This Sunday at 3:30, the Eagles play the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl. My husband is from Pennsylvania. I’m from Massachusetts. So emotions should be running high. Except for the fact that I care not one bit about the Super Bowl. I don’t even care about the commercials anymore. But he does, and I’m sure that he will want to watch the game without having the kids interrupt whatever voodoo moves he needs to do to ensure a win for the home team.
If you too will be entertaining kids during the game, and don’t necessarily want them parked in front of the television, here are some ideas.
Out of the House
Head to a museum. This is a great day for museum fun – both because the crowds are likely to be less than usual, and because it falls on OMSI’s monthly $2 Days. Yup, explore the museum and all its permanent exhibits for just $2 per person. Or check out these other museums that offer free and reduced admission.
See some music. The Not-So-Secret Family Show takes place every month at The Secret Society in North Portland at 4 pm. This week, you can check out the down-home sounds of Red Yarn—one of Portland’s favorite kindie musicians.
Try out a park. Right now the weather is calling for showers on Sunday, but come on, what else is new. And even if it does rain, a little rain never stopped us Portlanders! Try out one of these playgrounds with cover, or go over the top with one of these amazing playgrounds.
Go out to eat. If you avoid a bar or place with a tv, you can probably also avoid some lines. Here are some of our favorite choices for kid-friendly restaurants.
See a movie. If avoiding screens is your reason for skipping the game, you can skip right over this suggestion. But if screens are a go, why not head to one of these discount movie theaters for a special outing? Don’t forget the popcorn!
Run around. Let the kids get their wiggles out without getting wet at an indoor play space. Playdate PDX is huge enough to tire out even the most energetic kid, and is open until 8 pm on Sunday.
Check out a story time. On Sunday at 3:30, the Woodstock library has a Chinese storytime, the Holgate library has a Russian storytime, and the Hollywood library has a graphic novel book group. Even if you don’t want to listen to the stories, you can spend some time browsing the books.
Rent some skates. A Portland tradition! Oaks Park’s roller skating rink is open for open skate from 1 to 5 on Sunday. This session features a live pipe organ! Admission is $7 with an additional $2 for skate rental.
Make like a ninja. There’s an obstacle open play class taking place at Urban Warrior during the Super Bowl, Portland’s answer to the American Ninja Warrior craze. If you have a young warrior on your hands, this might be just the ticket.
Climb the walls. Kids climbing the walls? Why not climb the walls! Many of the area’s bouldering gyms are open on Sundays.
Make a Terrarium. You can create your own tiny terrarium filled with shells, sparkles, and all other manner of lovely things at Artemisa in Northeast Portland.
At Home
Get crafty. Stock up on craft supplies and get busy making art with the kids. We have lots of ideas for kid-friendly crafts on our website. Try out this simple craft for potato stamps, or get started on your Valentine’s cards with these DIY Valentine’s crafts for kids.
Make some dough. Play-dough that is. I don’t know what it is about this stuff that gets kids engaged for hours, but I’ll take it! Stretch out the time even more by making it yourself. Here’s a recipe.
Play a game. Break out one of your old favorites, or try out one of these recommendations from Cloud Cap Games.
Bake. One sure-fire way to get kids to help in the kitchen? Let them lick the spoon. Add on extra time together (and away from the tv) by baking something you can decorate. Hey, the Super Bowl is only once a year, right?
What are you planning to do for the big game? Let us know below!
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