be 8+ to be left without a parent, $5 tournament fee includes 1 pack of cards
    EVENING
    THURSDAY, MARCH 28, 2013
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    FRIDAY, MARCH 29, 2013
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    Friday, March 22, 2013

    Happy Spring!

    The birds are chirping, the grass is growing, the bunnies are hopping!  It's Spring!  We have officially made it to the Equinox, the day when the days are officially longer than the nights and the Mid-Willamette Valley is just coasting into Summer.  This weekend, to celebrate, find some Spring-feeling activities and get your family out to breathe in the sweet-smelling air.

     Today, Friday, the day I have been waiting for is here. The Enchanted Forest opens for the season!!  This Salem area attraction is a gem of vintage and modern family fun.  An independent theme park, The Enchanted Forest has been delighting Oregonian children since 1965 with exhibits ranging from a storybook village, to a western town, to fantasy rides.  My childhood, along with so many who have grown up in the Salem area, would not have been the same without fond memories of this magical place.

     Saturday and Sunday, celebrate Spring by taking the whole family out to Amity for the 19th Annual Amity Daffodil Festival.  There will be art, kids' activities, guided walking tours, food, and more.  Lots of photo opportunities for your cuties dancing through the daffodils! 

     Wrap up the weekend with a frolicking Easter-egg hunt at one of Sunday's fun events.  The Easter Bunny himself will be receiving visitors all weekend at the Lancaster Mall.  The  Easter Egg Hunt and Party at Our Savior's Lutheran Church promises music, food, crafts, and, of course, lots of games and candy!  

     I am always eager to hear how your activities turned out!  Drop me a line and send pictures.  Share the Calendar with your friends!  And if you have any events you'd like added to the calendar, email me here.  Enjoy the springtime!  Hope to see you out there.


    FRIDAY, MARCH 22, 2013
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    SATURDAY, MARCH 23, 2013
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    •  
    SUNDAY, MARCH 24, 2013
    ALL DAY
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    •  
    AFTERNOON
    EVENING
    •  
    • 6:30-8:30 Square Dance Lessons, Salem Square Dance Center, Ages 10+, $5
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    Friday, March 15, 2013

    Saint Patrick's Day!

    I love Saint Patrick's Day.  Here is one holiday of the year when Salem looks just like a holiday picture postcard.  We may dream of a white Christmas, and our Great Pumpkin costumes may always be concealed under a raincoat, but on St. Patrick's day, the Willamette Valley looks exactly like the rolling, lush hills of Ireland. Oregonians can easily imagine the wee-folk dashing behind the daffodils, or the pots of gold at the end of every rainbow.  So this weekend, don your green garb, set the corned beef and cabbage in the crock pot (here's a great recipe!), and head out for some St. Patrick's Day fun activities with your kids!

     Saturday, The Ceili of the Valley Society hosts their 2nd Annual St. Patrick's Day Parade.  Come down to the Salem Riverfront Park at the Carousel at noon.  Wear your green Irish pride and join the Leprechauns, Banshhees and Menehune for free family fun.

     Sunday, the Salem Riverfront Carousel hosts its own St. Patrick's Fun Day at the Carousel.  The fun lasts all day, and between noon and 3:00 there will be family activities, limited free rides, and a live bagpipe player.  

     I hope you have a wonderful weekend out there with your kiddos.  Send me some pics of your good times.  If you have an event you'd like listed on the Calendar, email me here.  And may the luck o' the Irish be with you!
    FRIDAY, MARCH 15, 2013
    ALL DAY
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    AFTERNOON
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    SATURDAY, MARCH 16, 2013
    ALL DAY
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    AFTERNOON
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    • 7:00 Salem Library, Family festival of the Arts - Nyewusi Askari aka Askari Da Storytella, All Ages
    SUNDAY, MARCH 17, 2013
    St. Patrick's Day
    ALL DAY
    MORNING
    • 8:00-1:00 Birding Outing to Ankeny National Wildlife Refuge, Salem Audobon Society (503-363-8435), All ages who can hike for 4 hours, Free 
    AFTERNOON
    EVENING

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    Monday, March 11, 2013

    Geek Week!


    This last week I caught up with the rest of the world and got thoroughly hooked on TV's  "The Big Bang Theory."  All that pop-physics talk has got me channeling my inner geek.  So I'm thrilled to proclaim this week Geek Week for Salem's kids and families!  Get out your pocket protectors, and join me in building the brains of our future innovators.

     The American Library Association's Teen Tech Week offers a backdrop for all this week's family geekery.  Tuesday afternoon, head to the Salem Library for one of the coolest events of this season:  The Wall of Memes!  Middle and High School kids are invited to come create and share their own internet memes.  The goal is to cover the entire library window with printed memes by the end of Teen Tech Week.  

     Also geeky this week at the Library: Brainy Babies/Bebes Super-Intelegentes, bilingual storytime on Wednesday afternoon, starts your infant or toddler on a path to brilliance.  And Thursday evening, Teens interested in careers in technology can attend the "Technology, Innovation, and You" library seminar, with lecture and hands-on activities.

     And, in observance of Geek Week, our Kid Pick for Fun this week is McMinnville's Hopscotch Toys! To be fair, Hopscotch has something for everyone, from fairy-princess to Einstein.  A Dinosaur, Princess, or Train themed birthday party at Hopscotch is a wonderful event for every child.  But to earn the Kid Pick crown especially for Geek Week, Hopscotch goes above and beyond!  Every Tuesday through Friday afternoon this month, Hopscotch offers a gaming tournament for various imagination-building games.  Whether it's D&D, Magic!-The Gathering, Pokemon, or YuGiOh!, Hopscotch has a game for any aspiring intellectual.

     I am always eager to hear back about your activities around the Willamette Valley.  If you heard about it here, send me a pic!  And if you have any events you would like listed on the Calendar, just email me here.  Have a great, geeky time out there this week.  And May the Fun Be With You!
      

     MONDAY, MARCH 11, 2013
    ALL DAY

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    EVENING

    TUESDAY, MARCH 12, 2013
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    WEDNESDAY, MARCH 13, 2013
    ALL DAY

    MORNING
    AFTERNOON
    • 1:30 Salem Library, Brainy Babies - Bebes Super-Inteligentes bilingual storytime, infants and toddlers
    • 4:00-6:00 YuGiOh! Tournament, Hopscotch Toys, Must be 8+ to be left without a parent, $5 tournament fee includes 1 pack of cards
    EVENING
    • 6:30 Salem Library, Cuentos en Espanol (Spanish Family Storytime), All Ages
    THURSDAY, MARCH 14, 2013
    ALL DAY

    MORNING
    AFTERNOON
    • 4:00-6:00 Pokemon Tournament, Hopscotch Toys, Must be 8+ to be left without a parent, $5 tournament fee includes 1 pack of cards
    EVENING
    • 6:30 - 7:30 "Technology, Innovation and You" Teen Seminar, Salem Library, Teen, Free
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    Friday, March 8, 2013

    Let the Fun Begin!

    I'm thrilled to report: It has begun!  With the very exciting events this weekend, it feels to me like winter is officially over.  This weekend holds some big excitement for kids and families in the Willamette Valley.  Then next weekend, St. Patrick's Day. Then it's just a fabulously slippery slope from here to Summer Festival Season! So, starting today, Let The Fun Begin!

     With school out Friday, the Kroc Center is hosting Kroc Olympics, a one-day camp where sport is twisted into the something extraordinary!  This is a wonderful opportunity for elementary age children to get their ya-ya's out (see this week's post) while parents finish up their work week.

     Friday night kicks off this weekend with Ceili of the Valley Society's St. Patrick's Concert and Ceili.  The concert starts at 7:00, but come early for the 6:00 annual Irish dinner.  Then the party really gets rolling when the lively and talented Irish band, Story Road, starts up the music, joined by Preston Howard on the Uilleann pipes and tin whistle.  Come prepared to shake a clover and dance the night away.

     Saturday promises a don't-miss event for the whole family:  Willamette University's Native American Enlightenment Association is hosting its 11th Annual Social Pow Wow.  Come on down at 4:00 for Native music, food, arts, and the always-spectacular Men's Grass Dance Contest. This free event is an opportunity for family cultural exploration and shouldn't be missed!

     As always, I am every eager to hear back about your adventures.  If you've learned about your activities from Mid-Valley Kid Calendar, send me some pics and let us know all about your fun.  If you have an event or activity you would like included on the Calendar, just email me here.  Have a wonderful time this weekend and let the season begin!

     FRIDAY, MARCH 8, 2013
    ALL DAY
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    AFTERNOON
    EVENING
    • 6:00-11:00 Irish Dinner & Ceili, Concert and Dance, Ceili of the Valley Society, All Ages, Dinner - $7, Dance - adults $12 / 10 and under free 
    • 6:00-11:00 Friday Night Magic!, Hopscotch Toys, Ages 8+, Must bring or purchase Magic the Gathering Standard Deck
    • 6:30 Family Open Gym, Defy Aerial Fitness Studio, All Ages, Under 13years must be accompanied by a parent, $3/person
    • Planetarium Shows, Chemeketa Community College, All Ages, $4/$5
    SATURDAY, MARCH 9, 2013
    ALL DAY
    MORNING
    • 10:30 Salem Library, Preschool Storytime, Ages 3-6
    • 11:00-12:30 Junior Gardener's Club - My Garden Journal, Oregon Garden, Ages 5-10, $3-$8
    AFTERNOON
    EVENING
    SUNDAY, MARCH 10, 2013
    Daylight Savings Time Starts
    ALL DAY

    MORNING

    AFTERNOON
    • 1:00-4:00 Family Clay Sunday - Pottery Painting Party, Willamette Art Center, All Ages, $10 per family up to 4/$3 each additional kid.
    EVENING

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    Monday, March 4, 2013

    Get Your Ya-Ya's Out!

    We all know the importance of exercise for children, and, well, for all of us.  The health benefits, the self-esteem, the brain building.  But in my family, the focus has always been on what we call "getting the ya-ya's out."  A couch-potato child is a naughty-pants, poorly sleeping, handful of a child (at least in my house).  So for me, getting my delightful 3 year old out for a good, sweaty run each day is not just conscientious parenting, but sanity-saving as well.  And in March, when we've emptied every mud puddle, it can be nice to find a warm, dry place to play.

    This week, the Salem area offers several exciting indoor activities to get your kids' ya-ya's out.  Monday morning is Motion Monday at the Stayton Public Library.  So come out and dance, laugh, and shake a tail feather at the library!  Tuesday evening, everyone 8 years and older, don't miss the Set & Ceili Irish Social Dancing class put on by Ceili of the Valley at the Salem VFW.  Friday, NW Kids Club is having a special open house for those interested in enrolling in their exciting pre-school program.  Admission to the club is free for the Open House and your kids can try out all the fun equipment and play space.

     Don't miss this week's Kid Pick For Fun: Super Bounce!  With giant slides, an obstacle course, and a ton of bouncing fun, your children will come home tired and happy.  Then it's dinner, bath, bed and parents pat on the back for getting those ya-ya's out today.

     I hope you have fun out there this week.  Send me pictures and spread the word about Mid-Valley Kid Calendar.  If you have any events you'd like listed, just email me here.

    MONDAY, MARCH 4, 2013
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    TUESDAY, MARCH 5, 2013
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    WEDNESDAY, MARCH 6, 2013
    ALL DAY

    MORNING
    AFTERNOON
    • 1:30 Salem Library, Brainy Babies - Bebes Super-Inteligentes bilingual storytime, infants and toddlers
    EVENING
    • 6:30 Salem Library, Cuentos en Espanol (Spanish Family Storytime), All Ages
    THURSDAY, MARCH 7, 2013
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    Friday, March 1, 2013

    Book Worm Weekend!

    It's Read Across America Day!  In that spirit, Mid-Valley Kid Calendar encourages you to snuggle up with your little readers and a fantastic book!  But before you heat up the cocoa, make sure to get out into your Mid-Willamette Valley community and join other kids and parents in the pursuit of a great story!

     This morning, don't miss Salem Riverfront Carousel's Dr. Seuss' Reading Across America Story Hour Free Event.  A visit from the Cat in the Hat, along with free carousel rides and great stories await your children.  What a great activity to start the weekend with your family!

     When you've finished at the Carousel, head over to the Salem YMCA for their yearly Used Book Sale.  This 3-day event is the perfect opportunity to replenish your family's bookshelves without breaking the bank.  What a fun treat for your children (Moms and Dads, too!) to get to pick out literary treasures and head home in great anticipation of reading them!

    And, if you're looking for a more hands-on activity to get your kids' creative juices flowing, check out Discovery Saturday at Gilbert Discovery Village.  This week's cool discovery:  The Egg Drop!  Build a contraption to keep your egg safe.  Drop tests will be every half-hour off the walking bridge behind the museum.

     So, happy reading and have a wonderful adventure this weekend in and around Salem.  Send me pics of your activities!  And if you have an event you would like included in the Calendar, just send me an email here.

    FRIDAY, MARCH 1, 2013
    Read Across America Day
    ALL DAY
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    SATURDAY, MARCH 2, 2013
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    SUNDAY, MARCH 3, 2013
    ALL DAY
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    AFTERNOON
    • Used Book Sale, Salem YMCA, All Ages
    • 1:00-4:00 Clay Sunday - Tiny Bird House Chimes, Willamette Art Center, All Ages, $10 per family up to 4/$3 each additional kid.
    EVENING
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