Playtime: Fashion Plate fun, a Kraken corn maze plus nights out for parents and kids

Last weekend, thanks to a generous gift from a neighbor, the adults in our house put the calendars aside and did an Edmonds Kind of Saturday (late afternoon/early evening before hockey practice). After visiting Puget Sound Bird Fest and seeing a great talk about the Union Bay Natural Area, also known as the Montlake Fill, we headed to dinner. We parked by Crow and stopped in to say hello to owner Jen Lawson, whom we know (and love) from the preschool circuit, before stopping at Edmonds ARTspot. After running into another local mom friend I haven’t seen in a while ,we walked out and saw the absolute best thing in their window display: Fashion Plates.

As a child born in the ’70s, Fashion Plates and Day to Night Barbie were some of the top toy memories I have. Vintage Fashion Plates allowed you to take rectangular plastic plates with raised shapes of models in different attire and mix and match segments of the body with different clothing. Then you would take a sort of sideways crayon across the top to capture the outline before adding color to your designs, a real dream come true for me. It looks as if the setup is the same in the new version in the window at ARTspot.

While I love the idea that you can get Fashion Plates for the artist, young or old, in your life, I think if I’m being honest the main reason I feel compelled to share the info is purely to talk about Fashion Plates and ASMR-type reaction I get remembering the crayon gliding over the raised lines of a fashionable top and skirt of my choosing. That and I would love to think about anything besides figuring out how to cram in all of the weeknight events that come with the beginning of a school year. So before we get to the library help that showed up in my inbox, let’s talk about two local options for Parents/Kids Night Outs coming up.

While at the City of Edmonds Frances Anderson Center for Bird Fest, I saw a flier for a Parents Night Out on Friday, Sept. 23 from 5 to 8 p.m. I called today to get some more information and it turns out it is a Gymnastics Parents Night Out for kids ages 5 to 10 and $28 for residents. When I read “Students will enjoy three hours of games, crafts, obstacles, fort building, gymnastics and more!” I see that not only will there be free time, but they’ll most likely be tired at bedtime too. Kids should bring water and snacks and wear comfortable clothes. You can find more information and registration at RecZone.org.

High Trek Everett

Then, since I am on the email list for them following a birthday party my youngest attended, I saw that High Trek Everett is offering a Kids’ Night Out on Fridays from 5 to 9 p.m. for kids ages 10 to 15. For $65 kids can spend four hours “of fun and friends, with High Trek staff helping it all go smoothly.” The four hours include a snack and is split between “four main activities: ropes course plus ziplines, laser tag, mini golf, and a camp activity.” The fee is $65 per child and more information and registration can be found at HighTrekEverett.com.

OK, one more thing before we get to the very helpful, but school-related, library info. There is a Kraken-themed corn maze at Stocker Farms in Snohomish. Members of my crew, one kid in particular, are huge fans of our NHL team, the Seattle Kraken. I was sent a post about this maze via Instagram DM, which is how we communicate half the time at this point, and means it must be pretty exciting. Before opening for the month of October, Stocker Farms is open during the next two weekends. For more information and tickets, you can visit StockerFarms.com.

I just got an email from Sno-Isle Libraries with the subject “You’re not alone! Back to school resources for students and parents.” Followed up with a reassuring “Don’t forget! Sno-Isle Libraries is here to help students and parents have a great school year.” The library is responsible for many a deep sigh of relief on my part and this was for sure one of them. With a library card, patrons can “unlock access to online tutoring, research databases, test prep materials, helpful videos, free printing, and more.” I was excited to see that there were How-To videos for students explaining how to find a free tutor through the library, get ready for a big test, or get middle and high school homework help. For all of this information and more, you can visit Sno-Isle.org or call your local library.

— By Jennifer Marx

Jen Marx, an Edmonds mom of two boys, is always looking for a fun place to take the kids that makes them tired enough to go to bed on time.

 

 

 

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