Well, it is that time of year again. The kids, at least the ones over 5, are going back to school.
But there are still the little ones to entertain. And there is the weekend for those tired older scholars who need entertaining.
But have no fear.
You live in a major city that doubles as an area that features lots of things to do for parents and kids who want to, or must, hang ou together.
And not everything costs money.
FamilyWorks
FamilyWorks, 1501 N. 45th St. (694-6727), has a daily drop-in time featuring parent-child play groups. There is also an after-school-tutoring program if your students need some extra attention.
There is also daycare and cooking and nutrition classes offered for kids and their parents. The family that learns to cook together is more than likely going to at least dine together.
Woodland Park Zoo, Seattle Aquarium
There are very few kids who don't like animals. For those children, Seattle is well-equipped with both the Woodland Park Zoo (684-4800) and the Seattle Aquarium (386-4300).
The zoo is open year-round, from 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily. Show up at the South Gate entrance, at North 50th Street and Fremont Avenue North.
There are the old standards: big cats, elephants and a chillingly entertaining reptile house.
There is also a special Northwestern section featuring wolves and other creatures whose home in the wild is also in our area.
The aquarium is closed briefly in early September for some remodeling, but it will open well in time for Otter Awareness Week, Sept. 24 to Oct. 2. It takes a child with a heart of stone, or an attention span of same, not to be charmed by those playful underwater rogues, the sea otters.
Seattle Center
If you are a parent who favors one-stop shopping, you can't help but love the Seattle Center, which offers a cornucopia of things to do for the younger set.
First off, there is Seattle's annual Labor Day celebration, Bumbershoot, which this year fills the center's 74-acre meadow from Sept. 2 through Sept. 5. Events are slated from noon to 10 p.m. all four days of the festival, with more than 2,000 performing artists, painters, jugglers and poets and other artists on hand.
Adults can buy a one-day pass for $25 or attend all four days for $80. Children's admissions for those between 5 and 12 are sold daily, and at $5 is quite a bargain. Those under 5 shouldn't have to pay anything.
The center is also home to the Pacific Science Center (443-2001), which has Laser Fantasy (443-2850) and traveling and fixed exhibits; the Seattle Children's Theatre (SCT), 201 Thomas St. (443-0807), which offers year-round classes and plays running from September through June (441-3322); and The Children's Museum, (441-1768), which has the Bijou Theatre and changing, interactive exhibits.[[In-content Ad]]
