826Seattle is a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting students ages six to 18 with their creative and expository writing skills, and to helping teachers inspire their students to write.

Its services are structured around the belief that great leaps in learning can happen with one-on-one attention, and that strong writing skills are fundamental to future success.

With this in mind, 826Seattle provides drop-in tutoring, after-school workshops, in-schools tutoring, help for English language learners, and assistance with student publications.

826Seattle is a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting students ages six to 18 with their creative and expository writing skills, and to helping teachers inspire their students to write.

Its services are structured around the belief that great leaps in learning can happen with one-on-one attention, and that strong writing skills are fundamental to future success.

With this in mind, 826Seattle provides drop-in tutoring, after-school workshops, in-schools tutoring, help for English language learners, and assistance with student publications.

ABC German School offers a German immersion preschool session in the morning, German instruction for school-age children in the afternoon, and adult classes in the evening. A "Parent Night Out" is offered once a month, and children are entertained with food, games, and movies in German. In July and August several themed German immersion and German language summer camps are offered.

The independent, non-profit school was established in 1995 by a group of Asian American professionals as a way of providing cultural and language instruction for children. APLS offers several language programs for kids of all ages.

Preschool for children ages two and one-half to six takes place in a multi-cultural setting and includes age-appropriate Asian language instruction. Classes are held Mon-Fri, 9am-12n, at the Overlake Presbyterian Church in Bellevue.

Before- and afterschool language programs and Saturday school include Chinese, Japanese, and Thai language classes, English enhancement, art, Math for WASL, and cultural activities, at the APLS' headquarters as well as at private and public schools in the area.

Summer language camp for children includes Chinese or Japanese language instruction and a fun, unifying theme.

The independent, non-profit school was established in 1995 by a group of Asian American professionals as a way of providing cultural and language instruction for children. APLS offers several language programs for kids of all ages.

Preschool for children ages two and one-half to six takes place in a multi-cultural setting and includes age-appropriate Asian language instruction. Classes are held Mon-Fri, 9am-12n, at the Overlake Presbyterian Church in Bellevue.

Before- and afterschool language programs and Saturday school include Chinese, Japanese, and Thai language classes, English enhancement, art, Math for WASL, and cultural activities, at the APLS' headquarters as well as at private and public schools in the area.

Summer language camp for children includes Chinese or Japanese language instruction and a fun, unifying theme.

BabyLingual offers foreign language immersion classes in Spanish and French for babies and young children accompanied by an adult. Classes are 55 minutes long and include dancing, singing, reading, and play in the foreign language.

The college's Early Learning, Family, and Childcare Center offers daycare children ages three months to six years; parenting classes and education; and an on-site Family Resource Specialist who can answer parenting questions.

The new facility features original artwork incorporated into the playground outside, as well as colorful climbing structures.

Although the daycare's slots are reserved for students at BCC and Coscto employees, members of the public can put their names on a waiting list for future openings.

BCC's North Campus offers summer classes for children ages 12 to 17 in subjects including computers, art, languages, PSAT/SAT/WASL preparation, and more. Check the website for details.

The college's Early Learning, Family, and Childcare Center offers daycare children ages three months to six years; parenting classes and education; and an on-site Family Resource Specialist who can answer parenting questions.

The new facility features original artwork incorporated into the playground outside, as well as colorful climbing structures.

Although the daycare's slots are reserved for students at BCC and Coscto employees, members of the public can put their names on a waiting list for future openings.

BCC's North Campus offers summer classes for children ages 12 to 17 in subjects including computers, art, languages, PSAT/SAT/WASL preparation, and more. Check the website for details.

Beyond Frontiers develops customized Spanish language classes and programs for individuals and organizations looking to enrich their knowledge and exposure to the Spanish language
and Latin-American culture. Off-site programs are offered as well.

Bitter Lake offers before- and afterschool care; pre-school, grade school, and teen programs; youth sports (basketball, football, nerf soccer, girls' volleyball, roller skating, and tennis lessons); day camps (general and sports), and family programs and events.

Pre-schoolers: The community center offers preschool, sports, movement, ballet and science workshops, tumbling, and music classes. The preschool program is offered for children ages two to five.

School-aged kids can take piano lessons, ballet, drama, tap, karate-butokukan, gymnastics, science, and cooking classes.

Teens can get homework help. Friday and Saturday night activities at the Annex, step classes, teen talk, design, cooking classes, volunteer opportunities, and special events (dances, basketball, snowboarding) are also offered. Teens can attend campouts and programs during the summer, as well.

BKPlay Academy offers an inquiry-based, hands-on preschool and kindergarten program for gifted children. Children are grouped by ability rather than age. IQ testing is required for admission; acceptance into the program generally requires a result greater than the 90th percentile for preschoolers or 95th percentile for kindergarten students.

Afterschool programs are offered at several Eastside locations.

The Bothell Sons of Norway hosts a variety of cultural events throughout the year.

The Youth Group meets once each month and offers opportunities for youth ages seven to 23 to learn basics of the Norwegian language, folk dances, songs, and arts and crafts related to Nordic culture. The group normally meets on the third Thursday of each month at 7:30pm; check our calendar or the Bothell Sons of Norway website for a current schedule. The group also performs dances at several events each year. Youth who are Sons of Norway members can earn Cultural Badges for participating.

The Bothell Sons of Norway hall can be rented for private events. Call for details.

This 68-acre park, hidden in the heart of West Seattle, is the only place in town where you can (legally) camp. Some of the camping and picnic areas are obviously well-traveled - it's not an extremely wild park by any means, and trails are fitted with metal handrails for access - but it does feature thick stands of native plants and trees, a large central meadow for activities or picnicking, a pond, and lots of birds (wood ducks, migrating warblers in May, owls) and wildlife (Pacific Chorus Frogs, salamanders, foxes, coyotes, great blue herons, barred owls, flying squirrels). It fits the bill as close-in retreat from city bustle.

Make sure you stop by the rustic lodge on your way into the park. The old building, with its hardwood floors, high ceiling, and large brick fireplace is available to rent for events, but it also houses the Environmental Learning Center. Kids can look at displays put out by the helpful and informative staff. This is the place to find out what's in bloom, and what's been seen around the park lately.

The recently-restored Schurman Rock is available for rock-climbing. It's open for free to public use; sign in at the rock kiosk to the west before climbing. If you're with a group, call ahead to make reservations.

Camp Long offers a full calendar of interesting science and nature programs, arts and crafts classes, camps, and special events; see our calendar for details, or check the online brochure. There's something for every age group and natural history interest. Pre-registration is required at all programs. Day cares, preschools, school groups, after school and Scout groups can schedule programs throughout the year, featuring seasonal topics.

Rustic cabins are available for rent. Call to reserve, and ask about special programs offered by Camp Long Naturalists that include overnight cabin use.

This park's 216 acres has it all: hiking trails, expansive views of mountains and water, beach access, remnants of an historic orchard, picnic areas, a salmon creek, a wetlands walk, an innovative playspace for children, and broad grass fields. Visitors with binoculars can catch glimpses of the park's resident bald eagles, as well as of great blue herons, wintering ducks, and dozens of other species (especially during spring migration in May.)

The children's play area, designed by local artists, features a giant salmon slide. Kids enter at the salmon's mouth, and - as in nature - come out the other end, and most children seem to love this idea. Kids can choose the seesaw or swings, but can also crawl through a hollow log, hide in kid-sized shelters, or climb over concrete "tide pools" imbedded with tile "sea creatures".

During the salmon run in late fall, Piper's Creek is alive with salmon returning to their spawning grounds. Naturalists stay on hand to give out information, and the park celebrates the return of the salmon with nature programs and events. Birders can look in the creek for American Dippers, feasting on salmon eggs.

The wetlands walk, located just south of the train track overpass to the beach, offers a short boardwalk through still, dark water full of ducks and other birds, and places to pause and observe the area. A trail passes through native plantings to the creek. Dogs aren't allowed through the wetland, and kids should avoid climbing in the creek, since it destroys habitat and can also contain pathogens. The wetland walk is a good place to spot birds.

Carkeek Park has a vibrant environmental education program. Its Environmental Learning Center, open since July 2003, offers free and low-cost environmental education classes for adults and kids, including bird walks, nature stories, seasonal events, environmental workshops, and tours of the park for preschoolers.

Birthday parties - Does your child love bugs, birds, fish? Develop a theme with the Environmental Education Center. They'll provide a naturalist and theme activities. You provide refreshments, utensils, and up to 20 kids. For ages six to 15. Make arrangements three weeks in advance.

Summer Camp - The EarthKeepers Nature Camp, for ages six-12, offers weeklong programs during the summer, led by trained naturalists in an outdoor classroom setting. The camp programs strive to impart respect for and interconectedness with the natural world. Camp themes include: Survivor Island; Furs, Tails, Tracks, and Tails; Tidepool - Window to Puget Sound; Buggin' Out; Carkeek's Incredible Time Machine; and Wet and Squiggly Tidepools. Registration begins in early spring, and sessions fill up quickly. Camps cost $195 per week per child and $160 for a second week. Before and after camp programs are also available. Call or email for more information. [206.684.0877; earthkeepers_day_camp@yahoo.com]

The Cedar River Watershed, managed by the Seattle Public Utilities, provides most of Seattle's drinking water. To keep this area pristine, its 90,000 acres are off-limits to unaccompanied visitors. The Education Center (opened in October 2001), however, provides a way for the public to access and appreciate an area that is both magically beautiful and of vital importance to Seattle's well-being.

The Center is worth a visit on its own - it's a beautiful spot. Built in a "Northwest Natural" style of simple lines, pitched roofs, and sustainable building materials, its flagstone courtyards and lush native plant gardens encourage wandering and reflection. A stream bordered by stone steps runs under the building and through the front courtyard; in late summer, tadpoles, salamanders, and water bugs can be seen in its clear waters. Decks invite visitors to glimpse turquoise blue Rattlesnake Lake, accessible via a 1.5 mile gravel trail loop that starts near the entry courtyard.

Bird-watchers can be on the lookout for Osprey, Pileated Woodpeckers, Western Tanagers, and other species; check the blackboard near the Center's front door for an update of what's been spotted recently. Be sure to visit the Center's inner courtyard, where 21 drums representing different cultures have been set up to catch rainfall. When it rains, the raindrops (mimicked by a computer progam when it's dry) sound the drums.

The Education Center houses interpretive exhibits and historical material (look for pictures of the town of Moncton, submerged by Rattlesnake Lake in 1915); a small shop with a good selection of guidebooks and a few nature-oriented toys; and various educational programs and nature workshops for adults and kids. During the summer months, Seattle Public Utilities naturalists lead tours through the closed watershed. Call the tour information line for information. [206.233.1515]

Cometa is a Spanish immersion playschool located in West Seattle's Admiral District. The curriculum teaches Spanish through songs, games, stories, and practical life activities, including gardening and cooking. The program includes parent/tot lessons, morning preschool, and a Saturday Club for school age children.

The Community Center at Mercer View is open daily and offers beautiful views of Lake Washington and the Cascades. The two-story facility features meeting rooms, an arts and crafts area, an indoor art gallery, health, fitness, and dance rooms, a game room with foosball, board games, pool, and cable TV, free Wi-fi, and a children's play area.

Crescendo Artistic Environment School is a non-profit organization that offers a preschool program and before and after school care. The program is influenced by Reggio Emilia, Perkins School of the Arts and Montessori School - USA, but places a stronger emphasis on music, dancing, drumming, and cultural diversity. Dance offerings include West African, Flamenco-Gypsy, American and Russian Ballet, and free movement. Vocal and instrumental music are available, along with music theory and musicology. Classes also include Atelier, Yoga and Qi, and Cultures and Languages.

Dig It! The Fossil Workshop is an interactive learning experience for children interested in geology and paleontology; it offers three different Jurassic sand quarries where children can dig up and prepare real fossils and take home their finds.

Children from preschool through high school can participate in geology and paleontology educational programs with curricula that are aligned with state and national education standards. A specially designed Scout program helps get scouts their paleontology and geology merit badge.

The facility also has a large soft play and interactive activity area for younger children.

Once a month, Dig It! holds a Homeschooler's Day where homeschoolers can participate in special programs usually given to school groups at the special school group rate.

Seattle's largest park offers an interesting mix of domesticated and wild landscape. Smooth asphalt trails for walking and biking co-exist with unmowed grass, open meadows, and lots of birds, especially during spring migration. There's a little bit of everything in this 534-acre park, including two miles of beach. Hiking trails wind throughout - try the 2.8-mile Discovery Loop for a walk through forests of oak and douglas fir, a meadow alive with the song of savannah sparrows, and breathtaking vistas of the sloping land and Puget Sound.

The Environmental Learning Center (open Tue-Sun, 8:30am-5pm) is well worth a stop on your way through the park. It offers interactive nature displays for kids (including a stuffed coyote and fox); a charmingly decorated Discovery Room where kids can color, play, and put on a sea-themed puppet shows; and a good collection of hiking, botanizing, and birding guide books for kids and adults.

Park maps are available here for $1. New visitors would do well to buy one; this park doesn't reveal itself easily to the casual observer and signs are limited. Do walk out the back doors into the small amphitheater-like garden out back. This charming spot, planted with native plants, is a sheltered place to sit, picnic, or bird. Walk along the path on the right and into the woods.

Tennis courts, basketball hoops, and a children's playground are located beyond the Environmental Learning Center. Follow the left-hand path past the center a short distance; all three are on the left. The playground features lots of trees and good shade, a nice climbing structure, a tire swing, and a rope swing. Contact the City of Seattle Parks Department about reserving the tennis courts.

Classes: Discovery Park offers a monthly calendar full of classes for young naturalists of all ages and their families, as well as birding and botanizing walks, and conservation classes. Check our calendar for listings, or contact the park to get on their mailing list for a quarterly catalog. A catalog is available on the website.

Nature Day Camp: Each weeklong session in this tremendously popular daycamp gives your child the chance to explore the park and learn about its plants and animals. Sessions usually begin the second week of June, and run through the end of August. Each week is tailored toward different ages; check the park's website for details. Fees are $200 to $235 per week.

School vacation day camps are also scheduled to coincide with the Seattle School District's breaks, including mid-winter break at the end of February and spring break in April. Contact the park for registration information.

Fall City Farms, located in an extremely pleasant setting in rural Fall City, offers a wide range of activities and events for families, including U-pick fruits, flowers, and vegetables, a picnic area, farm tours, animals on view, and seasonal classes and events. (See the website or our calendar for listings.)

The farm store and U-pick gardens are open from August through October. U-pick produce includes beans, squash, strawberries, carrots, potatoes, cucumbers, and much more. U-pick pumpkins are available in October and U-cut Christmas trees in December. U-fish is available during store hours in August and September and by appointment from April through July.

Please leave pets at home.

Green Lake Community Center offers a variety of programs for all ages, including a play center for toddlers, pottery classes, sports (tennis, martial arts, volleyball, flag football, soccer, basketball), excellent drama classes held in conjunction with the Seattle Public Theatre, early childhood music classes, a teen program (including Friday Teen Night), and a changing array of classes.

Preschool classes are available for children ages three to five.

The center is attached to Evans Pool, which offers a variety of instructional, recreational, and exercise swim programs.

Bring your budding naturalist to IslandWood, 255 acres on Bainbridge Island that serve as an outdoor lab where all ages can study the natural world and its conservation; explore the preserve's varied habitats (bog, mature second-growth forest, and more); and take a variety of cool arts and seasonal workshops.

The campus' amenities include comfy, family-friendly sleeping lodges for overnight stays; classrooms and learning labs; an Arts Studio; miles of trails and a pond, bog, marsh, and streams; and a 190-foot suspension bridge over a ravine.

IslandWood offers Family Adventure Camps and kids' spring break and summer camps. Day camp and overnight programs are available. A schedule of camps and camp descriptions are available on the website.

A visit to Kelsey Creek makes a delightful outing with kids - it's worth the drive if you live in the Seattle area. The park is made up of 150 acres of forest and wetland habitat, with a number of hiking trails (including a gravel loop trail that goes around the park's barns and pastures) that are easy enough for tots to traverse. A popular working farm is also located on the park grounds.

Picnic tables and a covered picnic shelter are available for brown-baggers and events. The picnic shelter is located south of the parking lot (call or email for rental information); tables are located throughout the park. A play area for small kids is conveniently located near the picnic shelter area.

Kelsey Creek Farm's barns and pastures are home to a variety of farm animals. The farm hosts a number of kids' recreational programs, including pony care classes and farm experience tours, as well as living history workshops for families throughout the year.

Amenities at Bellevue's Lewis Creek Park include trails, a playground, a basketball court, soccer fields, and baseball fields. The 55-acre park is the site of many environmental education programs and most of the land is preserved in its natural condition.

The park's Visitor Center can be rented for private events.

Li'l Linguists Learn! offers Spanish, Mandarin, and French classes for young children and their caregivers. Classes are led by creative native or near-native speaking teachers who immerse children and caregivers in the language through a thoughtful program of engaging activities, including lively music, fun stories, imaginary play, and arts and crafts.

Lindamood-Bell is recognized as an effective treatment for learning difficulties, including the symptoms of dyslexia, AD/HD, hyperlexia, and autism.

The center works one-on-one with individuals ages five through adult. Lindamood-Bell offers diagnostic evaluations, individualized treatment programs to address the specific needs of its students, and community education events throughout the year.

Formerly known as Building 47 or the "recreation building," Magnuson Community Center has a gymnasium and an auditorium. Activities and events include family movies, sports (badminton, basketball, fencing, flag football, soccer, volleyball, ultimate frisbee), arts and crafts, music classes, nature classes, home school enrichment programs, day camps, indoor playpark, and language classes.

The Brig (originally a military jail) is also used for classes and events.

The center is located in Magnuson Park.

The MMLCC, located in Ballard High School, provides an early childhood education program for children ages three to five at the Children's House. The Montessori-based program includes the development of language, math, and practical life skills.

Afterschool programs at the Language and Cultural Center, for children five to eight, include art, Italian, Spanish, Chinese, drama, and movement.

Students at Ballard High School have an opportunity to participate in the Lab School. Students receive classroom instruction, direct contact with early childhood education specialists and Montessori-trained educators, and a chance for observation in the Children's House.

No Do Spanish Services offers 40-minute Spanish classes for children ages three to five that combine formal instruction with unstructured play, songs, stories, and games. Private instruction is also available. The instructor has lived in Spain, traveled to other Spanish speaking countries, and taught Spanish for 15 years.

North Kirkland Community Center offers year-round parent/child, preschool, youth, and teen recreation programs, as well as classes in music, art, dance, drama, cooking, science, languages, yoga, aerobics, and more. A current class schedule is online or available at the center. Registration is available online as well.

The center also has a drop-in indoor playground for children ages one to five, open from mid-September through early June. Call for days and times.

Summer Junior Day Camps are available for kids ages six to eight. Peter Kirk Camps are offered in the summer for kids ages six to twelve.

Indoor Playground Birthday Party packages are available for children ages one to five.

North Kirkland Community Center offers year-round parent/child, preschool, youth, and teen recreation programs, as well as classes in music, art, dance, drama, cooking, science, languages, yoga, aerobics, and more. A current class schedule is online or available at the center. Registration is available online as well.

The center also has a drop-in indoor playground for children ages one to five, open from mid-September through early June. Call for days and times.

Summer Junior Day Camps are available for kids ages six to eight. Peter Kirk Camps are offered in the summer for kids ages six to twelve.

Indoor Playground Birthday Party packages are available for children ages one to five.