The SODO Track has transformed the transit corridor in Seattle’s SODO district into a wonderful 2-mile art walk or ride. As you move along this free and accessible urban art gallery, kids will be introduced to more than 60 artists from 20 countries in side-by-side murals. The SODO Track spans 5th Avenue South between Royal Brougham Way and Spokane Street.

Seattle Urban Art Tour. Travel by foot and streetcar to examine tremendously varied street art, from graffiti, tags, and “sticker bombs” to elaborate spray paint, brush work, and stencil pieces.

Art walk through Bellevue Botanical Garden, where a meandering path leads to the stone “Friendship Circle,” a sculpture called “Night Blooming” offers a sparkly light effect when you crouch through the door to the interior and look up, and kids can search for sculptures of an owl, rabbit, frog, and a stone chair resembling a throne in the forest. Open daily from dawn to dusk at 12001 Main St., Bellevue.

Enjoy a small town art walk in Duvall. Look up, down, and all around on a family walk along Duvall’s Main Street, where you’ll find a variety of public artworks ranging from carved art panels attached to the lampposts and swimming salmon carved into a crosswalk to artful benches with local scenes, painted murals, and large sculpture installations.

Kirkland sculptures for the kid in all of us: Whimsical is the word that describes many sculptures installed around downtown Kirkland. Start your walk at the library and loop around Marina Park and the shopping core to find several sculptures of animals, a carousel horse, children jumping for joy, and the city’s landmark cow and dog sculpture, often decorated to celebrate holidays, seasons, and sports teams.

Get the map! The City of Seattle is chock-full of public art. You’ll find commissioned pieces of art in almost every neighborhood, some easily found, others requiring a little hunt. Consider this summer art project (or a project to be completed over a couple of summers): Find every piece of public art the city has to offer. All you need is the Seattle Public Art Map, created by Seattle’s Office of Arts & Culture and 4 Culture.

Traditional gallery artwalks

Art walks were originally a way to get neighbors out to see the artworks of local artists in nearby galleries and businesses. Many of the pieces you’ll see are museum-worthy, so consider a traditional art walk a visit to the museum without the fee! It’s a great way to explore the city, with official art walks in:

• Pioneer Square
• Central District
• Capitol Hill
• West Seattle
• Belltown
• Greenwood
• Ballard
• Georgetown
• Uptown
• Hillman City
• White Center
• University District
• Downtown Seattle

For details on these great gallery and business district art walks in Seattle, go to seattleartwalks.com.

The post Where the Art Lives: Kid-friendly walks full of wonder appeared first on Seattle's Child.

Case in point: The other day I left my docent shift at Seattle Art Museum in downtown Seattle to check out the public art overlooking the Seattle Aquarium’s new Ocean Pavilion. Here’s that walk.

A short, packed art walk

From the museum, walk down the stairs at Union and 1st Avenue. At Post Alley and Union Street, I suggest skipping the touristy Seattle Selfie Museum. But across the street is this route’s first art walk stop: look for the metal fence growing atop a cement wall. It’s a good example of art made from the refuse of bigger building projects. I happened to see a row of flowers as lovely as fresh ones. Ask your kids what they see. What they think this fence is for: is it meant to keep people out or invite them in? Why is there just a splash of color on these steely petals?

Continue along the walking bridge toward Waterfront’s the Great Seattle Wheel. Look left to see a second lace-like metalwork. I saw wings, but what do your kids see in this piece? Do they see more than one thing?

Art and function intersect

At the bottom of the stairs you will walk under a third metal sculpture that reminded me of the run-away houseplant in my grandma’s kitchen. Again, here is metal mimicking nature, a chance to discuss how artists reinterpret the world around them with the materials they choose. A good question for kids: What’s the story behind each animal?

Standing at the street corner, look right to see several colorful characters by Seattle muralist Ryan ‘Henry’ Ward. What’s the story behind each animal?

Crossing Alaskan Way, you will see a new work in progress — the Waterfront’s brand new playground. Look at it as a work of art: The tiny man-made island, the 25-foot-tall jellyfish-shaped climbing tower, the crab wobble boards, the “kelp forest.” It is a great example of functional art.

Invite your kids to record the art they see

From there, climb the stairs to the viewpoint. Here, I discovered a magic moment — a youth filming a busker with their phone. It was one artist (the videographer) turning another artist (the busker) into a new work of art. What if we taught kids to use such devices to create rather than lose themselves to social media?

Don’t be shy

Be ready for surprises on any art walk with kids, especially the chance to meet working artists. On this walk, I happened upon artist Rob D’Arc, the creator of puppets and marionettes that have been featured in many films and stage productions. Your kids can meet him too, either on YouTube as Professor Humbug or on Instagram @pikeplacepuppeteer.

Every Monday and Thursday, Rob goes to the stalls and offers his pop-up puppet kits. He proves that kids can make working puppets out of the simplest items.

Dialogue with your kids

Any art walk, short or long, proves the point: Art can be found in almost any direction in Seattle. Some last questions for this short walk:

• “If you made big art flowers for the public to see, what material would you want to use?”
• “If you wanted to make a dance out of the web on the bridge, what would it look like?”
• “What was the best thing we saw on the walk to the overlook? What makes you say that?”
• “If you wanted to make a puppet of any character what would it be?”

More easy art walks (and rides!) for families

You’ll find great artwalking all over Greater Seattle. Check out these great examples:

• The SODO Track has transformed the transit corridor in Seattle’s SODO district into a wonderful 2-mile art walk or ride. As you move along this free and accessible urban art gallery, kids will be introduced to more than 60 artists from 20 countries in side-by-side murals. The SODO Track spans 5th Avenue South between Royal Brougham Way and Spokane Street.
• Seattle Urban Art Tour. Travel by foot and streetcar to examine tremendously varied street art, from graffiti, tags, and “sticker bombs” to elaborate spray paint, brush work, and stencil pieces.
• Art walk through Bellevue Botanical Garden, where a meandering path leads to the stone “Friendship Circle,” a sculpture called “Night Blooming” offers a sparkly light effect when you crouch through the door to the interior and look up, and kids can search for sculptures of an owl, rabbit, frog, and a stone chair resembling a throne in the forest. Open daily from dawn to dusk at 12001 Main St., Bellevue.

Get the map!

The City of Seattle is chock-full of public art. You’ll find commissioned pieces of art in almost every neighborhood, some easily found, others requiring a little hunt. Consider this summer art project (or a project to be completed over a couple of summers): Find every piece of public art the city has to offer. All you need is the Seattle Public Art Map, created by Seattle’s Office of Arts & Culture and 4 Culture.

For even more great art walks (or rides) with kids, be sure to check out “Mural hunting: Exploring this public art form with kids” and “5 short, fun art walks with kids.”

The post Explore Public Art: A fun, free Seattle walk for families appeared first on Seattle's Child.

Invite your kids to fill that positive emptiness with their imagination. There’s a whole world of fun and games in a child’s imagination. With little imagination and little to no purchasing, they can make up games, write and act out a play in the backyard or a nearby park, or create a neighborhood pet parade. Not to mention, their boredom can also benefit the house: invite them to create a contest out of who can clean and rearrange their sleeping space fastest and best, the only rules being they have to help each other, and the prize cannot cost money. Any household task can become a fun and engaging antidote to boredom.

Our grandparents were bored as kids. We were bored. You can’t fault the kids for feeling it, but shrug off any guilt you feel about entertaining them. Our grandparents survived a little lull in the summer excitement; we survived it; they will survive it, too. Instead, when your kids pull out the what-do-we-do-now whine this summer, tell them about these age-old gems — and maybe even join them to reconnect with the kid that still lives within you.

All of these fun summer ideas for kids at home use what you already have — cardboard boxes, blankets, paint, even tin cans — to unlock hours of play.

Build a fort

Build a fort indoors or outdoors using blankets, sheets, sticks, cardboard, or anything found around the house (with a parent’s approval). Get creative by giving it several rooms. Pull out the holiday lights to light it up, add stuffed animals or pillows and books, and make up a story about where or what it is. Is it a pirate’s ship? A castle? A tent in the woods? A library? A place off limits to parents?

Make a tire or rope swing

Do you have an old tire or a strong rope in the garage and some teens in your family? Making a rope or tire swing is an excellent gift for younger siblings. A swing can also be a nice spot to “hang” with friends. All you need is a strong tree branch and an old tire or sturdy rope. Be sure they Google “swing hitch,” which is the best knot for either swing.

Make a lemonade stand

For a time-honored entrepreneurial rite of passage, behold the lemonade stand. A stand can be easily created with an old moving box or other large box, cardboard for a sign, a lemon squeezer (or very strong hands), and something to put cash in (and hand back change). Of course, they can jeuje up the stand for appeal, but the basics will get the job done. Park it out on the parking strip in your neighborhood, and they’ll be open for business. The best lemonade recipe: 6 cups water, 1 cup granulated sugar, 1 cup squeezed lemon juice with seeds removed. Mix.

Create a homemade obstacle course

Grab your friends and load up your wagons with blankets, hula hoops, and other easily portable items for an obstacle course, then roll down to your local playground or park. Working together, create the course — don’t forget to include playground equipment in your challenge. Once set up, kids go through one at a time, timed on every try. The goal is to beat your first time by your third time through. Bring water and snacks.

Make a scavenger hunt

If you have older kids (10 and above), creating a scavenger hunt can be as complicated or straightforward as their imaginations want to make it, and hunts are fun for both the creators and the hunters. Just print out the instructions from “How to Create a Scavenger Hunt” and let them go.

Make old-fashioned tin can stilts and race

Back in the day… your kids may not know that when their great-grandparents were kids, they likely had few toys and had to make do with what they had. Thus, tin can stilts. But they are still fun today. All it takes is two tin cans (old paint or coffee cans work well), a hammer and nail, and string. Have them watch the video “How to Make Stilts Out of Old Cans.” They can invite their friends to make them too, and have a race across the yard or park.

Paint rock messages

Painted rocks can be found all over Seattle, and they are a great way to offer others a moment of happiness or reflection. All you need are rocks, acrylic paint, and brushes. Once you’ve painted as many as you like, walk around your neighborhood and place them in well-trafficked or surprising places to bring a little joy to others.

You don’t need fancy camps or outings to create lasting memories. These fun summer ideas for kids at home can reconnect your kids with creativity — and you with your own childhood.

The post Old-school, screen-free fun for bored kids at home appeared first on Seattle's Child.

With some careful habits, knowledge and use of safety devices, your family can have a safe and fun summer.

“I want kids and families to go out and have fun and feel joy, and go home safely at the end of the day,” Summa says. Here are some of her tips for doing that in all seasons.

Summer safety tips for kids

Window falls

Risk factors: “Kids are curious by nature and top-heavy by design, so they fall headfirst and they fall hard,” often resulting in serious injury, Summa says. A screen can provide a false sense of security: It will not prevent a fall. “Screens keep bugs out; they do not keep kids in.”

What to do: If a kid can get to a window (including by climbing on furniture), close it. What if it’s hot outside? Still, close it. Or, install window stop devices that are widely available, allowing a window to open only 4 inches. Also, teach your kids not to lean out of windows (but then supervise them anyway).

You might not have known: A child can fall from a window that’s open more than 4 inches.

Water safety

Risk factors: Drowning is the No. 1 cause of fatal injury in kids ages 1 to 4. It happens very quickly and surprisingly quietly. Swimming is also an activity where kids, particularly older kids, might tend to overestimate their ability or try to show off. A fun, “Hey, watch this!” moment can turn tragic.

What to do: Never allow a young child near the water unsupervised, Summa says, and this means “touch supervision,” i.e., immediate proximity. This does not mean sitting in a chair nearby, chatting, checking email, etc. Also: Put your kids in swimming lessons. Have them learn early and relearn every year. Have them wear life jackets near open water and while in boats or on paddleboards and the like. Make sure life jackets are the right size and worn properly.

You might not have known: Safety experts do not want you to use those little arm floaties sometimes known as “water wings.” Also: Life jackets are not for pools. This goes back to “false sense of security,” giving kids the (unintentional) sense that their body will always float in water.

Head protection

Risk factors: Bike falls can cause serious injuries, including head injuries.

What to do: Wear a helmet. Summa suggests starting the first time your toddler rides anything with wheels. Build the habit early. Some kids might be reluctant to wear a helmet because it’s “not cool” or perhaps not comfortable, but consider this from Summa: “Having a functioning brain will serve kids well in life, so they should protect that brain.”

The right fit: Use the “eyes, ears, mouth” guide: The helmet should fit snugly and straight, just a couple inches above the eyes. It should buckle under one ear, and when the wearer opens their mouth, they should get a little resistance from the chin strap. Also, try this: Shake your head like a wet dog. The helmet shouldn’t move. Summa particularly likes helmets that have a dial to get a precise fit.

You might not have known: Do not let your child wear a baseball cap under their bike helmet. If they fall forward, the hat brim will hit the ground first and could pop the helmet right off.

More to think about when it comes to summer safety tips for kids

Make sure you have the right car seats or boosters and that they’re installed and being used correctly. Know the law: https://www.wacarseats.com. Know where to get expert help: https://www.wacarseats.com/find-a-car-seat-inspection-station-in-washington.

Parents: Model safe behavior by wearing your own seatbelt and bike helmet.

If you’re traveling with a baby, think about how they’ll sleep safely, which often means bringing along a portable crib.

All these safety practices you’re using and precautions you’re taking? Make sure that anyone else supervising your child also knows and uses them.

And a word on personal fireworks, July 4 or any time: “Please don’t,” says Summa.

More information/help

Mary Bridge Children’s has a wealth of safety information on its website. (Go to marybridge.org and search for keyword “safety.”) And their experts will answer your questions via email at childsafety@multicare.org

The post Summer safety tips to keep kids safe all summer long appeared first on Seattle's Child.

Now, we’re taking that idea one step further with a carefully curated summer reading list for kids, gathered from people who know and love children’s books best.

We asked local booksellers, librarians, and children’s authors to share their favorite summer reading picks for kids. From fantasy-filled quests to resilient heroes in historical fiction, this summer reading list for kids spans genres, reading levels, and time periods — but they all have one thing in common: a story that sticks with you.

Looking for even more inspiration? Combine this summer reading list for kids with Seattle Public Library’s Book Bingo challenge — it’s a fun, prize-filled way to help your young reader stay excited about books all season long.

“Matilda“ by Roald Dahl | Ages 6-10 | “It’s hard to pick one Roald Dahl, but I think all kids like to imagine they can force themselves to have magical powers. So I could really relate to this book.” — Jason Robertson, Co-Owner, Ophelia’s Books, Fremont

“We Are Water Protectors“ by Carole Lindstrom | Ages 6 – 10 | “This is a great book for second, third, and fourth graders that talks about water rights, indigenous rights, and standing up for your community. Plus, different ages will get different meanings from it.” — Fabiola Sotero, Children’s Librarian, Seattle Public Libraries

“Aquicorn Cove” by K. O’Neill | Ages 7 – 10 | Aquicorn Cove, is “a lightly fantastical story of learning your role as an environmental steward in our surprising and magical world, with artwork that’s as refreshing as dipping your toes in cold water on a hot summer day.” — Ellis Breunig, co-manager and lead buyer, Page 2 Books, Burien

The Babysitters Club series by Ann M. Martin | Ages 7 – 11 | “As a child, I loved (loved, loved!) The Babysitters Club. I spent most of my life chasing the high of being in a solid group of friends.” — Sunshine Bacon, author most recently of “Rabbit Rabbit”

“Crow” by Barbara Wright | Ages 8 – 12 | “Crow is historical fiction for middle readers set at the turn of the 20th century, when a thriving African-American community in Wilmington, North Carolina becomes targeted by cruel and calculating local politicians. The subject matter is difficult, but the first-person narrative is “deeply touching.” — Sara Anderson, author of “A Day at the Market,” among others

“Lion Dancers” by Cai Tse | Ages 8 – 12 | “In this fast-paced graphic novel of friendship and heartache, you can hear and feel the action, sights, and sounds of this dynamic art form with pulse-pounding dance and drums.” — Mei-Mei Wu, Children’s Services Librarian, King County Library System

“Island of the Blue Dolphins“ by Scott O’Dell | Ages 8 – 12 | “I read Island of the Blue Dolphins at least four times. The main character, Karana, became a hero to me. I still draw on her resilience today.” — Sara Anderson, author of “A Day at the Market”, among others

“Dragon Rider“ by Cornelia Funke | Ages 9-12 | “It’s a funny and fantastical adventure story about a dragon named Firedrake and his medley of friends trying to find a new home for Firedrake’s dragon family because humans are going to flood the valley they’ve been hiding in.” As a bonus, “the audiobook is read by Brendan Fraser and my family listened to it many times together on long road trips.” — Ellis Breunig, co-manager and lead buyer at Page 2 Books, Burien

“Hatchet“ by Gary Paulson | Ages 9 – 12 | The protagonist, Brian, “learns to care for himself–physically, emotionally, and mentally. His resilience and transformation are remarkable.” — Jewell Parker Rhodes, author most recently of “Will’s Race for Home”

Inkheart series by Cornelia Funke | Ages 9 – 12 | “The Inkheart Series are the books that made me a reader.” — Fabiola Sotero, Children’s Librarian, Seattle Public Libraries

“The Wildcat Behind Glass“ by Alki Zei | Ages 10-12 | “It’s not a new book (it came out in Greek in 1963), but it was recently translated into English for the first time, and its story of family secrets during a time of political turmoil might feel familiar to today’s readers.” — Haley Stocking and Tom Nissley, owner, Phinney Books, Phinney Ridge

“Nation” by Terry Pratchett | Ages 11 – 13 | Prachett is a wonderful writer. The main character isn’t a king and doesn’t have a birthmark that makes him great. He is resilient, he actually considers things, and he thinks about people.” — John Watkins, owner, Twice Sold Tales, Ballard

The post Local experts share a summer reading list for kids appeared first on Seattle's Child.

This situation is much more common than you’d think. So many people look back on their average childhoods, where they were cared for and protected and given everything they needed, and still feel that they weren’t well-loved. Meanwhile, parents everywhere find that no matter how hard they try and how many sacrifices they make, they still can’t shake the feeling that they’re coming up short.

There’s an old saying about social animals in general and primates in particular: “A lone monkey is a dead monkey.” Our superpower as a species — the one that allowed us to conquer the planet without sharp claws, venomous fangs, or fast legs — was our ability to think, communicate, and cooperate as a group. The survival of any individual depended on its inclusion in that group, where the sharing of resources, protection, and information made us far more formidable than such a slow, weak, hairless animal had any right to be.

But of course, this superpower came at a cost. We need a prolonged childhood for our brains and our complex social skills to develop. In those early years, we are especially vulnerable, not only because we lack the ability to defend and care for ourselves, but because we have nothing to contribute to the well-being of the group. From the perspective of species survival, children are just dead weight — except they’re also the future, and for that reason, they’re everything.

Nature solves this problem by giving adults parental instincts. Our small, weak, profoundly helpless children trigger our deepest impulse to nourish and protect them. At the same time, our children are engineered to magnify those impulses by focusing relentlessly on gaining our attention and our love. The system works, more or less, in that most children survive to adulthood without being abandoned by the side of the road. That’s a win, right? Along the way, though, we acquire a few scars.

The thing about a child’s desire for attention and love is that it’s almost limitless. The more resources and protection they receive, the more likely they are to survive to adulthood and pass on their genes to the next generation. As far as their instincts are concerned, more is always better, and those instincts evolved back when the stakes were survival itself. This leaves kids with the constant fear that they’ll never get what they need, and parents with the gnawing feeling that they can never give enough. Essentially, nature has designed human children with an unfillable hole.

I don’t think we can ever make that hole go away. What we can do is recognize it for what it is, and be intentional about how we try to fill it. So often, we attempt to plug it with something that doesn’t fit there. We move obstacles out of their way, rather than letting them learn to do that for themselves. We try relentlessly to optimize their potential, focusing only on who they could (or “should”) be, rather than who they are. We buy them phones and video games hoping to distract them from what’s missing, but actually reinforcing it with every click. And all the while, the hole gets deeper.

We have to remember that the hole in our children, and in all of us, is the fear of being the lone monkey, and that the only thing that fills it is membership in the tribe. Most primates spend hours everyday picking ticks and lice off of each other, not just for the between-meal snack (Mmmm, extra protein!), but because it reinforces the social bonds that we are all programmed to crave. Since our mutual grooming opportunities are pretty limited, other than eating the Cheerios we find stuck to our babies’ clothes, we have to do the modern equivalent. We need to reinforce tribal membership with our words and actions.

“You are one of us.”
“We love and accept you exactly as you are.”
“We will never vote you off the island, or leave you by the side of the road.”

A lone monkey is a dead monkey. But a monkey who knows they belong has a lot fewer ticks, and won’t need psychotherapy for nearly as long.

The post The Dad Next Door: What the lonely monkey teaches us about parenting appeared first on Seattle's Child.