Get your game on: Families are invited to stop in to play checkers, backgammon and other board game classics from 6–7:30 p.m. on Nov. 11 and Nov. 18 at Wind Up Here, 121 Fifth Ave. S.E., Olympia. The events are free. For more information, call 360-943-9045 or go to www.winduphere.com.
Also, from 2–4 p.m. Nov. 12, folks are invited to play board and video games at the Puyallup Public Library, 324 S. Meridian, Puyallup, as part of a free National Gaming Day celebration. For more information, call 253-841-5454 or go to www.puyalluplibrary.org.
Visit a museum: Enjoy the sights and activities of several Seattle museums for free during “First Thursday” next Thursday and Dec. 1. Participating museums include the Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture, the Seattle Art Museum, the Wing Luke Museum, the Museum of Flight and the Experience Music Project. Hours vary.
In South Sound, the Hands On Children’s Museum in Olympia offers free admission after 5 p.m. on the first Friday of each month. The Washington State History Museum in Tacoma, the Tacoma Art Museum and the Museum of Glass in Tacoma offer free admission during select hours on the third Thursday of each month as well.
Race a rocket: Create a propeller-driven balsa rocket and race it at 1 p.m. Nov. 19 at the Olympic Flight Museum, 7637-A Old Highway 99, Olympia. Rocket kits cost $5 and can be picked up ahead of time. Competition entry is $10.
Open class divisions include youth (judged by grade level) and adults. For more information, call 360-705-3925 or go to www.olympicflightmuseum.com.
Enjoy a tea party: Children ages 2-7 and their families are invited to a Teddy Bear Tea Party from 2:30-4 p.m. Nov. 25 at the Olympia Elks Lodge, 1818 Fourth Ave. E., Olympia. Cost is $5 a person and includes craft projects, snacks, a visit with Santa and Mrs. Claus, and other activities. Proceeds benefit various programs sponsored by the Capital Rotary. For more information, go to teddybearteaparty.net.
Watch salmon spawn: The Kennedy Creek Salmon Trail is open from 10 a.m.–4 p.m. on weekends through Nov. 27, as well as on Veterans Day and the day after Thanksgiving. (The trail is reserved for school groups during weekdays.) Volunteer docents will be on hand to answer questions about chum salmon and their life cycle.
The trail is off the Old Olympic Highway off Highway 101, near mile post 357, between Olympia and Shelton. For more information, call 360-412-0808, ext. 101, or go to spsseg.org.
Learn about zookeeping: Students in middle school through college can learn about careers as zookeepers, zoo veterinarians and marine biologists at Point Defiance’s Career Day 2011, from 10 a.m.–3 p.m. Nov. 12. Students can participate for free, but those 15 and younger must be accompanied by a paying adult.
For more information, call 253-591-5337 or go to www.pdza.org.
Catch a free flick: The Grand Cinema, 606 S. Fawcett, Tacoma, and Click! Cable TV are offering free admission to “Home Alone” for the first 100 guests at 10 a.m. Nov. 19. The free movie series continues with “Elf” at 10 a.m. Dec. 17. For more information, call 253-572-6062 or go to www.grandcinema.com.
Take a class: Learn parenting tips while you stay busy with supervised activities from 6–8 p.m. on Tuesday at Olympia’s Hands On Children’s Museum. The Power Parenting series is free and covers a new topic every month. Registration in advance is required. For more information, call 360-956-0818 or go to www.hocm.org.
Help salmon, shorebirds and the Puget Sound: Teach your kids about giving back to the earth by volunteering for work parties at the Allison Springs Estuary Restoration Project and the nearby Randall Preserve on Mud Bay in Thurston County.
The parties will be held from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 19, Dec. 3 and Dec. 10. No experience necessary.
Volunteers will install native plants and remove invasive vegetation. For more information, including directions to the Olympia site, contact Christina Donehower at 360-754-9177, ext. 183, or email cdonehower@pugetsound.org.. More information on the project is at www.capitollandtrust.org.
Lisa Pemberton covers education for The Olympian. She also is one busy mama with three young children: 360-754-5433
lpemberton@theolympian.com
