Know any 4-6 year olds who would love to walk like a fox, hear like a deer, move like the wind, know what the bird songs mean, and more?  Looking for a safe place for your child to feel nurtured and celebrated for who they are and how they learn?   Then join your friends – and make new ones – as we begin a new adventure this Fall.  The Vashon Wilderness Program will meet weekly at Point Defiance Park, Tacoma throughout the school year.  Our skilled mentors are excited to get to know your child and share a love of nature with them.  Join us for an Open House on May 19th from 10am-12pm and learn why Richard Louv calls our mentoring approach “… good medicine for nature deficit disorder.” To register for our Open House, please call 206-651-5715 or visit: vashonwildernessprogram.org

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post with provided text, but I seriously think this sounds like an Awesome program. If you check out the Open House, be sure to say you saw it on Sounds Fun Mom, won’t you? Thanks!

Mother’s Day falls on Sunday the 13 this year, and I’ll have my usual list of weekend ideas for you the Friday before. A few special events do require a little planning ahead, though, so look for me to highlight some of those this week! First up: Mother’s Day teas. If you or you and mom would enjoy getting all dressed up for a spot of tea, there are several area options.

They DO sell out at a quick clip, so don’t wait long.

Mother’s Day High Tea at the White River Valley Museum in Auburn 1PM and 3PM seatings on the 12th; reservations required.12.00 per person. Hats, gloves, and fancy dress encouraged. Sweets and tea. We love this museum!  No Mother’s Day event this year, but a fancy dress Mad Hatter tea is planned in June at the Mary Olson farm. Croquet; big hats and more-grab some girlfriends.

Meeker Mansion Puyallup Teas on the 11th and 12th. Reservations required. 12.00 per person; three seatings. Call 253 848 1770 or email ezra@meekermansion.org

Secret Garden Sumner May 11th and 12th Full luncheon menu Tickets 45.00 (gulp) adults/35.00 children Reader CoreyAnn says this is a great spot. I’ve never been here.

Hawthorn Tea Room Tacoma 35.00 per person/20.00 per child; two seatings on the 12th Henry and I have been here before and had a great time. If this is too pricey for you, you can read about our, “Any day,” outing here.Event is on Saturday, the 11th, with two seatings. I’d call to see if you can get reservations.

OR…if you can wait until the week After, there is a Fancy Nancy tea event at Learning Sprout toys in Tacoma on the 18th with tea, fancy fun, and cupcakes. Last year, it was  just 8.00 for two! I don’t see that info. this year, but I’ll let you know if I find it.  Of course, you will be smack in the middle of a toy store, which could lead to some fancy shopping….

If you know of another Mother’s Day Tea Event, let me know!

Looking to treat mom-or yourself- to something a little more substantial? Most every area restaurant does some kind of Mother’s Day Brunch, but yeah-you need to make those reservations now, and expect the bill to be somewhere in, “Wowza!” territory. A couple unique options are at Lakewold Gardens and the Tacoma Art Museum. The TAM tickets are 20.00 and include brunch, admission, and a photo. If your mother-in-law likes art, this looks like a good bet to me!

Me? I’ll be having some coffee in bed delivered by one of my favorite, “Wait staff.”

I wrote last week about the friendly competition between Puyallup and Sumner-Stick it to Hunger! The goal is to see which city can collect more peanut butter for the food bank, and there has already been plenty of trash talking! Melinda, of Tiffany’s Skate Inn in Puyallup (a SFM house fav), wants to help make this drive a huge success, and she has a Very generous offer.

Just bring in a jar of peanut butter during any public, open skate May 4th-6th and you’ll get free admission, including regular skate rental!

I’ll remind you about this in my weekend list Friday, but I thought I’d give you a little heads-up so you could put peanut butter on your shopping list now!

Btw, if you’re a big fan of Tiffany’s, be sure to like their fb page. They regularly post special bogo and dollars off offers just for fb likers. Not in your area? I can’t promise you free skating, but I think a peanut butter drive would be fun to start between any two competitive groups! Wondering why the emphasis on peanut butter? Read my original post for the details.

Looking to plan your week? Here’s What Sounds Fun This Week. Don’t forget I have plenty of indoor fun in the menu bar, you know……just in case.

Here it is….a great big list of weekend fun for kids in Puyallup, Tacoma, Gig Harbor, Olympia, Sumner, Fife, and Your area of the South Puget Sound!

If you’re headed north or south, you’ll want to check out the fantastic list over at ThriftyNWmom compiled by super bargain sleuth Sia of Centsible in Seattle.

If you’re one of my Kitsap area readers, you’ll enjoy the Kitsap Macaroni Kid. You can sign up for Diane’s newsletter to get the scoop on all kinds of events around you!

All Weekend; Ongoing

StoryBook Theater presents A Little Mermaid at the Carco Center in Renton

Cinderella performances by DASH at Mt.Tahoma High School Tickets are 10.00-15.00 You can purchase them for Sunday online, or for other performances at the door. More information here.

Footloose the musical at Tacoma Little Theater (Best for older tweens and up) Tickets 17.00-27.00

Free Admission to National Parks! Enjoy free park admission through the 29th as part of National Parks week.

Friday

Chalk the walk at Frost Park in Tacoma noon

Read with a Dog at the Puyallup Public Library Drop in and practice your reading skills with Bruiser. 3:30-4:30

Scholastic Book Sale continues at Bates S Campus in Tacoma; Also Saturday; Book deals, plus kids’ activities and an appearance by Clifford.

Saturday

Kids’ fishing tournament at Bradley Lake in Puyallup

Most Farmer’s Markets are open. Is yours?

Lowes Build and Grow Registration required for these popular, free programs. It’s a terrarium.

Families in Motion at the Riverwalk Trail in Puyallup Meet at the Goodwill Parking Lot Free; Annual event to promote activity and the River Walk Trail  Thanks, ThriftyNWMom for the reminder.

Springamajig comes to the Center at Norpoint Free, family festival with crafts, entertainment, a petting zoo, and more.10AM-2PM

Free Seedlings from the Urban Gardener in Tacoma

Family Nature Walks With Metro Parks Swan Creek Park today; free; not recommended for strollers.  10-11AM

Gig Harbor Arbor Day Celebration Free admission; free trees! 11AM-2PM Kids’ activities

Water Weekends at HCC Mast at Redondo Every Saturday you can get up close with critters in the touch tanks and learn about sea life. Free

Reptile Expo in Renton

Soar Into Learning Event in Federal Way at Silver Lake Elementary School Federal Way Public Schools and other early learning providers present this event with free kids’ activities and learning stations. 10:30-12  Each family will take home a bag with activities to help kids get school ready.

Family Green Fest in Federal Way Kids can climb in a recycling truck, play games, and get their faces painted. Grown-ups can drop off items to be shredded or recycled. *SFM note: Car seat redistribution and/or disposal available. Rare chance!! 12-3

Healthy Kids’ Day at the YMCA I believe all Y locations are participating, but double check before heading out. Free and open to the public. Games, activities, BBQ, water safety. Free swim at some locations. No joining fee if you sign up today (SFM note: Kids only memberships never have joining fees).

Day of the Children/Day of the Book at the Puyallup Public Library 2-4 pM Free family celebration of culture, kids, and books. Appearance by Clifford.

Kids’ Club at the Steilacoom Historical Museum 1-3PM Monthly event through the summer. Kids’ crafts and activities It’s spinning, weaving, and spool knitting this month.

Open Gym/Lorax reading at Gymboree in Federal Way

Sewing to Sowing: Living History Day at Ft.Nisqually 11AM-4PM Actors in costume recreate life at the fort in the 1800s. Try your hand at churning butter, see old-fashioned laundry techniques and more. Admission gets steep fast, but this is always a fun time.

Norwegian Heritage Festival at PLU *Link opens a pdf; festival details are on pg. 7  Food, vendors, displays 11AM-3 at PLU, university center

Procession of the Species in Olympia Surely, one of the country’s most unique parades. A celebration of animals, plants, and the environment, with lots of creative costumes and entertainment. The TNT says cars are being towed from the route this year, so watch for signage.

Visit the LOTT WET Center in Olympia

Gig Harbor Paddle Cup Watch canoe, kayak, and stand up paddle board races. Also on Sunday.

Pier Into the Night with Harbor Wild Watch Check out sea critters at the dock in Skansie Park 7:30

Sunday

Tacoma Youth Chorus junior and senior high choirs perform at Christ Episcopal Church

Kids Design Glass Each month you can watch the artisans in the hot shop create a glass sculpture from a drawing done by a local child. Get a pass from your library for free admission. 12-5

Libby the otter celebrates her 1st birthday at the Pt.Defiance Zoo. At 11:30 and 3 you can watch her enjoy special toys and treats. Included with admission. Admission is pricey; SFM highly recommends investing in an annual pass, unless you can take advantage of free days for Tacoma city residents. If you go, don’t miss the clouded leopard cubs.

Phew! That’s a lot of weekend fun! Don’t forget I have posts about South Sound family fun all the rest of the week, too! If you haven’t already done so, I hope you’ll consider subscribing to my emails or joining me on Facebook. If you’d like to support this site (Hey, thanks!) I appreciate you telling your friends about it, and telling my sponsors you found them on Sounds Fun Mom!

Oh, South Tacoma, I am so excited for you! Why? You’ve got the brand new STAR center, a new community hub for exercise, classes, parties, and so much more.I had a chance to get a sneak peek at the center last week with Leigh Ann and Adam. It’s a beautiful, state of the art facility, and I was truly impressed with all it has to offer kids and families.

The center will be home to a variety of classes for kids and adults-everything from tumbling for your tots to painting for your little Picassos. This summer, it will also be the site of a Sunday farmer’s market, noon tunes kids’ concerts, and one of the area’s free kids’ lunch programs (Hint: Subway!).

Soft play area for the younger set. There is a junior climbing wall, too.

The highlight for your kids will probably be the urban safari area. This part of the building  will be secured and staffed, and it includes both a funky, soft play area for the younger set, and a super cool climbing area for bigger kids. There will also be an outside extension with features like a rope bridge and a climbing wall, opening this summer. Kids can play here while you work out, or just sit in the lobby and enjoy the wifi!

The urban safari indoor playground.

There are fully furnished rooms next to the climbing areas that can be reserved for birthday parties.  Party packages start at 6.00 per child and go up, depending on whether you want exclusive use of the play area, or a themed package. I found the rates to be right in line with other area party places, and a very good value if you’re willing to go the do-it-yourself route.

You can use the center with a 5.00 per person day pass, or you can get a membership for 15.00 a month for the kids, or 63.00 for the whole family.  You will pay more if you aren’t a city of Tacoma resident, though it’s not prohibitive. There is financial aid available, so don’t be shy about asking.

Members get access to everything in the center and a ton of programming.  Much like the Y, there are some classes that have additional fees, but you could easily stick to the free ones without getting bored. STAR members will also have access to the pool at Mt.Tahoma High and discounted rates on fee based classes, party packages, golfing at Meadow Park, and facility rentals.

Of course, I can’t tell you what makes sense for your family, but you can check it out for yourself. You can take a tour any Thursday at noon or by appointment, or you can go to the grand opening on May 19th (I’ll remind you). If you sign up for a membership after your tour or at the grand opening, your joining fee is waived. So, yeah, if it’s even on your, “Maybe,” list, I’d make a point of checking it out.

Have you checked out the STAR center? Are you planning on getting a pass? I’d love to know your thoughts, so chime right in!

Have you tried Advocare yet? My sponsor, Autumn Coolbaugh, would love to be your source, and she’s asked me to remind you that she has discounts of up to 40% for my readers! Autumn is based in the Lacey/Olympia area, but her products will ship anywhere!

I asked her to explain what makes this program different from others you may have tried, and this what she had to say:

Advocare is NOT a diet! Just pure nutrition that does what your body needs it to do from weight loss to lean muscle gain to overall wellness! Ask me how to get started today!

For more information, check out Autumn’s site, and sure to tell her I sent you!

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post with provided text and does not constitute my endorsement. If you enjoy Sounds Fun Mom, tell my sponsors I sent you, won’t you? Thanks!

I’ve got more scoop on local family fun at bargain prices!

Bates Technical College is sponsoring a Scholastic Customer Appreciation Sale.

The prices are up to 80% off-much like you’d find at one of their warehouse events. Plus, they’ll have kids’ activities available, including a special appearance by Clifford the Big Red Dog (True story: We scarred my oldest for life taking him to see Clifford as a 2 year old. He climbed my leg like a howler monkey, and to this day he will have nothing to do with costumed characters-even at Disneyland). Back to you…..

The sale dates and times are below.  If you go, I’d love to hear what you find. And if your kids aren’t a little crazy like mine, be sure to bring your camera for photo ops with you-know-who.

Event schedule and location: Bates Technical College South Campus, 2201 South 78^th St., Tacoma:  Thursday, April 26, 10:00 am – 9:00 pm Friday, April 27, 10:00 am – 8:00 pm Saturday, April 28, 10:00 am – 6:00 pm

For more in bargain news, be sure to read about the new Just Between Friends event coming to Lacey/Olympia next month. For more things to do with the kids this week, check out What Sounds Fun This Week, my weekly picks for South Sound Family Fun!

I’ve got crazy exciting news for those of you in the Lacey/JBLM/Olympia area. A brand new Just Between Friends sale is coming your way!

Many of you know about Just Between Friends already. It’s a consignment event, where you can sell and shop for gently used children’s duds and gear. I’ve gotten lots of cute things for my boys at consignment events. I love that everything is neat, just like in a “Real,” store, and I can find fancy brands I wouldn’t be able to afford otherwise.

If you’ve got a garage full of duds that are ready for a new home, consigning is a great solution! Could you hold your own garage sale or put it all on ebay? Yeah, sure….but this is Soooo much easier. You’ll get all the tools you need to price and tag your items. Then, you can bring them to the sale, drop ‘em off, and come back for your check. Easy-peasy! You can also volunteer at the sale to get early shopping privileges.

All the information you need to consign is at the site, and event organizer, Jenny, will be glad to answer any questions you have. You can follow the JFB Olympia sale on Facebook too, for the latest updates. The sale is May 11th-13th, so don’t wait too long if you want to sell. If you’re looking to shop, mark your calendar now, and tell your bargain loving friends. If you’d like to get into the sale free (Of course you would!) go here to print a free admission pass. We also have, “Hard copies,” of these, if you’d like them for your daycare or school group.

Finally, if you’re a new or expectant parent, a member of the military or  first responder, a foster parent, or teacher, you can shop early. Volunteers get in early, too! For more scoop on that, just email Jenny at jennymavin@jbfsale.com.

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post, but the opinions are my own. Oh, and I love it when you tell my sponsors you saw them on Sounds Fun Mom!