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 features lots of things to do for parents and kids who want to, or must, hang out together.
And not everything costs money!
The Family Works at 1501 N. 45th St. (694-6727) has a daily drop-in featuring parent-child play groups. There is also an after-school tutoring program if Little Johnny and Little Janie need some extra attention, as well as daycare and cooking and nutrition classes for kids and their parents. The family that learns to cook together is more than likely going to at least dine together.
Freeway Park, at 700 Seneca St. between Sixth and Ninth, still has a couple of Water Days left between 1 and 2 p.m. at the wading pool.
Plus, Tricycle Days are coming up Sept. 23 from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. Bring your own trike and a tyke to ride it.
If you have children who are showing signs of a green thumb, bring them to the 10th Annual Fall Plant Saleat the Volunteer Park Conservatory, on the lawn, Sept. 10. The sale and its accompanying beauty run from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
You can take these same fledgling gardeners to the Arboretum- 230 acres just east of downtown Seattle. Fans call the Arboretum a living museum, and they are not far wrong.
Discovery Park, at 3801 W. Government Way, 534 acres of semi-wild nature on Magnolia Bluff, features a children's play area. Call the Visitor Center (386-4236) to discover what else is going on at the Park District's Magnolia gem.
Queen Anne Community Center (386-4240) at 1901 First Ave. W. features plenty of activities for kids of all ages. There is also, of course, the Community Center Pool, which is closed for Labor Day but open again the following day. Call 386-4282 for hours and fees.
A wading pool the toddlers love highlights the East Queen Anne Playground at 1912 Warren St. If the weather holds, you might want to call (684-4075). The West Queen Anne Playground (684-4075) across from McClure Middle School offers a partially wheelchair-accessible play area, in addition to soccer and baseball fields.
There are very few kids who don't like animals, and 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, N. 50th and Fremont Ave. N. There are the old standards: big cats, elephants and a chillingly entertaining reptile house. There's also a special Northwest section featuring wolves and other creatures whose home in the wild is in our area.
The Aquarium is closed briefly in early September for remodeling, but it will reopen well in time for Otter Awareness Week, Sept. 24 - Oct. 2. It'd take a child with a heart of stone (or the attention span of same) not to be charmed by those playful underwater rogues, the sea otters. Did you know that sea otters eat 25 percent of their body weight every day, which may be one reason they are nonstop playful in full sight of visitors every day from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
If you're a parent who favors one-stop shopping, you can't help but love the Seattle Center, a cornucopia of things to do for the littler ones.
First off, there's Seattle's annual Labor Day celebration, Bumbershoot, which this year fills the Center's 74-acre meadow from Friday, Sept. 2, through Monday (Labor Day), Sept. 5. More than 2,000 performing artists, painters, jugglers and poets and other artistes will be on hand. Adults can buy a one-day pass for $25 and can attend all four days for a semi-mere $80. Children's admissions, sold daily, at $5 are quite a bargain, as long as Little Johnny and Janie are between 5 and 12. Under 5 shouldn't have to pay anything. Bumbershoot events are slated from noon to 10 p.m. all four days of the festival.
The Center is also home to the Pacific Science Center (443-2001). There is the Laser Fantasy (443-2850), always a kid favorite, and exhibits, traveling and fixed. An admission fee of $7.50 (kids and adults alike) gets you in for as long as you wish to be in.
The Seattle Children's Theatre, 201 Thomas St. (443-0807) offers year-round classes, with workshops for children with an interest in performing. Time magazine called SCT "one of the outstanding theaters of its kind in the United States," and in addition to classes and tours, there are plays running from September through June; call 441-3322 for upcoming show infor-mation and tickets. Don't delay - SCT proudly boasts of already hav ing entertained more than 4 million adults and children in its 30-year history.
The Children's Museum, 305 Harrison St., has been a parent favorite for quite awhile because the kids like it so much. The museum features kid-sized houses, the Bijou Theatre, changing exhibits and a dual pass, shared with the Pacific Science Center. There are enough interactive exhibits to please all but the most spoiled youngsters. Call 441-1768 for admission fees and hours of operation.
If you think your kids ought to get a taste of why tourists flock here every summer, you can always take them on the soon-to-be-less-crowded (except during rush hour) Washington State Ferries. The ride from Seattle to Bainbridge Island takes only 35 minutes, and once you get to Winslow there is the Kids Discovery Museum to pass some time before returning. Winslow also features Waterfront Park, where kids can play on the slide and swings.
Seattle and its environs almost guarantee that you can keep the kids, and yourself, busily entertained when school is not in session.
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