Tag: kids

Free Summer Meals Program for Kids & Teens

Summer Meals -Nourishing Oregon’s Kids.

There are over 800 summer meal sites in Oregon with free meals for kids and teens ages 1-18.

   Summer meal programs may serve a combination of lunch, breakfast, supper and morning or afternoon snacks. Some programs also offer learning activities for kids before or after meals.

     Click on  the map below to find a site near you.

https://www.summerfoodoregon.org/map/

 

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The Family Connection

Great parenting doesn’t happen in isolation.
The Family Connection provides a regional parenting hub where parents can come together, learn effective parenting skills from certified parenting educators, be introduced to community resources and find support from other parents. Parenting is hard work!

As Southern Oregon’s Parenting Hub, The Family Connection and The Oregon Parenting Education Collaborative (OPEC) were founded to help.
Please take advantage of our FREE parenting classes, workshops, and events!

 

Remember, great parenting doesn’t happen in isolation… Let’s get connected! We also provide organizations and agencies the ability to contract an evidence based parenting series or workshop for their clients.
Head to our online Parenting Education Community Calendar to sign-up for FREE parenting classes, workshops, and family friendly events in Jackson and Josephine counties.    https://thefamilyconnect.org/events-calendar/  

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Storytelling Guild’s Children’s Festival in Jacksonville

The Storytelling Guild presents Annual Children’s Festival every July  at the beautiful Britt Gardens in Jacksonville, Oregon. For many years, the festival has provided fun-filled summer days of affordable entertainment for the entire family!

The first Children’s Festival was in 1967 and began as a small storytelling program, billed as: “A Child’s Fun ‘N Fantasy Afternoon” and was held under the trees at Britt Gardens in Jacksonville. The turnout for this one-day event was so tremendous, 200 children, that it was repeated the next day for another 300 children!

It was apparent that this was an important program and plans were readied for a true Festival in 1968. The Storytelling Guild and the Jackson County Library began planning by recruiting volunteers from the mothers who attended the first Festival. Sixteen volunteers and the local chapter of the American Association of University Women planned for that second year.

The second festival drew 2,000 children. The third, 4000 and by 1981, the Children’s Festival was attracting 15,000 visitors!

At the festival, children and adults will enjoy a variety of booths with hands-on arts, crafts,  science projects and feeding of the litter eating dragons. All activities are included with the price of admission! Older children will enjoy activities such as: candle making, pottery and wood working, while younger children will have a chance to make their own puppet, sand and easel art, and have their faces painted. In addition to fun hands-on projects, you can sit back and enjoy storytelling, child focused entertainment and stage performances.

Admission is $3 per person per day (adults and children). Food is available for purchase inside the festival at the yummy Dragon Deli. The goal has always been to offer an amazing day of entertainment and education for a reasonable cost.

 

The mission of The Story Telling Guild and Children’s Festival is to expose children of all ages to the magic of imagination and to instill a love of books and the joy of reading.

 

For more information visit:

 www.storytellingguild.org/childrens-festival.html

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THE KIDS DASH

The 8th annual Kids Dash is June 8th, 2019 at the Grants Pass High School track. Gate opens st 8AM. Entry fee is $10/child.

The Kids Dash was founded by Dr. Nate Tanner. It has been a KidZone Community Foundation event since 2014.

The Kids Dash includes runs for children ages two through middle school as well as relay races for the whole family, a 1600 meter run for middle school and advanced runners, a foam dart javelin throw, standing long jump, a giant slingshot game and the Hue-man race, our version of events like The Color Run(TM).

 

The Kids Dash will also have a full carnival which is free to all  and is sponsored by Asante Physician Partners.

 

New this year will be an opportunity to participate in games with student-athletes from the University of Oregon presented by the Oregon Athlete Foundation.

The event also feature a Wellness Midway with presentations by many local fitness and health-related organizations.

Please visit www.kidzonefoundation.org/kids-dash/ for more information.

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Sleep in Heavenly Peace: Providing Beds for Children in Need

Sleep in Heavenly Peace began in Twin Falls, Idaho in 2012 when a group of people built a bunk bed as a service project. After building a second bunk bed with the leftover lumber, they offered it for free on Facebook with an overwhelming response. They soon realized that the need is out there for beds for children – the roots of Sleep in Heavenly Peace (SHP) were planted!

In February of 2018, Mike Rowe’s Returning the Favor Facebook video blog spot-lighted SHP and the rush was on. Since that time, as of early 2019, 12 chapters have grown to nearly 150 chapters throughout the country. There are chapters in both Josephine and Jackson counties that build and provide beds to children who have none. The process is simple and involves the entire community.

SHP receives money from local donors and receives no government assistance. We build beds during either Public or Private/Sponsored Build Days using volunteers from our counties.

Families whose children have no beds may apply for them through our national website, SHPbeds.org, or you may refer a family you know is in need. Our organizations deliver beds to their homes, free of charge, complete with a bed frame, mattress, pillow, sheet set, and a blanket or quilt for warmth –
ready to sleep on.

It is estimated that 3,000- 6,000 children in Southern Oregon are sleeping on the floor, on couches, with other children, or with their parents because families are unable to afford beds for them. After paying for a mortgage or rent, food, and clothing, many times there is little money left for what many of us consider a necessity, beds. Sleep in Heavenly Peace’s mission is NO KID SLEEPS ON THE FLOOR IN OUR TOWN!


How can you help? Please contact either Southern Oregon chapter for more information. We gratefully accept donations or sponsorship, small or large. We are always in need of new, twin size bedding. We welcome volunteers for our public build days and to help with chapter events. Watch our respective
Facebook pages for news!

Josephine County: Facebook: @SHPJoCo
Jackson County: Facebook: @SHPJacksonCo

 

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Easter Egg Hunts and Easter Bunny Visits 2019

            This year Easter Sunday falls on April 21, 2019.

                               Please arrive to Egg Hunts early, they happen quickly.

The Rabbits Are Coming to the Northwest Nature Shop. Saturday, April 13th from 11am-2pm. 4-H members gladly share their knowledge of raising and caring for rabbits. Bring the kids, learn about rabbits and hold a bunny.
Free! 154 Oak Street, Ashland (MAP) 

 

 

Easter Bunny at Harry & David Country Store.                   April 13 & 14, 19 & 20 from 11am-4pm, hoping through the store for photo opportunities and with candy. Free. 1314 Center Dr. Medford.  (MAP)

 

 

Rogue Valley Mall Eggstravanza! Saturday, April 20th, 2019. Noon-4pm. Bounce House, games, hands on activities, candy, prizes and more! Free. 1600 N. Riverside Ave. Medford. (MAP)

 

 

The Palms Cafe Easter Event.  10am-2pm. Saturday, April 20th, 2019. The Easter Bunny will be outside the cafe doors for your little ones to get a FREE picture! There will also be gift basket raffles. 501 S. Front St. Central Point.  (MAP) 

The Village at Medford Center Easter Find. Saturday, April 20th, 2019 at 1pm for kids 12 and under. Parents must sign kids up at the booth by the security office for them to participate. Eggs will have candy and prizes (some prizes mom & dad will totally want) Live music from Frankie Hernandez from 1-3pm.  Free community event. 711 Medford Ctr. Medford. (MAP) 

Central Point Eggstravaganza!                                                                10am-2pm on Saturday April 20th, 2019. Bring your basket for Egg Hunt at 11am sharp. Free games and activities. Visit the Easter Bunny. Family fun day at Twin Creek Park, Central Point.  (MAP)   

 

 

 

Medford Kiwanas Easter Egg Hunt.                                                   10am on Saturday, April 20th, 2019 for ages 0-9. The Easter Bunny is never late. Pear Blossom Park in Medford. (MAP) 

 

 

 

Eagle Point Easter Egg Hunt.                                                                  11am on Saturday April 20th, 2019. Shasta & Main Streets. Eagle Point. (MAP)

 

 

 

Rogue River Easter Egg Hunt.                                                                   10am on Saturday April 20th, 2019.  Beck Field ( W. Main & Berglund) in Rogue River. For children ages 10 and under with a special area for children 5 and under. Come and enjoy a fun and colorful Easter Egg Hunt with special prize eggs too. Coffee, hot chocolate and donuts available. (MAP) 

 

Easter Egg Hunt at Community Bible Church. Saturday, April 20th, 2019 at 5pm. Easter Egg Hunt with Hot Dogs served after. Service at 6pm. 500 N. 10th St. Central Point. (MAP)

 

Easter Egg Hunt in White City                                                       Saturday, April 20th, 2019  with Breakfast pizza from 8:30am-10:30am. Egg Hunt at 11am. Easter Bunny visits. Table Rock Elementary School, White City.  (MAP)

 

 

 

ROC  Food Pantry Easter Egg Hunt.                             Saturday, April 20th, 2019  from 1-2:30pm. Games, prizes, candy rain or shine at Reinhart Volunteer Park (All Sports Park) in Grants Pass. (MAP)

 

 

Free Helicopter Easter Candy Drop.  Saturday, April 20th, 2019 at 11am (weather permitting). Ages 0-12 years. New Hope Christian School, 5961 New Hope Rd. Grants Pass. (MAP) 

 

River Valley Church Egg Hunt. Saturday, April 20th, 2019. 10am. Ages to 6th grade at Lawnridge Park in Grants Pass.(MAP)   … also at 10am at 2193 Midway Ave in Grants Pass. (MAP)

 

 

Wolf Creek Easter Parade and Easter Egg Hunt. Saturday, April 20th, 2019.  Breakfast starts at 8am, parade at noon to the Wolf Creek Park where Easter Egg Hunt begins. (MAP) 

 

   Mckee Bridge Easter Egg Hunt.  1pm Saturday, April 20th, 2019. Ages 0-12 rain or shine. Free food, drinks, games, prizes, photo booth, Fire Dept. demo (MAP) 

 

 

 Rotary Club of Ashland Easter Egg Hunt.                                       1pm sharp on Sunday, April 21st, 2019 for ages up to 10 years. Easter Bunny at noon near the tennis courts in Lithia Park, Ashland (MAP)

 

 

Easter Celebration at Troon Vineyard.                    11 -4pm on Sunday, April 21st, 2019. Egg hunts, egg decorating, live music, bounce houses,  Easter Bunny visits & more. (MAP) 

 

Children’s Easter Egg Hunt in the beautiful Voorhies Mansion formal gardens at EdenVale Winery in Medford  on Sunday, April 21st, 2019.  11:30-2:30pm. Family activities, games, prizes, Easter Bunny. Ages 1-5 years $10 hunt at 12:15, Ages 6-12 years $15 – hunt at 12:50pm. check in at 11:30am. Dress attire preferred.  For more details 541-512-2955 x2.  (MAP)

Easter Egg Hunt in Grants Pass at Riverside Park. Saturday, April 20th, 2019 at 10am.  (MAP)

 

 

Easter Egg Hunt in Merlin. April 20th, 2019 at 10am. Merlin Community Park.  (MAP)

 

 

Easter Egg Hunt in Cave Junction                                                           Sunday,  April 21, 2019 at noon the Easter Bunny comes, Easter Egg Hunt at 1pm sharp at Jubilee Park, Cave Junction,541-659-1074   .   (MAP) 

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Wild Music: Sounds & Songs of Life at ScienceWorks

BRAND NEW WILD MUSIC EXHIBIT PROVIDES A MUST-SEE, MUST-DO,
MUST-HEAR EXPERIENCE
Wild Music: Sounds & Songs of Life opens February at ScienceWorks Hands-On Museum
  1. Whales compose, bullfrogs chorus, songbirds greet the dawn, and people everywhere sing and dance. What do we all have in common? Visitors of all ages will find out in February, when Wild Music: Sounds & Songs of Life, a brand new, hands-on exhibit that explores sound and music in nature and in life, makes its debut at ScienceWorks Hands-On Museum located at 1500 E Main St. in Ashland, Oregon.
Wild Music invites visitors of all ages to expand their understanding of what makes music. Through whimsical, hands-on activities, they’ll not only hear the music that surrounds them every day, but they’ll see and even feel it too. They’ll discover that nature is filled with “musicians” that create distinct musical masterpieces to communicate with and relate to one another. And they’ll explore how human music is inspired by the music of other living creatures – from tiny insects to giant whales.
Highlights of Wild Music include:
  • Three different “soundscapes” that invite visitors to explore sound and music that comes from the ocean, the forest, and the city. Visitors will learn to interpret spectrograms, or “pictures,” of bird songs, learn what whale cries tell us about the animal’s life cycle, see samples of instruments from around the world, experiment with how sound travels underwater, explore how music influences memory, and more.
  • The Jamming Room, a soundproof practice studio where visitors can use pre-recorded audio soundscapes, animal voices, percussion instruments, and live vocals to compose their own songs.
  • The Bioacoustic Lab, where visitors can experiment with how the human voice works and how it compares to that of other animals, specifically birds. Here, visitors can explore a model of the human larynx and the bird syrinx, use an electrolarynx to “speak” without using their voices, and use a set of vibrating metal reeds to “feel” sound.
  • The Power of Sound and Music Theater, where visitors can sit back, relax, and experience sounds from around the world. The seven-minute, sound-driven video demonstrates – both visually and audibly – how animals use sound to identify themselves, communicate, and form and nurture social groups.
ScienceWorks Hands-On Museum is proud to be partnering with Rogue World Music and local organizations around the Rogue Valley to provide unique programming at the Museum for the exhibit’s duration (Saturday, February 2 – Monday, September 2). This exhibit is made possible by Richard and Elizabeth LeVitt, a Community Grant of the Oregon Community Foundation, Lithia 4 Kids, the Olsrud Family Fund of The Oregon Community Foundation, the Jackson County Cultural Coalition and Anonymous donors.
For more information please call 541-482-6767 or visit scienceworksmuseum.org.
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DESTINATION IMAGINATION:  for creative, innovative K-12 students

In the Destination Imagination (DI) Challenge program, two to seven-member teams focus on finding solutions to two separate types of Challenges: Team Challenges and Instant Challenges. Then they present their solutions to Appraisers in Tournament-style settings. By working together to develop solutions, participants push the limits of their imaginations to better themselves and best their competition. DI is an international program with teams across the US, Canada and 30 countries, all solving the same Challenges.

We offer six standards-based Challenges in Science, Technology, Engineering, Fine Arts, Improv, Service Learning for grades 3-12, and an Early Learning challenge for K-2 students. Each open-ended Challenge enables students to learn and experience the creative process. For 2018-19, teams will:
  • Design/build aircraft that takes off, flies, and lands and delivers a team-built payload.
  • Tell a story about a medical mystery that affects a human character from two different points of view.
  • Create a game gizmo that causes an action/event to occur and design/create a container that goes through a transformation
  • Changing between comedy and tragedy, present an improvisational skit in two styles, changing from verbal to nonverbal.
  • Create/present a story in which the sudden appearance of a monster, enhanced by a team-created special effect, has surprising results.
At tournaments teams have the opportunity to present their solutions in the form of an 8 minute skit to trained appraisers. Students have fun and gain confidence in their ability to solve any challenge. In working to solve our Challenges, teams learn 21st century skills (creativity, critical thinking, collaboration, communication, citizenship and courage), step outside their comfort zones to pursue ideas and make presentations that build on their unique strengths.

Each team requires an adult Team Manager. Oregon DI supports volunteers who manage teams with training, lesson plans and mentors. Teams spend a couple of hours weekly for about 16 weeks working toward a spring tournament.

 

Since 1981, Oregon Destination Imagination has provided students with an educational experience: to learn through clarifying questions, resource awareness, rapid thinking and implementation, learner ownership, and authentic self-expression. Our goal is to create a different type of learner. A learner who asks questions. A learner who is in control of their learning. A lifelong learner.
Start a team in your community.
Oregon Website:  www.oregondi.org
National Website: www.destinationimagination.org
Questions?  INFO@oregondi.org
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The Nutcracker presented by Studio Roxander

The Nutcracker Ballet presented by Studio Roxander is performed at the Crater Performing Arts Center in Central Point.

http://www.studioroxander.com

 

 

 

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The 4-H Experience

4-H is delivered by Cooperative Extension—a community of more than 100 public universities across the nation that provides experiences where young people learn by doing.

Kids complete hands-on projects in areas like health, science, agriculture and citizenship, in a positive environment where they receive guidance from adult mentors and are encouraged to take on proactive leadership roles.

Kids experience 4-H in every county and parish in the country—through in school and after-school programs, school and community clubs and 4-H camps.

 

These 4-H experiences grow young people who are four times more likely to contribute to their communities, two times more likely to make healthy decisions and two times more likely to pursue STEM opportunities outside of school. 4-H empowers young people to be true leaders. True leaders are young people who have confidence; know how to work well with others; can endure through challenges; and will stick to a job until it gets done. 4-H’ers have risen to high points of achievement and leadership in virtually every industry and sector. Including such “true leaders” as Grammy Award-winning singer and actress Jennifer Nettles; Facebook executive and “News Feed” inventor Andrew Bosworth; former U.S. vice president Al Gore; tech guru and founder of Aspera Software Michelle Munson; business leader and CEO of the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Javier Palomarez; Retired NBA player and
business entrepreneur Earvin “Magic” Johnson; and former NASA Chief Astronaut Peggy Whitson, to name a few.

In 4-H, we believe true leaders aren’t born— they are grown. The 4-H experience is proven to grow true leaders with life skills such as confidence, independence, resilience and compassion. While the educational experience of 4-H is designed for youth, adult involvement is key to a young person’s skill
development. Sharing activities with siblings, parents, grandparents and friends builds strong family relationships. With so many projects to choose from, there is sure to be one that will spark interest in your family.

To learn how you can grow the next generation of leaders, please contact a local 4-H Educator today!
Jackson Co. 541-776-7371
Josephine Co. 541-476-6613
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