The Portland Children's Museum

Located in Washington Park (at 4015 SW Canyon Rd, Portland, OR, 97221), right next to the Oregon Zoo, the Portland Children's Museum features a number of exhibits and activities that are sure to thrill the kids and give parents a fun activity to do with the kids on one of Portland's many rainy days.

The Portland Children's Museum features a number of permanent/fixed installations as well as some rotating exhibit space that will keep kids occupied for hours and wear them out enough for a nap when they're done.

Currently, there is the super popular 'Bob the Builder' exhibit based on the popular kids' cartoon. The exhibit features life size Bob the Builder characters and vehicles as well as a number of activities that allow kids to practice 'construction' and figure out how various contraptions work. Even though we're members of the museum and go there frequently, I don't think there is a day that goes by right now where my three year old isn't asking to go play with Bob the Builder.

Another popular activity and exhibit is the water installation. Parents, be prepared for your kids to get wet. Even though the museum provides smocks for the kids, it's inevitable that they are going to get wet and might even need a change of clothes. Right outside the exhibit is a changing area with a wall of those hand driers if you want to try to quickly dry out a shirt or socks. The installation itself features a number of tubs with crazy contraptions that transfer and allow water to flow through tubes, pumps, wheels, and squirting devices. I'll admit, I've probably spent just as much time in this exhibit as my three year old.

There is a popular dig room that is filled, not with sand, but with small recycled rubber pieces which make for much easier clean-up! There are diggers and dump trucks and other construction objects that let the kids do whatever they would like as though they were in a giant sandbox without the sand.

Next to the dig room are some popular hands on construction areas and the popular Caterpillar Cafe - which is like a mini grocery store stocked with plastic groceries with shopping carts and checkout stands. The kids get the chance to grocery shop and buy all of the plastic food they want - or they can check out the other shoppers at the check stands which feature cash registers and scanners that beep as they check out the other kids' purchases.

Another great installation is the theatre room. There is a giant stage set up with working curtains, and a 'dressing room' off to the side that is stocked with costumes. There are riser steps for the parents to sit on and relax while the kids put on their shows. There is also a sound booth that allows the kids to use different sound effects and music for their shows. And it is all projected onto an in-house television system so that the kids really feel like stars!

Creativity, fun, and action are all to be had by kids and parents on a visit to the Portland Children's Museum. Whenever you are at a loss for what to do with the kids and want to really wear them out, check out the Portland Children's Museum.