Hours of Learning While Playing in Spokane
The Spokane Children’s Museum features learning galleries tailored to different age groups. The Garden gives infants and toddlers lots of room for multi-sensory exploration. Its Baby Exploration Path exhibit offers different textures to touch, a multitude of patterns to see, and varied surfaces to crawl over and through. A full scale Greek Village lets elementary school-age kids play “grown-ups,” Greek-style. They dress in authentic country clothing and role-play in the market, restaurant, cottage, or kitchen, exploring different aspects of the culture while exercising social skills. Special workshops are offered to kids 10 and over. Washington State University professors teach a construction workshop for kids 10 and over. They are introduced to the basics of architecture, design and landscaping. Visiting artists teach kids of all ages the finer arts of juggling, clay and balloon sculpting, magic and painting with new and unusual tools, while fictional resident artist Monroe Street leaves unfinished works of art up in the museum loft for parents and children to complete. The museum also offers Babes in Arms, a program for expectant and new parents. Summer afternoon discounts are available, visit www.childrensmuseum.net or call 509-624-KIDS.

Also in Spokane is Riverfront Park, where kids play on a giant red Radio Flyer wagon, ride a carousel, drive bumper cars, take in an Imax movie and ice skate in the winter. Call 800-336-PARK or visit www.spokaneriverfrontpark.com.

Kidding Around Tacoma
In Tacoma, the zoo is famous for its Polar Bear Exhibit. Surrounding the zoo is Point Defiance Park, with beaches and woods, views of passing ferries and freighters on the Sound, historic Fort Nisqually, lovely gardens, picnicking, and playgrounds. The park is adjacent to a marina complex where you can launch a kayak or rent a “kicker boat,” and fish for salmon. Farther along is the rejuvenated Ruston Way Waterfront with parks, paths for walking, skating, biking (rentals available on the waterfront), sculpture, and good restaurants. The Washington State Historical Museum has interactive school-age exhibits. Visit www.tourtacoma.org or call 800-272-2662.

Crunching Clam Shells a Must!
Tillicum Village on Blake Island offers Native salmon dinner buffets and traditional Northwest Coast Indian dancing; reach it by tour boat from the Seattle waterfront, www.tillicumvillage.com.