Camps, classes, reading, hikes, games and music. And all within — or close to — Hood River.
Below is a sampling of the plethora of kid activities planned for everyone from preschoolers to high schoolers this summer.
With all of this, there’s no need to hear the dreaded “I’m bored!” this summer.
Art Center
The Columbia Center for the Arts, 215 Cascade Ave., has a variety of Summer Art Experience classes for children to choose from. Prices are listed; some scholarships are available. For more information on any of the classes below, visit columbiaarts.org/
SummerArtExperiences.
June 22-25 — Nature printing, 9-noon. Haiku, bookmaking. Ages 8+. $105.
June 22-25 — Glass for kids, 1-4 p.m.. Ages 8+. $95.
June 29-July 2 —Realistic and abstract painting, 9-noon. $90.
June 29-July 2 — Skateboard Art, 2-5 p.m. Ages 9-15. $135.
July 6-9 — Long-necked whimsical creatures, 9-noon. Ages 8-12. $85
July 6-9 and 13-17 — Shakespeare for teens, 1-4 p.m. Ages 13-18. $150.
July 13-16 — Costume and soft sculpture with Megan Mesloh, Wildcraft Studio School, 9-noon. Ages 7+. $90.
July 20-23 — Mon.: Introduction to visual journals; ages 9-15, $30. Tues.-Thurs.: Learn to draw what you see; 9-noon. Ages 6-12, $75.
July 20-23 — Handmade books of all shapes and sizes, 1-4 p.m. Ages 9-12. $105.
July 20-23 — Physical theater, 1-4 p.m. Located in theater. Ages 7-12. $85.
July 27-30 — Summer art experiences at Columbia Center for the Arts, 9-noon. Learn to paint what you see. Ages 6-12. $90.
July 27-30 — Summer art experiences at Columbia Center for the Arts, 1-4 p.m. Creative paper engineering. Ages 8+. $85.
Aug. 10-13 —All the arts theater camp, 9-noon. Ages 4-6. $85.
Aug. 10-13 — Textile play: Intro to weaving, painting on, dyeing fabric with Megan Mesloh from Wildcraft Studio School, 1-4 p.m. Ages 12+. $135.
Cub Scouts
Cub Scout Pack 378 in Odell has a couple of summertime events open to boys and their families. You do not need to be a scout to participate; boys must be accompanied by an adult. For more information, call 541-354-1323.
July 11 — Fishing event, 11 a.m. at Laurence Lake. Bring pole and bait. Prize for biggest fish caught. Hot dogs, refreshments provided.
Aug. 15 — Hike to Tamanawas Falls. Meet 10:45 a.m. at Mt. Hood Store. Bring day pack, lunch and full water bottle.
Summer library and reading
Story Time at Hood River Library: Baby/Toddler and Big Kids story time, 10:30 a.m. Thursday mornings.
Hood River County Library Summer Reading Program. Sign up at the library; choose a goal of how many hours you can read this summer and collect prizes as you progress towards your goal. More info at www.hoodriver.plinkit.org.
Hood River County Library Teen Summer Reading Program. Sign up at the library; prizes will be awarded for every five hours of reading completed. Three $50 cash cards will be raffled off at the end of the summer, provided by Columbia Bank. More info at www.hoodriver.plinkit.org.
Hood River Hobbies
Hood River Hobbies, 110 Fourth Street, has many activities for kids, from Magic the Gathering games to bird watching to RC car racing; watch the Happenings section of the News for updates to their summer schedule.
June 20 and 27 — RC Car Class, 9-10 a.m. at May Street Elementary covered play area. Bring radio controlled car and spare batteries; learn about car repair and maintenance. Students must be old enough to operate their vehicle safely and stay out of driving area while cars are moving for safety reasons, or must be supervised by a parent. $10. Sign up through Community Ed. More info at info@hoodriverhobbies.com.
June 21 and 28 — Trading Card Game Casual Free Play Sunday at Hood River Hobbies: 1:30 p.m., Pokemon Trading Card Game; 3 p.m., Magic the Gathering; tournament at 3:30 p.m. Bring a deck or buy one, trade cars; supervision required for children. More info at info@hoodriverhobbies.com.
Community Ed
The Community Education summer class schedule is filled with kids’ activities for everyone from preschool to high school and include summer musical theater, art camps, WAAAM aviation camp, Lego Physics, Rock Band Summer Camp, Astronomy and numerous sporting opportunities, from soccer to sailing. For more info, visit the Community Ed office at 1009 Eugene Street, call 541-386-2005, email community.ed@hoodriver.k12.or.us, or visit www.communityed.org.
Other favorite Community Ed summer activities include:
Movies in the Park, Saturdays at Jackson Park beginning July 11 through Aug. 22. All movies begin at dusk. Sponsored by Community Ed and Hood River Parks and Rec. For more info visit www.hrcommunityed.org.
Families in the Park, Thursdays in August at Jackson Park from 6-9 p.m. Aaron Meyer Aug. 6; Quarterflash Aug. 13; Paperback Writer (Beatles Tribute) Aug. 20; and Hit Machine Aug. 27.
Columbia Gorge Peace Village
Registration is now open for Columbia Gorge Peace Village, held Aug. 3-7. Camp is open to children ages 6-13.Full camp fee is $335 per camper; scholarships available. Registration is limited to 150 campers. To register, visit bit.ly/1dGSxkn or email info@columbiagorgepeacevillage.com.
Blossoms Bilingual summer camps
This new bilingual preschool is located at Pine Grove Elementary. Parents can chose a one or two week commitment, three to five days a week, from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. For more info, contact teacher Socci Galvez at hrblossomspreschool@ yahoo.com or 541-399-4840.
June 15-26 — Science Camp. Will include experiments such as baking, soda volcano, rockets and balloons, and mixing colors experiments.
June 29-July 10 — Culture and Language Camp. Five cultures in 10 days: Japanese, Russian, American, Mexican and French.
Aug. 10-21 — Nature in the Gorge Camp. Focusing on Gorge nature: trees, animals, rivers, plants.
Play groups
New Parent Services Playgroups. For parents and their children ages newborn to 5; for more info contact Nancy Johanson Paul at 541-436-0319 or nancyp@nextdoorinc.org.
Tuesdays, 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at Cascade Locks City Hall gym.
Tuesdays, 9-10:30 a.m. at Hood River Alliance Church, 2650 Montello Ave. (Contact the church at 541-386-2812 for details.)
Fridays, 10-11:30 a.m. at HR Early Childhood Center (former Pine Grove School), bilingual, with developmental specialists available (follows school calendar). For more info call 541-386-4919.
