Rice NW Museum of Rocks and Minerals

Today we took the kids to the Rice NW Museum of Rocks and Minerals right here in Hillsboro. Bronson is doing a unit at school on rocks and went on a field trip a couple of weeks ago. He was really excited and wanted to share the experience with us. We were able to get a Cultural Pass from the library so it was FREE!

The museum is located off of Helvatia Road in the former home of Helen and Richard Rice. Every room is full of beautiful rocks, minerals and gems. Our favorite was the rainbow room with fluorescent rocks. The NW Mineral Gallery is really neat too. You can see giant thunder eggs and beautiful crystals.

What I really liked about this place was how much they love and respect children. The guides could tell that Bronson had been there before and they asked him questions so he could "show off" to his parents. They made sure that we saw interesting things and were not nervous about Keziah touching the cases.

Where: 26385 NW Groveland Drive
Hillsboro, OR 97124
503-647-2418

How Much: Adult $7, Senior $6, Student $5, Under 5 Free
Call the Hillsboro Library to reserve a cultural pass and you can get in for FREE

Rice Museum

Plumper Pumpkin Patch

We discovered Plumper Pumpkin Patch a few years ago and it quickly became our favorite. It is easy to get to, there is plenty of parking and there are lots of activities. When you first walk in you will see a pony ride, lots of pumpkins, the barn and food areas. Richard and I refer to most pony rides as slave ponies, but we let the kids ride here because the animals are well taken care of. Most of the pumpkins are already picked, but you can go into the patch and check out some really unusual ones in the patch. My mom and sister went home with some really beautifully colored squash.

What really sets Plumper apart are the fun activities. For $5 you can go on a hayride, do pumpkin bowling, duck races, go down some awesome slides, hay mazes, farm animals, playhouse and tractor tricycles. The hayride is my favorite. Usually we buy a sticker for the kids to do everything and then we all go on the hayride. The view from the top of the hill makes my heart sing. It reminds me why I love where I live.

If you go on the weekend you can watch them do the pumpkin trebuchet and the pumpkin cannon. It is free to watch and always so much fun. For an extra fee you can do the pumpkin slingshot and the barrel train. How much you spend is really up to you. Our family has specific things we love to do, so we make sure to set aside time for that.

Another thing that we always find amusing is that there is usually a goat that hangs around the barn and climbs on a ladder. You can also see the turkeys for free.

Check out their website

Orbitz also did a review

Lakeview Farms

The next pumpkin patch to be reviewed is Lakeview Farms in North Plains. The first time Bronson went with Richard and some friends while I was at work. The pictures were cute and he came home with a great sailboat painted on his face. Unfortunately it was also very rainy as you can see from the picture. The pumpkin patch was quite muddy. The following year Bronson went on a field trip with his daycare. He enjoyed the caterpillar ride.

We went as a family, but Bronson seemed not very excited for the trip. When we got there he was really scared and didn't want to go on the train or the boat. To get to the pumpkin patch you have to pay $4 to ride the train or boat. We decided to take the train over and the boat back. He cried in the tunnel because it was dark and there were spooky decorations. The boat ride also was scary because a shark and a lake monster come out of the water. If your kid is not a fan of Halloween decorations I would skip this patch.

As a parent I felt that it was very expensive and commercial. I know that this is the favorite pumpkin patch for a lot of families, so don't take my review as the whole picture.

Peterson Farms

One of my favorite things about being back in Oregon is visiting pumpkin patches in the fall. I love this season; leaves crunching, orange everything(it is my favorite color), apples, pumpkins, crisp mornings and the anticipation of spending time with family.

Our first year back we took Bronson to Peterson Farms on Glencoe Road. This is a charming farm. They have a great country store, free hayrides, tasty cider and a hay maze that is perfect for the younger set.

Where:4800 NW Glencoe Road
503-640-5649
When: Oct 20-21 and Oct 27-28

This week I will be profiling different pumpkin patches in the area. If you have a picture of one of your kiddos wearing a pumpkin hat I have made, I would love to see it! Please leave comments letting me know your family's favorite spot!

Lego Master Build

Bronson loves anything Lego related. He received the Brickmaster membership from Grandma Pat and Popeye for his birthday which keeps him up to date on all the events going on. This summer we took the MAX to Pioneer Square for the Lego Game Stop. They had life size game boards and we got to try all the new games.

Today at Washington Square there was a Master Build. A master builder from Lego was on hand to create an 8 foot Buzz Lightyear out of bricks. We got to make rectangles to be part of the sculpture. We went shopping at the store when we were done and got a certificate saying he had helped build and a special brick to take home.

We had a great time and made very special memories. Check out the Lego Store website for a calendar of activities. On November 2nd you can make a mini turkey for free.

Munchkin Playland

Keziah and I really enjoy Munchkin Playland at West Union Village. The play structures are modeled after trees, ducks and boats. I can enjoy a nice cup of coffee and adult conversation while she plays with the dollhouse and in the kitchen area. Try it the next time you are in need of a place to play and it is raining. This is a much better choice than Burger King.

Where: 18335 NW West Union
Portland, OR 97229
How Much: $6 to play
$20 play pass ($30 value)

Munchkin Playland

Oregon History Museum

To celebrate Oregon Cultural Days the Oregon History Museum is offering free admission from October 1-8th.

The Greek Vegetable

We went to the Greek Festival in Beaverton which was a lot of fun. There was amazing food, dancing, pony rides and a kids area. There is a bigger festival this weekend in downtown Portland presented by the Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church.

Keziah had a good time and she called it the Greek Vegetable. That has become our little family joke. You can enjoy a full dinner, or buy food ala carte. At the information booth you buy "talents" that you use in the booths. You can watch food demonstrations and tour the church. I learned a lot about the history of the Orthodox church, which was very interesting.


Greek Festival

OMSI

This weekend you can bring the whole family to OMSI without going into debt. For only $2 per person, you can enjoy a fun filled day of science exploration.

Sunday, October 3

Explore the museum for only $2 per person the first Sunday of every month.

(Made possible through the generous support of Bank of America, The Standard, and the Spirit Mountain Community Fund.)