image via thesciencefactory.org
Today we'll be talking about the most stripe-y building in all of Lane County, and perhaps in all of the world: Our very own Science Factory. Have you visited the Science Factory? It is one of my family's favorite Lane County spots. Here's what you need to know: The Science Factory is a children's museum where kids can explore scientific concepts in a welcoming, hands on environment. They have a traveling exhibit that changes a few times a year, as well as some things that are permanent fixtures. There's also an exploration dome (aka planetarium). It's located in Alton Baker Park, just south of Autzen Stadium. (Their parking lot is used for football games, so they're closed on game days.) 
Okay, now that introductions are out of the way, I'm going to give you my take home message right now, at the very beginning of this post, because I want you to keep it in mind while you read. Ready? Here it is: Buy your family a membership to the Science Factory. Better yet, ask a grandparent to gift it to you for a birthday or holiday or whatever. You'll be glad you did. Okay, while you think on that, let's check out some visitor tips: Visiting the Science Factory:
Other sweet Science Factory happenings:
The Essentials Parking: A nice big free lot. Cost: Ages 3-61 - $4 for either museum admission or an Exploration Dome show, $7 for both Food: Nope Bathrooms: Yep Resting/nursing spots: there are several benches scattered throughout the museum Time frame: half an hour to all afternoon! At the risk of sounding like an advertisement, I really do recommend getting a membership. In addition to all the great stuff I already mentioned, here's the added bonus: Through the ASTC Travel Passport Program your Science Factory membership currently gets you in FOR FREE to the following:
We have taken advantage of the free admission to these places more times than I can count. It's so amazing to be able to visit for free - it totally takes the pressure off. If someone gets cranky or tired or you forgot to pack snacks or the diaper leaks, it doesn't matter - just go home and come back another day. So much nicer than gritting your teeth and growling under your breath about how you paid $84 to get in so everyone BETTER smile and enjoy themselves or else. Also these are free but I've never visited them so I can't vouch for their coolness. Maybe someone else can?
 And you guys!! Guess what!? Carolyn and Emily from the Science Factory so very generously gave us a few admission passes to the Science Factory to give away to a few of you lucky ducks! You know it's going to rain for the entire month of March. Think of how happy you will be if you have one of these passes in your pocket. Free, outside of the house entertainment?!
Go enter, quickly!! Happy Adventuring! To enter, tell us what YOU like about the Science Factory. If you've never been, mention something that Megan told us about that you're looking forward to checking out. We will draw winners on Thursday night at 10pm! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Megan Defferding is the mom to two super fun boys who love to find great stuff to do all around Lane County! Check out her blog series, Happy Adventuring, weekly on GoMomGo.
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Do you guys play at the same park? Over and over and over? Because we do. We tend to stick to a few of our favorites - mostly ones close to home. And that's okay - they're familiar, we know what to expect, and the kiddos can interact there successfully. But sometimes I feel a little stuck in a rut. A park rut. And I wish there were advertisements for the area's parks - things like "Awesome slides for adventurous munchkins!" or "Beautiful hills to run up and down to burn energy!" or "This park has bathrooms, which makes it automatically a thousand times better than ones without bathrooms!" Also, I feel that parks should have warnings. For example: "Play area is set too close to a road!" or "There is a giant sandbox that will turn your car into a mini-beach!" (#ihatesandboxes) So, I figured GoMomGo would be a perfect spot to investigate Lane County's most fabulous outdoor play areas. Without further ado, let's jump into our first park: Bethel Community Park 5700 Babe Ruth Lane Eugene, OR 97402
Bethel is one of our very favorite places to play. Here's what we love about it: - Multiple play structures: one for smaller kiddos and one for bigger kiddos - Super cool digger/excavator things for the truck lover in your life- Excellent water feature during the summer months - Lovely rolling hills to climb - Close to baseball fields and a skatepark, which gives littles a chance to check out what the big kids are doing - A covered area that you can reserve (we've done parties there) - Multiple picnic tables - Great paved paths that loop around the play area and are perfect for bikes - A variety of equipment to practice different gross motor skills. My preschooler is never bored there. - Since the Eugene Airport is out that way, there are frequently low flying airplanes overhead. - Not that I do this, but there is a drive through coffee stand on Barger that mama could hit on the way to play. For a mocha. As an "I got everyone out the door and they are all mostly dressed and no one is currently crying" treat. Not that I ever do that. - BATHROOMS!! (even if there are no doors on the stalls) :)  Here are some of our not-so-favorite things about it: - Ummm I am a sand grinch, and that whole darn park is sand. Sand everywhere. Sand for days. Sand for years. - Very little shade. Last I heard, the YMCA was thinking about adding a giant community center out on this park space, which would be terrific. Does anybody know the latest on that? One last thought: The Bethel library branch does their family (all ages) storytime on Fridays at 10:15. The park is about six minutes away from the library. One of our very favorite days goes as follows: storytime, Bethel Park playtime, picnic lunch at the park, home to hose all the sand out of all of the places. It makes for a seriously fun day. Try it! We'd love to see you! 
The Essentials:
Parking: There's plenty of street parking, as well as a nice sized lot. Food: Bring lots of snacks. Everyone will be hungry after all the running around. Bonus: the snacks will have a bit of natural crunch from all the sand. Resting/Nursing spots: Several benches (although only one is shaded) and several more picnic tables. Also lots of grassy areas to spread a blanket in spots where you can still see the play area. Cost: Free - wahoo! Time frame: Oh man - with the swings and the slides and the mini climbing wall and the water feature and the rest of everything...just plan on camping out for days (Not really. I don't think that's legal.) ;) One more thought. A brilliant friend of mine clued me in on a wonderful idea. Instead of bringing sand toys to play with, she takes empty, clean plastic containers. Things like yogurt and sour cream and such. That way, if they get lost, or borrowed, or whatever - it's not a big deal. Why don't I think of these things?! Thank goodness for brainy friends. Now call your friends and get out to Bethel Park! Happy Adventuring! Bonus: Tomorrow Emily is doing a Bethel Park for Big Kids post... keep an eye out! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Megan Defferding is the mom to two super fun boys who love to find great stuff to do all around Lane County! Check out her blog series, Happy Adventuring, every Wednesday on GoMomGo.  Do you guys go to the Eugene Public Library? Please tell me that you do. Because - wow - we are so lucky to live in Eugene and have the BEST library system EVER. Forgive me for gushing, but we really do. I know this looks like a ridiculously long list, but I bet there is something here that you haven't discovered yet and that will be a fun treat for your family. Did you know you can:
So there you go. Have I convinced you that our library is the greatest of all time? I should hope so! Happy Adventuring and Happy Reading, too! Just The Facts: Eugene Downtown Library, 100 W. 10th Ave, Eugene Mon-Thurs: 10-8 Fri-Sat: 10-6 Sun: 1-6 First Friday: 10-8 Bethel Branch 1990 Echo Hollow Rd, Eugene Tues: 2-8 Wed-Thurs: 2-6 Fri-Sat: 10-4 Sun-Mon: Closed Sheldon Branch 1566 Coburg Rd, Eugene Tues: 2-8 Wed-Thurs: 2-6 Fri-Sat: 10-4 Sun-Mon: Closed ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Megan Defferding is the mom to two super fun boys who love to find great stuff to do all around Lane County! Check out her blog series, Happy Adventuring, every Wednesday on GoMomGo. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ We would love to highlight the other libraries in Lane County. If you visit the libraries in Springfield, Creswell, Cottage Grove, Veneta, Harrisburg or Florence let us know! Email us gomomgoeugene@gmail.com & we'll add your thoughts when we do a post about them!  Cloudy with rain. Highs in the mid 50s and lows in the low 40s. 100% chance of precipitation. 7MPH winds from the SW. Forecast for Eugene, Oregon on Friday, October 31, courtesy of Accuweather. Are you surprised? Let’s embrace it! We love Oregon and there’s so much we can do and enjoy in light of the puddles. Trick or Treat in a location where the candy is close together Neighborhoods with driveways close together, a Trunk or Treat event (many large churches host an event like this, comment below if you know of one we haven’t included), Downtown Eugene, or Valley River Center. Check out our Fall Picks article from last week for descriptions of these events. Rainproof your Trick-or-Treaters Add layers for warmth: even if the top layer of the costume gets soggy, waterproof layers underneath (UnderArmor, ski gear, etc.) can keep kids from getting chilled. Warm hands and feet equal happy kids: unless the costume requires a specific shoe, rain boots or waterproof shoes will keep feet happy (don’t forget wool socks!). If your kids insist on a certain shoe, get them to wear plastic bags over their feet. Add a pair of waterproof gloves and you're good for the evening. Add an umbrella: choose a bubble shaped one with a hook so your kids can hang their candy bag from the handle (and the bubble shape keeps them from poking out eyeballs). Stay home and have an impromptu party Many kids age 3 and under really could care less what day it is and are too young to embrace all that this holiday is about. Rather than drag them around on a wet walk with their older sibling(s), enjoy time at home with them while the other parent ventures out with the older kids. Invite other families to do the same, pick up some of those cheap take-n-bake pumpkin-shaped pizzas at Papa Murphy’s, and enjoy these easy, last-minute activities together: Games and Crafts: Follow our GoMomGo Pinterest and find: paper plate Spiders, decorating a giant felt pumpkin with face pieces, and lots more! Decorate pumpkins: often kids this age are too young to carve a pumpkin, so here’s an opportunity for them to decorate in an age-appropriate way. Ideas: Go to the Dollar store and get stick-on mustaches and fake glasses, pull out the paint and go for it, or (our favorite) pull out the Mr. Potato Head pieces and go nuts!  Music and dancing: take the time to teach your kids some finger-plays and classic songs. Also try searching for the “Children’s Halloween” playlist on Pandora or “Children’s Halloween Party” on Spotify to liven up the mood!
Finally, if you’re concerned about the thousands of grams of sugar your household just inherited in one night, we have a great alternative for you! GoMomGo has teamed up with some local military families to send unopened candy to our soldiers overseas! Email us to get info on a drop-off location. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ How awesome are those ideas? & the Mr. Potato Head pumpkin? Adorable! Thanks, Christy! Tomorrow on our Facebook page you can share pictures of your little creatures (& animals & Elsas :) We would love to see how you celebrate! No matter what you decide to do for Halloween, we hope that you have a super safe & super fun time! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Christy Rice is a mom to two great boys. They love to explore all that Lane County has to offer & share their adventures with GoMomGo.  Hi friends! I'm super excited to share a fun museum today for a few reasons: 1. our family really enjoys it. 2. I totally think it's a hidden Eugene gem. 3. it's rarely ever crowded, which is so very nice with littles.  Maybe you've already been there? It's the Museum of Natural and Cultural History on the University of Oregon campus. If you've never visited, or if it's been a long time, here are some reasons that I think you should check it out soon. The MNCH is a nice smallish size, which makes it feel very do-able. There are plenty of hands-on things for littles to manipulate, as well as lots of interesting reading material for grownups. With exhibits on topics like archeology, ecology, and paleontology, there is something interesting for everyone to check out. High powered microscopes, stuffed animals (the kind that used to be alive, not the kind you can snuggle), high interest artifacts, and the world's oldest shoes (true story!) are all part of the fun. Littles can put on lab coats to collect rocks and dig for fossils, and there are backpacks at the front counter that you can check out for free. They have some fun extension activities in them, although my 3.5 year old was mostly interested in wearing the vest and carting around the puppet.  Even though we've visited the MNCH four times in the past six months, my kiddo was very happy to spend a solid hour exploring the exhibits. I can hear you thinking, "who wants to drag their littles down to fight the campus traffic for an hour long activity?" I know. Not me. So here's how we like to extend our visit and make the trek down to campus (sort of a lot of work) more worth the while: we pack a picnic lunch and spend the morning wandering around the UO. There is so much excitement to be found: plenty of green spaces to run, lots of people for people watching, steps and ledges to climb and balance on, and there's always some construction if your kiddos are into that (and whose aren't, really?) The museum plus a meal plus a ton of wandering could make for a very long nap - wahoo! Or at least some happy and cultured kiddos. :)  One special highlight for preschoolers is the MNCH's 'Little Wonders' program. It's on the second Friday of each month at 10:30, and it costs $5 per family (2 kids) or free for Science Factory members. Each month is a different theme, such as butterflies, volcanoes, or teeth. They read a story (caution: it's usually pretty wordy, but they project the pictures up on a wall), then do some really fun and very age appropriate crafts. It's a very well organized event, and I've never seen more than a dozen kids there. We love it! The Essentials: Parking: The MNCH has it's own little lot on 15th Ave, which is free. However, you have to go into the museum, get a pass, and go back out to put it on your dash, which is sort of a pain when you're corralling littles. Food: no food to buy, and they don't let you eat inside anyway. Resting/nursing spots: lots of benches throughout the building Cost: general admission $5, kids 3-18 $3, kids 2 and under are free ***There are tons of opportunities to visit the MNCH for free: *The first Friday of every month is free *Every weekend with a home Duck football game is free *Science Factory members get in free anytime Time Frame: 60 minutes, 90 if you have littles who are old enough to read There is a gift shop, but I don't really know what's in it since I avoid it like the plague - no need to ruin a perfectly lovely museum trip with my toddler breaking some expensive artifact replica. I DO know that they don't sell food. :) With all of the material gathered in this little museum, this is an educational yet fun outing, even if you (like me) don't know anything about the giant sabertooth salmon (it's for reals!) Grab some friends and go! Happy Adventuring!  Just The Facts:
Museum or Natural and Cultural History 1680 E. 15th Ave. Eugene, 97403 (541) 346-3024 Tuesday through Sunday, 11:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. General Admission: $5 FREE admission to the public on the first Friday of the month Seniors (62+): $3 Youth (3-18): $3 Families (2 adults and up to 4 youth): $10 Children (2 and under): FREE Museum Store only: FREE MNCH Members, UO Students, Faculty, and Staff, and ASTC (Association of Science and Technology Centers) Members: FREE (with ID).  The cooler days bring crisp apples, pumpkin treats, and Instagram photos of vintage-y barns, colorful leaves and hayrides. Grab your little ones and go enjoy some of our favorite FREE autumn experiences throughout the Eugene area! For information about Lane County’s corn mazes and other seasonal events, visit here.
~~~~~~~~~ Apple Daze at Deterring Orchards 30946 Wyatt Drive in Harrisburg Every Saturday and Sunday through October Activities include: Animal corral, hay rides, playground, apple blaster, treasure mining, music and antique farm equipment. Free apple cobbler and fresh cider samples. U-Pick fruit from the orchards and seasonal produce. Vintage Market vendors to shop for fall décor! *GoMomGo tip: The samples, the play area, the little goats, and the browsing all offer ample opportunities to enjoy family time without spending a dollar! But if you plan on doing your produce shopping at Deterring (do it…your dollars will go a long way) plan to buy $20 worth of produce so you get free tickets to the Apple Blaster (and your kids will adore you!). U-pick pumpkins are $.19/lb and u-pick/bulk apples seemed to be around $.60-.80/lb. Overall, Deterring’s produce prices are some of the best we’ve seen anywhere in Lane County. ~~~~~~~~~ Pumpkin Carving at Red Wagon Creamery 55 W. Broadway October 27-30, from 3-5PM Red Wagon Creamery hosts demos led by artists from The Watershed Arts Foundation. The first 100 youth get free pumpkins from local farms to carve, and everyone learns the history of pumpkin carving and gets 50 cents off a Red Wagon ice cream treat. ~~~~~~~~~ Haunted Market at 5th Street Public Market 296 E. 5th Avenue October 30-31, from 6-8PM Prepare for two nights of trick-or-treating, face painting, spooky story-tellers, a photo booth, and fun for the whole family. Admission is FREE if you bring 3 cans of food to support Food For Lane County ($3/person otherwise). ~~~~~~~~~ Community-Style Trick-or-Treating various locations Friday, October 31 There are a number of organizations throughout Eugene who host a collective trick-or-treat experience for the family to enjoy: Willamette Christian School Friday, October 31 from 5:30-7PM There will be up to 40 cars decorated for a fun and safe family trick or treat experience all set up in the WCS parking lot (2500 W. 18th Avenue in Eugene). It’s TRUNK or Treat! Valley River Center Friday, October 31 from 6-8PM Bring your kids to VRC to trick-or-treat throughout the mall! A great indoor option in case the weather is soggy! Downtown Eugene Friday, October 31 from 3-6PM Locations will be marked with orange and black balloons. At 5:30, join the Masquerade of Munchkins at the Eugene Public Library and follow the route to Noisette, Red Wagon, Voodoo Doughnuts, and end at Kesey Square at 6PM.  We're super excited to have a new blogger joining us at GoMomGo! Megan Defferding's posts, called Happy Adventuring, will be a mix of fun things she & her kiddos do in & around Eugene & also some awesome things that they do when they stay at home. We'll tell you more about her soon but trust us, you're going to love her! Here's Megan's first post about Jerry's Fire Safety Event...  Last weekend was Jerry's Fire Safety event. Jerry's is a local, employee-owned Lane County bastion of all things home improvement related. Since October is fire prevention month, every year Jerry's hosts a big, family friendly event, usually on the first Saturday of October. Keep your eyes open for it next year - it's not advertised super well - I usually just see it on their reader board in front of their store. (and we'll keep you up to date on GoMomGo, too!)  They bring in all sorts of rescue vehicles - an ambulance, two fire trucks, a helicopter, a rural rescue truck, a rescue boat, and a vintage fire truck. They are all open and the kids can climb inside. We spent a little over two hours checking everything out, and we could have stayed longer if a serious case of toddler hangriness hadn't taken over. There is a bounce house and a bounce slide, as well as some tunnels for smaller kids to climb through. You can try on a fire fighter's uniform, watch a puppet show, spray a fire hose, practice climbing out of windows, and watch a car being cut open with the jaws of life. It's all very impressive and fun.  The Essentials:
Bathrooms: inside Jerry's Food: available for purchase - Burrito Amigos, hot dogs, and coffee Resting/nursing spots - none, except for parking lot curbs Time frame: two-ish hours Leave me a comment if there's anything you'd like to see featured here on GoMomGo! Happy Adventuring! Summer is officially in its hey-day for me once I’ve had the chance to visit a farm and pick my own berries. I’ve been known to drag my kids to a U-Pick farm every weekend through August and September, and here are two of our favorite spots so far:
Stillpoint Farms 86915 Territorial Hwy, Veneta Monday-Saturday, 10am-5am – open seasonally If you can find a farm recently acquired by a couple of visionary millenials, I highly encourage you to visit! Upon arrival the young farmers, Zac and Katie, gave a warm welcome then jumped right into hospitality mode. Katie delivered a personal rundown of the farm and toured us around the wooden storefront they recently built which boasts flats of picked berries, farm fresh eggs, homemade soap, and local honey. Zac handed us each a bucket fitted with ropes so we could enjoy the freedom of two-handed berry plucking, then tipped us off to what’s prime for harvest. We quickly gathered three pounds of blueberries in our buckets – quite a feat amidst all the sampling going on. Berry bushes that are peak for picking are marked with reflective ribbon each morning. Stillpoint is starting to grow various produce in their greenhouse (ask them about it), but for U-Pick berries count on strawberries in May, blueberries and raspberries in July, and culminating with all three berries in August and September. Blackberries are now ready too. Prices are very reasonable. And yes, all their produce is Certified Naturally Grown – which is an “organic” certification that small, local farmers earn through a co-op of farmers across the U.S. In other words, no pesticides, herbicides, or chemical fertilizers ever used! Detering Orchards 30946 Wyatt Drive, Harrisburg Check website for events and seasonal hours I had no idea one could pick fresh peaches in Oregon. But, I got to do this at Peach Daze (August 1-3, 2014) at Detering Orchards, and it was a quintessential orchard experience. While we were there primarily to harvest the peaches (only $1.25/lb), there was also a Vintage Festival with vendors selling all sorts of Pinterest-y treasures. We also sampled the farm’s fresh pressed cold apple cider and perused their farm stand store for locally made snacks and goods as well as all kinds of produce that they grow on their farm. One farmer took us on a 30-minute hay ride and in that time we only covered small portion of their vast farmland. He plucked a couple of ripe peaches for us from the trees as we tractor-ed on through the orchard rows. I will be returning for Apple Daze which occurs every weekend in October. So much goes on and grows at Detering Orchards, so visit their website to figure out when you’d like to visit. I know we all have our own U-Pick farm near and dear to our hearts, so please comment and share your favorite place in Lane County...especially if any farm is still doing raspberries! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Christy Rice is a mom to two great boys. They love to explore all that Lane County has to offer & share their adventures with GoMomGo.  Thistledown is a diversified fruit, vegetable and flower operation. They are committed to minimizing chemicals and sprays and all seeds are non-GMO. The nursery at Thistledown is extensive and lovely, and I will return when new plants are on my shopping list. They also have a market offering local products and wine.
And, yes, it's a good place to bring the kids -- especially piggy-backed on a trip to Lone Pine which is just a mile south. One of my favorite things about Thistledown is the idyllic photo opportunities...think rusted-out trucks, split rail fences, a deep red barn, a water wheel, a covered bridge, stables with donkeys and horses, bunnies, chickens, and a goat pen. My kids spent nearly an hour in the hay maze with tunnel slides. Thistledown Farms, Junction City open daily May-October, 9am-5:30pm ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Christy Rice is a mom to two great boys. They love to explore all that Lane County has to offer & share their adventures with GoMomGo.  “Do any human beings ever realize life while they live it?—every, every minute?” –Thornton Wilder, Our Town This question often lurks in mind as I go about the dailies of being a stay-at-home mom. The other day while on a walk with my boys, my 4 year old trotted ahead on his bike and I noticed him pause at a muddy ball field. He soon ventured out, squealing with delight as the wheels slid effortlessly through the grass, spraying him with mud. He begged, “Please mom, can we stay?!” And I had to physically stop my instinctual response (“No, we’re going!”) and ask myself if this was a Thornton moment worth missing. But I have found one setting that allows me to effortlessly “realize life” while I am in it, and it never fails: the farm. I rarely am turned down if I invite a friend to join us. Being close to the primitive sources of life is absolutely cathartic. While I knew Eugene well as a college student, I left in 2005 for a job. I have recently returned, and am rediscovering my city through a mother’s eyes. The one thing I know is that we would be amiss to only haul our kids out to the farm for pumpkins in the fall. It’s June; the strawberries are ready! So over the summer, my kids and I will visit different farms and will commit to learn the various ways we can partner with the food-to-table movement deepening throughout Lane County.  photo via Lone Pine Farm's website Lone Pine Farms, Junction City. open daily May-October, 9am-7pm Lone Pine is a farm stand that offers produce and products from Northwest farmers and vendors at a very reasonable price. You can shop their market, pick from their seasonal crops (currently there are no-spray strawberries and flowers), visit farm animals, and enjoy the many opportunities to play with your kids. Humm Kombucha, Cafeto Organic coffee, and Breadfarm baked goods are among their local offerings. They also have the best prices on handmade Ghana baskets I have ever seen. Make time to relish a treat while you’re there: Umpqua ice cream, homemade pie, or our family’s favorite, a huckleberry cream cheese cinnamon roll. There is lots to discover with young children at Lone Pine on any given day: an updated, fenced play area, an outdoor picnic area, a gold panning adventure (extra fee), goat feeding (costs a quarter per bucketful of feed, although resourceful kiddos scrounge through the gravel for pieces of dropped feed), and saying “hello” to the sheep, chicken and their babies. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Christy Rice is a mom to two great boys. They love to explore all that Lane County has to offer & will be sharing their adventures with GoMomGo! Hooray! |
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