Metro Parent Magazine August 2014 | Page 46

[ Time Out ] COURTESY OF METRO Under the Stars COURTESY OF SEAN MINOGUE. Rox Out Books, music, sunshine — what’s not to love? All three should be out in full-force at Rox in Sox, a jumbo celebration of kids’ music and books in Lake O. The grown-ups say you should bring chairs and blankets. But who will have time to sit down? Kids will be too busy jamming out to the sounds of Recess Monkey, Mesta Cookie Jar, The Not Its and Red Yarn. Some really cool authors will be there to read and show you how they create their books. As if that’s not enough, you can play games, make crafts and much more. Rox rocks from 10 a.m.- 4 p.m. Sat. Aug. 2. It’s FREE with a donation of new shoes, socks or books. Head over to The West End Building, 4101 Kruse Way in Lake Oswego. Sleep with the lions and tigers and bears, oh my! Pitch your tent and snuggle into your sleeping bag on the big lawn for Camperoo at the Zoo. But before you nod off, you’ll get guided tours to see what the animals are up to when those picture-taking humans go home. Get a peek behind the scenes and learn about some of the Zoo’s newest residents. The fun starts at 4 p.m. on August 2 and lasts until 9:30 a.m. the next morning. Camperoo costs $54 per person for ages 12 and up and $40 for ages 3-11. Kids 0-2 are FREE. It sounds pricey, but you get dinner, snacks, a campfire with s’mores and continental breakfast. Zoo members get a discount. Registration is required. Ewe otter have more fun than a barrel of, well, you know. For the more rugged campers, Oxbow State Park near Troutdale accepts reservations for tent sites, and has great Sandy River access for tubing and splashing. The park gets crowded during the day, but things quiet down after dark, and there are family-friendly singalongs, stargazing parties and naturalist presentations on weekends all summer long. We like the sound of “Bear Stories” on August 9, with tracker Linda Jo Hunter promising to tell some tall tales and teach you some bear body language to boot. Head to www.oregonmetro.gov/oxbow to reserve your site. Music Al Fresco: COURTESY OF PORTLAND FESTIVAL SYMPHONY 46 August 2014 | metro-parent.com In our minds, nothing says summer more than a concert in the park. Think a picnic dinner, maybe a bottle of wine and plenty of room for the kids to roam. There are outdoor concerts almost every day of the week in the Portland area this month, but one of our longtime favorites is the Portland Festival Symphony’s weekend shows. It’s a great way to introduce your kids to live, classical music, but the best part is the very end, when kids are given their own plastic recorders and invited to tootle along with courtly conductor Lajos Balogh and the rest of the musicians during the “Toy Symphony” number. Just one warning: Those recorders are yours to keep. We recommend putting them on a high shelf, unless you like being awakened by your mini-bugler at 5 a.m. Saturday, August 2, Laurelhurst Park, Sunday, August 3, Peninsula Park, Saturday August 9, Grant Park and Sunday, August 10, Washington Park. All shows start at 6 p.m. FREE.