Play Room

Published as Play Room in the April 2019 issue of PDX Parent Kid to Know: Irie Page 2.0 Last year we highlighted the work of 15-year-old Irie Page as she organized a super successful community talk on consent for teens. This year the Southeast Portland teen has teamed up with six other teens to form …

New + Fun April 2019 Read More »

Published as Play Room in PDX Parent magazine Take Five: Aron Nels Steinke When it comes to the “my teacher is the coolest” contest, Aron Nels Steinke’s class of fourth and fifth graders at Woodstock Elementary School have some serious bragging rights. Their teacher is the author and illustrator of the graphic novel Mr. Wolf’s Class. And the second …

New & Fun March 2019 Read More »

The Play Room Column of the PDX Parent magazine Kid to Know: The Artistic Genius Seventeen-year-old Ester Petukhova sees clearly where she’s come from and where she wants to go. And all that understanding gets translated into her astounding painting and artwork. She immigrated to America as a toddler and her status as an immigrant has shaped her art. Over …

New + Fun October 2018 Read More »

Great backpacks for hiking with tots, weekending at Mount St. Helens, and female candidates take Oregon by storm.

Kids to Know: The Climate Change Challengers For Beaverton siblings Miko and Isaac Vergun, climate change is not some abstract idea. It’s personal and it’s a family affair. “Since I was born in the Republic of the Marshall Islands, it is very important to me to keep small islands nations like the Marshall Islands from …

Play Room August 2018 Read More »

Take Five: Martha Strawn Morris Northeast Portland’s Martha Strawn Morris is the director of the Gateway Center, which strives to prevent and reduce the impact of domestic violence. In 2017 they helped 3,223 women, 245 men and 675 children. Visit portlandoregon.gov/gatewaycenter for more information. Q: What are some of the services The Gateway Center offers? …

Play Room April 2018 Read More »

Local Etsy finds for your baby’s first birthday bash, a kid to watch who’s schooling her peers on consent, and homeless student numbers are on the rise.

Good Deeds: Planting for the Future For decades, the vacant lot at the corner of SE 87th Avenue and SE Malden Court was an eyesore in the Lents neighborhood, choked with invasive Himalayan blackberries, strewn with trash and a magnet for unsafe activity. Finally, in 2015, neighbors had had enough — they reclaimed the space, planting a …

Play Room December 2017 Read More »

Take Five: Amy Beacom Amy Beacom, an inner-Southeast mom of two, knows the difficulties working parents face, particularly when they welcome a new child to the family. She founded the Center for Parental Leave Leadership (CPLL), a company that coaches other businesses on how to shape their policies to support working parents. Additionally, CPLL spends …

Play Room November 2017 Read More »

Mom runners unite, back-to-school outlet deals, and will the kicker kick in?

Play Room April 2017

Kid to Know: The Educator The issue of transgender-friendly bathrooms has been a flashpoint topic around the country. But that didn’t stop Lincoln High junior Leah Burian from spearheading a project to convert one of her high school’s existing lavatories into a multi-stall, gender-neutral bathroom. (According to a national survey by GLSEN, a nonprofit seeking …

Playroom March 2017 Read More »

Goodies for goody bags, making Baby Blues Connections and five questions for the founder of the PDX Kids’ Film Festival.

Holiday shows, books to teach kids about giving, and a gorgeous blog dedicated to breastfeeding.

Kid chef from Oregon takes kale to the White House, picky-eater problems, and great magazines for kiddos.

Hidden museums, helping out on Halloween, and best toothbrushers for little teeth.

Wine Country with kids (really!), teenage inventors, and the straight scoop on lead.

Straight talk on redshirting for kindergarten, the best family bug sprays and our top picks for destination playgrounds.