Playtime: Halloween events heating up, plus day camps and overnights

If you are on social media in any form, you have likely heard and/or used the term “Adulting.” While I couldn’t find a definition in the more formal online dictionaries, it is basically doing the required tedious acts of being an adult. For instance, this week, my “Adulting” included doing a load of laundry more than once because I forget it in the wash and reading a letter from the school district about clowns. My “Adulting” often includes “parenting,” which means making kids dinner while being so sick I was sure it was the end of days, finding out one has a reaction to food dyes, finding out just how much food has dye in it, and watching their faces as they got flu shots this year.

According to Merriam-Webster, “parenting” didn’t become a verb until the late ’50s and one can, and will, argue it’s gotten harder since then. With the wide use of “adulting,” I can imagine its definition will join parenting among the website versions of the heaviest books on the shelf any day now. One can only hope it won’t somehow make it even harder than it already is.

Now that I am onto the better parts of being an adult — working in my bed while wearing yoga pants and taking breaks to talk to friends and sample the dye-free candy you get at Trader Joe’s — I can share a lot of great local resources to make the adulting/parenting combo a bit easier.

I know that next week, half days for elementary school parent-teacher conferences are often hard to juggle. Not only do you have to make arrangements for aftercare, but then how to get to the conference and have child care during that! I had a flyer come home about a Half-Day Art Camp which is fun after-school camp that lasts from the time your child’s school ends until the time it normally ends on a “normal” school week. I contacted Art Wise Northwest and Creative Owner Dori Glass told me that they are having these camps at Chase Lake, Edmonds, Seaview, Madrona, and Terrace Park Elementary Schools (their spring equivalent will have options at Oak Heights and Hazelwood.) Kids will try 2 new projects each day and you will need to supply your child’s snack. The cost per day — you can choose any amount of days for that school week — is $35 and if you are a parent volunteer, the day is free. Glass told me that there are two parent volunteers per day and that she is in need of more volunteers at Edmonds Elementary and Chase Lake. For more information and to both register and pay online, visit www.ArtWiseNW.com.

While we’re on the subject, another great option for fun child care is Cascade Elite Gymnastics in Mountlake Terrace. They often hold Parents Night Out (their next is already full) but they also hold overnights! Their next overnight event is Oct. 29 for kids ages 5-12. For the three overnights they have in a year, kids are there from 8 p.m. to 8 a.m. and the activities at the last one I saw posted included swimming at the MLT Rec Center, pizza and watching movies. They also have camps during winter break, spring break and those no-school Monday/Friday holidays like Veterans Day. For all of the camp dates, click HERE or you can reach them at 425-672-6887.

I’m a big fan of getting as many uses as possible out of a Halloween costume. Now costumes aren’t required, but Coldwell Banker Bain is holding its 12th Annual Halloween Extravaganza Sunday, Oct. 23. The event will be in their parking lot at 4th and Dayton and will include pumpkin carving from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. or until all the pumpkins are gone, a coloring contest, and a free 1 p.m. showing of “Monster House” at the Edmonds Theater. All proceeds go to the Edmonds Food Bank! For more info on this event you can call them at 425-771-1000.

Since what my kids are eating is so top of mind — seriously, I’m not super granola, but do kids’ medicines and cereal with actual fruit in it NEED to be dyed? — I wanted to tell you about the free “Hands-On Family Cooking Class” on Oct. 29 at Verdant Community Wellness Center, 4710 196th St. S.W. “Naturally Sweet Halloween Treats” will be from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.. Verdant offers a lot of great classes on cooking, yoga and nutrition for toddlers, kids and teens. For more information you can reach them online at www.VerdantHealth.org.

One of my favorite comic book stores, Phantom Zone Comics in Lynnwood, posted about the season 7 premiere of The Walking Dead at the Edmonds Theater, also this Sunday, Oct. 23. This event, hosted by the Edmonds Theater and Phantom Zone Comics, starts at 7:30 p.m. with trivia, prizes and giveaways and the show starts at 8 p.m. While I know this is a column mainly about kids, so many of my friends — most of whom are parents at this point — love this show so I figured a little something for us (read: you, this stuff scares me to death) wouldn’t hurt. For more information you can find the Facebook event page HERE.

Meadowdale Arts & Music Booster Organization, MAMBO, is having a “BINGO Night Spooktacular!” Oct. 27 from 6:30-9 p.m. This event will be held in the MHS Great Hall with doors opening at 6:30. $7 buys you a book of cards with the games starting at 7 p.m. There will be prizes and costume are encourage. You can find more details on this event and more MAMBO events HERE!

I saved the event that I am looking forward to the most for last! In May, we went to the STEM Magical Mash-Up at Edmonds Community College. It was that magic mix between fun and learning which is great and as satisfying as hiding vegetables in your kids’ food and having them love it. EdCC is back at it, this time with the Haunted Stem Lab on Friday, Oct. 28 from noon to 6 p.m. in Monroe Hall. They promise you will be amazed as you “witness explosive – yet safe – demonstrations and participate in hands-on activities such as 3-D ghost printing and laser cutting goblins.” If that wasn’t enough, there will also be candy launches and vortex smoke rings. This event is free and open to all ages! EdCC says that in the last decade that STEM jobs have grown three times faster than non-STEM jobs. To learn more about their program you can visit them online at edcc.edu/stem.

– By Jennifer Marx

Jen Marx, a mom of two young boys, is always looking for a fun place to take the kids that makes them tired enough to go to bed on time. You can find her on Twitter trying to make sense of begging kids to ” just eat the mac n cheese” @jen_marx.